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December 29, 2007

I Received For Christmas

2 bottles of white wine
1 bottle of sparkling rosé
4 bottles of red wine
2 bottles of gin

Someone's trying to tell me something.....

Posted by lilliebet at 11:15 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

December 28, 2007

January 1st is So Old Hat

Oh it's been too too long since I've blogged. That's last year's resolution scuppered. So I was going to make a new one and start again on Jan 1st but that's too contrived so, what the hell, December 28th is as good a day as any to start isn't it?

It would take far too long to recap on everything that's happened since my last post on, um, April 21st (oh the shame) but here's a brief run down on the major events in the life of lilliebet over the last 251 days....

Errmmm.....

Oh yeah! Some toss bag hacked my site. That's the major downer of the year. And it's still not back up and running, which means I don't get my daily dose from the guys. Not that the guys were in the habit of giving me a "dose" you understand but, err, oh you know what I mean. The intellectual sparring, deep and meaningful philosophising and downright dirty talk have all been noticably absent in the past several weeks. Waaahh!!! I hate hackers. I'd show them what real hacking is if I ever got my hands on them. Grrrr!!

On the upside, I won the Payroll Employee of the Year Award back in October. Yeah, dull I know but we had a (nearly) all expenses paid night in a posh London hotel with dinner and dancing (and far too much drinking). There will be photos if Lou ever tells me where she's uploaded them to. Watch this space....

Back in August we had a great weekend in Wembley at the Challenge Cup Final - which Saints won of course - and I finally fulfilled my dream to go to the new Wembley Stadium. My honest opinion? Mightily impressive stadium but the atmosphere at Cardiff was better somehow as were the surroundings. It was a great experience though. Our hotel was right at the top of Wembley Way next to the train station. It was seriously hot and the hotel opened up a bar outside in the sunshine where we could sit off and watch the crowds of fans arriving which made for a brilliant atmosphere on match day. Unlike football, fans of every rugby league club attend the cup final, not just the two involved. From Super League to Non-League teams and even foreign teams and everyone wears their colours. There's no antagonism though, just loads of banter. It's cool.

And now it's Christmas, or just has been. It's had its ups and downs; a little friction here and there but mostly it went really well. My girlie bought me a Senseo coffee maker - love it! - I've been banging on about wanting one for so long but I had no idea she'd done it so it was a brilliant surprise. I get excited about the strangest things don't I? There were 10 of us for dinner this year and it was pandemonium but I have to hand it to my mum, she made an excellent scran, first rate. We had another big meal on Boxing Day and last night we went for a Chinese meal for my neice's 20th birthday. Today I've been detoxing - I've never eaten or drunk so much in my life, I feel like a dirigible. Got to make room for all the New Years Eve goodies haven't I?

That doesn't seem like eight months worth of news does it? But at least you've been spared the tedium of every little last piece of news. And you've escaped my fixation with Heroes- we've only just had the first series on the Beeb over here.... whatever you do, don't tell me what happens in series 2. I may yet come back to that subject though.....

I am definitely going to keep up the blogging from now on, if only because I told Gilles that I would. So I guess I'll see you back here tomorrow.... honestly.

Posted by lilliebet at 06:14 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

April 21, 2007

Breakfast in Bed

Yes I know, I know it's been ages. I've got loads to tell you, really loads but I've been so busy.

Right now though, more important things. When I was about 14 a friend of mine had a record that I loved (yes back in the days of records, looooong before CDs and MP3s). It was by a girl called Lorna Bennett and was called Breakfast in Bed - great yes, find it on youtube. OK I did that and that's fine but the B side was a kind of reggae-fied version of same, this time though, Lorna was joined by Scotty Bennett and it was a thousand times better than the A side.

But can I find it? Can I buggery!

I'm assuming it was an Islands Records release - it's certainly the right genre - and I've convinced myself I can see the record label in my mind's eye. Whatever, I can't find any reference to it on Google nor any download site. As I said, I found the A side on youtube, the original by Lorna, as well as the UB40/Chrissie Hynde cover. But Scotty seems to have been confined to the waste bin.

So sad, it's a great song.

If anyone knows where I can find it.... please, please let me know.

Posted by lilliebet at 12:55 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 02, 2007

Sodding Spam

I don't know whether it makes me sad or angry - well both really - but it's everywhere in my life right now and it's driving me insane.

Take this blog for instance. My host is a bit canny with the old coding and stuff (way above my head) and he's written some filters which deal with 100% of the spam, it all gets dumped into the junk mail folder so that's really cool. But I was just emptying the folder and I realised that all of January's 345 spam comments contained therein were directed at one particular blog post - a post about a certain number game of far eastern origin (you know the one I mean). It seems the very mention of said game is enough to attract every jerkoff spammer in the business. I've edited the post now, taken out all mention of "the S word", so we'll just wait and see what happens.

Added to that of course is the email spam I receive by the bucket load and the junk comments on my site. Happily I've now managed to eradicate the junk comments quite simply but now the sods are spamming me through the feedback module. The worst thing is they've managed to exploit some bug in Nuke and are sending out spam in my name. I just wish I knew how to stop that - it's not making me popular with the server guys (or my host).

I guess some people must respond to this crap otherwise they wouldn't bother sending it but I'm not one of them. I don't want a bigger penis (at least not one of my own); I definitely don't want to visit any "mother and daughter" websites; and my need for bored, lonely housewives is miniscule to say the least. Blogspot doesn't help either. Most of the links seem to go to annoyingpervertedspammers.blogspot.com and I wish those buggers would clean up their act.

Ah well.... since I've been writing this the spam fairy has no doubt visited me again.... better go and clean out that junk mail again.

Posted by lilliebet at 06:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 01, 2007

A Big Fat Happy New Year To Ya!

So here we are in 2007, doesn't it feel like five minutes ago we were planning our Millennium parties? Time flies as they say.

So did you make any resolutions? Have you broken them yet?

I'm only going to make one firm resolution this year, to keep this blog updated. Beyond that I'm not making resolutions because they're too easy to break. I will be making changes though. Mostly it's things about the family I want to change... they way we behave toward each other, the respect we should give each other but often don't ... that kind of thing. Day is an adult now, he's 19 in two weeks, Lou is pretty much there too (although, at 16, she's far more grown up than Day will ever be) and yet they still bicker like little kids. It doesn't get any better either and I'd hate to think in years to come they wouldn't have resolved their issues. One day I want them to appreciate each other as brother and sister. I never had a brother but I think it would have been cool. Anyway, that's that, some changes but not too many resolutions.

So what does Oh Seven have instore?

First thing - the final assignment for my DMS. I have until the tenth to submit it. Might be a good idea to make a start on it then. On the 5th my sister is due to move to France. She and her husband are buying a small hotel/restaurant in Correze called Le Bariolet. Right now I think she's having last minute nerves so we'll just have to wait until the sixth to see whether she actually goes through with it. Then it's Day's birthday of course. No doubt he'll be spending it with his mates in the pub, he doesn't have time for his poor mum anymore (oh woe!). Can't say I blame him but a family meal would be nice, maybe he'll surprise me.

On Feb 4th, Super League XII kicks off when Saints are away to Huddersfield. Remember Huddersfield? Can't wait for that - just 33 more sleeps!!

For Saints the season kicks off a week early to accommodate the World Club Challenge against Brisbane Broncos which has had to be postponed until Feb 23rd (bloody awkward Aussies). It was hoped it would be played at Goodison Park right here in Liverpool but, alas, Bolton's Reebok Stadium has the honour. I'm not sure that bodes too well, we were hammered by Sydney City Roosters at the Reebok a couple of years ago. But, no, let's put our positive heads on.

In April, my mum will decide whether or not she wants to retire from work. Since the Age Equalities Act came in this October, the compulsory retirement age has effectively been removed. That's a great thing for older people who aren't ready to retire but I'm not sure what effect it'll have on the young. Jobs are already at a premium, this can only make things worse surely? I think my mum's probably ready for retirement though but she was promoted last month and this new job may change everything.... watch this space.

In June, Lou turns 17 which means she can get her driving license. I don't know which one of us is looking forward to that the most. We do a lot of stuff together - rugby, shopping, days out - it will be so great when we can do them by car. Even visiting the rellies in Wales will become a breeze. She's only had one lesson so far but I have every faith in her.

I won't go on for the next six months, after all, all the above is all bound to change as the year grows older. And then there are all those things we don't yet know about. Ooh it's kind of exciting isn't it?

Whatever comes or goes, I wish a happy and prosperous new year to all my friends. Have a great 2007!

Posted by lilliebet at 02:34 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 14, 2006

Why does it surprise you?

When your piss-taking annoys people... why does that surprise you?

We all like the banter, we all enjoy the craic but there's a fine line between banter and ridicule.

So why does it surprise you when someone takes the hump?

Don't take your ball home and refuse to play. Apologise, if you feel it's warranted, but just get on with it. Life's too short.

Posted by lilliebet at 12:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 18, 2006

about:blank

Certain people who will remain nameless (Bill!) have drawn attention to the gaping hole that is my blog of late. But there are reasons! Mostly one reason actually but it's a good one....

The Engage Super League Grand Final

A few years ago an auntie and uncle we'd lost touch with re-appeared on the scene and brought rugby league into our lives, specifically St Helens RLFC. My daughter was first to succumb, then another auntie jumped on board and her partner, even my mum. I went to a few games but because Saints play mostly on Friday nights, I couldn't get to very many. Work can be a bind like that. But last Christmas that all changed, Mike and Maureen moved from Wigan to Waterloo, which meant I had a lift to the game every week and that's when I fell completely under the spell.

It doesn't take many matches to get hooked and I fell in love with the game very quickly. It got so I was wishing my life away waiting anxiously for the next match. Of the 35 league and cup games this season, I missed only four - away to London, away to Perpignan (twice) - both understandable - and the Challenge Cup semi final against Hull KR. I was gutted at missing that one, I even had my ticket, but my friends were getting married and for some strange reason wanted me to be there (of course, he's a footie fan!) :P

Anyway, last Saturday was the Grand Final at Old Trafford and I've been a nervous wreck since the season proper ended and the play offs began. It was an unbelievable day, I can't begin to describe the atmosphere. Unlike football, the rivalry in rugby league is friendly and there's no threat of violence so it's a great sport for families to watch. So we had a great afternoon in the Gorse Hill in Trafford Park, I was hoarse from singing before I even got to the ground. And what a ground it is, much as I loathe Man Utd, you've got to hand it to them. 72,582 rugby fans packed into a stadium make an awesome spectacle - and more than a little noise. The feeling of being part of it is one you don't forget.

So, to the game. Saints were as good as they've been all season but Hull played brilliantly and I was never confident that we'd hang on to our half time lead. But of course we did, in the second half they just kept getting better and better but Hull battled right up to the hooter. The 26-4 scoreline doesn't reflect just how close a game it really was but that's how a final should be.

Saints have had the most amazing season: losing only four league games to top the table by 8 points and take the League Leaders Shield; winning the Challenge Cup and now the Grand Final. Sean Long won the Lance Todd trophy, Paul Wellens won the Harry Sunderland Trophy and was named Super League Man of Steel; Daniel Anderson won Coach of the Year and James Graham won Young Player of the Year. Not a bad haul.

Of course the season's ended now and I'm gutted. But we have the Tri-Nations (vs Austalia and New Zealand) taking us into November. Then Christmas and New Year will keep me occupied for a few weeks. I just have to suffer through January and February until the World Club Challenge and the start of the new season. Ah well.

So what else has been happening?

No 1 daughter, as I'm sure I've mentioned, has started sixth form. She's taking Maths, Physics, Chemistry and English Lit at A Level... must be a chip off the old block. In their wisdom the Government decided to pay kids who stay on at school the princely sum of £30 a week as an incentive to encourage them to attend etc etc etc. No 1 daughter is now loaded and the money has been burning a hole in her bank account. So she decided to buy this....

That'll go down well with the neighbours. She's been taking lessons for a year or so, so at least the excessive noise will have a bit of rhythm to it. Actually she tells me that, because they're electric, you can turn the noise off. Seems pretty daft to me.

Other than that, I've been off work for two days with a cold that has sent me a bit screwy. I was a raving lunatic last night apparently but can't remember a thing. Maybe it's not a cold, maybe it's lurgy! And maybe I'll go wrap myself up in my quilt now. Night night.

Posted by lilliebet at 10:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 27, 2006

Perfect

So, how was your weekend? Good? I bet it wasn't THIS good......

Yesterday St Helens beat Huddersfield Giants 42-12 to take the Challenge Cup Trophy for the tenth time in front of a 65,000 strong crowd at Twickenham and I haven't quite got the full voice back yet. I can hardly describe the pride I felt in those 17 guys as we sang and they danced with the trophy in their hands.

But wait... I'm getting ahead of myself......

Daughter Lou and I travelled down to London on Friday with aunties Maureen and Anne and uncles Mike and Richard for a fun-packed weekend of over-indulgence and a game of rugby league thrown in for good measure. Our hotel was packed with rugby fans, mostly Saints, so there was much banter and the odd serious rugby discussion which helped to get us all in the mood. We even had time for a trip to the amazing Kew Gardens just to remind ourselves there were other things going on in the world besides rugby.

On Saturday morning, after a hearty breakfast, we headed into Twickenham to soak up the atmosphere and as much alcohol as we could imbibe. I don't know whether this happens in other sports but I doubt it's quite the same. The challenge cup doesn't just attract fans of the opposing teams, there are delegations from every superleague, national league and even non-league team in the country and they all wear their colours - it's an amazing sight. There were even NRL teams represented and we rubbed shoulders with as many Parramatta Eels and Manley Sea Eagles as we did Huddersfield Giants. By far though, the most predominant colours were the red and white of St Helens (oh plus a handful of St George-Illawara dragons too.)

Easily two thirds of the crowd at Twickers must have been Saints fans. Sadly, the Huddersfield end of the ground was far from full, it's a great shame for a team to reach the biggest final in rugby league but not be fully supported. Still, it didn't all go our way. Saints have had an amazing season, losing only four of our 25 league games, so with Huddersfield most definitely the under-dogs, all the neutrals took their side.

All that support must have helped because the Giants undoubtedly started the game stronger than Saints. I don't know if the pressure was telling or they just needed a warm up but Huddersfield took the lead after 6 minutes and I have to confess, I was worried. For the first half of the first half the Giants had the majority of possession but on 21 minutes captain, Paul Sculthorpe dabbed a perfect grubber into the waiting hands of Willie Talau and the Saints were finally on the scoreboard.

Four minutes from half time, three time Lance Todd trophy winner, Sean Long took Saints into the lead and Jamie Lyon completed his second conversion to take the half time score to 12-6. After the break Saints dominated with Lyon, Fa'asavalu and Cayless all crossing the line.

Despite having to play with the most unusual strapping I've ever seen after twice being blood-binned, John Wilkin scored a brace, demonstrating the toughness and dedication of these guys, something you would never see in football. Huddersfield managed to pull off another try courtesy of Kiwi scrum half, Robbie Paul, but they never looked likely once St Helens got into their stride and Jamie Lyon's seventh goal from seven attempts confirmed the victory and the cup was ours.

Once the cup had been presented and the obligatory press photos had been taken, the team headed straight for us. While we cheered and applauded them, they cheered and applauded us, their loyal fans. They all acknowledge the great support they get and how inspiring it is for them and they show their appreciation for the fans at every match but never more so than at this one. Maurie Fa'asavalu giving a "we're not worthy" salute to the crowd was a special sight to see. Players and fans danced, sang and cheered - it was amazing.

Back on the streets of Twickenham, the mood was buoyant but the crowd behaved immaculately and the pubs and bars overflowed with fans of all colours well into the night. Back at the hotel, the celebrations continued and the night was rounded off perfectly with a re-run of the game on the big screen and several pints of lager.

This morning we set off (another hearty breakfast having been enjoyed) and headed straight to Knowsley Road to greet the team - and the cup - as they arrived home, in glorious sunshine, to a full house and further adulation. A lap of honour was followed by interviews with every member of the squad and, of course, our amazing coach, Daniel Anderson. Then, 60 hours after it all started, we headed home, still on a high but knowing it isn't over yet.... we still have a grand final to get to.

My mum video'd the match for me, so now I'm off to watch the whole thing one more time. A perfect end to a perfect weekend.

Posted by lilliebet at 08:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 23, 2006

The Final Countdown

The clock is ticking..... 2 days, 20 hours, 47 minutes and 37 seconds; 36 seconds; 35 seconds.....

Hell, you know what I mean!

The countdown has begun to the Powergen Rugby League Challenge Cup Final between St Helens and Huddersfield Giants. As Wembley is STILL not built, this year's final is being played on the hallowe'ed turf of Twickenham. (At least, if you're a fan of "piley on" I guess it's hallowe'ed turf.)

On Friday, six of us will be off, off, off in a motor car, down the M something or other (I don't even know which way South is to be quite honest.... except that it's "down".) We're staying at a Travel Inn at Heathrow so not much sleep to be had I'm thinking. Still, who cares, it's the final and I'm so excited I'm likely to hyperventilate before the day's out.

Yesterday, three of us went up to St Helens on the train to buy deccies for the car from the Saints Club Shop and earlier, Lou and I went and had our nails painted in Saints' colours (white with a red "V") so there will be no more washing up done in this house before Friday!!

Right now the final is all I can think about. I'm like a kid at Christmas and I really do think I'm going to burst if Friday doesn't hurry up and get here soon.

Just make sure you're watching on Saturday.... oh and keep your fingers crossed for us.

C'mon you Saints!

Posted by lilliebet at 06:13 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

August 11, 2006

Cheap as Chips

It's not the grey hair and wrinkles that make us feel old. No, it's our kids and their unerring ability to remind us of our mortality with a mere sentence.

Little angels!

A few years ago I was dragging my youngest up to the shops.

"What are we going to Woollies for?" she asks, all innocence
"I want to buy a record" I reply
"What's a record?"

And there you have it. Not only are there no records any more but they're so obsolete as to be unheard of by anyone under the age of 25.

Even so, it took until today for me to give in completely to the lure of things digital and buy an MP3 player (yes, I know, I'm sooooo last week.) It really is cool though and I don't just mean the amazing technology that allows me to save several hundred songs on something the size and shape of a tampon; nor their almost indestructability but it's the price that does it for me.

The first single I ever bought (yes, vinyl) cost 45p - that's decimal by the way, I'm not THAT old - which would be a little less than the cost of three bags of chips. There was a potato famine in Ireland in about 1977 which caused the cost of chips to literally double overnight which is why the price of chips, of all things, sticks out in my mind and I tend to measure everything by them even today.

So by the time CD singles hit the shops, we were looking at around £2.95 per, which, by then, was maybe slightly more than three bags worth. OK, a slight increase but things are keeping steady at around three portions per song......

Gnarls Barkley's Crazy broke all records recently by becoming the first to hit the top of the charts through downloads alone - it reached number 1 before it was even released on CD. So, assuming one downloads legally (as I do because I get £5 worth of free downloads every month from my mobile phone network), it now costs just 99p per song, less than the cost of ONE measly bag of jockey's whips. Cutting out all the physical aspects of producing a "record" has smashed the price to about a third of what it was five years ago, great news for us consumers eh? Now that's what I call music!

Posted by lilliebet at 09:16 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 23, 2006

Top of the League, We're Having a Laugh....

Probably Saints' biggest test of the season so far was played out in monsoon conditions at Headingley this afternoon and boy did we come through smiling. Dressed, as we all were, for the heatwave, there was nothing you could do but laugh as we dripped, squelched and pruned through 80 nail-biting minutes. At least it was warm rain eh!

When second plays host to first in the league, it's always going to be a near thing, and it was. Both teams battled hard, it was bloody tough, and a few fists flew at times but it was thrilling and made all the more so by Saints' eventual victory and the six point lead we've now got.

When the players came down to the away end at full time to applaud the crowd, Leon Pryce was punching the air and shouting "come on, come on" and the crowd roared even louder. You could feel their passion, it doesn't half make you proud. They knew they'd had a tough test but I think they appreciated the fact that we had too. It's not always easy to whoop and holler when you're wet through to your undies or your feet have frozen to the terraces.

I think that's one of the things that makes me love Rugby League more than football: that closeness to the team. You're physically close, you can feel the tackle, hear the thud of shoulder against chest and the occasional crack of head against head when Ade and Wello jump for the same ball. You're also close enough to trade wisecracks with the players or egg them on with rallying cries. And they respond to both.

But, off the pitch too, there's another kind of closeness. They might be rugby stars but they're not in the superstar bracket like your Beckhams and your Ronaldos. When you see the players around the ground, they'll always let on and they never refuse an autograph for the kids. I guess they're not stuck up their own backsides like footballers.

The only drawback to the afternoon was Jamie Lyon's red card for a late challenge on Rob Burrow (the little rat.) That's likely to mean he'll miss next week's Challenge Cup semi final against Hull KR and that's not going to help the cause one bit. On the plus side though, I'm going to have to miss next week because I'm going to a wedding, so maybe Jamie can have my ticket!

Posted by lilliebet at 12:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 23, 2006

My bud

I don't know what provoked this sudden urge to blog after such a long hiatus. I guess it's the fact that I'm talking to my bud Mark on msn right now and he's forcing me to read his blog. Not that I don't like reading it, I do, but I don't particularly enjoy reading MSN Spaces, I find them hard on the eyes. And, besides, he tells me everything he's been up to every day anyway so it's old news in a way... to me at least.

So anyway, this is Mark, and he's my little bud (yeah Mark, I know, not so much of the little....)

Mark lives in Bombay - not Mumbai, he tells me, Bombay - he shares a house with his sisters and possibly one brother and at least one friend (Cyril). You see there are so many people in his life, I find it very hard keeping up but I do try.

Mark and I "met" when I was working as an admin at Castlecops. I was i/c the Special Response Team and we'd earmarked him (no pun intended) as a potential recruit. It fell to me to make the offer.... he nearly bit my hand off. I've never met anyone quite so eager to give up all their free time to help others in that way (except of course the rest of the SRTs).

At the time, he was working as a technician with Dell in one of their call centres and he was one of a very rare breed - a call centre guy who knew what he was talking about. That of course was the reason we asked him to join the team, and he fitted in really well. He took all our stick about being the baby of the team (22) and having to make the tea. One of the nicest things about him was that he would PM me or ping me on MSN every day just to say Hi, how are you?

Pretty soon, our brief chats turned to lengthy confabs and every day we would debate, discuss, argue and generally put the world to rights. He would regale me with tales of his weekend's faffing; share the ins and outs of his life with his billion friends, he even introduced me to several of them. We talked a lot of rubbish and laughed a lot, we also shared our secrets; our hopes and our dreams; talked each other through bad patches and cried on each other's shoulder; we even got drunk and sang badly together.

I'm saying this as though it's in the past, it isn't. He's still there everyday (well most days), still prattling inanely, still sharing his secrets. I've known Mark for over a year now and, despite an age difference of 18 years and a distance of thousands of miles, he's one of my very best friends. I love him to bits.

I just wanted you to know....

Posted by lilliebet at 12:18 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 05, 2006

The Thief of Time

Procrastination. Well we all know that old adage don't we? And it's not the first time I've talked about it here. I am a world beater.

For the umpteenth time, I've given up my valuable weekend writing my latest assignment for my diploma. For two days now I've been feeling the repercussions, I'm physically as well as mentally exhausted. Every time I promise myself I won't leave it until the last minute but, every time, I still do. What is the matter with me?

Eighteenth months ago, I remarked on the fact that we, as a family, are inveterate procrastinators. We make all the right noises about getting together and keeping in touch and yet we never do.

I said back then that my cousin works in a bookshop only minutes from where I work. I promised that I woud go and see him; to catch up and yet I didn't. For eighteen months I procrastinated.

Today, I took the bull by the horns. It was a beautiful warm day, I had nothing better to do at lunchtime and I needed a book anyway. So I went up there and, as luck would have it, he was working. He looked as pleased to see me as I was to see him. We chatted, shared a hug (which elicited a few odd looks from customers - perhaps they thought they would have to hug the staff too!). And we made plans to meet up for a drink. I came away from the book shop feeling great.

Time rushes past us so quickly and there's nothing we can do to stop it. We have every opportunity to make the best of it but, so often, we don't. I would like to make a promise here and now that I will never let opportunity escape me again but I know it would be a false promise.

I can only do my best but, today, I took a step in the right direction.

Posted by lilliebet at 12:10 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 05, 2006

Ssshh! They'll hear you....

My comment spammers have abandoned me....

Do you think they've gone on holiday?

Do you think I've just earned myself a shed-load of spam?

Oh dear :(

Posted by lilliebet at 07:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 12, 2006

"Light snow" the BBC said...

Light snow?

You should see it! It's like the tundra out there. The BBC may be foremost with the news but they're pants at weather forecasting. What I can see out there is best described as a blizzard.

The awful thing is, we're supposed to be going to Huddersfield today for the rugby. But we have to cross these to get there. The BBC forecast's heavy snow for Huddersfield so I'm think Huddersfield might not even be visible by now.

I know rugby's a tough sport but ....

On the upside, not going to the game will give me time to prepare for work tomorrow. If I start walking now, I might just get there tomorrow morning :(

Now, where are me wellies?

Posted by lilliebet at 07:37 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 01, 2006

Sheila Goes to Venice

Sheila (or mum as I more often call her) was due to fly to Venice on Sunday morning for a short break with friends. Lovely stuff! She hasn't had a holiday for quite some time.

So Friday night, 8pm, I'm at the rugby when the phone goes....

"Errrm.... is the passport office open on Saturday?"

Yeah, you guessed it, her passport had run out.

Eliminating the four-letter words, my reaction was "I don't know, but I'll check on the net when I get back from the rugby."

So back home, it's midnight and I'm desperately trawling the UK passport website for some help and guidance on how to renew a passport at a moment's notice.

There are only about a dozen passport offices in the UK but, luckily for us, one of them is in Liverpool. Our luck seemed to be holding when I discovered it was open on Saturday but only for appointments and only until 11am. It's all going well so far.

I phoned her and gave her the number. "Be on the phone the minute it opens, I doubt you'll get through to anyone now." I told her. Just on the off-chance, she tried the number anyway and, lo and behold, got a reply. Unfortunately the reply was that there were no appointments left for the Liverpool office on Saturday. Damn!

"Not to worry," she tells me "they've given me an appointment for 9 o'clock in the morning"

.... in DURHAM!!!!

That's a 300 mile round trip.

It's now the wee small hours and she phones her sister's partner - because neither of us drive do we? Our hero is willing to take her and consults the AA website for a route planner. He figures they'll need to leave about 5 am, it's already nearly one. Only he hadn't factored in that it was 5 am on a Saturday and the motorways were empty. They arrived just after 7am and had to hang around waiting for the passport office to open.

Job done, documents completed, and she's told the passport would be ready at 1 o'clock... another three hours spent hanging around in Durham. Still, she got her passport and they arrived back in time for tea. At least her trip wouldn't have to be abandoned.

The really awful thing is that the cost of the emergency passport; the travelling; and food and drink while they hung around came to more than the trip.

There's a moral to this tale and it's this....

.... when my mum calls.... don't answer!!

Posted by lilliebet at 09:47 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 12, 2005

Dad, can I play in the Sandbox

OldGuy and I have been playing around with our blog layouts on and off since we started blogging back in January, often with disastrous results. Right now we're trying to make some radical changes to his layout but neither of us are particularly profficient in HTML or CSS so it's trial and error (more error than trial actually).

Last night, I had a sudden spark of genius and decided to ask Paul at Castlecops to give us both access to my first blog again so that we could practise our "skills" without doing any damage to our existing blogs. I thought it would be fun to blog our progress there too.

Paul and Robin, the owners of Castlecops gave the blogs to the staff as thank you gifts for the work we put in there. Unfortunately, when I left the staff, I also lost access to my blog but my good friend Oldfrog set this one up for me and transferred all the content across. So the original Lillibet blog has lain idle ever since and this seemed like a good idea until we hit a snag - I can't access the control panel.

Paul set me back up as an author and added OldGuy, he can get in but I can't. I've tried password recovery, that didn't work. The password hint - my birthplace - tells me my birthplace is wrong (that may cause an identity crisis!!) and, having read the knowledge base article at MT, it seems there is bugger all I can do to regain access. That seems ridiculous to me but that's what they're telling me.

OldGuy is going to try to edit my permissions today but without my original password, I doubt he'll be able to do it. The odd thing is, I know my original password but still no joy. If there are any MT experts out there who have any clues on how to do this, we'd appreciate your input :-)

Posted by lilliebet at 09:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 09, 2005

Turning the tables

A few weeks ago I had a sort of rebirth - that's a bit of a flowery way to put it but I cast off a lot of anger. Alright, a lot of it was directed in totally the wrong place and I'm very sad that that happened but it's a fact now and I have to deal with it.

Letting go of all the resentment I was feeling has had such a positive effect, it's remarkable. I don't get irate in work any more. Shit happens and I just let it, I don't let it get to me. It's not that I don't care, I do very much, I'm just able to step back and look at it from over there instead of right here in the middle of it all.

I was talking to my mum this morning. Her working world has been turned upside down and she and her colleagues are really going through the mill. Last night it spilled over into her social life and, like I did a few weeks ago, she had a hissy fit and directed all her resentment at one person (not entirely undeserved I grant you but she was out of order all the same.)

So this morning I found myself giving my mum some very positive, productive advice. She wasn't entirely receptive at first but I think it eventually dawned on her that here was the person who would usually be having the hissy fit suddenly talking sense; being the voice of reason; and if this normally manic, hyper lunatic is able to take a step back and start looking at her life differently, well then anyone can. By the time we parted company, I hope she had taken my words on board.

Life is stressful enough without us creating more stress for ourselves or others. In a few short weeks I've learned to take a different view of my world and it's been an enlightening experience. I see so much now that I didn't see before, it's like watching the world through a window; being far enough removed from the hassle and aggro that you can weigh it all up and know that you've thought it all through before you act or speak. Knowing too that you can deal with the consequences because they're of your own making. I guess you'd call it taking back control.

Posted by lilliebet at 10:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 21, 2005

Nine Flames

One lights my path when darkness descends
Two is the beacon that protects and defends
Three gives me warmth when the world is bleak
Four cheers my spirits when my heart is weak
Five is the goodness that shines from within
Six is the flicker of fun that is him
Seven is the spark that guides and inspires
Eight is the flame of my deepest desires
Nine is the heat of my love that won’t end

Nine Flames that are you, my love, my friend

Posted by lilliebet at 09:37 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

That was the week that was

The whole family were supposed to be having Christmas dinner together at a pub up the road so on...

Sunday

...we decided to go and pay the deposit and have our lunch while we were at it. The first awfulness of the day came when we were told the chef had been sacked. "Oh don't worry" they told us, "we have a new chef". Chef wasn't the four letter "C" word we were using by the time we'd finished our miserable cold dinner and decided we weren't parting with a penny.

I should have known it was going to happen...... for the rest of the afternoon, I suffered another session of what appears to be my family's national sport, Liz bashing. Today's subject being my son's inadequacies and my failings as a mother. I've never understood why I endure their venom. It must be some misguided sense of "family". Suffice to say, I came away from the encounter battered and bruised and somewhat inebriated. And that's when the manure really hit the ventillation. I managed to get embroiled in a row with my best friend who now won't speak to me. Can't say I blame him but I woke up ...

Monday

...heartbroken and desperate to talk to him. At the very least I wanted to apologise and explain but he didn't want to know. He did tell me to stop being a victim though. At the time I didn't recognise how valuable that advice was but later, I went down to the beach to talk to the iron men about it. They didn't impart much advice but they did listen.

While I was down there, my son rang and I asked him to come down and meet me. It was his first day on his new job, a real job this time, a trade - with a future. I stood by the pond waiting for him to arrive, being investigated by the geese that winter here. I guess they thought I hadn't been probed enough yet.

Anyway, I had a point.... oh yes. I watched my son for a long time walking across the vast expanse of grass that covers most of Crosby Marina. I could see the spring in his step; the way he held himself; and, when he got close enough, the whiteness of his smile against the filthy mess that was his face. He's taking a shot at his life, he's giving it a go. OK he falls over now and again but isn't that what I'm there for - to pick him up and get him back on his way?

With that picture in my head, I walked back home and told the guys on my site about the whole sorry mess. They were very supportive, full of good advice too. I came away from the conversation determined not to be a victim any more. It may be too late to salvage a wonderful relationships but by the time....

Tuesday

... came around, I was like a different person. My sister phoned that night to (by the way) see how my son was getting on in his new job. I left her in no doubt that he was going to make a go of it; turn himself around and achieve great things; and that I would be there to support him whatever. Even over the phone I could tell she was unsure who she was talking to, this was someone she didn't recognise. And boy did it feel good.

Wednesday and Thursday

... came and went with still no contact, no chance to make amends. I'm not really surprised, this is one time too many I've lost the plot and taken it out on the wrong person. It's a lesson that's taken me too long to learn and the only one who loses out in the end is me, so I guess it's a valuable one. But I'll get over it. For all the wailing and whinging I normally do, I always get over it in the end. No wailing and whinging this time though. Think happy thoughts!

Posted by lilliebet at 12:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 08, 2005

I've been Tagged

By Oldguy

OK I looked up my 23rd post but the problem is, I have two 23rd posts.

Before I started this blog I had been keeping a journal at CastleCops and, when I learned how, I transferred those posts into here so this is my 23rd post ever and the 5th line says simply "1837". Bill had just come back from holiday with a friend in New Zealand who had family connections to Liverpool way back in the distant past. Bill offered him my services as a researcher. It was fun but I didn't follow it through, shame on me.

My official 23rd post was about the voluntary severance being offered by my employers at the time and the 5th line was just a link to the press report in the Liverpool Echo.

So I guess 23 and 5 aren't my numbers, now if you'd have said 22 OldGuy, that would have been the one about the Ocean Pie (I still haven't forgiven you for dissing my ocean pie yet ;-) )

Unfortunately I don't have 5 friends who blog and, as OldGuy's already been tagged, I have to leave it down to three.

So Bill, Z and Gerald here are the rules

1. Go into your archive
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same.

Posted by lilliebet at 09:24 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

October 03, 2005

Batteries Not Included

Why do some people fight technological advance? My mum for example. My mum's a very intelligent woman, she has a law degree and a very responsible job (she regularly stands up before County Court Judges and argues to keep people from being evicted from their homes) but can she work a video recorder? Not on your life.

I bought her a DVD player last Christmas, and a copy of Little Britain to kick off her collection. Yesterday I took round Pirates of the Caribbean, I'd been promising to watch it with her since it was first released.

Before we watched it, we had to go through the whole "I don't know how to use the stupid thing" rigmarole for the umpteenth time.

"OK watch what I do" says I, plugging the stupid thing into the wall socket. Immediately the screen fills with an image - the opening titles to Little Britain - she actually hasn't switched the thing on again since we watched it on Christmas Day.

Once I'd explained to her that putting batteries in the remote control increased it's effectiveness tenfold, she thoroughly enjoyed the film and can't wait to get working on the list of films she's been dying to see.

"This'll be great when there's nothing to watch on telly."
"Yes, mother that's the whole point."

Oh well one step forward....

Of course she's still looking in disdain at the Freeview set and the VCR but I just don't have the energy right now.

Posted by lilliebet at 06:53 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 25, 2005

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, adieu

Last night we had a family get together to bid farewell to my cousin, Mike, who's emigrating to Australia on Tuesday. It wasn't a sad occasion by any means. In fact, a rip-roaring time was had by all.

There was a slight wobble when Mike's mum announced very loudly that the minute he got off the plane he'd find himself another blonde hairdresser. Sitting next to his about-to-be-ex-girlfriend as I was, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I settled for an embarassed cringe. To be fair, his application to emigrate was already in process when they met so she knew the score from day one. I don't imagine that makes it any easier for either of them but that's life I'm afraid.

So I guess it's sad that Mike's leaving us and we won't be seeing him quite so often (he only lives over the road so I see him most days). But on the plus side, as he pointed out in his parting speech, we're not losing a relative, we're gaining a free holiday. lol

And, hey, Australia's only a day away isn't it?

Posted by lilliebet at 12:35 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 12, 2005

In England's Green and Pleasant Land

Man of the hour Kevin Pietersen celebrates his first test century before going on to make 158 and secure the Ashes series for England.

This has been an amazing series to watch and a brilliant summer for cricket in this country. I've enjoyed every nailbiting minute.

Posted by lilliebet at 07:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

More changes underway

Thanks to some Blog Explosion reviewers, I've been making what I hope are some improvements to the blog.

And thanks to my fine friend Steve, I have a new banner...

....which I rather like :D

Posted by lilliebet at 09:13 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

September 10, 2005

Are they doing this on purpose?

I swear the Australians have done this by design. Exactly like the Rugby League Tri-Nations earlier this year. They played like puddings throughout the series, putting England in a great position, only to step up a gear in the final match and put us right back in our place.

268 for 2... oh woe is me!

Posted by lilliebet at 05:59 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

Here she goes again

I really am blowing hot and cold with the design here. I just can't settle on anything. So yet another change has been made.

I like this though. It's quite calming and it couldn't possibly offend anyone... could it?

Posted by lilliebet at 01:58 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 07, 2005

Overheard

You know how it is, sometimes you just hear the most bizarre things...

Strolling through town at lunchtime, I noticed a camera crew and a rather harassed looking presenter who was shrugging his shoulders at them.

He suddenly appeared to have a flash of genius and turned to the four old ex-dockers sat on the bench next to him. Then, with the campest scouse accent you ever heard, he nudged them and said..

"Here, have any of you got a third nipple?"

Eh?

Posted by lilliebet at 08:05 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

September 05, 2005

A Haiku for Autumn

Summer not yet gone
No leaves fall from trees as yet:
Blog gets a facelift

Yeah I know, don't give up your day job! It really isn't autumn yet. By now it's usually blowing a gale and I'm peeling sopping wet leaves from my face on the way to work but the summer's actually hanging in there. Still and all I thought the blog could enjoy a change of scene.

What dya think?

Posted by lilliebet at 07:42 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 04, 2005

The Worst Mother in the World?

I occasionally write pieces for a friend's website. Here's the latest The Worst Mother in the World?

Take a look around the site while you're there, let me know what you think.

Posted by lilliebet at 11:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 25, 2005

¿Cómo se dice en Español?

Impressed?

I took Spanish at night school a couple of years ago. I was studying for a GCSE over two years but right in the middle of the course, the adult learning centre decided to do an about face and change to a conversational Spanish class. As it was free, I couldn't really argue and I stopped going.

I stopped because there was a purpose to me doing a GCSE in the first place. One of the local universities have a three year degree course - Business Studies with a language (one of which is Spanish obviously) and I was toying with the idea of giving up work and enrolling.

My dream at the time was to do this course and move to Spain to live. The idea of not having to where socks all the year round was probably my biggest motivator lol. Unfortunately at the same time I started seeing a guy whose name I'll withold but I do believe it's literal meaning is "obnoxious bloke who stomps on dreams". (It's true, look it up ;-) )

But he was a long time ago, and I hope he's gone as rusty as my Spanish (ooh bitchy!). I still have all the materials though. All the books, dictionaries and course material. So I think I'm going start again, only this time I'm going to teach myself. I have a head start after all.

Posted by lilliebet at 10:13 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

When Blue Skies are Grey

Everton sadly went out of the UEFA Champions League at the first hurdle last night after a second 2-1 defeat by Villareal.

But you're a Liverpudlian, why do you care?

Two reasons actually. The first being that the guy I sit opposite in work is an Evertonian and I will have to endure his sad face and detailed discussions of how "we wuz robbed" all day.

The second, rather more serious, reason is that this was the first time Everton had reached Europe since English clubs were banned in 1985 following the Heysel Stadium disaster in which 39 Italian football fans were killed when a wall collapsed following a riot by Liverpool fans. Everton were on a roll in 1985, had qualified for Europe and were destined for glory. The action of those so-called fans snatched that from them.

By the time the ban was lifted three years later, Everton's fortunes had waned. There's a shedload of money to be made in Europe and the Blues' had been denied their opportunity following Heysel. By 1989 the club had been hit by money troubles and battled relegation for several seasons. The prospect of European competition was a pipe dream..... until last season, 10 years on from Heysel, when they battled their way to fourth in The Premiership to qualify. It looked like Everton were on their way back.

There are several cities in Britain who boast more than one football team but Liverpool is unique in some ways. In other cities, the team you support is governed by religion; which side of the river you live; all manner of things. But in Liverpool, there's no such boundary, it's just personal choice. Even families are split Red/Blue (I have a red son and a blue daughter).

This is a good thing because rivalry tends to be a lot friendlier than in other cities. At the match and in the pub Blue Noses sit amongst Rednecks, banter abounds but for the most part it's good natured. There are, however, some die-hard Evertonians who carry enormous chips on their shoulders and they're painted red! They still blame all things Liverpool for their misfortunes of the last ten years. Last night's loss will add to their resentment as Liverpool continue their own European campaign.

Everton's flirtation with European competition was short-lived but let's hope it isn't their last.

Posted by lilliebet at 06:46 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 24, 2005

Blogroll

I've been rather lazy with the old blogroll, I tend to just add blogs I like to my favourites which is very selfish of me *blushes*

So I've now started to add to it in earnest. Recently added are Chris vs Chris, Fugazi, Genuine and Just Rambling.

Today I came across Tales from the Chalk-face on Britblog. Very funny, honest look at teaching, kids and life in general. There aren't too many Liverpool blogs listed on Britblog, makes me wonder whether there just aren't many Liverpool bloggers, but this one's great. OK his template is a little askew but I'm sure he'll see to that when he returns from the long vac.

Posted by lilliebet at 11:08 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

August 21, 2005

Star Spangled Banner

Yes I know, now it looks a bit US of A but I like it and my daughter thinks it's really cool so it's staying for a bit...

... obviously Firefox doesn't like my blog any more than my site so, if you're using it, you're probably wondering what I'm blathering on about.

Trust me... it's totally cool and groovy now ;-)

*Edit: Well it seems that has to go because it's totally screwed up in FF! That's it, I give up.

Posted by lilliebet at 03:00 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 20, 2005

Um....

Well OK I got carried away hehe!

I found a great source of backgrounds at GRsites and I fell in love with the Union Flag background so I just went for it.

It might not stay.... we'll see.....

Posted by lilliebet at 10:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Background Check

Woohoo! I wanted to bring the blog alive a little, I think I achieved it. I guess it's rather busy but, compared to the flat, prawny background I had before, I love it!!

Now that I know how... I'm going to enjoy experimenting.

Posted by lilliebet at 06:35 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 12, 2005

In Space Everyone Can Hear You Blog

Are there no lengths that bloggers won't go to to be heard?

MindComet are offering bloggers the chance to have their blogs transmitted into space via a commercial satellite. The idea being to add the blogs to the information being broadcast to any passing ETs. Apparently this currently includes all TV and Radio signals this planet has generated over the past hundred years.

Go to blogsinspace to be a part of it.

Why do I get the feeling OldGuy will be the first to sign up?

Posted by lilliebet at 08:02 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 08, 2005

It's all gone quiet over there

It's been ages since I blogged anything which is weird because there's been so much going on.

I think it's probably because I've got that urge again... to say things I shouldn't... so I'm keeping quiet to be safe. My big, fat mouth is forever getting me into trouble.

But it's a beautiful sunny day and, apart from an army of fruit flies who've invaded my house, everything's right with the world.

I had a long weekend (sheer bliss) and spent Friday and Saturday wedged into the couch watching England beat the Aussies at Edgbaston. Occasional glimpses of Cannon Hill Park brought back memories of living in Birmingham. Cold, I think, is the one word that springs soonest to mind.

I went to Wales for the day yesterday, to visit my Nan. She insists on speaking to me in Welsh all the time and I insist on answering in English but she's chuffed enough that I understand. Trouble is she does it to my daughter too and she doesn't know a word of Welsh. Somehow though she seems to be able to blag her way through and that scores her huge Brownie points. Clever girl that one!

We had several glasses of wine with lunch and when we got back from Wales we carried on to the Brooke for several pints of lager. All that was rounded off later with crispy duck and another bottle of wine whilst watching Ocean's 12 (which I now have to watch again because the wine got in the way of the understanding...). I'll be glad to get back to work tomorrow to detox.

So that was my weekend, riveting stuff eh? I'm always impressed by people who blog every day, just stuff about what they did that day, yet they manage to be interesting. Don't they ever have days where nothing happens? Obviously I do, you can tell by the huge gaps in the calendar. But I thought I'd give it a go, just this once. Thanks for listening :-)

Posted by lilliebet at 04:12 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

July 30, 2005

Let's have a drink...

.... it's Marguerita time...

I'm one of those annoying people who sing. Not that I've got a terrible voice, I can at least carry a tune. Still I'm no Charlotte Church it has to be said.

But I sing at the drop of a hat or, more to the point, at the drop of a keyword in a conversation.

For example: there's a woman who used to be on my payroll called Marguerita Brown and every time I came to the point of doing her pay, I would burst into my rendition of Status Quo's Marguerita Time. Yes, I know, god awful song, but you can see I had no choice. Fortunately she's left now so those moments are fewer and further between.

For some reason though, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why, at a certain point every day, I start singing Twilight Time by The Platters (and, no, it's not at twilight). I just can't figure out what it is that sparks me off.

Answers on a postcard please....

Posted by lilliebet at 12:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 25, 2005

Suddenly I'm bothered about traffic

Or the lack of to be more precise. When I started blogging, like most people I guess, it was for my own benefit. Even when I started surfing Blog Explosion and traffic and comments started coming thick and fast I never thought it was an issue.

BUT (<---- big but) since this new Surf By Description thingy caused a slow down in traffic, I find I'm actually bothered by it and that surprises me.

I guess it's like trying to be heard in a crowded room... you want others to hear your opinion. I wonder why?

I can only guess it's because, while I'm very outgoing in the company of friends, I'm actually quite reticent around those I don't know. Blogging gives me the opportunity to speak to people I wouldn't normally be able to and I suppose I miss that.

Posted by lilliebet at 10:13 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

July 14, 2005

No more Diet Coke break

You remember the advert right? The one where the women in the office look at the clock, tip each other the wink and mouth the words "Diet Coke break" then all stand at the window ogling the gorgeous young builder, sans shirt, drinking his Coke.

Well, with all the construction work going on in town this summer and temperatures in the 70s and 80s all week, it should be shirts off heaven right now.

But alas it's not to be, thanks (or should that be no thanks) to the Health and Safety Executive. All those bulging, bronzed bodies now have to be covered by high visibility vests and my blimping days are over. Woe is me!

OK, OK, I know their safety comes first but.... ohhhhhhh!

Posted by lilliebet at 09:07 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 13, 2005

Hmmmm, doesn't quite add up does it?

My daughter was just moaning to me about over-crowding in her classes....

"Yeah and, in Maths, there are like two of us who have to sit three to a desk!"

... I'm thinking maybe I'll get her extra lessons....

Posted by lilliebet at 11:26 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 10, 2005

Tips & Tricks #2

When removing the ball from your mouse for cleaning, its performance will be infinitely enhanced if you remember to PUT IT BACK IN WHEN YOU'VE FINISHED!

Doh!!

Posted by lilliebet at 06:31 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 04, 2005

Walking on the beaches, looking at the peaches

If you walk along the beach at the bottom of my road, you will run into the most unlikely people.

Antony Gormley's work of art Another Place has been installed along a 3km stretch of the Sefton coastline at Waterloo and Crosby and will remain here for 18 months.

The statues are cast iron and said to be casts of his own body. They stand naked and life-sized at various stages of submersion in the Mersey Estuary.

They are fascinating and it's amazing to think this work of art is right here on my doorstep. Look, you can see my house!

Posted by lilliebet at 08:21 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

June 14, 2005

International Weblogger's Day

Well it's just turned midnight and that makes it officially International Weblogger's Day.

"Yeah... and....?" I hear you cry.

Well bloggers the world over are marking this day by getting together to talk about life, the blogoverse and everything and they'll probably sink a few lattes or lagers (whatever's your poison) along the way. A zillion diverse bloggers with a gazillion diverse blogs are getting together to talk about what they blog and why, so I thought I'd join in the party in my own small way.

I started this blog on January 12, 2005. Paul and Robin of CastleCops wanted to thank their staff for the work that they do and this was their generous but unusual way of doing so. Until that point, I'd been keeping a journal of sorts at CCSP but blogging was completely new to me and I have to confess, I was hooked from day one.

You hear the words random, rambling, and unconnected a lot when reading blogs and that's mine. Be it something daft one of my kids have said, a rant about the latest fad, a progress report on my attempt to get educated, my latest heartbreak or just an odd thought that enters my head, I blog it.

Mostly, it's just for me but if anyone happens along who has something to say, all the better. One of the great things about keeping a blog has been getting to know all of yours.... I read and enjoy so many of them every day.

I've parted company with CastleCops and so has my blog but I'm pleased to say, my good friend OldFrog, now hosts it for me and managed to keep it intact so that I could go on enjoying it. I know not everything I have to say is pleasing to all of you who pass this way but I hope, for the most part, you can enjoy it too.

Posted by lilliebet at 12:01 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

June 09, 2005

Happy Birthday Lou!

My little girl is 15 years old today. With her birthday being in the summer, we used to plan every year to have an outdoor party with a bouncy castle but the weather let us down every year.

Finally it's happened and it's a beautiful summer's day out there. It's a pity she's far too cool and groovy for a bouncy castle now though. lol

Happy birthday petal, have a fantastic day!

Posted by lilliebet at 07:28 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

June 05, 2005

What is this strange and wonderful thing?

Finally something has happened to tear me away from the computer screen. It's called a book! Vernon God Little to be precise, have you read it?

I've only read a few chapters this morning but it has me enthralled. I used to be an avid reader, I was never not reading something but I haven't picked up a book in a long time, until today. I'm lying on the bed next to the open window with the sun streaming in and a perfect breeze cooling me, sheer bliss.

I'd forgotten what a simple pleasure reading is, I won't make that mistake again.

Posted by lilliebet at 04:18 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

June 04, 2005

For your viewing pleasure

There's a pub around the corner from me that's just in the middle of a refit. It was a bit of a dive and I'm sure it's going to be greatly improved. This morning a poster went up announcing the grand opening, June 10th, 7:00 pm. Underneath, in smaller letters, I noticed this

"Open June 9th, 8:00pm to 9:00pm for viewing only"

Is it just me or is that weird? I mean, what? They put a range of drinks up on the bar and let you look at them? Or do you get the grand tour of the living quarters?

"... and here's granny in the bath..."

Hmmmm, I probably won't go!

Posted by lilliebet at 01:11 AM | Comments (7) |