That is the only thing they have in common. This one certainly was for us. We went up to the school and helped with the guard duty. Registering Knotters so that they could go and collect their powder for their muskets and cannons. We started at tenish and finished at twelve, as we were leaving for our break there was a rush of people coming in.
We went back to the hotel for some lunch in our room, sat on the bed, had nice hot tea and a chicken sandwich, a bit of a regroup.
The my phone was ringing - where are you? they asked - you okay?
We fell asleep from one till 4.30, then had something to drink, and fell asleep again. We slept for 28 hours over two and a half days.
The only thing we did do was put some more books into the Nantwich Book Shop. We missed everything, the parade, the battle, the carousing. Spending all our time in the Land of Nod on our huge Hypnos bed!
The following day we went to visit some friends in Cheadle. Nice visit, we felt happy and lively, until the car broke down and we had to call out Green Flag. Which was fine, we had a lovely lunch with our friends and when the car was fixed was told to drive home without stopping or it may not start again.
We drove to the garage, got a new battery fixed for us and drove home
Devastation. The cats had re-arranged the sofa cushions and "killed them" they (the cushions) obviously needed it. They had ripped apart a cocoanut mat in front of the door, pulled a cover off the bed, and the whole place was covered in tufts of fur where they had been having a rare old time doing things they are not allowed to do when we are around!
The feeders had been licked clean - and there was a raid on the catfood cupboard as soon as we walked in (their last feed was a 12 that day, we got in at 4.00pm) Normally they wouldn't bother me until five, then they would show me how to open the cupboard door
as I'd obviously forgotten since lunchtime!
We cleared up and hoovered and laundered and went to bed at 8.30 and slept till 6.30am!
Next year will be different again - hopefully more fun - and less sleep.
Honestly - it wasn't me !!
It's that time again Holly Holy Day in Nantwich, time to sell my books, parade about the town following my regiment, the Kings Guard and watch them win the Rosebowl for the best drill (fingers crossed)!!
It is freezing cold and not likely to change - so under the 17thC kit we've got thermals this year!
Not so lucky the real 17th Century people of Nantwich who were starving and freezing in their homes and waiting to be rescued. Below is the link
http://www.battleofnantwich.co.uk/
& advertising for the event and my dear husband is firing on the front of last year's programme. (End left with goatee).
I haven't written anything for over a week. I've been meeting friends, going shopping, doing housework, cooking. I needed some "brain off time".
Now the year really begins the fierst Knot of the Season. Tomorrow we will be back in time in 17th Century pubs with wood burning in the grate, the smell of meat and bread and beer,
Later going to the curry/chinese (banned from the Italian) for a meal with the regiment and then back to a nice warm hotel with a big bed and hot shower.
Sorry sorry sorry - for sharing - for writing how I feel. Sorry for being down 75% of the time. Sorry for stressing, sorry for being toxic, for adding to your load. Sorry for being human, funny, sad, stressy, just plain sorry for being ME.
Actually I'm not, I have had over the past five years had my fair share of back luck, and I've let it consume me at times. I thank my good faithful friends who listen to me, and who I hope I listen to in turn so that I can give something back to.
We're all stressed, Trump in the White House, Farage and Marie Penn on the move. Do we look good enough? Behave good/bad enough? Eat too much? Eat too little? Care? Don't care? Are we ill? Suffered loss? In love? Out of love? Believe in a good God or a bad one? or none at all?
Overwhelming. We all need a shoulder to cry on. My blog has been that for me. Honed my writing skills, gave me a platform to shout from. I don't know who's listening, well I know a couple. Could be friends - could be enemies - I wear my heart on my sleeve.
Heart on my sleeve. Iago: ... Doing so, Iago says, soon leads to betrayal; when your heart is displayed so openly, as if upon your sleeve,
the "daws" (jackdaws) will accept the invitation to peck away at it.
So true....
Hath not a Margaret hands, organs, dimensions,
senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the
same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as everyone else has? If
you prick us, do we not bleed?
Sorry my dear Will Shakespeare to take and molest your words.
I am exhausted and need a break, so be kind, not just to me, but to each other. There is so much anger that's unnecessary, so much hate unfounded.
I have a temper as red as my hair and controlling it takes Herculaneum efforts, sometimes the words spill out uninvited like acid from a broken phial - but it is not meant and forgotten as soon as it leaves my mouth. But the hurt caused stays - and for that I truly do apologise.
Yesterday I spent all day writing and sending my work off. It was an admin day. I felt absolutely swamped. I spoke to my really good friend for an hour - she timed it, and my sister for about the same time, who didn't. After what seemed like hours filling out and crafting forms for writing posts, the day had gone.
Today I could hardly get up and lethargy and sadness filled me from the inside out. Woke up like it. Got up early made my husband's packed lunch in a zombie like state, so I hope he got something edible. Dragged myself into the shower and felt slightly better then thought I'd try out my new vacuum - lightweight - it said on the pack. Oh no it isn't. So an hour and a half later with one arm with muscles like Popeye I was still feeling low.
I phoned my friend Della to chat with her, she answered, "Margaret?"
"Yes" I said. She slammed the phone down. Not as bad as you may think, she has been seriously ill for over two years and had countless operations, and sometimes she is not strong enough to talk. She usually says, not today, I'll ring you when I feel better. But this is the first time she'd ever done this. But I understand.
Okay, I'll phone my friend Betty, she works Friday to Monday at a museum so should be off today, I rang her and exactly the same thing happened. Okay, she's probably out and about and lost signal. I'll Facebook her. Except she isn't on my list of friends now.
Last time we spoke I was arranging for her to come for dinner. I don't understand.
I still feel ill and did the worst thing possible, looked up my symptoms on the net.
Now I feel worse.
Things have got to get better haven't they? Haven't they?
I know why people are angry all the time. It's a life that's all about ME. The great I AM.
Sorry, that's just an aside. I started to get all Alan Bennett then I realised I was supposed to be writing about snow!
I hate snow. It's supposedly coming our way this afternoon with high winds, at the moment it's sunny and freezing and I just had the joy of seeing my cat climb a tree to find his prey was a big brown leaf! There are two balloons stuck in the hedges of my front garden a gold one and a silver one, blown there this morning. The letterbox is snapping relentlessly in the wind, and I am very, very, glad I am not my friend heading out across the English Channel this morning at the start of her cruise. All of this I find mildly amusing.
Snow, I find annoying. It comes in quickly, bungs up all the roads, the A&E departments will be full of people with broken arms and turned ankles, and they are overwhelmed at the moment anyway. I dislike snowmen, especially super clever show-off snowmen. The only good snowman is a green one! We have power cuts and despite all the new technology, we still can't cope with the weather. Snow starves the birds, leaves uncared for horses without shelter, and when it's finished - just as a bonus - leaves everywhere stained black and dirty.
Yet it has a tickle, when snow is in the air I can smell it, there's - dare I say it a pleasant tickle in my nose - unlike any other smell. Frozen ozone is the nearest I can get to it.
So here is a few snowtos - snow is very picturesque - if you don't have to go out in it!
BUT THIS IS WHAT I LIKE:
Spring in the garden
The beach, sunshine and the sea
I guess monochrome and cold is really not for me - and it is all about ME after all !!
Just a quick blog, I have nothing much to say, I'm in the middle of my latest book, and I am putting my Hilary Long series together into one paperback novel.
It's cold and damp here.
I am off my tablets waiting for a blood test, so I'm scared to eat, again.
Every bit of post I get is either medical or something to sort out.
The Automobile Association rang me 15 times over the holidays to ask if I want to re-join them. NO. Yet they don't stop ringing!
My bank makes mistakes after mistakes and then charges me for putting them right. When I phone to complain I am patronised as if I'm an idiot - it's them who are the idiots.
Downsizing was a mistake. Don't do it!
No one said life has to be fair, but does it have to be so annoying and difficult?
I didn't know what to expect from Dawn's 30 million minutes. But what we got were all the answers to all the questions we asked when we read about her in the papers. It was funny, personal and touching. It also proves you can't believe a word the papers or her Nemesis writes. There is no reason why, if a person is funny, clever, and well known, we should know their private business - unless they want to tell us. So Dawn told us. At points in the show I wanted to hug her, cry and laugh at the same time. Thank you so much Dawn for sharing your 30 million minutes of life with us. Let's hope 2017 brings 525600 minutes of
fun, love and positive energy for you.
I was ill all over Christmas. I had a virus that was like being on a roller coaster followed by a North Sea ferry. Seasick without even leaving my house.
Undeterred by bad news, personal disaster, and both having the seasick virus, we both tried to make the best of a bad job.
We made a gold lace Christmas Cake.
Woke up early enough on Christmas day to see a spectacular sunrise.
Amber helped us open our presents - he'd already opened his a day early!
I dressed up and tried to hide my green face! The worse I feel the more I dress up!
Our garden dressed up in Winter best.
Christmas dinner was served.. and eaten..
My dear hubby dressed as Zorro for a laugh!
Where is 2017 in all this I hear you ask?
Here - New Years Eve
We dressed the Yule log and lit the fire
Lit the candles and poured the drinks
The flames danced and crackled
The candles burned down with the old year
We welcomed 2017 in Irish Style with Irish Whiskey, Irish Coffees, good old tea and freshly made hot bread with butter melting in. A salute to my Irish roots and my dear uncle Pat who died just before Christmas.
We watched the Fireworks over the Thames, remembered absent friends, and those who had passed on, toasted them all, till we staggered to bed about 2.am. Lightweights, I know.
So back to work today. I will be getting my paperback of the first two Hilary Long Mysteries out within the next few weeks. It includes a new story in the "Before Long" series, a prequel to the Overdown books, and a map of the little Cotswold town of Overdown.
Happy New Year Everyone Everywhere. May 2017 bring Peace, Happiness and Health to as many people as possible.
