Just Watching.........

.....and chillin' out!!!!! This photo is from Busch Gardens in Tampa (June 2006), where due to Tropical Storm Alberto hitting Tampa the previous day, the park had very few people visiting - so for me - absolutely ideal!!!!!!!

I'm getting very excited, as tomorrow I'm off to the Bumper Bedford Scrapbooking Weekend, run by the Scrapaholic team. THREE whole days to scrapbook with my Mum and her friend. I've got lots of photos printed off, just need to finish making my badge and pack my tote!! Doing the happy dance as we speak! 8-)

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!!!!

Silly hat............

.....don't you just love older brothers?!!! At Christmas in 2002, my dear brother gave me my present with this HUGE smile on his face! I had an inkling that all was not 'right' and my suspicions were confirmed when I opened the gift - this pink hat!!!!!! He told me that I had to wear it when I went on my honeymoon and wanted proof! My soon to be husband, said that he couldn't believe that his girlfriend would wear something like that, to which my Mum reminded him, that by the time I wore it, I'd be his wife!!!!!!! This photo is not from my honeymoon (I'll have to dig that one out later), but because I (thankfully) have a good sense of humour, I wore it again when I went ski-ing at Sunshine in Alberta, Canada in January 2004 & 2005! Hope that it's brought a smile to your face!

I'd like a dog.............

.....having grown up with a dog in the house from the age of 7 until I left home, it's the one thing I really do miss. So, everytime I visit friends or family, you'll normally see me at some point giving the dog a cuddle & also getting my camera out for a photo!!! This was taken in June 2006, by my hubby, whilst visiting our friends in Yadkinville (I know, I know! There really is a place called Yadkinville!), North Carolina. The photo is of Sawyer who is a huge bundle of fun and energy - if I could have brought him home with me, I would have. You see my friends are foster parents for the Yadkin County Humane Society and Sawyer is a foster animal, looking for a home where he'll be showered with lots of love. Fingers crossed he'll find that home soon.

Traditions...........

On UKScrappers earlier this week they asked about traditions that you remember from your childhood. The one that springs to mind for me is Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. For many years as my brother and I were growing up, my Mum would take us to Midnight Mass at our local church. This meant that we wouldn't be in bed and asleep much before 2am!!! Smart thinking Mum!

Of course the funny part being that Mum would be up early to pop the turkey in the oven and would then have to wait for the 2 of us to wake up! In fact I remember a number of years where her own excitement meant that she woke us up, telling us to grab our stockings and come and open them in her bed!!!!!!!! So when parents complain about how early they were gotten up on Christmas morning by their children, please remember my brother & I, we know exactly how you feel!!!!!!!!! 8-)

Pants and more pants and then happy dancing...........

well the car has failed its MOT due to a crack in the windscreen, but they can't repair the windscreen until Friday and I can't get the car re-tested until next Wednesday! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! More expense!!!!!!

And what is going on with the weather? It's absolutely bucketing it down here and there are reports of accidents already coming through. I hope that no one is injured. As my Mum would say, "Cars are replaceable, people aren't".

As for the good news............my folks are back from their holiday today!!! Whoo-hoo! They've been away for a few weeks and I can't wait to see them, hear their stories of what they've done as well as seeing all their photos. I've just spoken to Mum and although their flight landed an hour early, the accidents on the M25 & M23 have meant that my future sister in law can't get through to pick them up!! Hope they get home before tea!!!!!!

Vroom, Vroom...........

the car has gone in for its MOT and service today and the replacement car that I have got is a 2.0, 16V, TDI Reference Sport, Seat Leon! And it goes like stink!!!!!! 8-)
Can't believe how quickly it responds - I normally drive a 1.4 Leon and I'm having to keep an eye on the spedometer for fear of doing way more than I should do and not noticing!!!!
The down side however, is the total and utter bashing my credit card will get when I have to pay my bill this evening! !!!!
The photos are courtesy of JL at work - who just loves yellow cars!!!!!!

Hee-hee...........

Following on from the 'tagged' questions and what makes you smile..........this is a photo of my friends husband taken at the cabin we stayed at in Blowing Rock, NC in June 2006. Albeit being in his thirties, he looks like a little boy with his shorts hitched up like that!! Bless!!!!!! 8-)

I've just been Tagged........

by the wonderful Debs! Cheers me dear! Here's my answers:

Four jobs I have had in my life
1. Care assistant in residential home for the elderly
2. Au pair
3. Chief cashier & banker at Superdrug
4. Research scientist (pharmacologist)

Four Movies I would watch over and over
1. The Princess Bride
2. Breakfast At Tiffanys
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. Pretty Woman

Four Places I have lived
1. Gravesend/Higham, Kent
2. Nova Scotia, Canada
3. Sunderland
4. Cambridge

Four TV shows I love to watch
1. Inspector Morse
2. CSI
3. Doctor Who
4. Silent Witness

Four places I've been on vacation
1. Canada (from east to west)
2. USA (visited 21 states, most frequently is North Carolina - penfriend of 20 years lives there)
3. Fiji
4. New Zealand

Four Web sites I visit regularly
1. UKS
2. BBC news
3. Little Cottage Crafts
4. Yahoo mail

Four of my favourite foods
1. Toad in the hole
2. Green & Blacks vanilla ice cream
3. Mashed potato
4. Crispy aromatic duck!

Places I'd rather be right now
1. Off yomping - stopping at a pub for lunch (of course!!!)
2. Scrapbooking with the jellie babes
3. On holiday
4. Bed!!!!!

Four things that make me smile
1. Seeing family and friends
2. A great joke
3. Seeing a chocolate lab
4. Being on holiday!

My Favourite Photo.......

at the moment, is this one from Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, of a bear in their bear enclosure. I just feel as though I can see their soul.........

Trying to fathom it all out!!!

Seeing as I'm not the most technically minded individual, it's going to take me a while to work out quite what I have to do to post pictures and do links and stuff! Good job then that now there are 3 Jellie Babes with their own blogs (Debs, Mayoress Rachel & l'il ole me!), so we can ask each other how to do things!
So I thought that I'd start by uploading a LO with one of my favourite photos of me. It was taken when I was 30, at a photoshoot at a scrapbooking retreat, by a rather scrummy photographer!!!! If you see me normally, I'm make-up free, glasses on and hair pulled up into a ponytail. It's a stark contrast, but one that I like to do - love the shock factor I do!!!!!!

I'm now a Blogger......

heaven help us all!!!!!!

A fellow team mate from scrapbooking has just started her own and asked when I was going to do one. Had to say that it had never occurred to me to be the 'spied' on person, rather than just being the one who 'spies'!!!!! But if you're checking this out - thank you! Please be kind!!!!