66 years of me!

So, today is my birthday. 66! Def a "who'd a thunk it?" Hard to think I've been on this Earth now for 66 whole years, and how much history I have seen in those years. 

When I was born, England still had an Empire, and Empire Day was a celebration held each year on my birthday. Why? Because when Empire Day was created, it was held on Queen Victoria's birthday, so I shared my birthday with (at that time) the Queen who had ruled Britain for the longest time in history. Our current Queen, Elizabeth II, has now surpassed her great-great-grandmother's prior record. 

Subsequently, throughout the 60s and 70s, I saw countries that had originally been a part of the Empire, gain their independence and become members of the Commonwealth instead. I was an avid stamp collector in those days and had lots of stamps from the pre-Independence days. I'm pretty sure that my stamp collection taught me a lot about history and geography without me actually realising it.

A sad part of the 60s was the closing of many railways in England in 1966 courtesy of Lord Beeching. He destroyed the railways. I have vivid memories of going on the "seaside train" to Southend, from Stratford in London, on a beautiful steam train. I can still hear the delicious clunking click as the doors were slammed, the hiss of the steam,  and smell the mix of oil, and coal smoke. I am still a steam fan, so many memories.

My favourite station was Liverpool Street, it's Victorian design was amazing and so beautiful. We used to go visit "Aunt Maud", an elderly lady who had lived next door to my nan during the war and become an adopted aunt to my mum and her sister (and thus we'd inherited her too).

We would walk from Liverpool Street station to her Victorian apartment, probably about a mile or so. As we'd come around the corner from the station, there used to be a stone Victorian water trough with lion heads at each end, and a tap for drinking water.

We'd also pass a pub where - if we were lucky - we'd see beer barrels being rolled down into the cellar through a street level trapdoor, from a  horse-drawn dray. The horse would have it's head in a nosebag and we'd be able to stroke it's mane and neck.

Aunt Maud's street was magic to us kids. Cast iron ballards at the end of the street to leapfrog over, old gaslights that were no longer in use but still stood decoratively on the pavement, and a circular stone staircase at her apartments that echoed as we kids stomped up them. Her door was huge, and thick, the doorknocker would resonate and even at 11 (about 5 feet tall) I couldn't reach it. 

At 7 I joined the Girl's Life Brigade (later the Girl's Brigade) and the firs Sunday of the month, we'd march through Leytonstone with the Boy's Brigade and their band, and older groups like WWII veterans and the WI. We would start and end up at our church on the High Street, and one time I had the honour of carrying the flag as we marched. 

My first school was George Tomlinson, I loved it there and came 2nd in exams every year except for one, and that year Trevor Stannard came 2nd and I swapped places with him and came in 3rd. Katie Beinder was first, as always. My best friend all through George Tom was Stephanie Baum, and her mum and mine always went shopping together at Fine Fare on Friday nights. We did country dancing competitions with other schools, I was on the netball team as a shooter, every Winter there were daffodil growing contests, and the Stratford Music Festival was where the schools took part in music contests, and pupils were able to recite poetry where the grand prize was elocution lessons (to help us speak properly in public, noy in our east end cockney slang).

My first job was as a paper girl, when I was 11, and I would be up at 5am and go to a little hole-in-the-wall shop on Grove Green Rd, just around from the subway entrance, and help sort the papers and bag them for the different routes. My regular route was Queen's Rd (where I lived) and King's Rd (next to it). I would carry my sack and walk up and down both streets, popping newspapers through the letterboxes, and then go back to the shop and - if somebody else hadn't showed up - I'd then pull a second route, before going home and getting ready for school. I got 2/- a route and double on Sundays.

In 1971, as a pre-requisite for joining the Common Market, England had to change our money from pounds, shillings and pence to the decimal "new money". I had such a prissy attitude and railed (still do, because it still irks me) that we had to change our money because the other countries were too stupid to count 240 units into a pound, they could only count in tens and hundreds. Now, such a waste, as Britain finally left the Common Market's successor - the EU - having finally awakened to the fact that they were only ever the poor relation and were perpetually taken advantage of, over the decades. 

At 11, my music came from my faithful tranny, and the radiogram in the living room that played old 78rpms, 33rpm LPs and 45rpm singles.  With the advent of the cassette player, I'd record stuff off Radio Luxembourg, and fight the tangled tapes by rewinding with a pencil. Only those of my era will understand that.

During the 60s came the mini skirt, and school uniform declared skirts could be no higher than 4" above the knee. My mum kept mine at knee length, deeming me too old to show off my knickers, so I would roll over the waistband at school, so as to be in style.

In the 70s, we got colour telly in Britain, and I watched the royal wedding on my friend, Dee's, down the road. She was the only person I remember having a colour telly at that time.

The 80s saw the beginnings of videotapes. First BETA and then VHS, and they would only play on machines of their type. Cassettes made way for CDs, and then videotapes quickly became passe as DVDs entered the market. 

1987 saw us having our first computer, a KayPro16, that needed 5" floppy disks (and took 5 or 6 being put in and out, in order to load enough info into it to run a word processing programme to write a letter or type up notes. 

We were in Germany at that time, as the "Wall" went down, putting an end to the "Iron Curtain" that had existed all through my childhood. East Germany and West Germany were finally reconciled as one country. 

I can remember the grainy black and white images of the first flights into Space, Yuri Gagarin the first man in space (he and Valentina Tereschkova - the first woman in space - were heroes of mine back then), man's first landing on the moon, the Shuttle program, and my awe at my first shuttle launch when we lived in Florida. It was a big "WOW, this is really happening and I'm here" culmination of all of the magic of that history. 

During my lifetime I've seen the ending of apartheid in South Africa, and civil rights in America; the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union; the rise of air travel; I've sailed on the QEII three times, transatlantic each time and met some awesome people; published a book of poetry in 2000 and have been an AVON lady now for almost 15 years.

I have been married now 35 years to my 2nd hubby, spent more than half my life in America, have 3 children, 9 grandkids and 9 great-grandkids. Methinks I can say I have lived and been blessed.

By Jove, I Think I've Done It!

 You've all seen me floundering along on this new website and blog journey, and it seems that - today - I have at least achieved part of what I've been trying to do. It's only been 2 months of frustration, no big deal. I jus wish my brain would cooperate with the learning that I need to be able to do, in order to keep up with life and business in a digital world.

So, I am partway there ... I have figured out, now, how to have my recent posts, categories and tags appear down the right hand side of my blog posts. What I still have to figure out is how to change the script on them to make them less staid looking and more interesting. I guess that too will be figured out eventually. For now, I'm just thankful to have them appearing where I want them to.

My brain and this techy stuff are def NOT bosom buddies, but onward I will plod with this, until I get it right.

The joy in my life, right now, comes from 4 little 2 legged gals, Poppy, Pollyanna, Maybelline and Henrietta  ... my chicks. They are so funny, their little personalities are developing along with their wing feathers. 

Poppy is the most gregarious and tends to give me a dismissive look when she is in my hand ... how does a chick do that? She's also the biggest and beginning to stand taller, all 4" of her. Her wings are fully feathered, and although her body is still downy, it's sleeker and less fluffy than  it was. I think she is probably a day or so older than the others, simply by her stance and feathering.

Maybelline is my "bull in the china shop", just rushes through the middle and barges her way in, wherever the food is.

Henrietta always tries to run from me when I go to pick her up, but then gets an "oh yes, oh more" look on her face and closes her eyes when I start rubbing her cheek.

And then there's Pollyanna, tiniest of the bunch but pushes right back when the others push her out of the way. She is a sweetheart, and settles in my hand quite happily. She's constantly preening herself and had a bare spot but as she grows it looks smaller in relation to the rest of her.

Hubby has been building me a raised bed. Hopefully, he'll have it done this weekend, and I'll transplant half a dozen melon plants into it. We can then lay straw on top when they start to trail out for the melons to rest on as they grow.

My peas have already started to flower, so soon we'll be able to pick pods fresh from our very own vines. The tomato plants are coming up, and the blueberry bush is flourishing. The one blackberry bush flounders along, getting some healthy new growth and then other parts looking like they have died off. I have found out that it prefers to be in the shade and not in the sun. Odd because when it was just growing wild, down near the field, it was in the sun all the while.

No guy time up-on-the-roof work going on this weekend as my grandson and his family are moving into their new home. I'm excited for them. They close on the house tomorrow; it's been a long and hectic 60 days for them, that's for sure. hubby may be up there by himself, getting some more done. Not sure, as it's supposed to be hot and methinks a metal roof and hot weather may not make for a very comfortable workspace!

#lovemychickens #mylife #frustrations #lovemycontainergarden

A Beautiful Day

Gosh, today has been absolutely beautiful. Started off watching my "Songs of Praise" on the telly and originally then planned to take a drive to the lake, to sit by the water, but then ended up deciding to go pick out our chicks instead. We decided to cheat somewhat, in the bedding arrangement, so got a clear plastic tote and have had hubby drill plenty of air holes in the sides and the lid (although that's only on overnight for their protection). Have the gas heat on so that they are kept warm enough until they get feathered up.

Granddaughter-in-law named the chestnut one, Poppy. The dark one I've called Maybelline (Chuck Berry was singing on the radio as I was thinking of names) and the 2 paler chicks are Pollyanna and Henrietta. It's only been about 5 hours but they settle more easily when I pick them up now, and rub the side of their head gently. 

Our other chickens used to love that but they are all long gone now, our oldest was 12 or 13 when she died. She was the one who used to ride around on Sadie's back (and Cleo's before we lost Cleo).

I have missed having a backyard barnyard, it has always made me peaceful and content being surrounded by les animaux but I didn't think it fair to take on the responsibility for some who might be around another decade and a half, when I might not be. So, there will be no more puppies, kittens or goats, but Tractor Supply's chick season prompted the stirrings and so we have a nice pen for when they are bigger, and today broke down and went and picked out these 4 young ladies.  

Hubby has stayed busy too, he mowed including part of the field, that way the deer will have some lush new grass to munch on as well as the taller stuff. Then he's been working on the first of my raised beds, so that I can transplant some of my melon plants and give them room to grow.  

My blueberry is thoroughly enjoying the weather and will need repotting soon as he is growing in leaps and bounds, and my peas and beans are meandering all over the frames hubby put up for them to entwine around. 

I played with the water and gave all my plants a good soaking now that the sun is going down.  

It's been a lovely day, we've been busy and productive and yet it's been very satisfying and calming.  Have an lovely upcoming week.

#chicks #gardening #backyardbarnyard #Sundayafternoon

 

A smashing time at Planet Fitness

I'm lying here, on my bed, tucking into a bowl of grapes and honeydew melon chunks, having not long got in from Planet Fitness and am just logging my activity onto my Sparkpeople site. It's the place where I keep track of all my "trying to keep healthy and get healthier" stuff on. I log everything I eat and drink, and all the activities I do to either burn calories or build muscle.

I love my Planet Fitness because I can not only work out, but pamper myself, too. I intersperse the two, I exercise for 30-40 minutes and then relax for 10 minutes on the hydromassage bed, then repeat, usually. Monday, though, my friend, Kwacha, had me try out the massage chair. Unlike the one I'd tried at the Verdae location back when I joined a couple of years ago, this one didn't squeeze my legs too hard ... and I fell in love. Where the hydromassage bed is really a relaxing experience, the chair pummels and squeezes to really iron out those kinks in your muscles. It's no gentle touch, that's for sure. It's manhandling to the nth degree.

My favourite machine now is the Intellistrider, which is a seated stepper and works your whole body. I'll often sit and read for half of my 20 minutes and then do the arm component for the rest of the time. Sadly, the Berea location is the only one in our area to have an Intellistrider. They are also the only one not to have flat massage beds, theirs is more like a recliner position, much more comfortable (and - for someone like me - easier to get on and off of).

I chatted with another lady for awhile. She pops in to use the Intellistrider on her lunchbreak, and is trying to lose weight, so we talk about all things getting healthy and weight loss. Today we were discussing how she could tweak her soul food loves to make them less fat, sodium and calorie laden without losing the flavours that she loves. Last time, I'd turned her onto Sparkpeople and logging everything on there. She says she loves the site! 

I got a decent exercise session in, 

I did two 20 minute sessions on the Intellistrider, and also did triceps and back extensions. At home, before leaving, I'd pedalled 35 minutes on my elliptical and I plan on one or two more sessions before bed. It's another place I read while pedalling, and burying my head in a good book, escaping into another world, makes the time go by so quickly. 

It's all good. Now I'm just "resting" and catching up with online stuff. Enjoy your day my friends.