My brave friend

has started a blog

Her friends were shocked and alarmed to hear her sad news of deciding 'no more treatment'.

Several encouraged her to begin writing a blog. 

Today she has very kindly invited us to travel along with her via her blog. 

If you look at her posts, you'll find she's planning a tea party and has invited her close friends.


What a wonderful lady!

jam tomorrow

To quote Lewis Carroll

White Queen:
“The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today.”

Folk have been 'digesting' the 2014 Budget speech - so that quote sprang to mind. Enough said.

2014 has hardly got under-way yet it continues to be a roller-coaster of lows with a few not so lows.

Anniversaries throng these first months, sad, sorrowful ones which have been supplemented by new ones. Several friends have lost parents recently. Yesterday came the woeful news as an OU on-line friend of many years told everyone her fight against cancer is coming to an end and she has decided no more chemo or suchlike. 

Borrowed from her on-line page

This is the brave lady...

Driving

Friend's son is a Triumph aficionado. So, she too likes said vehicle type. 
30+ years ago next door and next door but one had Triumphs. At that time himself had been driving Fords of various models. Cortina Mk I, II and III. Friends drove cars of similar vintage. I well remember driving a Mini which had a button on the floor (starter). The car's owner wasn't able to keep it in top notch condition and learnt the hard way when a wheel came off and went thro' a shop window.

Late 70s - early 80s and it was decided I ought to get back on the road. A mark #1 Marina was found and purchased. Gold seal engine but last owner had run out of funds and had to sell. Welding skills were practised and the car was repaired with Dexion shelving, one front wing became mostly filler. It did it's job and I enjoyed driving it. Later we sold it for the same price we bought it £100.

Talking with OH it seems that over the years he had owned 27 Fords. Then he bought an Opel Rekord Ascona Berlina, followed by several larger Opel cars. Opel became Vauxhall Opel and we had several larger models (Commodore). 

Then one fateful day, crossing Dartmoor, the screen went blank. Instead of the traditional dashboard, it had an electronic one. No visible instrumentation of any kind whatsoever!
We made our way to Helston and a garage where they attempted repairs. Several hours later...
Result? A connection had come loose. Once reconnected 'normality' resumed.

Tempus fugit?

You know when time's wingéd chariot has sped on and on when...
you get an email saying your former nemesis is no more. That's what happened today...
I must freely admit that grammar school was a battle of wits. The fist headmistress I came across was charming yet stern, everyone loved her... Then she was replaced by one that we called 'batty' as in bats in the belfry 'mad'. That's the one who's demise was published today.

Miss Bingham 

.She haunted my teenage years, yet her father got on so well with my Dad, it was remarkable. They were both keen gardeners. Such an odd situation, headteacher I and my friends did not get on with as we all remembered how good school had been under Miss Charlton. Dad and Miss Bingham's father chatting, visiting each other's gardens. 

The local paper has done her no favours with the photo they used.