FRIDAYS FANTASTIC FAIR BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Good afternoon. Gosh, it’s 3 pm. This is my first sit down since I got out of bed at eight this morning. I have been to a craft fair an hour away from home, but most of it was food. My favourite cheese wasn’t there today. The lady apologised and said I have one similar. Hmm. I tried it. It was nowhere close as nice as the crunch one I got last time. Now, the old me would have said thank you I shall take some. The new me told her it wasn’t nice as it wasn’t even as good as a cheese I can buy for a quarter of that price.  Also, if she knows my honest opinion, then she may not make it again. My friend tried it too as she is a fan of the Cheddar crunch. She too didn’t like it. But didn’t say anything. Then a lovely lady started to call. Oh, pretty lady, please may I have you… In a Chinese accent. Well, I continued walking then my friend said she was calling for me. Hahaha. What on earth did she want? Well I am so glad she called me. She was selling the most beautiful hair combs with beads where by you put your hair through the beads and slide the combs to the sides to keep the beads in place. So, she had a crowd of people by this point. She did my hair in so many different ways. Gosh I have to say it felt amazing. Girls, you know when you put a ruffle or whatever you call those material things you tie your hair up in? or even combs, you can feel either a pulling or feel that you are wearing combs. Well, this thing she was selling was as if your hair wasn’t even there. My head felt so light. I wasn’t at all aware that my hair was tied up. It is the most comfortable thing ever. It was so funny her accent was so cute and she asked my name. I answered. Fred. LOL. No, seriously, I told her Fiona. She then replied. In a very long word. “ah

Fiona. Where is your Schreck?” To which I replied… At home.

Well then, she asked if I would try to do anything with this tie. So, I just did a basic ponytail. You would have thought I had performed a miracle. I asked her how much they were? £15 each or two for £25. I said I would have two and she then made me happy by saying she would give me a free one because I modelled for her.  Well it’s a long time anyone said that to me. I used to joke when I modelled saying when it comes to foot fashion, I will know I have lost whatever I had. Hahaha. No one would want to fashion their shoes on my feet now, so it’s now down to my hair…. Oh well, I am delighted with what I got. I love them. And you can do so many things with this one thing. Mind you, I haven’t tried doing anything too fancy. In fact, what am I talking about? I haven’t done anything fancy…

 

I bought some lovely gloves for a Christmas gift, there I go again, buying for the C word. In September…. Bad me.

 

There was a man selling pillows. Well I have bought more pillows than I can imagine. We have bought cheap ones, medium ones and really expensive ones. But never ever ever, have I paid what they were asking today. For one pillow…. £150. $197. I almost passed out. I was just about to tell him. “Oh no love. I have a bed…” Not sure he would have got my humour though. I always remember when my lovely old Nanna went with my Mum to buy a dog collar and when she was told of the price, my Nanna replied. Honey, we have the dog already…

 

I bought my Son a special treat. A Vegan brownie. I tried some on the stall and it was really delicious. Firstly, I tried the milk one and then the vegan one. I personally couldn’t tell the difference. Again, very expensive, but worth it for my baby. I got Hub some special meat he likes and enjoyed the company of my two friends. One of the ladies I went with is so lovely, I adore her. She is a character for sure. Oh my, she is so funny. And my other friend is so different to her I just love variety. My friend is so quiet and the other is so chatty and eccentric. I’m very chatty but not at all eccentric.

 

My friend B the quiet one had a beautiful jacket on. It was some design not sure what now, but it was gorgeous. Really lovely wool. And the best thing about it it was lilac. She is lovely and slim though and not a bad height so looks good.

 

There was a stall selling jumpers. Oh gosh wow, they were stunning. The detail was amazing. The lady wanted me to try one on. I said no, they are for skinny Minnie’s. She said no this one would fit, holding out the largest jumper I’m sure…. She told my friends the sizes. S. M. L. XL. I asked her if they sold a MH?

“MH?”” she replied with some confusion. Yes, I answered. Ma Husive.

She didn’t laugh…

I didn’t buy.

 

It was interesting as the stalls were mainly like the last festival I went to but everything was a pound more expensive. Why? Because it was in a affluent area. Oh, let me tell you the best bit… my friend, the chatty one took one of those Granny trolleys. You know what we call shoppers? A bag on wheels with a long handle? Well, you are not supposed to take them believe it or not, because there isn’t enough room to walk let along pull along a trolley behind you. But the lady let her in with it…. Why? Oh, come on, guess what the person on the entrance said to her?

One last chance to guess why she was allowed to take her shopper in….

Because I am blind.

Hahahhehehehehahahaha. What the heckers has that got to do with the price of life?

 

It was a great day out though. Fab company. Can’t wait for the next one.

 

My Son hasn’t heard about his job, so I think it’s a no. he’s gutted. He really wanted this job. He decided not to go for the other job he was asked to go for. why? Because it was an hour away, nowhere to park the area not too good and it wasn’t much more money than what he is getting now. it was as a manager though, where as he’s an assistant manager now.

 

I was sure I was out tonight to a spiritualist event. But it’s tomorrow. So, I’m not too good at seeing into my own future, am I? last time I went with my friend, I told you, there were fifty of us. Forty-eight got a message us two didn’t. the best thing he said that night was he told one lady she was pregnant. She said no way, she was at least forty. He said yes, well we never found out if she was, but as I said some weeks ago, why would he pick a lady of that age to say she was pregnant?  My friend said she was so very slim too no bump.

 

Well, the night is tomorrow, not tonight… I’m too keen.

In our news. Netherlands Police prevent major terrorist attack.

    Good on them. Thank God for those amazing Police.

 

Okay, I’m shattered and must dash to catch up with housework. Have a lovely peaceful weekend won’t you?

 

 

THURSDAYS DIARY AND NEWS BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Good day Bloggets. You tell me you like to hear of my surroundings as I type to you. Well in my dreams I am sitting in the south of France near lavender fields or a beautiful coastal fisherman’s cottage veranda looking over the beach in La d’Agde, or a garden full of wild flowers and lemon trees in Italy. But in fact, I’m in my sitting room it’s sunny outside so we have a hint of that coming through my window and the sounds I hear are my washing machine from my kitchen, my dog trying like crazy to get her treat out from her toy that I put in four plus hours ago. Wouldn’t you think she would have given up by now? she must be exhausted. I think I am going to have to help her out with a rubber disposable glove poking my finger in the disgusting rubber toy. My last guide dog used to lay on her back and with her two front paws role the toy until the sweet came out. My first pet dog as an adult, me not the dog, used to take her toy upstairs and throw it down the stairs. Hubs guide dog the Little Fella, throws his head back as if he is possessed and throw the toy almost smashing whatever is in the way. My Waggatail? Well, what a scene she makes of it… but she won’t give up. Hahaha.

 They say they match the guide dogs with the owners…

 

I haven’t long been in from a meeting that was really successful today I enjoyed it. And my Son not long been in from work, was cooking his lunch. Late lunch. So, he insisted he would cook for me too. Well I had some food when I was out, so I said just a tiny amount. Gosh, it was delicious. He put cashew nuts and peanuts remember from an earlier blog, neither are nuts…. Along with a chilli bean mix and vegetable rice with freshly fried mushrooms. Oh, I did enjoy it. But now so full though I only had a small amount.

 

I have put some chicken breasts in the oven for Hub. I have some olive bread to make a sandwich for him, we have loads of greenhouse tomatoes and a pork pie I got delivered last night in my grocery shopping. So, I will cut him some cheese and that will be his dinner. I have never prepared anything like that for him before. Well not for his main meal. LOL. I feel like a working wife. Grab and snack. Well at least I have had to cook the chicken. (Poor thing.)

 

Out later to the pub quiz. Tomorrow I’m out with my friends B and Ann. We are going to a food festival. It’s a long drive but will be lovely. Hub is working from home.

 

In our news. Our river Thames there is a poor Beluga whale lost and he’s been there for days. I don’t understand why on earth we can’t somehow get him back to where he needs to be? So, we are watching him and it’s so frustrating as the news reporters here are making it out like some kind of tourist attraction. It’s not guys, this is so sad. Sometimes I can’t stand our opinions and views thoughts whatever, over creatures. This poor whale is in distress. So, he’s eating, but he has come far too far out of his natural existence. He isn’t with his family. He could die. And we go take pictures and love seeing the beautiful creature… I don’t want to hear about it being in the river. I want to know why we can’t get it out of there rather than watching it. It’s cruel.

 

In Dublin, a passenger was arrested after chasing his aeroplane. He was late for his flight and he first knocked on the glass to try to get the attention of his captain that didn’t work, thankfully the captain was not watching through the window and concentrating on where he was going… the passenger wasn’t happy, got onto the tarmac and thankfully after running after his plane, was arrested. Oddly, the craft didn’t stop. Hahaha.

 

Apples new phone cost over £1200 but to get the parts is just over £300

It’s written today that a new study says cats are rubbish at catching rats…

 

And on that note, I shall go until later. Remember email me to let me know what you would like me to write about next.

visionsforfuture@googlemail.com

With love. Tomorrow I shall let you know about the festival I visited and more. May touch on a subject that one of our Bloggets has asked me to write about. So, Dan, over to you.

 

 

WEDNESDAYS WORDS BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Putting pen to paper today not sure what to write. Thank you for your suggestions this week but to write I have to feel connected to the subject. Now, next week I may but right now I have a writer’s block. Dipping into poetry today almost got me trapped. I say trapped as once I start to write poems, I sometimes can’t stop. Sometimes my poetry seems like a novel. I admire those who write six lines. In my poems there are stories. Sometimes the reader thinks they are about me. Sometimes they are, but most times not. Today’s definitely was. It was Hub and myself.

 

Most of you will know we met at boarding school. A horrid place that has had long term affect on our lives. We were six when we met. I could see and of course he has been blind since birth, so has never seen me. But we didn’t need vision to see as our soul spoke. What we had and have is not normal, but when have I ever been normal?

 

I had a strong connection with my Husband and when we were eleven we were on stage in a concert at our school when I know what I know now. I was falling deeply in love with him.

 

We were apart for too many years no fault of ours. Hub says all of his life he dreamed about what if. He even tried to trace me when he was a young man. But he did what he did and I did what I did. We had other lives. And then came that special day. And the rest they say is history. We are the lucky ones. As most people go through life just existing. Living with a partner for whatever reason.

 

One thing I am passionate about is, well, that. Passion. True love. I see it in few couples these days. I think out of all of my friends, I have one friend who is madly in love with her Husband. Sadly, for her, he died leaving her in such pain sadly I can’t help her with. Life can be very cruel.

 

I gave up a lot for my parents and I have no regrets. But some people give up their parents for another life. or is that giving them up? For me personally I could never leave my parents. But for some they, the people leaving, come first. I understand if you have children and you need to do the best for your child, but for those who don’t have children and are doing this for themselves, well to me they are truly selfish as the parents left behind won’t be here for long.

 

I just sometimes don’t understand families. In fact, I have long decided to keep my attention on our little family and the rest are just in the dark. There are those who are family by blood and those who are family by love. There are families who are connected by blood and love and they are rare. If you have that family, hang onto it.

 

Hub and I are family and our Son too, this isn’t by blood but absolute love. My brother and I are adopted so don’t share the same blood. Though I am adopted, my parents were as close to me as they could be if they were blood related. But I also understand the importance of that crimson fluid as my Son is the only blood I have in my family. And we have a connection like no other parent I know. But is that blood, or is it just we were meant to find each other just like my Husband and I were so many years after we parted. I truly believe in destiny. I believe that our paths are mapped out for us, we are guided but whether we take notice is our choice.

 

I sometimes try to listen for advice. I ask myself a question. But I then think I hear what I am meant to hear. Is it my consciousness telling me what I want to hear?

 

I have written before about a little boy in India who from a tiny child was different. Well a long story short his parents decided to take the journey to where this little boy was speaking about every day. Almost driving them crazy. They went much further than anyone could travel there without some kind of intervention. Days it took them to get to the boys’ parents as he referred to them as.

 

There was without doubt that the young man was the father of this boy. Now he was far too young to be his Dad in that life, but in another? The boy knew too much about this young man. And they looked the double of each other. I can’t explain this, but I do believe that we have all been here or on another planet before.

 

I had a lovely neighbour growing up who was astonishing when it came to reading your future. She was comforting as back then things happened to me I couldn’t explain. When my Son was born, she came to see him. All she said was. He’s been here before. I smiled and she replied I’m telling you. In such a serious voice. And yes, after seeing him as a baby, he certainly has.

 

My son has said and done things in his life that has made me shiver. How did he know that? What does he mean he can see that? And old readers will know of my regression that happened to me many years ago. I was a total none believer. And now?

 

My regression will explain all why and how Hub and I are together now. there is a reason we are meant to be together.

 

And now onto other thoughts. Whilst my Son is counting the days before he goes on holiday, I’m counting the days until he’s back… but smiling at the right places when he talks of his holiday.

 

Sadly, he hasn’t heard about his job interview. Remember last week he got to the second level and was told he would learn by today if he got the job.

 

He passed his written test and was told his second face to face interview was brilliant, but the next person may have done as good if not one question better. Still out of 16 who were called for interview, he made the top 3.  But the top three may as well be the top 16. If you don’t get the job, what good is a number?

 

He’s been asked to go for another interview too… this one is miles away. So, I hope he will get another interview closer to home before then, but the next interview is for a manager’s role. Again, he’s getting very good interviews. But just needs the next chance. I believe though if it’s meant to be it will happen but why take him through the interview stage as at his level now most of them are serious interviews.

 

I just hope the next stage in his life will lead to the clear path to move forward. We all need a clear path, don’t we?

 

I went out today in that awful wild wind. It was difficult but we got there and back thankfully. Waggs worked really well. She loves to work.

 

Hub has taken time off work for when our Son is on holiday. Just a week out of the two, but hopefully that week we will have time to enjoy our time together and I may be asking our friend if she won’t mind driving us to some places. She is starting work in a few weeks so our time with her will be limited, but whilst she’s been off work, she has been great and we at last after seven years of living here, have been able to go places. It’s been so lovely.

 

She loves being with us, especially Hub. She thinks he is rather lovely. Hahaha. I have to agree. And I am enjoying teasing him about how she feels. My friend, really? Smile.

 

Did I tell you yesterday my Waggatail fell asleep standing up? BW saw her and said. Mum. Look she’s asleep. I replied so what? He said but she’s standing up on all four legs…

That’s my Wagging one… she stood there for about four minutes. Eyes tightly closed. Then BW took her out for a walk and she was so lively on the field.

 

Well as ever I don’t always set off to talk about anything in particular, I may incorporate a subject of yours in my blog, but in general I just babble on hoping somewhere there is a message for one of you in my words.

 

Before I go, something I wrote to a dear friend today and it just came from my mind onto the paper. Or screen… after I wrote it, I thought. Hmm. That is so very true. You see, I don’t even know what I am writing until it’s done. And then I normally press send before I have time to change my words, this will explain a lot. Haha.

“We see the black so many times and afterwards what we thought was going to be black turned out to be grey””

© Fiona Cummings

 

DESTINY #PoetryByFionaCummings

DESTINY

BY FIONA CUMMINGS

We were meant to be

You and me

As little kids we were

Would we have believed her?

If she said you will be together at fifty?

I believe in her

Like some kind of fairy God mother

As children I never wanted another

You were my hero

My best friend

My every breath

You are my vision

Like sign language for those who are deaf

You make me feel safe

When we are as one  

Our minds are in the same place

When we were young

We were thrown into prison

Left alone

Apart from one and other

Then destiny struck

And parted us

I remember that day

There was so much fuss

Like a curse

 sanity, poured from us

leaving us insane

so much pain

our last penny tipped from a purse

we had died

left waiting for the Hurst

you were gone

left with your song

no longer we belonged

but she returned

saw how much we had burned

guided us in the right direction

it was up to us if we turned

and thankfully we did

deprived of affection

I could have hid

Among the prickly branches of life

But she took my hand

She showed me the light

She gave me the energy to fight

And you were a soldier

Wiser, older

And we met

She caught us in her net

Carried us off and gave us our freedom

We now have wings to fly

And again together

But this time forever

No one will tear us apart

As we share the same heart

We have been in love since the very start

Stronger we are

Have come so far

Battle wounds to show

But along this path of life we shall go

 

© Fiona Cummings

 

 

WHAT A DIFFERENT READ BY FIONA CUMMINGS

I have to tell you I was looking at Twitter today and those who know me will know that when it comes to it, I am the biggest twit. I haven’t got a clue what to do when it comes to Twitter. I try, I’m very trying, whether I post successfully is beyond any comprehension I have when it boils down to such social networks, to posting anything on there. But today I came across a name I just had to share with you. This person obviously is on stage and I am guessing was born not as a lady… The title of this person is Dame Crusty Gusset

International critic and glamourpuss, living in Crusty Hall with one's faithful houseboy, Chu Me, one's pussy, Crotchet & one's trusty steed, Dribble.

O

Kay.

 

 Moving onto the subject of music. I have just lost the plot with laughter as I heard a great expression on TV. Hub and I were watching a mindless program where by two violins were shown and spoken about. A, or B. We had to decide which one was worth so much money most people would have to sell their house to buy one and the other one could be picked up at a decent price. I guessed correctly at A, where as Hub the musician, guessed B… I knew just by the consistency of the notes and that is what the judges said too. B, had the most beautiful tone but only some of the time. Where as A, sounded just nice, but all of the time. One of the judges spoke of a nasal G string so then the commentator had to just add.

“There’s nothing worse than a nasal G string.

 I’m easily pleased.

 

Alright, let’s look at some tips they say will help your manners. As I write for people all over the world, I find from receiving your emails and from travelling vastly in my past, people around the globe are well, just different. But here are some ground rules they say we should remember wherever we are from…

 

If you are seated at a table with less than eight guests, wait to start eating until all your food is served and the host has started to eat. If it’s a larger table then start eating when the people sitting next to you starts, then you follow.

 

All items not related to food or table decoration like hand bags, wallets, keys phones etc should be kept off the table.

Please don’t text at a table it’s rude unless you excuse yourself.

You don’t want to drink wine?  You don’t need to explain. Just place your fingertips on the glass and say not today thank you.

Oh, and if you can help it, please don’t blow your nose… Seriously the amount of times I have been eating in a restaurant when someone has whipped out a huge handkerchief, OK, at least they didn’t use the napkin or worse, but please, do we really need to hear an orchestra of trumpets blasting out your personal gunge whilst eating?

 

In our news, Brexit. Oh, gosh just let us get on with it… There are time wasters and idiots and sadly the Labour party in the UK are both. Sadly too, people in our country tend to be like sheep. We follow fashion copying and sometimes looking stupid just to be the same as the next person. So, needing to fit in. leading to not fitting in just looking so very different. Not everything suits, the same person. I mean, if leather became fashionable, I would just look like a burst couch. If mini skirts were in fashion, well, I wouldn’t dare leave the house and if I did I would probably get arrested. So, one man in charge of the labour party has a following of students, really, students are meant to be intelligent. But it’s fashionable to like him if you are a student. But if he was in charge of our country it would be hell to live here. We have to stop and think of the future of our country and we will have to go through the rough to get to the smoothed. Just look at statistics. We are paying less for our mortgages now than ever some say young people can’t get on the ladder of the housing market. Well I can’t remember ever before when our government gave first time buyers such great offers. Also, I can’t see young people doing without cars and holidays to save for their first house. No, they want it all. There are many houses for sale that is at a price which most people will get a mortgage for. but we don’t want starter houses, no, we want it all big and beautiful.

 

I admire our PM because she has never come out shouting. No matter what nasty mud people media throw at her. She has shown her intelligence by keeping quiet and just working behind the bureaucracy and excoriating headlines and critics. So far, she has been able to disencumber and get on with her job, despite everyone and their Granny being against her.

 

Disabled people are getting more benefits than ever before and unemployment is at it’s lowest. People complain saying they have no money an yet they are normally the people who smoke and at £8 $10 plus a pack of twenty, that’s a lot of money wasted. But if the smoker wants to smoke and the drinker wants to do that, fine, just don’t say you have no money. As for our NHS it’s bad but I believe it’s managed so badly that is why. Schools, well I know a lot of people who write to me saying how annoyed they are as they have to buy their children’s uniforms, fine, so they should, I mean they are your children, but when it gets sticky, is when children like refugees get free uniforms. So Bob and  Jane work hard  paying taxes, have to spend a fortune on uniforms and a couple who have never paid taxes and who may be claiming benefits don’t pay for uniforms or school dinners or even school trips, well then I can see the tension building up… fact is, if Labour ever get in to number 10 you can expect a heck of a lot more people claiming free everything who have never and may never pay tax. Because labour wants to open our doors to the world and not to encourage people who are out of work to get into employment. I feel for those who try so hard and can’t find a job, but we all know of people who just don’t even try to get employment.

 

All of my life I have been a labour supporter. But the past few years I have changed. I think the conservative party has changed too. They are not so snooty as they used to be. Of course, there is still a divider between them and the poor, but the gap isn’t as big and for those who are saying let’s have a recall on the vote to come out of Europe or not? For goodness sake, we had the vote we voted and we have gone too far now to change it. The biggest mistake our PM made was to call a new election and I bet she regrets that now. it’s a mess but believe me, it would be so much of a bigger mess if we allowed that fool to get in. I can’t even say his name. whereas Prime Minister Theresa May I am proud to say her name out loud.

 

Our PM is 62 years old. She read oddly Geography at Oxford university. And is more than qualified as she worked for the Bank of England and then as a financial consultant and senior advisor in International affairs! Mrs May has been a member of Parliament for many years. Working with housing and was chairman of education.

 

 her personal life she sadly lost her Father who was a Vicar in a car accident and a year later her Mother died of MS. She was the most popular conservative PM since the second world war. So, she’s the same woman, she wants the best for Britain so let her put the great back into our country. Support that other person and there will be no jobs for our kids in the future. Everyone will be on benefits so taking money from where? I mean, it has to come from somewhere. There isn’t a magic piggy bank in Number 10 or even 11.

 

And on that note, I shall go for now, how different my blogs are you may think…. From the top to the bottom of the read. Laters.

 

  

                               

 

 

NUTS AND MORE BY FIONA CUMMMINGS

Well my family are fed. My son and myself had home made stew. Oh my, I am so full. I steeped some mixed dry beans in boiling water. And after half an hour added red lentils and covered the large dish. After ten minutes, I put water into a large pan started to heat the water then added four vegetable stock cubes. Some salt and loads of different kinds of herbs. And some tomato puree.

 

Drained the beans/lentils. Put them in the boiling water, be careful not to splash yourself, so pour slowly. Cook for twenty minutes slowly add some fresh spices or whatever you want and then tip in your freshly pealed washed and chopped potatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes. Cook for ten minutes then add mushrooms I cooked them in garlic and celery salt and if you want to, make a corn flour paste to thicken the sauce.

 

Add pepper and a little more salt and simmer for ten minutes with the lid on then turn off leaving lid on and just wait for ten minutes.

 

I guess the beauty of stew is you can put anything at all in it. Whatever you have either in your fridge or cupboards. And a big tip. If you can make it for the day before you are going to eat it, better as for some reason it tastes so much better the next day. Everything does. Soup or casserole or stew.

 

Hub had An M & S chicken and mushroom pie with chips. He said there were vegetables in the pie, hmm…. My love will do anything to get out of eating veg… going back to the stew, if you use a hand blender and get the ingredients into one, then you have a vegetable soup. Last week I did that and I just added a pour of Soy sauce.  

 

Today on my blog page, I say hello to US and UK, and hello to Canada, India, Australia, South Africa, Belgium, Ireland, Brazil and Faroe Islands

 

All time Australia are being chased by Germany. Australia have readers of 7,130 and Germany 7,107

And there is 16 between South Africa and France. At one point about ten days ago, France were ahead of SA. Poland still in tenth place and whoever is number eleven, you have just a few hundred to take the place of tenth as people from Poland haven’t been reading for a while.

 

I have spent most of the afternoon cleaning my conservatory. And now, Hub is playing with the dogs. Oh, the hair? I have cream tiles on my floor. My Waggatail has black hair. I have a brown sofa and orange rug. My Hubs LF is yellow. Why did I bother?

 

Had to put the heating on today. September? First day of Autumn? Oh, my, well they say it’s going to be a really cold winter… so far autumn is rather chilli.

 

Hub and I had a great day yesterday looking at some lovely clothes in his favourite shop. It’s coming up to his fiftieth birthday and I have been trying to think of something special to get him. He has suggested something this is good as he hates his birthdays. Since he was a child he has never enjoyed birthdays and he said since we have been married his birthdays have become better but he can sadly never enjoy them again after his past. His brother had plans to surprise him but sadly things got spoiled other people were involved so that won’t be happening. Hub learned of the spoil as he was in our sitting room when the talking text came through. and let his bro know that he didn’t want anything. Kind of his brother though to even think of him. It’s a long story why he doesn’t like birthdays, but I totally understand. So now it’s going to be us four Hub myself our Son and Shamrock. I think we will have a meal out and at the weekend our friends are coming. They wanted to come on Hubs birthday. They told me to keep it as a surprise. I had and last week I said to him I was looking forward to spending the day with him on his birthday. He said he wasn’t going to be off work. I said he had to be it was his birthday. He replied, no I don’t trust you won’t try to do something. So, I had to tell our friends not to make plans to visit on his day. And that left the weekend.

 

Our Son wants to do something special. Oh my, I have tried to tell him no, but I guess no one knows unless they have been in the same shoes. So, if Hub goes out on his birthday then I guess BW will feel like he has done something special for his Dad. As for Hub, I just want him to get it over with as that is really how he feels about it.

 

We are planning on going to my Nieces wedding in a few months. All four of us are going. It will be a lovely day.

 

A fantastic drama is on tonight, Hub and I are loving it. It’s called body guard. I hope you will eventually get it in your country. It’s really good.

 

Hopefully Hub will be able to stay awake for it as he’s so very tired still after him being ill. He just has no energy. I really don’t like seeing him like this, but he’s saying he is feeling fine.

 

BW is in charge of his staff again as his boss has taken another holiday. He’s loving it. Nothing phases him. I mean to be honest he does most of the work anyway, even when she is there, but knowing that he is in charge of seven members of staff and running a business that takes £9,000 per week could stress some people out, but not him. This is really good.

 

I must say if he leaves this job, and he hopes to, I will miss the funny stories about his colleagues. One of them has owed the company over a hundred pounds for a year and a half. BW had a word with this man in his office. Now the man is forty. BW is 21. Anyway, long and short of it, the money has now been paid back two days after talking with the gent… may be my Son should be a debt collector. I am not sure why he was bothered if he wants to leave, but when I asked him this, he replied. It’s just the morals of it all. He said if he owed that much money he would be embarrassed. I replied but this man isn’t you. But obviously whatever BW said to the man, made him think as I said it’s all paid back now and this is before pay day. So, the guy had it or did he borrow it from someone else? As long as it’s not from BW’s workplace… So, he texts his boss to let her know the money has been paid back and she is delighted. All that aside he will make a great boss I suspect his colleagues like him as when his boss is away, the atmosphere is so relaxed. BW told a lad yesterday he could lay in for another couple of hours as it was quiet. He sent a girl home an hour early for the same reason and he has done the rotas so that people are working the shift that they prefer. So happy staff make happy days. And because they are getting what they want, they are working better. So, rules are being broken, but the end result is a really good one.

 

Last time his boss was away, he made record amounts of money for the company. No orders were going missing or not getting delivered. Oh, and this is the best one. Just before his boss left, BW said do you not think we should sort out the fridge as it’s just there in the way and it hasn’t been used the whole time BW has been there. He asked her what was wrong with it? She replied it’s totally broken. So, BW got onto the people and got a new one sent out. Well when they came, they said they couldn’t fit it as there was an obstruction preventing them from doing so.

 

BW came into work that day asking his boss what was the obstruction? She replied the old broken fridge…

Oh, my.

So, BW pulled out the old fridge to put the new one in its place.

He couldn’t believe what he saw.

He called her over.

“When you say the old fridge doesn’t work, what doesn’t work about it?””

She replied I don’t know. The boss before me told me it was broken. That was two years earlier…

It took two years for anyone to sort it out. If not for BW, then I guess another two years before it would get sorted… but, you would have hoped that someone would check out what was wrong with it?

BW took three seconds to fix it.

And the problem was?

It wasn’t plugged in.

No joke.

Well on instructions from his boss, he began to pull it out and got it out side of the door for when they wanted to use the new one.

 

He suggested sending the new one back, but she said no… budgets? Well it will be her job when she returns from her holiday.

 

Just thought I would drop this in. Did you know peanuts weren’t nuts? They are legumes.

Pea plant. Or leafy plant.

 I found this information on the web. a nut is only a nut if it’s “a hard-shelled dry fruit or seed with a separable rind or shell and interior kernel.” That means walnuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios

Thanks to the Merriam-Webster

 

 

I wrote that yesterday, didn’t get it published. As for today, I’m off later on to tackle a big shop to try to find some new crockery. I am trying to get my friend to meet me if not I shall have to rely on staff in the shop…. I’m just fed up of ordering on line getting something that isn’t suitable or paying twice the money. Before that I have to cook dinner for the boys. Hubs having baked potato carrots and fish. BW may be a curry with rice as for me? Not sure yet. But it will involve carrots as I ordered loads in my shopping this week. The organic ones at the moment are delicious.

 

Hub working from home today as has a really busy day tomorrow. Another 13-hour day. He’s on the phone now so I have to be so quiet. Haha. Luckily Boy Wonder is off work but at Shamrocks. Hopefully he will be home for dinner.

 

If Hub is OK after work, he’s going to teach BW how to make bread. It’s a pain him not being wanting to eat so much food these days. Vegan food is so very expensive too. There are never offers either. But he’s not starving that is for sure.

 

Just dusted and managed to get Hubs piano cleaned before he went on the phone. As I have to go in between every key. Gosh it really does collect dust. I was told though to keep the lid up at all times. That is what keeps the keys white apparently. OK, off to write to my surrogate Mum and then cook. Then tackle the shop. I shall let you know how I got on. Good luck to Fiona who is on week two of guide dog training. And a very happy birthday to Elaine Spain. If it’s your birthday today, a very happy one from me to you.

 

DIARY OF OUR WEEKEND BY FIONA CUMMINGS

It’s the end of the weekend and glad to get life back to normal. Hub is taking a bath and our Son is due home. It’s wild with wind and rain outside, our house is warm and cosy and in ten minutes our family will all be safe under one roof. What more can I wish for?

 

What happened last week revaluated life.

 

My Son went for a job interview and had to answer the craziest difficult questions. Science, Chemistry, maths and more. He got through to the next round. Then he had to build something using loads of bits and bobs, screws and nails. And then more than half of the people were asked to leave the room. He was left with three other guys. He was sure that was it for him, he thought he had failed in his written exam as he knew he managed to build what they asked him to do. Well, wrong BW. He passed thankfully. He was shocked when the area manager returned in the room and asked one by one to go through to the next room where they would receive a one to one interview. Shocked because one of the people who had to leave was already doing the job he was applying for but for another company. And had been doing it for a few years.

 

He felt his interview went well. The man interviewing said he was very impressed with him. But, there are two other people who are slightly older, so possibly they will get the role.

 

We will learn at the end of this coming week. If he gets the job, it will be three years of study ending with taking a Masters. Even if he doesn’t go for his Masters, which I hope he would do, he will get certificates as he goes along in his career working with them.

 

Chances? Well as Hub said to him, someone has to get the job. Just not sure if it will be him. If it’s not him, then it wasn’t meant to be but to get that far is really good as it was out of 16 applicants.

We went out yesterday to buy Hub a birthday gift. And today our dogs out for a walk as for tonight, just chilling. Hub is still very bruised from his hospital stay and still sleeping like a log not so awake during the day. I don’t know why this is. But thank God his pain has now totally gone.

 

Have you had a nice weekend?

 

Today in the air, I can smell a very strong sense of ginger. Burning wood and a musky smell. Not sure at all what that means. But it’s a nice smell.

 

Some quotes

“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards””

“Wherever life plants you. Bloom with grace.””

“Those who don’t believe in magic, will never find it.””

“No one is you, and that is your superpower.””

To succeed in life, you need three things. A wish bone, a back bone and a funny bone.””

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams….

Hmm that’s fine coming from Oprah Winfree. Others can dream and have hope. Hoping that one day their dreams will come true. “it’s not what we have in life but who we have in life that matters. I absolutely agree with that one Margaret Lauraence.

Dr Seuss you have given us one of my favourite quotes.

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

 

I shall go for now but be back later with something to think about. X

 

THE DIARY OF DYSON BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Those who know me who have read my stories over the years may remember how I have a bit of a reputation in our house of breaking vacuums! No, I don’t do it so I can get out of cleaning our floors, they just break on me. I said to Hub some time ago, I’m the one who has them break on me because I’m the only one who blooming does the floors…

I was half joking, well a quarter, as at weekends, he does the upstairs including the stairs. But I use the vacuum twice a day, you have to with dogs… Well maybe I’m slightly obsessed with clean floors and with dogs you can never have 100% clean, can you. They just need to breathe and their hair drops off. With having wooden floors and tiles the hairs are so very apparent too.

 

So, after going through almost every brand on the planet, we crossed our fingers and paid the money to get a Dyson. As I have written before, if you buy anything Dyson like a hairdryer or fan for example, you get a large deduction in the next purchase of anything Dyson just by calling the company direct. And when my machine came, I thought they had sent me a toy. Why? Because it’s so light, I was in disbelief that such a light machine without any wires to activate it, could be so efficient. And it was.

 

Our vacuums before either worked on hard floors not carpets, or carpets and not hard floors. My favourite one on hard floors was a little guy with a very regal name who was fantastic, but not on carpets. But he kept falling over. And the wires? Oh, dreadful and I can only say that now I have used a vacuum without wires. It’s so easy.

 

Again, readers will know the trouble I have with guarantees. Now, they come in a box, you look at the box details a code or whatever, then go on line and register your item. Then hope. Not with us as we can’t see to look at the box. We have got our Son to do that for us in the past took the code down on Dictaphone but the websites have not been friendly with our software. Well Dyson, you call you order, they automatically sort out your guarantee. Yeah, right…. OK, time to put that to the test.

 

A couple of weeks ago I was happily vacuuming my floor. I say happily as I do rather have some kind of fascination with cleaning floors whether it be sweeping vacuuming or mopping. And suddenly the lid snapped off the bin. So, when that happens the vacuum stops working or the dust will go everywhere.

 

Hub was ready to put it in the bin. He said buy a cheap one. I said no they don’t work but I couldn’t justify the price of another Dyson. Ours was only a year and a half old.  So still under the fantastic guarantee of 2 years. I went into my emails and found the email with our information of our guarantee. But whilst doing that I multi tasked and ordered a cheap wire free alternative from Amazon. It came the next day so I didn’t have to go a day without cleaning my floors. I was sure that my Dyson would not be guaranteed for whatever reason. They said I didn’t have to do anything, but you watch, I bet I had to register it somewhere. Somehow.  

 

I got through within minutes. The short time I was on hold with Dyson, I was given useful information of their products. I was told what number I was in the queue. I wished other organisations/companies did that as even if I was number twenty, and I wasn’t, I was three. Psychologically, my number was coming down.

 

 Now, a lady answered. Within three minutes on the phone to her, a couple of minutes waiting to be answered, I spoke to a very helpful polite lady who told me she would send a new bin out and not only that but she would send someone to fit it for me.

 

I put the phone down in total shock. “Did that actually happen? Was it could it, be that easy?””

 

And it was. The bin arrived within three days. The man came out after nine days. Wow, double wow. In the meanwhile, I have been using the dreadful very heavy horrid vacuum we bought last time when I broke our vacuum a couple of years ago. After learning it was rubbish, we bought the Dyson. It is good on carpets, but cumbersome. Well downstairs we have only hard floors and our Son said it wasn’t picking up anything. And this was very expensive. My good branded cordless vacuum came. Oh, my it is for a dolls house. It’s so cute, but has very very little effect on our floors. Hard and carpets.

 

I was ready to put the heavy one in the bin, but it would fill it. So, give it to a charity? Well is there a charity for weight lifters?

 

The man who came put covers over his shoes. Good start. He was so incredibly polite. He had that kind of voice you just trusted. I knew he was a good guy. He even showed me how to change a filter I never knew was there. I had found one filter, but not the second. When I say change, I meant take out dust down wash dry and replace. So, no need for that stress of having to try to buy the right part.

 

Those who have Dysons it was the filter that is on the part that looks or feels like a flower. It’s the bit in the centre, as he called it the nipple you pull out and it’s so very easy to put back.

 

Five minutes he had gone. I was so happy. I am so happy. I want to tell the world just how good the aftercare is with Dyson. I learned it’s a British company. And it was like stepping back into old Britain 30 years ago when you got the best service. In my lifetime I have long forgotten such brilliant service as you just don’t get that any more.

Well you do if you buy from Dyson.

 Just on this experience, I will certainly look into buying from Dyson for other products.

 

 

 

 

JUST THE WAY YOU WERE #PoetryByFionaCummings

JUST AS YOU WERE

By Fiona Cummings

You asked me how I don’t love you anymore

Couldn’t understand how I could walk right through the door

It’s easy you see

You used to belong to me

And I to you

But things changed between us

There were no rows, no fuss

Just I loved you as you were

To be honest life back then is a blur

Where as our days now I see through a haze

But there is a pattern

Our clothes are rags

And they were made from silk and satin

Your beauty and my looks are now bags

Overflowing with life’s trash

Nothing to do every day

Though we have the cash

We used to go to parties

Host a big bash

Now gatherings are just a car crash

Over in a flash

Why did things have to change

Why can’t you just be the way you were?

I guess I’ve changed too

We used to be stuck together like glue

But now have come apart

Why can’t you be just the way you were

Then you would have never left my heart

So where do we go from now

So many questions why where and how?

I guess only time will tell

Meanwhile we have to live through this hell

I’m so sorry you are hurting

I don’t want these words to go in vein

I didn’t want to see you in pain

I just wish we could go back to those days

When you had a name not just her

When I loved you just the way you were?

© Fiona Cummings

Written for Steve to L

I hope L finds happiness soon. And Steve, you did a brave thing. You are still young and you need to be happy for the long life you have ahead of you.

 

 

DIARY OF LOOK OUT ROD ON THE CURE BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Good day Bloggets. I’m off to a neighbourhood watch meeting next week. I told them I would only go if I could be chief look out. Haha. They agreed. Gosh it’s so very windy here today. I’m not going out, I was going to meet with a friend, but not on your Nelly I am going out in that. Especially when I have to be so close to a nasty road and one slight move to the left going and right coming back, I’m on the road. And from past experience, I know cars will not slow down, even if I am on the road with my guide dog. Thankfully Wagga has improved and does kind of stop now at kerbs. But most of the time I have to tell her to do so. So, I need to know where the kerb is and if it’s windy, it’s so hard to hear where I’m going.

 

Same if it’s raining. The roads sound so much noisier and sometimes cars seem closer.

 

My friend called me today to ask if I wanted to go with her next year to see Rod Stewart… Well if it was fifteen years ago may be, but to be honest now he is needing to just sing along to his own CD.

In his own sitting room!

On his own!

He’s 73 now and in his time was great, but not anymore. These people just don’t know when to stop. I mean, people like Tom Jones, wow, well he was pure brilliant, so now he is great. Where as if you are great, you end up not so great.

 

Rod if you are reading this. Hahaha. You will always be remembered as you were. Great song title don’t you think?

 

Leading on nicely to my next subject. I was reading about an ancient watermill today. A new study of chemical deposits, at the old Roman watermill Barbital in southern France. They have found that it was in use only half of the year. Having late summer and Autumn off. So, what did the workers do the other half of the year? Possibly fished?

Or visited the Circus’s. Smile.

 

Something else I was reading about is plants communicate stress using their own kind of nervous system. When a leave gets damaged or eaten, it warns other leaves by using the same signals as used by animals. Animal nerve cells talk to each other with the aid of an amino acid.   

 I know there was a plant in the summer I pulled hard as it was tough and I needed to get rid of the leaf. It was really damaged. I swear it screamed. I felt so bad. So guilty. Since then I made it fast and cut with scissors. But now I have read this, oh, gosh, shall I just leave or leaf, haha, the dead leaves on? But then will they not send signals to the other leaves to say they are dead? Why shouldn’t plants have feelings, I mean, they grow, they have life. that is why when a plant looks dead, we say it’s dead, because normally it stops growing. So, if it has life, of course it’s going to have feelings.

 

BW has just gone to the gym. I’m so pleased he has so much energy to do so. I guess he is young. I had loads of energy until I gave birth then it all seemed to get eaten up.

 

I do believe that if you have either poor vision or no vision, you do get more tired. Nothing is easy for us, is it.

 

Leading me onto some news about blindness. You can imagine my face when I read the headline (Day blind sheep CURED. by gene therapy)

“For those wondering why I put a full stop after cured, it’s because those who use screen readers won’t know I have put the word cured in bold.

Cured we never see cured, do we? So, I had to look into it. Here is what I found

 

Back in 2009 a group of Israelis

researchers identified a herd of sheep suffering from day blindness. So, not my eye disease, but still interested for those of you who don’t have RP but still have poor vision.

 

The eye condition they have is more prominent between families who marry into their own family…

In Jerusalem 1 in 5000 people have day blindness.

So now in the US they are treating people with achromatopsia. Six years ago the sheep that were injected with one gene therapy still can see.

That is amazing, why can’t it be so easy for us RP’s?

 

Knowledge of treating under the retina is becoming more common. This is good news for us. Keep going please.

 

 

OK off now to cook dinner for the boys. Until later, keep positive and don’t let them knock us down. If we do fall, get up quick, brush yourself down and walk forwards, never backwards. X