GOODBYE 2019 BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Hello Bloggets. I hope you are all doing well? Have you survived Christmas? We had a lovely time with our Son and Shamrock came over in the morning to exchange gifts. We both got some amazing presents. Hub received a really scary gift from our Son and I shall tell you more about that soon. But it’s one I am really dreading but Hub is rather excited. All three of us are to go somewhere in February to receive his gift.

 

My brother and sister in aw got me a lovely gift I love. Lots of perfumes and smellies from people and my friend Di bought me a top. I got totally spoiled from Hub as always. I got a beautiful ring it’s exquisite and matching earrings. He also bought me a very beautiful hairdryer. I got lots of candles and they smell so good. I received a beautiful card from our Son that was so special and one from my brother in law and my baby sister. Something I received through the post in the formation of a card, I will treasure for life.

 

Hub and I have eaten our way through Christmas and watched so much TV. It’s been so lovely and we have had a special time. Spent with the ones we love.

 

We are due to go out tonight to friends for New Year. I’m not sure what we are doing yet. I want to see some people our friends will all be there but I’m so not into large groups of people. I hope in my next blog, I will tell you we went.

 

In our news, two schools in England have turned down the bequest of over a million pounds. Someone has offered the schools to pay for scholarships for underprivileged white boys. We have a famous rapper who pays for black people to go to our top university here but sadly that same favour can’t be received for white boys though it’s said that white boys in the UK are not achieving as much as other kids of colour or white girls.

 

In Australia they are still going ahead with the fireworks despite the horrific bushfires over there. Out of respect I think they should have cancelled it this year. A poor firefighter died today and there are many families without their loved ones now because of all the fires. As for the animals? Oh, it’s so sad.

 

Did you hear about the swimming pool tragedy in Spain? A Pastor from the UK and his family of young daughter and 16-year-old Son were all killed in a pool at a hotel.

 

It’s so sad. And the authorities there are saying it’s because they couldn’t swim. But the wife and Mum says they all could swim. There are so many things in this story that don’t make sense. I can’t imagine the pain that poor lady is now going through.

 

We got a professional photograph of our two dogs on Saturday. We met with the photographer and his adorable wife. Such a lovely couple. The kind of people you don’t meet often. Hub really liked them and said he can imagine me and the photographer’s wife being really good friends, he says we are so alike.

I replied. “Intelligent, beautiful and fun?””

I have never seen my Hub speechless.

 

So, what has this year, meant for you?

It’s been the biggest mix of my life. from the most tragic occurrences to the most surprising gifts to worrying situations and back to gifts of something I have always dreamed about. But through thick and thin, I have thanked God had my closest loved ones near me. You certainly learn who your friends are when you are in need and at the end of the day, thank God for my family. Hub and our Son mean the world to me and they ar my world. I have been introduced to people I could only hope to know last year. Still no cure or treatment for my eye condition sadly and whilst there were parts of this year when I had thoughts of nothing happening in my life time with regards to help for sight, I have been reassured by my friends who are scientists that hope is not far away. Something in my life happened this year that was so good and this time last year I never even imagined it would be possible so, who knows, maybe next year I shall be writing about being able to see or at least have a date to visit a hospital to receive some kind of treatment.

 

As I write this, my Darling Son has just brought us a bottle of very expensive champagne. I wish he would save his money, but bless him, he is so kind. He wanted to thank us for the support we have given him this year. That is what parents do. We love him. He has a big few months ahead of him.

 

Lets head into 2020, with an open heart and a caring word for others. Look with new eyes and a fresh mind into other peoples lives. Try to look beneath the smiles of others. And I hope others will do the same for you.

 

A new year, a new start. Thank you to Molinda, Peggy, Sheila, Carrie Ann and my much-loved Louise. To Joel, William and Bill. To all of you who have been there over the past 12 months even if you have just cheered me up or made me think. James, thank you for the highest compliment you have no idea what your words meant to me.

 

If Christmas has been hard for you, it’s over now, a new start out with the old, in with the new.

 

To Kelly and Peter, I wish you the best health. Dorothy, I thought of you both this year. Hope you enjoyed your train journey. Vicki, Pauline, Patricia and my lovely friends who stop by to read this. Too many to write hear in fear of it looking like a telephone directory. Happy birthday to Red, Matthew and Brad.

      

 

 

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2019

It’s the Eve before Christmas and our house has its usual Christmas smells of delicious food. Hub and I have been cooking all day. An achievement we are always so proud of. Hub makes a meatloaf and his stuffing he also cooks his turkey. I have prepared a stuffing for Boy Wonder suitable for vegans and a stuffing for me and Hub. I have also prepared all of the vegetables. White cabbage, parsnips, baby carrots, turnip, sprouts and tomorrow we will do green beans and mushy peas. Mine and our Sons favourite part of Christmas dinner. Not many people in the UK have mushy peas for their Christmas lunch, just as they don’t have Yorkshire puddings, but I do. This year because our Son is a vegan, he won’t be having Yorkshires and Hub doesn’t like them, yep, that is so not normal how can anyone not love Yorkshire puddings? My lovely dear friend in Canada has them with her Christmas lunch and our Indian Neighbours and friends also cook them. I love that. We have mash potatoes and Roast Potatoes with rosemary. Hub also made himself pigs in blankets. Not something I talk about in front of my Son, even I feel awful saying it. But they are small sausages wrapped in Smokey streaky bacon. So, Hub will have a meat feast tomorrow for sure.

 

I have a vegetarian roast for me and our Son brought a parcel he got specially cooked by a chef yesterday. Bless him, after doing a 12-hour shift at work, he drove over an hour each way to pick up something this chef cooked for him. The guy wanted £25 for that plus a soft cheese he made, it’s a vegan cheese. But our boy gave the man £35. He is too kind, there is a tip and a tip… I bought our boy a vegan sausage reef that has a herb crumb over it so again, one meat eater, one vegetarian and one vegan for lunch. It’s remembering what not to add butter and eggs. I have vegan butter but for dessert, we have brandy sauce, BW will have to have vegan custard. With Christmas pudding. I also have BW a vegan mince pie, sweet mince. And he has vegan chocolate eclairs. Obviously not real chocolate unless it’s dark chocolate. They are frozen, just need to take them out of the freezer in the morning.

 

As I am writing this, we have beautiful hymns from Kings college. All the Chorister’s who go to that school, have a place in the best Universities in England.

 

This year is a better choir than I have ever heard before. Gosh it’s so beautiful. I can hardly hear the words on my computer as I am typing these words to you. Hub has it turned up really loud and we have speakers and a sound bar so you can        probably hear the carols from whatever country you are reading this from right now.

 

Hub has had his traditional sherry and I am about to light my candle for all the people we have lost over the years. This year, my school friend and a very close dear friend we miss so very much. I have pinecones that light up around my fire and they smell of cinnamon. In my conservatory, I have sprayed the glass with artificial snow. Our Son saw it yesterday and wouldn’t believe that I did it. Hahah. To be honest, I am amazed it has turned out OK, I tried to create stars on some windows, a Christmas tree on another, some windows have crosses and waves on another. Then I have done the final windows with spirals. I just close my eyes and try to imagine being able to see the glass and it’s worked. Now when it comes to cleaning the windows? Em, that may be a bigger job than I hope for. my brother in law is coming soon so, he may get that job. Haha.

 

Now there are words coming from our speakers Hub says is old English translated from Hebrew. I just said to him. In days gone by, how on earth did people translate languages into English? I mean, not that many people travelled abroad or came here, because it wasn’t as easy to travel then as it is now…

 

All gifts are wrapped nuts in shells are in the dishes along with shiny papered chocolates. Tangerines are in the fruit dish and cinnamon fills the house with the delight of Christmas. This is the first year we haven’t had our lovely carol singers at the door. Shame as they are stunning. They come every year. Same girls. Perhaps they are too old now…

 

We had a lovely weekend out with our son and his girlfriend. And tomorrow the four of us will open gifts and that will be it for another year. So much has happened this year, so much. Terrible things for us personally, but out of this year, has come some pretty amazing things too. Special. Gifts that money can’t buy and achievements that were way beyond our beliefs.

 

 

I pray next year will bring happiness for you, peace for those who right now are suffering. Freedom for those who are trapped right now and warm hugs for those who need them.

 

Later on, our Son will be wrapping his gifts to others last minute Charlie as always. We are blessed though to have such a lovely Son who we love so much. I am so grateful how much love my Husband shows him and all he has done for BW in the past few weeks. Our Son has a busy few weeks ahead of him and thanks to Hub, I’m hopeful he will achieve his dream.

 

Talking of Hub, he suggested today that next Christmas may be different and his suggestion does sound rather exciting, but personally I’m not quite convinced. But watch this space.

 

For those of you who are on your own tomorrow, as I always say, it’s one day and you are not the only person on your own. All we hear of are people getting together with their families, we don’t hear of all those who are by themselves, but there are so many. There are only the four of us tomorrow but for lunch only three as Sham is going out with her family to the pub and she is cooking dinner as her mother is working again. She works every year. It’s a shame as Christmas is a special day and her father is over from Ireland, he’s not young, if only she realised how important it is to have family especially your parents, I wish Hub and I had ours still but sadly this is too many Christmas’s without them. I hope they have a happy Christmas in heaven.

 

OK we have finished the hymns we now have the movie Wallace and Gromit.

Talk about variety?

 

I shall leave you with parcels of love and Christmas wishes. May they all come true. Thank you for your lovely emails and for all those who read my blogs. Thank you to all of those who dedicate Christmas day for others.    

Merry Christmas Bloggets.

 

 

Fiona Cummings 24/12/2019

 

DIARY OF THE LOCK IN AND NEW START BY FIONA CUMMINGS

It’s wild out there. That kind of heavy rain that is full of grit. Dirty rain. It’s also really windy. A blind person fogs. If we can’t hear, we can’t see. And guess who has to go out later? Me and the wonderful wagging one! It’s a twenty-minute walk there and the same back if, Waggs and I work it out and don’t get lost. A couple of weeks ago, we got so lost doing this route, but we have done it since and we were OK. Getting there it’s fine, it’s getting back there is not much of an indication for one of the kerbs and because of this, I’m not too sure when I have arrived on that kerb and it’s that kerb that I have to do a sharp right. If I miss that right by two and a half steps, and then turn right, I’m on a totally different path. And then it all goes very wrong. It took me over 45 minutes the other week to get home it should have taken twenty minutes. And today I can not afford to be late as I need to get home, pick up a couple of things then head out again. I thought I may have to do our post office but looks like I don’t now, but I do have a date with a lady with a scalpel!!!

 

My Son and I were chatting last night and he were saying how he is envious of his friends as they are all living abroad now. it’s the done thing, holidays are not good enough now, the kids need to live abroad for a year. I told him, since he was 16, he has been abroad to so many countries with friends, in the past two years he’s been to about six and is off to America again in the spring. For years his friends have been in the UK and had no holidays. But the grass is always greener. I also said that it’s not always what it seems. I mean, if you see pictures of the sunny surroundings of your pals, and you are in a very cold wet country, yes it’s going to look better there, he loves Los Angeles and he said if not for me and Hub, he would move there, and I said it sounds perfect there but they do have issues I’m sure like every perfect part of the world. Hub and I took our boy all over the world when he were a little boy too! Japan was his favourite he and Hub went there together whilst I dog sat back at home!

 

I understand why he would want to live abroad. I would if I won the lottery. But I’m sure I would miss little England. Especially all the accessibility we have to theatres, cinema’s and transport. Our home grocery shopping and audio for our TV programs. Our NHS has huge problems, but it’s all free.

 

Have you ever heard of scentsicle sticks? I think that is what they are called. They are really lovely. I’m probably the last person to have heard of these and always wondered what they are like, but never bought them as they are not cheap and there is never a description of what they are in my grocery shopping. But my friends Mum brought me a tin the other day and wow double wow. You are meant to hang them from your Christmas tree. But I have hung them on my wind chimes in the house. They smell absolutely amazing and I have had mine a few days now still smell beautiful. Warning, they come with a small pack of hooks, watch they don’t drop out of the tin as they are tiny and if pets get them, could be dangerous. But once they are on the sticks, and the sticks are out of reach of pets and children, remember children can climb, my Son did from the age of two…. They stay on the hooks in a safe way. But the hooks on their own, can be dangerous. They are more affective than any air freshener or cinnamon sticks.

 

Well what a busy week I have had every day been out somewhere. Oh, you would laugh, so, after a lovely time with my friend Artie, I met with my dear friend Geordie. We went to our pub we go to every week with other friends. Geordie and I were like drowned rats the rain was gross and plentiful. We got through the first door of the pub closing it behind us, keeping out Jack Frost. Got to the next door, my friend said, oh, no, there are no lights on. It looks closed. Oh, no surely not I replied? As we went to the outside door to go elsewhere, we couldn’t get out. Hahahahaha. She asked me, the person who is blind, Fiona, this is the door we came through, isn’t it? Well this part of the pub is all glass, so I said I thought so, as we frantically pushed and pulled every bit of glass, we kind of thought we were in there for the long run, wouldn’t be so bad but the blooming place was shut, we were stuck in a corridor. Now most of my friends have had what we call a lock in, normally that is when the land lord locks the doors keeping people in to drink under the table. We got the first lock in of our lives, in the porch way far from the bar…. Well we got out eventually, my friend hadn’t been pushing the door hard enough. Hahaha, I joked saying she was so hungry she was weak.

 

We headed off to another pub where there was a welcoming coal fire. A real Christmas tree and candles. The starters were delightful but my main course was absolutely disgusting, but the company was the best as always.

 

Well today is Friday the 13^th. I thought it was going to be a bad luck day for us, but our elections have taken part and I’m so pleased and totally relieved to say our PM has remained in place where he belongs and that stupid person from the Labour party is gone. Now let’s hope that the conservative PM Boris Johnson, is kind to all the Labour supporters who went against their Labour party for the first time in some areas in 100 years. Let’s hope Boris will show them, they ticked or crossed the right boxes.

 

A new start for our country, let’s live it and be kind to each other no sour grapes as the majority voted and we have to be respected. I hope time will tell those who voted for other parties, will be satisfied with what happened to our election yesterday.

 

Have a blessed weekend and to Mary, good luck for today. Kelly and Peter, thinking of you both and Jean and Ian, sending love!

 

 

 

 

   

  

COFFEE FOR CHRISTMAS IN N'o 10 BY FIONA CUMMINGS

 Good evening Bloggets. I hope I find you all well? Here I am in my sitting room. The house is smelling lovely of cinnamon. It’s so cold and damp outside but toasty warm in here.

 

I have been listening to Chopin, all day today I found it really relaxing. I sat with a coffee earlier after a long hard day of work and ate some delicious cake my lovely friends Mum brought me the other day. It is a fruit cake with marzipan, but not Christmas cake.

The combination of that with the fragrance of a warm cup of comforting coffee, was truly delightful.

 

Hub left early this morning even before the birds were woken by their cuckoo clock! He will return tomorrow night. He left wearing a Christmas jumper. His meeting today is jumper themed. A press of a button and he flashes. Haha. The funny thing is, he had to ask our lovely girl Friday yesterday if the lights were working. As he could be thinking he is flashing and he’s not. As long as he doesn’t get arrested…. It was a jumper our Son bought his Dad three Christmas’s ago. I think next year he should get a new one. I understand he has only worn it twice before today, but there comes a time when the same flashing isn’t funny anymore as you have seen it all before!!!

 

I got my nails painted yesterday. The polish is called grapefruit sparkle. It’s very light pink with well, sparkles….

 

Oh, I have so aged this year it’s really bothering me. For the first time in my life I have lines now on my face. I can feel two of them. I have been asking my friends how old I look and it’s awful. I look two years younger than I am. You may think that is OK, but a year ago, I looked according to the same friends, 8/9, years younger than my age. This year has been so tough, obviously it is showing and when you can’t see what you look like in the mirror, I don’t like it. But if I could see, I may like that less. Haha. A couple of my friends have Botox, but I would never have that, Polyfilla perhaps?

 

It’s said that skinny people look older as they wrinkle more, well, I’m far from skinny, so, lines etc, get lost please, go on, do one!

 

We went for a delicious Sunday lunch yesterday. Well, the day before yesterday as it’s now 2.43am.

Oh, it was so nice. Hub made me laugh he had Sherry Trifle for dessert, he was pretending he was drunk, he said it was a good job he wasn’t driving. Hahaha. I guess you could say he was blind drunk.  It was home made and he said the chef must have put half a bottle of sherry in the sponge.

 

Our girl Friday was with us and she is great, if she see’s something she tells us. There was a couple sitting on one of the sofa’s in the pub. She could see them from the restaurant of the pub where we were sitting. She said the lady had fallen asleep and when Girl Friday finished her dinner moving onto her dessert, she started to laugh saying the man, was asleep now. but then moments later, she looked up to see he now was like her, fast asleep but was cuddling her. Hahahahaha. Right in the middle of the pub. At what point does someone wake them up? Imagine if they both forgot where they were and it got a little fruity?

 

A quick warning. Dog owners. Please be careful what you are giving your dogs as treats. There are dog treats that are from China and are poisoning our dogs. If you do a little research you will find lists of all the dog treats that are so dangerous for our dogs and the scary thing is, our shops are still selling them.

 

In our news, it’s only two more sleeps before our huge election. This is the biggest since I have been able to vote. I have to say, I’m rather afraid of the outcome of this vote. It’s a case of getting our country to be strong like it used to be, taking control before we lose it to over population and dangerous debts, or watching Britain fall to it’s knees, being ruled by a man who is so devious I just don’t understand how people can not see what he is like. I understand people have voted for his party all of their years where by their votes legally count, but sadly since Tony Blair, Labour hasn’t been the same as the old Labour party!

 

I am sure it will come out one day soon, but there is something not to be trusted about Labours leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is 70 years old, but sounds so much older. He has a real meanness about him and I don’t understand how my very clever friends can’t see it? He is promising so much money but isn’t saying where he will get the money from and one of his people has suggested that the only way is to get our country into a huge debt, Labour isn’t any good for the economy. I’m not saying that our now PM Boris Johnson, who is 55 years old, is any good, but he really will make us strong like we used to be so many years ago. Long before I was born.

 

I grew up being from a labour family. I would be classed as a sinner now for even thinking of turning my back on the Labour party, but their policy scares me. They don’t want a cap on allowing as many people into our country who want to come in. where will we put all these people? Our school’s hospitals dentists and so on, are overcrowded as it is, they want to get rid of security services and weapons. Lay down and be walked all over. A while back, Jeremy wanted to tell our press how bad our trains are by saying he couldn’t even find a seat. He was pictured sitting on the floor of a train. It was proven afterwards that he walked by empty seats and sat on the floor just to try to put the Government down by saying look at our dreadful train services. He has been married three times, once I can understand, twice, but then three times? I know of many good people who have been married three times, but that is normally down to the fact that their spouses have either cheated on them or died.

 

His latest wife, is twenty years younger than him and is a millionaire who sells Mexican coffee to rich Brits, for obscene amounts of money whilst the labourers in Mexico, receive    less than £1 for a mid-sized bag of coffee.

 

Whilst their house is worth over one million pounds, I’m not sure how that is understanding the working class? One good thing about our now PM Boris, four years ago, he slept rough to raise awareness for London’s homeless. Though he has had a posh person’s upbringing, I don’t believe he is a snob. He isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty and he used to cycle everywhere rather than drive his car. He is clever but sadly is rubbish in my opinion in public speaking. For some, this may come across as a person who dithers. Personally, I like his policies it’s no good promising the earth people have to ask, where would all that money come from that Jeromy is offering. It’s like he just pulls out numbers from his head without thinking about the consequences and his now shadow secretary Diane Abbott, who is 66 is also known for her disastrous mathematical errors who by the way, had an affair with Corbyn some years ago.

 

I fear I will wake up on Friday the 13^th, feeling desperate learning that our new PM will be Corbyn. He is the first person wanting to be elected that actually scares me. Our mortgage will jump up in price so that so many people will have to sell their houses as they won’t be able to afford the repayments.

 

Corbyn has had many connections with the IRA and has had meetings with known terrorists. He has met up with people from Aran for example. If you read about the dreadful stabbings on our London bridge last week, that murderer got released from jail after only serving half of his time. Some rule to do with us being a part of the EU union. Boris wants to make sure that would never happen again. Jerry wants to let the terrorists free.

 

So, Hub and I shall be off on Thursday to vote. And we won’t be voting for Corbyn, and I hope to God people do lots of research before placing their crosses.

 

Well I guess I shall close the house now for the night and sleep. A busy week this next few days and a twenty minute walk each way later for me and it’s forecast for heavy rain. great. One wet dog.

 

My friend Arty is coming this week and I’m out another day with my other friend Geordie. In the   meanwhile, I’m cleaning out all of my kitchen cupboards, washing them checking what I have and throwing out other foods that I think are close to their sell by date. I know, not very good, I should have donated the food but I am not near any places that accept food.

 

After Christmas I have a funny story to tell you all. There seems to be one every year for me. But I think this year has been the funniest, but I can’t talk about it just yet. Remind me after the 25^th please?  My memory is like a civ.

 

And finally, this interesting quote.

  If you want something you have never had, you must be prepared to do something you’ve never done.

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the USA.