And For the Rest of the Week!

I was glad to finish college and have a couple of days before Jamie broke up for his Christmas holiday, or that was the plan, but then the weather took hold and we began the longest stretch of snow that I can remember.

But before that we had a pretty busy week (which makes this a very long post) starting with Jamie's school disco, he had had his hair cut just prior, so it was really easy to spike it up and he had a great time, the noise when I left him was pretty deafening so I made a quick exit!! A couple of pictures before he set off and he is looking like a really cool dude!!

Oh and that picture reminds me, I finally got around to having my hair permed, it was needing its first wash after the perm so was looking pretty straggly, but I am glad I finally got around to doing it, although it cost a small fortune!! I love my hair long and I love my hair curly, so I guess I am pretty happy with it at the moment!

Next this week was Jamie's cub induction and Mike's Work Christmas do, so I was doing a lot of driving people here and there. Mike picked me up from college and then I dropped him to work, I then took Jamie to Calverton just outside MK for his cub event. I then went home, then went to pick Mike up from work and we headed back out to Calverton for Jamie's induction. So he is now officially a Cub - hip hip hooray. He has a heap of badges which now need to be sewn onto his uniform. After collecting Jamie we headed off to take Mike to his work Christmas do, end of taxi job!! Mike will be getting a taxi home, either the official version or the informal system they operate where he works, that is whichever shift is on night shift picks up people from their Chrissy do's and takes them home.

Here is a photo of Jamie getting his badges and his necker and woggle - they were all the standard ones, plus a couple of activity ones, so he is now well on his way. Not sure why he is looking grumpy, but it was a very cold evening!! He's probably thinking c'mon Mum I'm cold!! and she has that bloody camera out again.

Mike had a good time at his Christmas do and came home tiddly as usual, I had gone to bed to miss out on the drunken stupor he would be in!!

On Wednesday we were off to a schools music concert at Simpson Church, in which Jamie was playing, and boy it was really cold by then!! Jamie played Jingle Bells and very good it was too!

Mike headed off to see Deaf School again this week, that was one for him alone, an acquired taste I believe. But the support act was headed up by none other than Loyd Grossman, yes that Loyd Grossman, regurgiate, cogitate and who lives in a house like that. He was a punk back in the punk days it seems and not at all bad it appears. I love his guitar, he has got the real Les Paul version of which Mike's is only a copy (shame!).

And Deaf School - who all have very strange names! Below is Bette Bright (aka Mrs McPherson - that will become evident in a minute or so should you choose to read on)

Frankie Average (Steve Lindsay)

Clive Langer (he's produced a lot of records - gems such as Kilimanjaro by The Teardrop Explodes and Elvis Costello to Marilyn (hang your head in shame) and lots of Madness - hold that thought!)

The Rev Max Ripple

Here is Mike with Bette Bright

A famous face, well Mike was blown away as according to Mike this guy made one of the best punk records ever - Spizzenergi, the record is 'Where's Captain Kirk', they exchanged contacts and talked Friars!

and now for the stalking, Bette Bright, singer of Deaf School, Mrs McPherson in her daily life is married to Mr McPherson (obviously), well he goes by another name too, have you worked it out yet, here is a clue, One Step Beyond .........

It's Suggs from Madness (madness, madness this is Sparta, sorry that's something else, Madness, Madness they call it Madness ......)



now here he is thinking, I'm getting a bit sick of that bloke with the camera, all I want is a quiet pint or several, as he was the worse for a beer or two, allegedly!! And now he is thinking you're beginning to take the p**s mate!

And here is Mike's money shot so to speak, Suggs was almost legless (allegedly) by this point.

There is one day in the run up to Christmas which I dread and it has now happened. I am not averse to the odd decoration outside and I have seen some lovely, cute and even some tasteful ones, so would be happy to have a decoration or two outside. BUT and here lies the problem tasteful is not the word I would use, tacky, over the top, excessive, chavish, I could go on - it is here that one of the differences between Mike and I is at it widest and most evident. But you have to accommodate each other and let each other have their own creative expression and this is definitely Mike's! We have an agreement, he does what he likes outside and leaves inside alone, so inside is restrained and tasteful! As for outside well make your own mind up!!

The whole scene

Rudolf

The Santa stop sign - sort of!

I like this chap

Merry Christmas

Winnie the Pooh and Bugs Bunny - the lantern I have grown to like, although I did really hate it at the start, about 10 years ago!

Quite like the polar bears, but scale and proportion Mike! Can you spot someone looking out of the window?

Binnie, at the very edge of the bay window!!

We received Jamie's feedback from his Grade 1 - he passed and here is his certificate (to follow), well done, now we have to buy him an electric guitar, he already thinks he's James Hetfield!

And then came the snow, Jamie missed his last day of term as school was shut and we then seemed to have snow for the best part of 3 weeks and now apparently it is forecast again over the next few days.

Here is a picture of the snow, this is when it started on Thursday evening ......

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 10/16 - currently reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban

Thursday 2nd July

Jamie's Music and Dance Festival and Some Floristry

As I wasn't able to get to my Tuesday floristry class, I went this morning instead. I made a hand tied grouped bouquet, using aspidistra leaves, roses, gerbera and carnations - but I did not get a photo of it - silly me! The aspidistra leaves were folded, taped and used to separate groups of roses, gerbera and carnations and then they were wrapped in tissue and cellophane and tied. A useful addition to my repertoire!

The most important part of the day was the Music and Dance Festival at Jamie's school. Lots of the children were going to be performing and Jamie was playing his guitar. As it was another hot day, I made sure we had plenty of drinks with us, even though it was starting at 7.30 there were going to be a lot of people in the school hall and school is warm at the best of times.

Here Jamie is setting up with the help of one of the teachers. He played When the Boat Comes In, he played it well, but even he said he has played it a lot better. One thing may have thrown him a bit though, as well as him being nervous, it was the biggest audience he has played solo before, was the acoustics of the room and the guitar's sound was lost in the room. I think they may need a microphone for next year!

But he did very well and seems to have got the idea that you have to practice and practice and practice some more. This picture shows a relieved Jamie with it all finished! There were lots and lots of performances on the evening, some singing, dancing and some musical instruments. Jamie was in the middle in terms of the level of his performance. There were some particular highlights for me, Jamie excepting of course, the clarinets of two of Jamie's friends, a singer out of Jamie's year and a dance act from year 6. The choir and school orchestra were both fantastic, but the outstanding highlight was the year 3 pianist who was amazing and quite rightly won the Festival and received the trophy. It was an enjoyable evening and all the perfomers should be very pleased and proud with their efforts.

Well done everyone, and well done Jamie.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 3/16 - currently reading Pop Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Jamie's Reading challenge 2/12 - currently reading Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline Wilson SLYMI - 1/52

Monday 22nd June

All the usual stuff today, Mike was doing his Aylesbury Friars bits today. We've been tasked with putting the club's membership forms onto a database of some kind, which I have told Mike I am happy to do, so he is going to set something up for me to work on. I think Friars is just the coolest thing and Mike has done an amazing job with his website, I am immensely proud of him - don't always tell him tho' (perhaps I should!).

Jamie has been practising his fave piece of music for his audition for the school concert, I am in no doubt that he will get through but I'm always anxious for him. He has been practising "When The Boat Comes In" which he can play very well, but when he is practising he is getting nervous, so it's lots of deep breaths. As we get nearer and nearer the end of term things start to get busier and busier with lots of things going on at school. He also has a project due in at the end of this week which is about grey squirrels so we need to do some finishing touches to that as well, although thankfully we have pushed him a bit to do some work on it already. He appears to be much happier sat at the computer writing his project than doing it by hand, but I guess that is the way of the world now.

I had a bit of a funny turn this evening, felt very sick and was a little sick. I am guessing it is something to do with my age and that thing that is on the horizon beginning with M. I have known for some time that I am perimenopause, but have not had too many symptoms but when I looked it up, yes overwhelming nausea, something like morning sickness (and that is just what it was like) is all part of the package. I tend to look at it as there isn't anything I can do about it, so better just deal with it! I might keep some ginger biscuits in from now on as they worked quite well with morning sickness.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 2/16 - currently reading T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
SLYMI - 1/52