The Versatile Blogger Award...

My dear bloggy friend, Scriptor Senex, was very kind enough to offer me his Versatile Blogger Award - Blushing, moi?!

It came on a day when I was feeling a little whimpery, thinking I was a boring old sod, so it meant a lot to me - it did!   Thank you, Sir!

As a sideline, I have to gift you the following - Seven Factlets About Moi...


1.   I hate housework, so I do very little of it - Can you see my shameful face, children...?

2.   I have had only one therapy session in which I haven't cried since I was referred to a personal therapist last year!   Why?!   I'm one of those people, yes those, who wanted to be a therapist to support others, but didn't for the life of me imagine that I needed therapy - Go figure!

3.   I think everyone in the world would benefit from some therapy in their life - Hell, if I didn't think I needed it, and I'm seeing the benefits, who knows what it could do for you?!   My business card is in the post - I'm very reasonable!

4.   In spite of my hunger for culture and the arts, I love nothing more than lying in in bed of an occasional weekday morning, watching The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes on TV, or Judge Judy, or even little bits of The Real Housewives of Name Your State.   I am THAT shameful!

5.   For two years, like the delightfully versatile Scriptor Senex, I've been studying my Family Tree, from time to time - I've discovered a long-distant grandfather who was buried on Holy Island in the 1700's, after serving the island for many years, when he fled from Scotland and having all his furniture burnt in front of the Manse, for saying he wouldn't pray for William and Mary - I long to see his will which is in Durham's archives...

In addition, I found a distant-distant aunt who was a maid to a well-known Justice of the Peace - they both lived in Wordsworth's birthplace in Cockermouth - I am astounded!   I can't find records of her marriage or death, so the trail went cold, sadly, but still fascinating...

I also discovered that lots and lots of my relatives lived within five miles of where I've come to be living now - I pass some of the farms on which they worked every day, and one of the water-driven woollen mills that they worked in during the mid-1800's is now a holiday complex - HERE - Bizarre, hein...

6.   Haven't I told you everything already?!   Sixth factlet...   I think I'm running out!   I gave up chocolate in January - For six months.   The story that I'm managing this addiction well is nothing to do with the fact that I've substituted cake in its place...   Can you see how red Fhina's cheeks are, children?   No?!   Then, you're obviously not looking close enough, lol!

Seriously, I don't know how I'm going to manage Easter without a chocolate egg!

7.    Oh no, not more...   I really struggle with people who are control freaks in their lives - I can feel the blood boiling under my skin when, for example, someone wants to micro-manage me to within an inch of my life.   I am a grown-up, people, I don't need hand-rearing!

There you have it.

I think I have to pick 7 bloggers to carry the baton, so here goes - Remember, you don't have to if you don't want to... :

1.   Sara @ Fab, feisty and fifty - My best bloggy amie - She's terrific!   Her newest baby is HERE - She's a Bag Diva Extraordinaire!

2.   SueAnn, @ SueAnn's Journey - who's a fabulously versatile artist and blogger - Her art is immense!

3.   Desiree, the glamourously splendiferous model, who blogs at Pull Your Socks Up.   Elle est incroyable!

4.   The lovely Elisabeth @ Sixth In Line who writes like she was born to it, and never ceases to amaze... 

5.   Bad Penny @ The Hen House who's incredibly versatile and wonderful - She has such a full and fabulous life, I get quite dizzy when I read her blog!

6.   A new reader, follower and writer Love and Enterprise - Sharing some of the things that make us human - Thank you!   I don't know where some of my followers have gone to these days - You win some, you lose some - All are welcome here!

7.   And finally, last but never least:   Mrs Jones Home Thoughts from Home - Between knitting, crochet, gardening, art, making jewellery and playing the saxophone in a super band, Mrs Jones continues to make me open my eyes wide with glee!

So, there you have it - Have fun, bon courage, mes bloggy chums!

Mwah!

Friday Last...

Well, today has been interesting to say the least...

You know I've been penned indoors like a prisoner for days by the snow, well seeing as there had been no fresh snow overnight, and the temperatures were looking more favourable, we thought we would try to dive out while we could in my car, to seek provisions.

Honestly, each worsening winter, it gets more as if we're living like pioneers in the Rockies.

So, we spent two hours clearing and warming the car (well GJ did, I mainly ate porridge, drank tea, watched Homes Under The Hammer, and tippy-tappied here).

And we sallied forth, we did, full steam ahead, man the breakers, watch the ice-bergs, that kind of thing!

We had some dicey icy moments, to be fair. The bit where we had to overtake a JCB on a single carriageway, crossing over the roadside equivalent of the Himalayas was interesting, to say the least. Never corkscrewed in a car before... There's always a first time for everything, they say!

But, the supermarket was attained, provisions were purchased, the boot was filled and Fhina breathed a sigh of contentment at being re-united with a healthy supply of chocolate.

The snowflakes were falling again as we took the supermarket trolley back to its roost, and temperatures were plummeting once again, so we scarpered sharpish.

The return journey was also interesting, for the roads homeward weren't half as clear as they were earlier, and we encountered a tractor this time.

When he'd pulled over to allow the lengthy snake of cars to over-take him, we wended homeward. We crossed the little mediaeval bridge that leads to our country road, and found ourselves in a veritable cavalcade of transport. It seemed that all of my neighbours had carpe'd the diem and had all ventured out at the same time.

On a steep ungritted hill with only hope for brakes, we halted in a line of vehicles, handbrakes were applied and creaked under the strain of slithering back on ice...

People were getting out of their cars with snow-shovels and spades and we were all wondering what was going on?

Up in front there was White Van Man, stuck fast on the packed snow and ice, being rapidly dug out by my neighbours, whom we call The Intrepid Greenacres, for no rain, hail or snow prevents them from donning skis or snow-shoes and venturing out to climb the nearest mountain in Britain and in Europe.

I was talking to another lady, standing beside her flat-top truck, to try to find out what was the hold-up. It turned out that said White Van Man had by this time already been dug and pushed out of his predicament five times by people in the cars behind and was trying to reach the Terrace. Of course, having been snowed in for more than a week, no-one in his right mind would have even attempted the journey if they didn't have four wheel drive. White Van Man hadn't stood a chance.

Right at that moment, a tractor arrived to help, having been called to the rescue by his wife and daughter who were also stuck in the queue... Whether he intended to drive over the four cars (including mine) in order to reach White Van Man and dig him out wasn't quite clear.

Manned up as we were, I felt able to offer to push the White Van. I was, of course, getting desperate for the loo and was fearful of my chocolate melting in the warmth of the car, which GJ hadn't moved from. Bless him.

So, five of us neighbours set to, heels firmly dug into the ice and snow, to give us some chance if the van rolled backwards, and pressed hands, arms and shoulders to the task of pushing the van.

As if in labour, we PUSHED!

Then the driver took off his handbrake.

With that we soon began to motor, and we found ourselves running up the hill, as if glued to the van doors. Success!

Such incidents only happen in the Terrace where I live. Here, there is cameraderie, spirit, bravery and often intense care for others.

Of course, passing the flat bed truck, I espied that a diverse selection of wines in the bottle were set right into the flat-bed, pressed firmly into the packed snow that lay there. Fabulous! Someone was going to enjoy a well-chilled Chablis by this evening after all that hard work...

Phew! Chin-chin, what?!