Mrs Broccoli nearly drowns!

A bitty day. A bit of shopping,a bit of baking and a bit of housework etc. Just before lunch we called on Mrs Broccoli. She's organised a charity fashion show for Monday so I have been roped in to help. We had to be regaled with tales of her swimming lessons during which she thought she was going to drown ( or drownded as she calls it!). Anyway I am the only one in the village that hasn't been for a spin in her car since she passed her test so she is coming for me on Saturday morning and taking me for coffee at the garden centre!!
Everyone still talking about the earthquake and what they were doing at the time. mrs broccoli's 83 year old neighbour was so scared, thinking that she had burglars or something,that she lay in bed too terrified even to move to turn over. Poor thing. We did laugh, although I don't suppose I would have been any different had I been alone!
It's Sonias birthday today. If we had been living in Sheffield I would probably have visited her but I have had to be content with singing happy birthday down the phone! HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

Don't forget it's leap year tomorrow if there is anyone you want to propose to
love Sheila xx

yippee!

At last the new dishwasher has arrived. No more dishwasher hands! It's an all singing all dancing model which will do half loads etc. Perfect.
I am at a loss to know what to cook for dinner so having looked in the fridge I have decided to do Stir fry Beef and vegetables on Pasta. It will probably get the thumbs down from you know who but I might suggest that he do the cooking for a change. HA! I made a big pan of thick vegetable soup at lunch time but Graham ate leftovers from yesterday!! The soup has gone into the freezer for other days.
Tonight there is a football game on B.B.C 1. It's Sheffield United v Middlesborough. It's a replay. Sheff u. were very good and deserved to win last time so I hope they do well tonight.
We have had 18 phone calls today so hopefully nobody will ring whilst we are watching the match.
Thats all for now
Sheila xx

Did the earth move.?

Gina just rang me from the newsroom to yell excitedly down the phone "Earthquake!!" I was so relieved as I had thought that perhaps I was going a bit mad. At one o'clock this morning our bed actually lifted off the ground and swayed from top to bottom. I thought that someone was in the house and ran out to search all the rooms. Nothing! It was very scary and felt as though we had ghosts. This morning we have had many phone calls from different parts of the country as they have heard that the epicentre was at a village called Ludford which is about 12 miles west of us.
That serves me right for wishing I had a more exciting life in yesterdays blog.!
More later. Sheila xx

Things come in Three's

First the dishwasher wouldn't drain. Bought another, delivered tomorrow.
Then the kitchen clock wouldn't go. Bought another and that is not keeping very good time!.
Then this morning the coffee pot wouldn't work. Bought another. Where will it all end I ask myself?
I don't seem to have done much since my last blog so there is not much to report. This afternoon we spent a couple of hours with our neighbours, which is always a joy.
Reading other peoples blogs, it always seems that they are all leading better and more exciting lives but I'm sure it's not strictly true.
I am enjoying a blog which I found (see my list of other bloggers). It's a farmers wife who give recipes etc.
The weather is very nice except for a strong wind. I might walk on the beach tomorrow after I have done the ironing!
Love Sheila xx

Poor Gazza.

I feel so sorry for poor old Gazza and I can't bear to read about him in the rags.It's such crap that they write that there is no wonder that he's gone crackers.! However there was a very good article in the daily telegraph which explored his obsessions and addictions in a proper considered way. Whilst reading it I kept coming across the word "ORTHOREXIA". I didn't know the meaning of this word so I had to look it up. The following is just a summary of what it means.
(1) A fastidious preoccupation with the purity of their food which leads to the disorder "orthorexia nervosa"
(2) A fixation on what to eat becomes an all consuming lifestyle.
(3) Sufferers are so concerned with what's "Good "food and what's "Bad" food that their diet suffers
(4) Because the act of eating is so stressful it can lead to the breakdown of relationships and can lead to social isolation.
(5) Orthorexics binge on chocolates etc and then feel guilty.

Orthorexics are solely concerned with the quality of their food. They obsess over salt content and E numbers, refuse to eat sugar and fat, and have such a hang up about healthy eating that it restricts their diet and can, paradoxically make them undernourished.
They also take a certain enjoyment from refusing food in front of others, as a way of demonstrating their superior commitment to the purity of what they eat.
Orthorexics feel special and different because of their eating habits. like any eating disorder there are degrees to which people are affected but it is becoming a widespread and worrying phenomenon.
Dr. Alex Yellowleaves, Medical director of the Priory clinics said " like other eating disorders, the issue at the heart of it all is obsession. We are constantly bombarded about what's healthy and what isn't that orthorexics don't know what to believe and so lose their sense of perspective and what begins as an affectation, can and will in some cases, progress to an illness.


Is this ringing any bells for anyone?

Any way good luck Gazza !! I love you for what you were not what you have become.
love Sheila xx

Arrive alive!

So, yesterday I went to an Arrive Alive lunch which was a seminar run by an ex policeman who is now a driving test examiner. It was very interesting although I didn't really learn much and was able to answer all the questions with ease. I won a large bottle of anti-freeze in the raffle.
The lunch was lovely. Soup.Cold meat salad, and a choice of desserts. I had apple crumble and custard! It is lovely to get together with other women from different villages and have a good old gossip. 8 of us went from our W.I and of course they were telling the other women about my adventures with Billy that they had heard the night before! Yes Marysue, I did tell them about Billy disgorging the meatloaf. Some of the women, used to being frugal, were quite upset at the thought of all that food being wasted and it took a while to convince them that it was funny!
Today when I came to empty the dishwasher we found that the water wasn't draining away so we have had to buy another one. more expence! We will never have any money at this rate. Oh well!
We are off to Sheffield tomorrow, to the dentist and to deliver some posters. We also need to pick up our new specs from the opticians. After that we will continue on to Gina in Preston, stay the night and then come home. It's all go!
love Sheila xx

FOG!

It was hell last night. I was advised at the last minute that I would be the driver, picking people up to go to W.I. The fog was so thick that I couldn't see a hand before me and it took about 20 minutes to do a 5 minutes drive. Because of the weather the speaker was unable to come, so guess who ended up regaling the meeting with tales about her holiday in America? They particularly liked the one about Billy eating the meat loaf and the one about the Morman Jailhouse!
I don't know if the Walnuts for sleeplessness thing is working. I forgot to try it last night despite being awake until 2.30 am. I will give it another go tonight.
I am off to a safe driving for elders course now. Luckily someone else is driving although the fog has lifted somewhat.
I am trying to follow the "Liver cleansing diet" which I found in a book in Florida. It's a bit difficult to follow and not easy to find the ingredients in this neck of the woods but it has already brought my blood sugar right down and I appear to have lost 3 pounds since coming back from Florida. The weight loss wouldn't be hard after eating all that rubbish and large portions over there.
I have got to eat lunch at the safe driving course in a couple of hours so I hope it will be something a bit healthy!
More later. Love Sheila xxx

Jetlag

Dr Fanu, is a doctor who writes a column in the Sunday Telegraph. His readers write to him with weird and wonderful complaints and ailments and the following week his readers have sent him cures and explanations. Some of his "cures" actually work, such as putting Vick on fungal toenails ( I tried that and it worked a treat) . Well I am suffering quite badly from sleeplessness, I suppose it could be jetlag, but I was willing to try anything. So yesterday Dr Fanu recommended eating 3 walnuts just before retiring. It's a pain eating them and then trying to clean your teeth! However I did fall asleep straight away. BUT .....I was awake again after an hour! Does this mean that the Walnuts worked or not ? I shall try them again tonight.
Just had an e.mail from S&M to say they are cutting short their trip to Portugal and are coming home earlier to give Michael a bit of space before he goes to Turkey on Sunday.
The fog outside is thick and probably won't move today. Oh the thoughts of Florida!
Sandra's blog made me laugh. I think I would die if a snake came near me.!
I am at W.I. tonight so will probably have more to say tomorrow.
Love to you all. Sheila xx

the last blog

This will be the last blog from Florida. AHH !!!!!!!
Have packed almost everything and am waiting for the gruelling day that is tomorrow!
They are having a farewell party for us tonight so we need to be organised in case we are in no fit state later. We had planned to do a lot last night but the owner came in and brought wine and he didn't leave until 10pm.
The weather is a little overcast today but I am not bothered. i would only be tempted to go in the pool.Tomorrow is supposed to be thunderstorms. Hope it doesn't prevent our plane from taking off!
Spoke to sister Pat this morning. She's back in hospital again after having a" funny turn" It seems that the drugs she is on have had an adverse effect on her and also her foot has got an infection in the wound so she is on massive doses of anti biotics.
Sonia and Michael are in Portugal and having a good time.
nothing else to report. Life has been one long round of sea, sand and parties.
see you soon
Love Sheila xx

nearly over!

I suppose I have to face reality and come back home sometime, but it really will be painful to leave here and go back to the little house on the prairie! This might be our last day of sun as they are forecasting rain tomorrow so I am determined to make the most of it. It looks like Sonia and Michael are having a good time in Portugal. Whether Montana Mike is enjoying his colonic washout is another matter!
nothing much is happening .Just sand and sea. one more day to go and then we will be on the red eye over the pond !
See you all soon.
Sheila xx

ginger tom!

well last night, fed up with blond hair and black roots, I dyed my hair. Brown. Except that I am now a horrible shade of ginger!!! Luckily it is not a permanent dye and will wash out over time. I actually went to the hairdressers on Wednesday and had it cut. She was a horrible cockney who immediately went into a diatribe into how many "Packys" there were now in England and how she wouldn't go back there for a pension! The haircut wasn't bad but she charged me a fortune!
We are invited to a party tonight and we have to take a bottle. I think we may have to eat our main meal at lunch time just in case we are not in a fit state to go out tonight after the party.!
must go now. Probably thats the Mongolian buffet calling me!!!
Love to you all Sheila xxx

only 6 more days!

I can't believe that we have only 6 more days before we have to leave paradise and go home ! So much has happened here but the days all merge into one and I can't remember what or who I have told things too. We are both getting a little burnt so we are trying to keep out of the sun a bit today. We may go and buy Gina's peppermint patties and have a walk around the shops until lunchtime when we will go to the Mongolian Buffet. Yes I know I have the same thing every day but it is cooked fresh in front of me. Last night we had a big blow out at the "Conch" restaurant which is next door to our bungalow. Graham had half a cow and chips etc and I had a lobster tail stuffed with scallops and shrimps. Being a bit full we decided to have one desert between us. What we didn't know was that the banana thingy that we ordered had to be "flambe'd' next to your table. The waitress almost set fire to the guy at the next table the flames rose so high! What with the two for one drinks etc we almost staggered home! I didn't think we would be able to eat anything for days but this morning managed Bacon, egg,sausage,mushrooms and grilled tomatoes and Texan biscuits. (a bit like our scones ).!
I spoke briefly to Pat. She's a bit better Physically but I think she is just realizing the enormity of what she has done so she is bound to be a bit depressed about it.
Fuad is all alone again in Kansas and is taking to his bed earlier and earlier.It seems like an age since we were in kansas but we have fond memories, especially of marysue and the dogs.
the Florida state fair has just started in Tampa. I wouldn't mind going. I may ask the bungalow owners if they will organise a trip.
Thats all for now. love to everyone.
Sheila xx
P.S. Sandra. You are reading the wrong blog.

florida rain!

After getting sunburned yesterday it's perhaps a good thing that it is a little overcast with occasional showers today. Had a leisurely breakfast and then came to the library to read e. mails etc. Yesterday we lunched at the Mongolian buffet. That means we have eaten there every day since coming to Florida. I love it and have the same thing everyday. Stir fried veg, shrimps and scallops! When we went to do some laundry we heard much merryment coming from one of the other bungelows. Soon we were shouted to come and join them in a glass of wine. some of them have been coming to the same bungelow for ten years! They said they would have the party at our house tonight but we will see!!!
I have found a book called the "save your liver diet" which looks like a diet I could follow. I shall give it a try when I get back home as I will need to lose all the weight I have put on whilst here.
We have been walking the beaches for 2 hours everyday but I don't think I am losing any weight. All thats happening is that I am getting sunburned!
Anyway thats all for now as I have to go for lunch (again!)
love Sheila xxx