Rewind : 1981

Over at the Gallery today the theme was rewind. When you get to my age (55) you have lots of rewind times to think of. I settled on this picture as its a special day I have never forgotten . It was taken in July 1979 and it is of my bridesmaid and page boy at my wedding. 

They are Lucy, Sam (my nephew) my friend Carole and my niece Emma (over at the syders ) all looking fab.

I wanted tasteful dresses and we only went to one shop to get them. We thought we would have Carole in another colour as she was the adult , and I think it worked. When I got married you didn't have themes or colour matching as such. As the bride you had roses and never really matched up with your bridesmaids like they do now. I remember taking Lucy and Emma to buy there shoes and dresses and how excited they were. I think they all look fab and could even get away with the dresses today, although Emma and Lucy's dresses maybe a little short lol. 

We are still married and this year it will be 35 years, how time flies. So thank you Emma, Sam, Lucy and Carole you did a fab job.xxx

The Gallery

London ...... A place to visit

I would thinking today what I should blog about and then I my mind went off and thought about life in  general. I am a Londoner by birth and my whole family come from all over the London area, I moved out when I was little but grew up hearing my mothers stories of London life.

Millions of people come to visit London and see the sight, of which there are many. In general I think we have some wonderful places to see. Like most big towns its not cheap but you can avoid spending a fortune if you are careful.

First things first lets start when you arrive in town. You are walking around and enjoying  the vibe and you feel like you need a snack . Do not and I say Do not buy from the sweet stands, they are normal outside attractions or stations. They change the earth and can spot a tourist a mile away. Better to find a quick food store where stuff will be much cheaper. Better still if you are staying a little outside of London get it there and bring it with you.

Keep a tight hold on your bags and don't flash the cash! I think in general its very safe but you never know who can be watching and I think its a applicable to any country your visit.
When going to some places if you can pre book tours to certain areas , then get in early when you first arrive. It could save you some waiting time if you do. If they offer a free tour or audio machines then take it, so much interesting information gets missed if you go it alone.

Hampton Court Place

Inside Hampton court

Throne Room

Get a good map and plan your daily route it will save you so much time if you plan it out. Try and avoid the train from about 8am-9.30 and from abut 5pm-7 as this is rush hour and the trains can get really packed.
There is also stuff you can do for free and a little research will help with this as well.
In the summer the train can get very very warm so lots of thin layers are better.

I love lots of places in London but I have to say my fave is The Tower of London and all its secrets and wonderful furnishings. my fave is clothes I love to see old clothing , I know I don't mean mine lol  lol
So I hope if you are planning a visit to London you have a great time. There is so much to see it would take 100's of blog post to mention them all, but they are all well worth at least one visit.

www.london.co.

uk

http://www.timeout.com/london

Silent Sunday: 25/01/14

 

www.cosmicgirlie.com

Linda Beauty Visit

This Christmas my lovely daughter in law Karen, gave myself and her mother a fab gift. We had a trip to a beauty therapist to get whatever we wanted. I wasn't sure what I'd be able to get but settled in a manicure and gel paint.

It was a fair drive from where we live plus we had major storms which made driving hard.
When we arrived it was within a gym. The gym was for ladies only and I was impressed with their set up.
Our therapist and owner Linda introduced herself, and got us to fill out forms. I'm having lots of work done at home so the letter to say what I had been given had gone missing. Frantic searching before leaving resulted in stress lol. I hoped as my fellow beauty traveller had hers all would be fine.

This resulted in a fairly stress filled  half hour making phone calls , which did spoil the experience somewhat. I guess that was my own fault!
When it was my turn Linda started my manicure , a very nice lady to chat to. I would have liked a bit more in the manicure but was looking forward my gel paint. I have very weak nails so I'm hoping the gel will add strength .
It took lots of layers to build up the set. Linda said they should last 10- a month.
They did look fab when finished

So far they have not chipped and I'm hoping for the first time to get nice nails.  Linda offers a whole range of treatments at:
lindabeauty.weebly.com

Apart from the stressful start I had a nice time and it was great to spend time doing a "me" thing! So thank you Karen for the gift and  Linda for the nails.

Reasons to be cheerful

I thought I would do take part this week as is something I always read on my nieces blog The Syders, thought it was a nice idea.

To be honest many would find it hard at times to have "Reasons to be cheerful", if they had chronic pain as I do. I have pain most of the time but in general not many people know.That is because I choose to be cheerful and not give in to it. I like my blog name try to be cheerful and not let the pain win. Don't get me wrong I have days when that is hard. So to start

1. I am very cheerful for the fact I am a happy person most of the time. Yes I have pain but I am sure there are many much worse than me so I have to be ok with that.

2. I am so grateful for my lovely family. My husband has worked very hard over the years to look after us and I am very cheerful that my new kitchen is nearly finished lol.

3. I am losing weight! very slowly but its coming off. I so need to do this as it will make my life so much easier in the future.

4. Last I am very cheerful about my blog. I did think when my niece told me to start one she was mad lol. I never dreamt in a million years that anyone would read it. When so many people do and leave lovely comments I am amazed and happy.

Hope you all have lots of great reasons to be cheerful this week xx 

Something Beautiful: My Daughters New Life

I know every mother out there thinks her child or children are beautiful and they are. No matter how old you children are you are just as proud of everything they do . I remember the days when they would bring home that funny little drawing, and even though you had no idea what it was, it would get stuck to the wall! That first smile, that first step its all there locked in your store of memories.
My children are grown-up now and I am still so proud of the people they have become. My oldest is going to be a first time dad in June, and we are so very excited at being grandparents.

My youngest has totally transformed her life in the last year , so much so I am amazed by it!
She had weight problems (like me) since she was younger. Once she gave up being a competitive dancer she gained even more weight. She was still beautiful but life is hard when you are big, everyday is a fight and I know that only too well.
Then she decided she could not cope any more and wanted to have a gastric bypass. I was worried as she was so big you hear of all kinds of things going wrong. I didn't have to worry as she sailed through and then set about losing all her weight..

As the weight dropped off her drive to make changes in her life came to the front. She wanted to be a Nurse. I have to be honest and I thought she was mad as she had no formal education after age 16. Credit to her she went away and researched the subject and found out how to go about it. She completed a higher education course and then started to apply to nursing schools.  We were amazed when she was excepted!

So fast forward to right now and boy am I proud of how much she has achieved in the last 15 months. She has lost 184 pounds or 13 st to us Brits, and so much more healthy and happy. She is in nursing school and doing well, something that never would have happened when she was larger. Its not been easy but I am so proud of her. I am so lucky to have two wonderful children who have grown up into wonderful adults.

Natalie before 

Natalie today

Silent Sunday:19/01/14

Flash Sale with Craftsy

I love craftsy and have done loads of online classes so far. I can honestly say I've learnt so much from them. Best part is once you have them they are yours for life. There are masses to pick from and even some free classes. From Friday there is great news.

This year, turn your resolutions into reality with Craftsy! For the next 48 hours, choose from over 50 classes in 14 categories that are up to 50% off and start learning from the comfort of your own home. Categories include cooking, photography, sewing, quilting, fine art, knitting, and more! Check out the flash sale here: www.craftsy.com 

There are so many to pick from and very well the money. You can start with a free class to get the feel of how things work, or jump in and take a full class.
So why start of the weekend and try and class out now. Click on link on the side or follow the link before.
Have fun!

What a cake year!

So a year ago I started my cake design course. I had only really made cakes at home, so it was a huge leap. I think my early cakes were ummm poor lol. Over that year and wow now into my level two , I think I have got much better. So this is my cake year in pictures!

I think I have improved don't you ?

So Thankful

So thankful is how I am feeling , I can tell you its the best feeling in the world. It started with a lovely Christmas and New Year. We had a wonderful Christmas Day with such fab people. My son Matthew, his wife Karen, Karen's parents Lynne and George and My father in law , Natalie my daughter and my husband Kevin. It was the first time we had everyone at home after all our decorating and it was exciting to have everyone there and to show of the house. I was hoping it would be more finished by time just beat us and we had to except it would not get finished.

We had a fantastic lunch with lots of great food cooked by Kevin and lots of fun and laughter. It was so nice to have everyone together and spend some time with each other.
After lunch we opened gifts and we were blessed with lots of lovely things. It was also so nice to give out gifts as well as I for one love to give gifts and see peoples faces.

Baby Cook

Then my son and daughter in law  gave us all red envelopes and told us we all had to open them at the same time. When we opened ours it said A Christmas Wish for Two Lovely Grandparents and better still when we opened the card the picture above was inside. Well as you can imagine shock was the order of the day. I burst into tears and we were all in tears by the time we had stood up. It was totally unexpected but so so welcome. They are a wonderful couple so it just adds to their and our life.

So I have much to look forward to in 2014 and I cant wait to meet the little boy or girl in the picture. I already love it and its not even arrived as yet lol. It is going to be born into a very happy loving family with lots of extended family that will love it as well.

So congratulation's to you both and the four grandparents to be as well. This child will be so loved and spoilt !

Silent Sunday: 14/01/2014

To Kiss or Not to Kiss?

To Kiss or not to Kiss that is the question in the UK at this time. Its been all on the new this week. The debate is if we should tell children to kiss a relative when they leave. The people in the know are saying its not right and kids should have control over what they do with their bodies.

As a child I know my mother would say " kiss ....... goodbye" and it was totally excepted. I used to cringe as I was a fairly shy child. I hated even more when it was another child and I was teenager, I used to dread the "Give Jill a kiss"  moment. I used to worry the other child would scream and run off and I would feel like I failed in making them like me.
It didn't affect the way I was as an adult I think and my confidence issues come more from bad body image, which is a whole another blog post.

I honestly don't think I made my kids kiss relatives goodbye , but its been a while so I find it hard to remember. I really don't think I did as my children were brought up more to say " Thank you for having me" more than kiss goodbye.

I am of the opinion that its best to leave it to the child. If they are left to make up their own mind then I think that is fine. I do sometimes think that if we worry about everything that is in the news these days, nothing would happen. I grew up fine and I do think there are lots more things worth worrying about in the world.

Grateful for Menopause

Grateful for menopause is not a phase I would have thought I would use. Emma Thompson is in the news these days with her success in her latest movie " Saving Mr Banks" where she give an excellent performance.
Recently on an interview she said that she was grateful for the menopause and her hot flushes. With America and Canada being hit with the very low temps, at least she is staying warm. She said it was the one time she was grateful for the cold weather, as she was using her hot flushes to keep her warm.

I'm glad she loves it and I can see where she is coming from as I always feel better when the weather is colder. I wish I had asked my mother more about Menopause and how she coped with it . Sadly she passed away when I was in my early 30's so the chance to do that was gone. I guess we are lucky these days that we have the Internet, with its huge amount of information.

I think its funny that all women go through this but it is not spoken about often. I miss being able to chat to someone who has survived and I wish it was talked about more . I think its safe to say we all come out the other side lol , I hope with all my life intact.

I am lucky that I only have the problem hot flushes like Emma, and I am with her on cooler weather . I think wearing layers can help as you can take off or put one depending how you feel. I am not a fan of taking lots of meds for it as I already take a few for other things. I have tried a few natural things but nothing works as yet. I think taking care of your health in general, and in my case losing weight is the key. My weight loss is slow but I am doing it, and have lost 10 pounds since just before Christmas. If you are experiencing Menopause I would love to hear your story. Keep going it doesn't last forever.

Chronic pain

If you read my blog often you will know that I have an issue with chronic pain. I guess it started about 10yrs ago and has gone progressively worse as I get older. I was chatting with my doctor today and she said I should write about this issue.

 So to start with a few facts. Any pain that goes on long after the initial injury can be considered chronic pain and can end up with a loss or restricted loss of independence . It can start depression and feelings of isolation . 

If you suffer chronic pain the sense of isolation is huge. You feel that you have to keep much to yourself as people don't really want to know. When a friend asks you "How do you feel" they don't really want to true answer lol. If  I am asked that question I have to smile and say "I'm fine thank you", but I really want to say well I have A or I have B.

You feel very lonely at times and a proper boring person because you cant take part in so many things. I want to run , I want to be silly and climb trees or just  plain have fun, but I cant. I think sometimes people think I am just being boring but its not that at all.

If like me your pain has been around so long, people can get bored of it and so you keep it to yourself. Lack of people to talk or more important who will listen is really something that is difficult.

Now you can choose to sit and cry or you can choose to paste on a smile and keep going. I am of the second pick and choose to stand tall ( well sort of lol) and smile and say that I am fine. I have to admit I can shoot myself in the leg by doing this some times, but I still will carry on.

I write my blog because it is fun but I also write my blog to share my life and struggles and to be honest.

I would love to hear from any of you who have Chronic pain like me and how you plan your life around it.

Put on a smile and keep going and remember at all times try to be Jollyjilly!

Silent Sunday : 05/01/2014

Yeah, yeah,yeah

I was sitting watching TV and a show came in talking about music and iconic people within it. It showed bits from the past and one clip had me right back as a young child . I remember sitting and watching this group of boys , with long hair and nice clothes. All the girls were screaming as they sang " you know she you , yeah yeah yeah" and going mad.  The group in question was The Beatles.
I knew I liked the sound but had no idea why they were screaming lol. Later that year my mum took me to the movies and the film was all about pop groups. The girls were screaming so much I was scared stiff and cried!
I always liked that early stuff with its young raw sound but I wasn't as keen on the later music.
I went on to like the monkeys and then The osmonds , but that early Beatles was so great !

Just Don't Do It

Just Don't Do It . How times as a child did I hear that lol. My parents were great and even though I was born in the late 1950's, I was never smacked.
My mum only had to look at me or say the Just Don't Do It and I'd freeze.  She had the skill to control with just a look that would stop you dead in your tracks.
My dad was the same and I never got shouted at or anything really. I was brought up to have good manners and to be polite at all times. I was also encourage to respect my elders , that someone older had much to give if I took time to listen.

As I grew I always remembered that and when my children arrived I hope I gave those values to them. I like to think I had that Just Don't Do It look lol but I guess you would have to ask them. I know I always encouraged them to be polite and always say please and thank you. Always to say "thank you for having me" when they left a friends house as well.

It means a whole something to me now I'm trying to lose weight! Every time something is around, full of calories looking yummy and calling my name. Then I have to say
"Just Don't Do It" every time.
Love to hear your "just Dong Do It" stories. X

Almost there ...

Almost there is how I am feeling right now . I have set myself on a weight loss path and even if its not almost there , I'm on the right road.
I used find it so easy to lose weight and keep fit. I could lose 14 pounds in a month, anything else and I'd be upset.  Keeping fit was easy as well, and for the first time in my life I enjoyed it.
Then I got a back injury and life got hard. I gained a lot of weight and this in turn made my problems worse.
As time went on I found I stayed home as my confidence hit rock bottom. I want to do stuff and have fun but I'm so un confident it's hard. I always feel so uncomfortable at social events as I feel like the only huge person in the room.
I often wonder if people describe me as "your know the fat lady" or not.
So I started to change my life about 4 weeks before Christmas , and joined a slimming class called slimming world.
I also said I wanted to lose weight over Christmas and guess what I did lol.
I want 2014 to be my year and this IS the year I get rid of this flab!
So I'm not quite almost there but I am going to be.

So on Jan 2nd 2014 I have lost 9 pounds. I get weighed on Wednesdays so come back and cheer me on my journey.

It's 2014!

So it's a new year already! I find the older I get the faster the years go lol. I do also think January is a time when we reflect, and also wish and plan .
I'm on a "get my life back"  kick! I have health issues which have been a major cause of the weight gain. I used to be slim and fairly fit . I used to be at endless fitness classes as well. Then the Back injury and the constant add on problems .. Bang went the classes.

I'm now going to a slimming group called Slimming World and I'm doing ok. It's going to be a long haul but I'm going to do it! My weight + health stop me from doing so much. I've got a lot of living to do and I'm determined to make it happen.

We have spent a great deal of time doing up our house, it would be nice to not have to worry about what needs painting next lol . We also have our garden to do but that's all hubbie jobs!

I'm going in to another blog year and I would like to improve that also. I love to write about my life, and more so that nice people enjoy reading it. I still feel like a novice in the blogging field , it's a learning thing that never ends. So I'm going to try to increase my efforts and make my blog better and better.

I really hope that you can make all your dreams come true this year, or at least be healthy and happy.
Best still I love you for even reading my blog and please come back ....... Often!