So Much for Christmas Spirit!

My husband was attacked on Friday night by two cowardly b**&^%ds. They didn't want his money or his mobile phone they just wanted to beat a defenseless man. They kicked and punched him in the face. Why does that give them a buzz? What is in their heads as they are doing it? Would they get the same buzz if faced with somebody bigger than themselves, I think not. The scum that commit these crimes are cowards and if faced alone by somebody bigger would run a mile.
They split his eyeball open and he has had to have it stitched back together. His lens has fallen behind his eye and he may have damage to his retina. Which means one more op to reattach his lens and probably another to repair damage to the retina. He will lose some sight, maybe all, in that eye and is going to be at least six weeks before it is healed. He can't return to work until it is fully healed so it will be the new year before he does.
The police meanwhile can't do anything because there were no witnesses, no cctv and the scum had gone by the time the police got there. So scum of the earth get away scot free while we suffer the consequences.
I hope one day they get theirs and though I won't be around to see it, I'll be praying that they do.

It's nearly Here!!!!

It's nearly here again. I can't believe I'm writing a post about Christmas again.
I love Christmas, I know I've said that before but I do! They say that as you get older you lose the spirit and it's only for children but I disagree. I still get goosebumps when I hear a choir singing Christmas Carols and I love putting my decorations up. I love choosing and wrapping presents and I love the giving and receiving of them.

Does this mean I've never grown up? Maybe. Do I care? NO!

This year will be extra special because I have my lovely, big brother staying with three of his thirteen (YES, 13, no he's not Catholic, he's a mormon!) kids from Australia. They are over for my parent's Golden Wedding anniversary on the 27th December. It will be wonderful having a full house again for Christmas. So bring it on, cos I'm ready!!!!

I'm Menopausal!

Well, I have finally reached that milestone every woman dreads, the menopause. I have been peri-menopausal for about three years which is the beginning apparently. I haven't been to the doctors or anything, I just figured it out. My periods have been awry for years and then they started getting less frequent. I've gone a full year without one now so I guess that makes me officially a member of the club. Although, I haven't really suffered major symptoms. I do have the odd hot flush, usually in bed when I throw off all the covers, annoying hubby somewhat, then wake up shivering and hike the covers all onto my side, upsetting him again! I have suffered a few mood swings, but hubby insists that they are normal and nothing to do with the menopause. I've also been a little forgetful lately, you know walking into a room and forgetting what you came for, and I am tired a lot too.
Reading that back, I see I have all the symptoms really! So there we have it, I'm officially middle aged. Am I bothered?
Not on your life! I love not having periods every month. They were the bane of my life. No more horrible cramps, no more PMS. I love it.
I've seen some women hating every minute of it, but not me! Here's to old age and all it's freedom!

Another Year Older

It was my birthday on the first of the month. I'm now just two years away from my half century! Of course I don't feel like I'm forty eight, I only feel eighteen! Not that I care about my age, I've never been worried about getting older. There are far better things to worry about than that!
I must say that I'm enjoying my life right now. I think that maturity wins over youth any day. The wisdom that comes with age can't be bought and I wouldn't trade it in for another bash at being young again. I wouldn't want to go back to those angst filled teenage years, hair pulling young mother years, screaming, yelling mother of teens years. I've done my time, earned my reward and now I'm allowed to take a back seat and watch my own kids go through it!

Trip to the Dentist

I've just been to have my tooth out at the emergency dentist. Actually I went last Sunday but the dentist wouldn't take it out as I had an infected tooth. He sent me off with a prescription for antibiotics and told me to come back in a week. So, there I was all psyched up and ready and had to go home and wait another week for the dreaded deed!
Can I just say here, I am terrified of dentists. I hate them so much I only go when I'm in so much pain I need to die!
Back I went today. With everybody telling me, it doesn't hurt, you won't feel a thing, I sauntered into the room feeling calm and relaxed - actually, I was bricking it but I'm a grown woman who has had babies and should be able to stand any pain thrown at me so was only acting all calm and relaxed. I managed the injection without crying but when he went in to pull the tooth, pain, pain, pain! So he gave me another injection and waited a few minutes then went in again. At first, no pain, just pressure, okay so far. Then as he started to tug, pain, yes I felt pain! I jumped and squealed and he just kept pulling that tooth right out. It came out in about 30 seconds but boy were they long seconds. Afterwards, he apologised and explained that I still had a slight infection left in the tooth, that's why it hurt, but he felt it was better to pull the tooth than give another round of medication. Well, that's all right then!!!
So people, for the record, it did hurt, I did feel something and I'm never going to the dentist again!

Bright New Shiny Car!

I've bought a new car. Well, not new exactly, it's two years old. It's a red Seat Ibiza and it's beautiful. As soon as I saw it, it shouted, 'buy me'. Hubby said, 'You can't buy a car just because you like the colour!' but he doesn't understand the pyschology of it. Red is not only my favourite colour, it's my lucky colour. And that car is just so lovely. It cost more than I really wanted to pay but hey, it's red and it's only two years old, only has 17000 on the clock and it's red.
I pick it up on Wednesday afternoon and I can't wait. Not that I haven't enjoyed driving my Renault Clio, it's been a great car but it's seven years old now and I felt I had to get rid of it while I could still get a reasonable trade in. I managed to get £1100 which wasn't bad considering it's age.
So, roll on Wednesday and the chance to drive my shiny, red (did I mention it's red), Seat Ibiza. Oh, and the thing that really sold me on it was the cup holder that comes out from the dash!

Back to School

Jamie went back to school this week. Or rather, he went to college. My baby is college boy! I really don't know where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday I was a mother of four young boys struggling with all the trials family life brings and now I'm a grandmother with all my boys grown and flown away. Jamie is growing up and although he will always be with us, he is no longer as needy as he was.
I feel like my role as a mother has depleted, somehow. I do enjoy having the house to ourselves but I do also miss the chaos, a little. I understand the empty nest syndrome now. It's the feeling that you're not needed any more, that you're obselete, surplus to requirements.
But then my grandchildren come running in, shouting for grandma, and my heart fills up again. I realise that you never stop being needed because the next generation always fills the gap. My grandchildren give me wings again. I may not be able to fly as high or as fast but there is still some mileage left in me.

Grow Your Own

Gosh, it's ages since I've written anything. So here's a quick catch up on what's happening at chez Beech.
Hubby and I had a midweek break to Rome at the end of June. Jamie went to France with his school so we jetted off too. Rome is a wonderful place and there is so much to see but I wouldn't recommend doing it in summer. Honestly, walking around in 38 degree heat with no shade and no breeze is no joke. The heat really got to me and most days I was absolutely beaten by 3 o' clock, needing to sit and chill out for a couple of hours. The siesta is such a good idea and I see now why they do it! The sights are amazing, especially St Peter's Church, so I'm pleased we went but I wouldn't go back.
Jamie had a great time in France and has now officially left school. He went to his prom, looking all grown up and enjoyed himself immensely. He is loving his time at home, so it will be a shock to his system going to college in September.
Anyway, as to the title of this little missive, I've gone all gardener. After we've had the back garden paved over I suddenly decided to grow my own veg! So I've got all sorts of buckets and pots, full of veg, on my patio. I've already had a crop of beetroot and spring onions and believe me, they are so much better when you've grown them yourself. I have red onions, green peppers, sweetcorn, carrots, peas, french beans, rhubarb, strawberries and lettuce all growing merrily. I also have tomatoes and cucumber in my green house which have been cropping nicely for three weeks now.
It isn't really about the money saving aspect, it's about the pure pleasure of seeing the green shoots coming through, then the fruits appearing. Picking and eating veg you have grown is so satifying. It gives me such a buzz making a salad from my own veg. I've been a bit haphazard this year and haven't really planned my garden properly but I'm still pleased with the results. Next year, I'll be more organised but I know it will give just as much pleasure.
I'm not about to dig up the patio though. Container gardening is a lot easier and less backbreaking than having a veg plot. And I've proved you can grow your own even without a garden!

My Baby Has Left School!

I can't believe this day has come! Jamie left school today. He had his leaver's prom last week and thoroughly enjoyed it. He has matured so much over the last few years. I can't believe how grown up he is. I still remember the tiny, vulnerable boy he was when he first started school. At the time we had no idea what he would achieve. We had no idea whether he would ever be able to talk, walk, run and play like other children.

As he grew each new milestone was a wonderful achievement for us all. The day he walked without his walker, the day he put two words together, the day he used his first Makaton sign were all special, red letter days. He worked so hard to achieve what comes naturally to others.

Since he's been at St Hugh's Special Needs Senior School he has blossomed from a little boy into a young man. His speech has got better and better and he can now say a sentence of four words that is understandable. I know he'll never have the life boys of his age should but he has still achieved more in his 16 years than some do in a lifetime.

We attended his leaver's ceremony today. Watching my boy walk up to the stage to accept his Record of Achievement brought tears to my eyes. To see him laughing with his headmaster and saying thank you to his teacher made me want to jump up and cheer.

Now he starts on a new phase in his life. He's going to college in September, for two years, on a Life and Vocational Studies course. He'll be taught independence skills. He will never achieve total independance but hopefully one day he will be able to do simple things for himself.

I know he will never live independantly from us but my special boy will continue to spread his wings and one of these days he will soar higher than any of us ever thought possible. You just wait!

Xis for X-RAY, Y is for YAWN, Z is for ZZZZZZZZ

I'm so stuck with these three letters, I'm using them up in one go!
I've had several X-rays over the years but the two that are most recent are my ankle and foot x-rays. Both times I knew I'd broken bones because the card I had to take back to A&E was red. I was told that by a nurse during one of the many x-rays I have had to sit in on with my kids. See, I haven't just had my own x-rays, I've attended kid's ones too. The one Jamie had for a broken elbow left me with scars on my arm. Not from radiation but from Jamie digging his nails in and drawing blood! It was a case of, "Hurt me, I'll hurt you back, baby."
Yawning is great isn't it! It stretches the mouth and opens up the airways. I yawn when I'm tired and when I'm bored. I think a bored yawn is the most embarrassing. You can tell when somebody has one coming because they try to stop it. The mouth gets all twisted and your eyes glaze with the effort so you might as well just let it come and let those suckers know they are boring the h*ll out of you!
ZZZZZZZ's are the best. I love sleeping. Since the older boys have left home I have got into the habit of laying in, when John's home. He can't sleep well so he always gets up early. I stay in bed, sometimes till 11am. I just love the fact that I can! When Jamie is at respite and John's at work, I have been known to get up at dinnertime! I don't care if that makes me one, lazy hussy. It's my perogative and baby I'm milking it for all it's worth!
So, that's the end of my alphabet posts. Some are quite good, some are cr**py but hey, it's my blog and I get to decide what I write.
Now it will be filled with random ramblings and family related stuff. So buckle up all you many, many readers (HA, HA) it'll be a bumpy ride from now on.

Matthew's had an Accident!

My poor Matt had a fall yesterday. He was riding his bicycle down a steep hill and his coat got caught in the front wheel. It stopped the bike, and he went over the handlebars into a lamp post. He has five stitches above his top lip, eight stitches inside his mouth and seven under his chin. His right cheek is one big friction burn and his right arm is grazed from his elbow to his wrist. He looks like he's done a few rounds in the ring with Mike Tyson! I've brought him home for a few days to be mothered. He's very subdued and feeling sorry for himself right now.
I hate seeing my kids in pain, no matter how old they get and I wish I could take the pain away for him. You never stop worrying about them, even after they've flown the nest but we have to cut the apron strings at some point. You have to let them fly and spread their wings and trust they will soar high.
But when they do fall, mum will always be there to take the strain, kiss the pain away and make it seem a little less hard to bear.

W is for Weddings

I love weddings. I've had two of my own, have been a bridesmaid seven times and attended more than I can remember. I love wedding dresses, the big white frothy ones, the slinky, stylish ones, the short flirty ones. I love them all. I love watching weddings and seeing the bride all happy and the bridesmaids all glammed up. I love the bouquets, the wedding cakes and even listening to the speeches. Weddings are about happiness, joy and beauty so that's probably why I like them so much! I'm pretty much a romantic, as you may have guessed.
But I know a pretty wedding doesn't guarantee a solid, happy marriage, that comes from hard work, give and take and a reality check now and then. But if we can keep in mind the happiness of our wedding day, the joy we felt to be starting on life's journey together, the pleasure of choosing to be with that one person for all time, if we stop and remember that when times are rough and rocky then maybe we would see less divorce and seperation.

Trip to London

My sister, Cindy and niece, Sarah

I went to London for three days last week. I know , I know , I should have written about it earlier but I'm a bad blogger!
Anyway, I went with my lovely sister and niece for a girlie trip. We went down on the train and spent two nights there. Our first night we went to see Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre. The show was excellent. We had seats in the first balcony, second row up so could see everything perfectly. The music, the costumes, the sets, everything was so wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
We stayed in a nice hotel in Bayswater and had breakfast included. It was continenal style but sufficient. Our only full day was spent touring London on the Hop On Hop Off bus. You buy a ticket and the bus goes all round London stopping off at different places where you can get off, look around and then catch the next bus. They run about every 15 mins so we never waited long and got to see all the sights. There is a tour guide who tells you all sorts of fascinating facts about the city.
We went into Leicester Square that night, intending going to the pictures but saw crowds of people behind barriers. When we got there it was a premiere for the film, Leatherheads, starring George Clooney and Rene Zellweiger. We missed George but got to see Rene up close. We stood for so long we missed the start of any films so went to Pizza Hut to finish the night off and got totally stuffed!

Me and Sarah

We really enjoyed our trip and have decided to save up and go again next year.

Rene Zelleweiger

V is for Voluptuous

I love that word, voluptuous. It conveys beauty. It conjures up those rubanesque paintings of scantily clad, beautiful, large ladies that adorn all the best gallery walls. In their time, big was beautiful and to be celebrated, not to be ashamed of.
I'm now taking a leaf from that book and will celebrate my size, make the best of my size, be loud and proud of my size. No more moaning, I'm accepting the fact I'm larger than life and will henceforth be VOLUPTUOUS.
Pass the chocolate box, I'm diving in!

Snow for Easter

We had snow on Easter Sunday. Our first snowfall this year and it lasted all of three hours! Not that I'm complaining because I hate snow. I hate walking in it and driving in it. The only way to enjoy it is from the window, while tucked up in front of a warm fire.
But snow at Easter just doesn't seem right somehow. Snow at Christmas is right. We haven't had snow at Christmas for so many years and although I hate it, it's the one time when it should appear. To get the real feel of Christmas, we should wake up to a snowy landscape with big flakes falling past the window. The morning should be spent opening presents then snowballing or sledging before dinner.
Easter is about spring and flowers and baby lambs. Easter morning should be sunny and bright with daffodills in the garden. I know Easter is early this year but even so, by the end of March we're looking forward to the end of winter not a replay!

U is for Unladylike!

I've never been accused of being a lady and here are some of the reasons why:
I have never let a man believe that he is better than me. I believe all men and women are equal and deserve the same opportunities in life, love and career. And I don't believe in waiting on a man, hand and foot.
I love to flirt, openly. I have, on occasion, worn my skirts to high and my neckline to low. I am not a social wallflower. Give me a daft game or a karaoke mike over polite conversation, any day, I like being noticed in a crowd.
My boys were all taught to cook, clean, wash and iron. They love and respect me but have sometimes feared me. As the only woman, I ruled the roost in this henhouse. But we had fun times too, playing games, getting dirty, running around, singing songs, dancing to the music.
I can hold my own in an argument, with man or woman. I have frightened a few into backing down, once or twice. Failing that I have always found turning on the waterworks gets you out of many difficult situations.
I can shout as loud as a navvy and (used) to swear like a trooper.
So you see, no ladylike behaviour from me!
But I don't see that as a bad thing. I've had some riotous times and some cringe worthy moments which all add up to a life well lived. And this means that I will continue to go skidding into old age as any self respecting non-lady should do, with total and utter abandon!

We had an Earthquake!

At one o'clock yesterday morning we had an earthquake!
A loud rumbling woke me up and as I did I felt the bed shaking. I nudged John, who was asleep, and he just grunted and turned over. I went back to sleep, wondering if I'd imagined it. When we got up John said he hadn't heard or felt anything so I really did start to believe I'd dreamed everything. As I was driving John to work at dinnertime we were listening to the radio and they were talking about the earthquake. Mystery solved! I wasn't dreaming, the bed had been shaking.
The epicentre was in Market Rasen which is about 20 miles away from us and it registered 5.2 on the Reichter Scale. No wonder the bed moved!
It was the talk of the day for everybody as we don't usually experience earthquakes here in Scunthorpe.

Catch Up!

Just catching up with some news as it's been some time since I wrote on my blog.
John and I celebrated our fifteenth wedding anniversary on the 13th. I know some may say 'unlucky for some' but it really was the best day of my life. I've had the happiest years with John. He is my true soulmate and we still have a loving and meaningful relationship. He does drive me crazy sometimes because he's a man and does those man things that irritate us all but I wouldn't have missed one day with him.
We had a burglary last week. Some little scroats pulled our shed door off it's hinges and took John's motorbike. The shed is padlocked so they just ripped the hinges off. This is John's only form of transport, he doesn't drive, so now he's having to rely on lifts to get to work, or use his bicycle which isn't great on a frosty morning! The police, of course, were their ever helpful selves! They seemed more concerned about how the rats had got into our garden (they climbed over the six foot fence) and why we didn't hear them (early hours of the morning, sleeping, in the front of the house!) than the fact that we had been robbed by those scabby little pustules on society. We were given a crime number and told to go away, basically. I know there isn't much the police can do but a little bit of concern and sympathy would have gone down a whole better than the questioning our ability to keep our possessions safe and failing miserably, make us feel worse why don't you, attitude.

T is for Travel

I am a slightly seasoned traveller! I've had some great holidays in a few different countries.
I've been to Cyprus which is a lovely country with really friendly locals but you have to put your toilet paper in a bin, no flushing it down the toilet. YUCKIE is an understatement for that little gem of information! So, much as I loved the place and the people, I will never go there again.
Turkey is another great place. The people there are even friendlier than in Cyprus. It is quite under developed, though so there are very few proper roads or pavements, just tracks. And you soon get fed up of being hassled to visit every bar and restaurant and not being able to just browse in a shop without being talked into buying something. I wouldn't go there again, either, especially after the middle of June because the heat is just unbearable too.
Spain is lovely. They know how to treat tourists, they're used to us. They are polite rather than friendly and they leave you alone in shops etc. The weather is always just right for soaking up the sun without being to oppressive.I have visited several different areas, all of which I really did enjoy.
But the place I have enjoyed the most is America. I went there in the late 80's for a month. We stayed in Wyoming, Utah, Kansas and Ohio. We travelled by Greyhound Coach which I would NOT recommend to anybody! I saw some absolutely wonderful sights including Salt Lake Temple, Nauvoo and the Joseph Smith Pageant held in Richmond, Ohio every year. I climbed a small (!) mountain in the Titons, visited a rodeo and a baseball game, looked out over the Grand Canyon, slept in a log cabin in Yellowstone Park and ate S'Mores toasted over a camp fire. It was a holiday of a lifetime and I will never forget how wonderful the country and it's people were. I'd love to go back again someday.
We're planning to visit Rome this year so I'll have another country under the belt.
And the place I've never been but have always wanted to is Hawaii. Maybe, one day!

Jamie Has the Chickenpox!

My poor boy woke up yesterday looking like spotty dog. He was pretty well covered with them on his face and chest. More have come up on his arms and legs today. He isn't scratching to much yet. I've got some calamine aquaeous cream but he doesn't take to kindly to having it rubbed on. Actually, that's an understatement, he hates having it on and fights, pushes and shouts at the top of his voice so he doesn't get it rubbed in to well and looks like a.....ermmmm, I don't know really, just red and spotty with white, creamy patches.
It's a long time since I've been down this road with the kids. The other boys all caught them together when Craig was about 13. I do remember Chris being the last one to catch them. He had so many spots you couldn't put a pin between them and we were booked to go on holiday to Blackpool. Imagine how awful it was walking into the guest house with this spotty kid and having to explain he was no longer infectious (we'd had him checked by the doc) but knowing they didn't believe us! And everywhere we went people looked at us funny or left a quarantine ring round us on the beach. Great times!
Jamie is feeling quite poorly at the moment. I can tell because he won't eat and Jamie only stops eating when ill. So, I've just got him back to school after Christmas and now he's home for at least a week. Not that I don't love my special boy but those few hours while he's at school are mine and now they've gone, again. And a sixteen year old, disabled boy with chickenpox is far harder than a six year old. You can grapple with a six year old and rub that cream in!

S is for Scunthorpe

Scunthorpe is my home town. It's not up there with the biggies like Sheffield or Leeds but it's mine and I love it. People have made fun of it over the years but it is good town to live in. We have some crime here but not to the extent that many big towns and cities do. Our town is situated in the perfect place for urban, country or coastal living. We have country villages just 10 miles away with all the picturesque views you expect and 25 miles away is our own coastal town, Cleethorpes, with all the joys of the seaside. There is a beautiful country park on the outskirts of the town with a stately home and deer park. Yet, we also have the benefits of a shopping centre to rival the big towns. We have three large retail parks, all the major supermarkets and two weekly markets. We have a multi-screen cinema, large leisure centre and more bars than you can throw a stick at, so there is plenty to do here. And our football team has just been promoted to the Championship division!

I thought a few pictures would show you how lovely our town is, so here they are.

This is Central Park, a large park in the centre of town.

The steelworks, Corus, which is the main industry in our town.

Our very own stately home, Normanby Hall, is situated just a few miles from the town centre.

The town centre.

St Lawrences church is in the centre of the town and is our oldest church. It has been here since 1219AD.

Scunthorpe United, our football team.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everybody. I hope it's a prosperous one for us all. And hopefully we'll have no broken bones this year!
I don't 'do' resolutions because I never stick to them, like diets. So there will be no promises here, to do this or keep to that. I will just muddle along like I always do. I shall be starting the diet again though.
I do it every year and take off about a stone to start with then get complacent and slip back into my naughty habits. The lost weight goes back on and I start again for holidays/birthday/christmas, lose a stone then.......... you get the picture! So depending on when you see me, I'm either slimmer or fatter! I can't just be slimmer or slimmer, that would require to much willpower. Something I lack, I'm afraid.
Ahhhh well, here's to a slimmer/fatter New Year, whatever it is, I just hope it's a happy one!