Look What I Found .....

After showing you all the photograph of our old cat, Chummy's, pawprints in the cement in my previous post I decided to search around amongst some of the many, many old photos I have and sure enough, I came across this one (had to take a picture of it with my digi camera, but it turned out okay).  Not sure when it was taken exactly, but it was after we had moved out of the "yellow" house and into a larger guesthouse.  So here we all are ........

I'm on the left (absolutely HATING the curly hairstyle!) and little Lindsay is on the right (we wore matching dresses made by our mum, the talented dressmaker - they were corduroy and either red or green, can't remember which).  Sat between us is our gorgeous Chummy.  If I picked him up he'd wrap his paws around my neck and I could walk around with him like that for ages.  He had been a rescue kitten - some horrible boys had apparently tied paper to his paws and set fire to it - thankfully, he recovered without any lasting damage either physically or mentally.

Well, I just thought I'd share this photo with you - too late to post any more tonight now but I'll be back soon.  

Childhood Revisited .....

Whilst Lindsay and I were in town the other day, we decided to take a stroll to view the house where we lived when we were growing up.  I was born in Manchester but our family moved to Blackpool when I was two to run a small boarding house just round the corner from our grandparents' larger hotel and quite close to the centre of town.  Essentially, the house from the outside hasn't changed except it was never this bright yellow colour when we lived there and the street itself is much smaller than we remember - isn't everything though, when you revisit?

Lindsay was born in this house - when my dad came into my bedroom in the morning to say there was a surprise for me, the first thing I asked was "is it  snowing"???  In the middle of July - LOL !  Oh well, I had to make do with a little sister instead !  :o)

 Here is the alleyway alongside the house, down which we played .....

 ...... and here, would you believe, are still the pawprints embedded in the alley concrete, belonging to our lovely tortoiseshell cat Chummy, after all these (cough, cough - how many? - I forget) years!

 We had to laugh when we saw this sign posted in the window of a nearby hotel - very strange !

We spotted these tall-heeled glitzy pink shoes in TK Maxx and Lindsay just couldn't resist trying them on - had to laugh at the sight of her tottering around, hanging on to my arm so that she didn't fall over!  She was still smaller than me, even in these heels, though she was having none of it!

Sand Sea and Spray

As I wrote in my last post (and thank you for the kind words of support) Lindsay and I spent a day in Blackpool this week.  I remembered to bring my camera with me this time (it usually gets left at home!) as I intended to take photos of some of the graffiti art that adorns various walls and buildings around the town.  I know it's probably not everybody's "cup of tea" but I have to say I'm a fan.  This is not just any old bit of graffiti sprayed across a wall by some bored teenager with a can of paint in his hand .... it's the work of a number of graffiti artists from around the world who have descended upon Blackpool for the last couple of years to create their works of art.  In fact, even the Model Village boasts a miniature piece of graffiti on the side of one of its little houses courtesy of one of these artists - must remember to take a picture of it next time we're there.

So ..... here are some of the images I captured ........

 A very strange painting !

 A lot of the graffiti art involved these large faces and I was particularly drawn to the eyes in them so I also took close-up photos of each set of eyes (maybe  I was fascinated with them because I'd just come from a check-up at the eye clinic in the hospital that morning) - I thought I'd like to use the images in my Smash journal

 This was one of my favourite images ......

 ...... as was this !

Had a bit of fun trying out some "posy art shots" with Lindsay as the model !!!  (The ones Lindsay took of me are terrible and not for public consumption - LOL) !

 Hmm .... not sure what Lindsay makes of this one !

This weekend around 40 graffiti artists from all corners of the world are here again, ready to create new art at half-a-dozen locations around the town.  The event is called Sand Sea and Spray and has now become an annual one. If I get the chance I'll be popping back into Blackpool on Saturday to see the artists at work and take more photos.

Well, it's been a long day so I'll finish up now and show you what else we got up to another time.  Tomorrow Graham is having some tests, the results of which will tell us more about what's going on and any treatments that might be possible - so looks like another long day beckons! 

Endings and Beginnings .......

I haven't posted for some while now because life has been horribly traumatic lately.  Just a year on from my sister, Lindsay, losing her soul-mate David, my own husband Graham has recently been told that he has a terminal illness.  Shattering and heartbreaking news - now we are waiting on tests to be carried out and for whatever treatment can be offered, we have no time scales so we live each day as it comes .... some good, some bad.

Graham worked for some years at the Model Village here in Blackpool (he has been a model-maker and sculptor in bronze most of his adult life) and we spent a lovely couple of hours there recently, on a day full of glorious sunshine and blue skies, wandering around amongst all the miniature buildings and models, some of which Graham had created.  

 Here's Graham gazing out across some of the model shops - he can only walk a very short distance now so needs a mobility scooter to get around

 Tudor Landscape 

  I love the reflection of the trees in the canal

 Tranquil scenes amongst the windmill and harbour

Some of you already knew a little of what has been happening in our lives recently and a big thank you from me (and Graham) for all the kind thoughts and best wishes sent our way via Lindsay. Much appreciated.

Because of all that's been going on and as a way of helping me cope/relax/be positive, etc, etc, I've found myself returning to a more creative frame of mind, strange though that might sound. Lindsay treated me to a K & Co "Smash" Journal at Christmas and I've gradually been adding bits and pieces to it, but now I intend filling it up with more snippets, photos, quotes, art, from our day to day life.  It's a way of building up little memory prompts to remember all the good and important (or not so important) stuff that happens and I think it will help me in future days.  I'll post photos of some of the pages as I go along.

I'll get round to decorating the front and back covers once the pages are filled.

Today Lindsay and I enjoyed a few relaxing hours together in Blackpool, having a good mooch around, visiting our old house and some of the streets we grew up in, along with a lot of window-shopping and a lovely lunch at the Toast Cafe Bar in town.  It proved very beneficial to be able to take a bit of time out and I'll post pics of our day out in a future post.  For now, that's enough .... I just felt it was about time I posted again and let everyone know the reason for my recent absence from Blogland.

Boe ...... tiful !!

When I booked our tickets last summer to go see Alfie Boe live at the Opera House in Blackpool, it seemed a long way off - but then, last Thursday, the looked-forward to day arrived and Lindsay and I headed off into town wearing our "glad rags" intent on having a good time - and we were not disappointed!

First stop was the nearby Nando's restaurant (our current favourite) for one of their delicious piri piri chicken meals.  Then off to the Opera House and joining the queue up the stairs to take our seats in the circle.  All I can say is that we had a fabulous night - Alfie greeted the audience with "I'm home" (big cheers from everyone) as he was born here and his family were in the crowd too.  We were treated to a variety of songs and music from the 1960's through Italian serenades and rock to "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables.  At one point he left the stage and mingled with the audience in the stalls and as we strained to get a view, the spotlights headed upwards and the next thing, he was running out into the circle close by us, then running out again and up into the gallery to more cheers and applause.  Finally, he dashed back down onto the stage and continued singing as though he hadn't just run all round the theatre - amazing !!!

Fantastic powerful beautiful voice - great charisma, charm and humour - and not bad to look at either -  wonderful evening all round !

Where have the weeks gone ........ ?

January slipped by and now we're almost through February - incredible!  And me? - I think I've been in hibernation most of that time, snuggled up trying to keep warm indoors, warding off the Arctic gales and snow that we've had on and off since Christmas. Every so often the sun comes out and the skies turn bright blue with the promise of spring just around the corner (guaranteed to lift flagging spirits). Unfortunately, today wasn't one of those and it has been (still is) freezing cold even with the heat up high - brrr !!! The weather lady has promised even more cold weather (and possibly a sprinkling of snow) tomorrow so I better get well wrapped up from top to toe for tomorrow's football match down at Bloomfield Road.

Nothing to show on the crafty front, but I was halfway through knitting the first of another pair of stripy socks until Mia decided to intervene. Late one night, when no-one was looking, she tracked down the wool in my knitting bag and when Graham walked into the room later, wool and needles were scattered all across the floor in a tangled mess!!!! This was the result ........

Well, I have had a couple of attempts at untangling the mess but without success and I've now given up (for the time being at least) as I absolutely HATE trying to undo knots and there doesn't look any way round this apart from cutting the yarn and tying a knot - or two - or three !  So, I think this'll get thrown into the UFO (unfinished objects) pile and I'll start over with another ball of yarn.  What a little minx Mia is - Siamese cats are notorious for being obsessed with wool and she definitely is.

Her mischievousness didn't end there though - yesterday, whilst I was out doing the grocery shopping, Graham was washing up when along came Mia and knocked his favourite mug into the sink, smashing the handle off it and chipping a piece off the rim of another one!  Then she spent the rest of the day moithering to go out and come back in a few minutes later, hollering and dashing about, had the real fidgets and wouldn't settle much at all ...... I think spring is definitely in the air!

On a completely different note, if you'd like a chance at winning some great blog candy hop over to my sister Lindsay's blog where she's giving away a set of her new Doo Lally Pip stamps and a tag.  Well worth winning!

Happy New Year 2013

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

Hope your lives are all filled with more laughter than tears this year!