TGIIF :-) Big Brother & why I love ironing

Hello Friday peops

What a lovely bank holiday weekend - tho the weather was pooh. Went for a bimble on the best weather day - Saturday - with Sue & the SPICE crowd up Kinver edge on Saturday with Stevey D, but Sunday was a deluge so we went for some retail therapy to 'Go Outdoors' and got some nice new mid boots for New Zealand, and other gadgets and gizmos, plus matching gillets - how twee. On Monday I fed the old dears Ostrich stroganoff - to give them wings.... it worked.

There has still been a lot of interest in my Morris dancing from last week - with the photos on the Blog - and all.... my work colleagues are realising (too late) that I was a bad choice for Risk Manager ;-)... secretly I think they envied me all that hanky waving - the engineers were offering me bits of wheelchair tubing to use as sticks - but it wouldn't have had the same effect really....I was ironing my dad's hankies to return then and my iron died, so I have bought a new one - and calling it Morris - I love Morris and my ironing board is called Wil' - you can see below why I love ironing.........:-) Did you know you some of the most expensive irons were £80!! I'd want them to do the bloody ironing for that much!

The Big Brother text frenzy has started - with the launch this week - all women in there so far - no tottie at all - very disappointing -so it's been low key with Numpty & H' so far. Apparently a geyser goes in tonight - hope he's got ear plugs.....and Sarah is coming round for girlie TV night to watch it.

It's been a pooh weather week - rain, rain and more rain, and yersterday corking storms - a man got struck in Coventry but survived with singes, and some local shops got blasted - but it's glorious out there now and a full moon tonight so that should be nice - I'll get all my crystals recharged - including my new dousing crystal from Charlie - I'm still training it at the moment - but haven't really had any deep and meaningful questions to ask it - any suggestions from the TGIF floor?

I'm just hoping the daft dog from next door but one doesn't bark all night again at the moon - I am a bit bleary eyed at the moment - but not asbleary eyed as some of you men out there it seems - loved this link which Herty Boy Owen sent me to share with you all this week - so that's why you're all a bit impaired......... :-D

Paste this into the box bit.... (that's technical IT speak)

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2259967.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery

Hope you men all sleep well this weekend - I will be

And finally one from Tony's list - 'The Philosophy of Ambiguity'....

IF MAN EVOLVED FROM MONKEYS AND APES, WHY DO WE STILL HAVE MONKEYS AND APES?

more next week - have a great one folks :-) xxx

TGIF :-) Hanky Panky Morris Dancing Special!

Hi Friday peops

We all had a lovely bimble round Staunton Harold Reservoir in Leicestershire last Sunday - all week at work they've been asking where I've been on my holiday! Yes - it was gorgeous - we are all a little sunkissed - also a little scabby right now - as Gary lost the path at one stage - and we got brambled -lost the path??? more like lost the plot - Eva won with 65 scratches and I came a poor second with 60 - we both looked very pretty at work this week I'm sure - not quite the lady Gilette 'silk scarf test' advert! See the pic - you can even see the ramblers tan starting or is it simply the dirt tide mark? On the plus side we all enjoyed our first Magnum of the season - I'm never going to get rid of this bum :-)

Continued flexing the old walking muscles on Monday round Earlswood lakes with Sarah - the bluebells have all gone now - so we're back to our tree hugging route round the lakes edges...nice and magical and energising. Continuing the girlie week had a nice catch up with Charlie (witchy friend) on Tuesday evening - one of those spontaneous e-mails at work during the day jobbies, and in the pub by sundown - fab! I finally gave her her Christmas present - cuddly bat.....to add to her collection apparently... and I got a lovely pendulum - think it's malachite - so shall be doing some dousing again - I need to practice - last time I had a bash - it was like a 'Vicky Pollard' pendulum - "Yeah but no but yeah but..." - didn't know whether to twirl or swing or do any bloody thing!

Spent Wednesday in therapy - alongside our clients I did a fitness class, gardening workshop, quiz - and came a poor second in our team! and the finale was a singing workshop - where one of our clients taught us all his African national anthem -and boy did we sound good :-)

Last night I met up with Nessa's Morris (aka Dave) and joined the First Sedgeley Morris Men for a hanky and stick dance - had a brilliant time - loads of pics on the blog - hysterical - I'm facing the totally opposite direction to everyone else in one - the rest should attract some caption competition entries.... I was quite a sweaty betty after my half ho's, hibs and hanky panky. I now know how much I am really missing the opposite sex - as I fell in love with one of the Morris Men - and there has to be a bit of problem when you find a man waving two white hankies sexy - maybe it has a hidden meaning and I'm drawn to a man who already looks like he's surrendering! :-D

We're off to Kinver Edge tomorrow with Steve on a figure of 8 walk - with a pub in the middle - and it's Sue's turn to drive - yeeeehaaaa!!! Plus - Phil and Cathy will be there from the Morris dancing - so I hope they bring their hankies - I'm ironing mine ready tonight!

Have a fab bank holiday weekend - looks like we're in for a deluge on Sunday and Monday - but that excites me now I have a big butt............. :-D

Kimmie x

TGIF :-) Dental reincarnation clinic Aciiiid!!!

Hi Friday peops,
Last weekend's bimble in Newnham was lovely - only got slightly damp - but it was warm so we didn't mind the good ol' 4 seasons in one day weather. Gorgeous views over the Severn Estuary - so I'll get a pic up here later.

Monday - I had an appointment at the Dental Hospital - and in my inimitable blonde style - when I eventually found the place, hidden in the back of beyond in Birmingham, I waltzed in and asked for the 'reincarnation clinic' at the reception desk - luckily the blonde receptionist knew I meant 'restoration' - so off I toddled.....anyway it turns out I have a phenomenal over-bite... and very interesting wearing down of my bottom deck and might end up with a 'Toyah Wilcox' lisp - which I'm thinking will be my only redeeming feminine feature, so something to look forward to? The acid environment is apparently wearing my teeth down... there's a whole list of things that can cause it, even the dentist suppressed a giggle when she listed them...... bullimia and vomiting....."Yo Tubs".....I don't think so......mind you, I was pretty gobsmacked at thje stuff that can erode your teeth - I mean we all know about coke - but did you know about herbal teas?
Then...the most embarrassing moment was when she asked me to slide my jaw forward... and I asked which one - top or bottom?
OK.........Go on.....try it

Yes - your top 'jaw' doesn't move cos it's attached to your skull.................I knew that...............

Had a bad hair week - though have managed to hide much of the day after a rather silly blonde moment well.............. actually I'm not blonde any more - I put the colour on and got into e-mailing and bantering on MSN.....lost track of time and resemble Morticia at the moment - so am spending as much time as poss in sunlight to try and lighten it!

I'm off into the hills of Derby on Sunday and will be wearing a large hat to hide my embarrassment - mind you Charlie I am looking more witchy....

The week has ended pooh like....I'm feeling old.... I've now reached that stage where my Vitamin supplements didn't fit through my letter box.. I wish I'd taken a photo... it's bad enough when they leave your fat old telephone directory propped up your front door - but it's not the sort of thing you want to come home to on a Friday when you're getting into weekend mode....alas the neighbours know my secret is out about how I stay looking so young....it's all those ginseng related pseudo Botox brick size vitamin supplements piled up to the letter box.... ;-)

............... Mind you I've managed to fool the neighbours on the business over them being concerned about how much alcohol I'm consuming - the buggers were counting my recycled bottles.... and wagging their fingers, so I've taken heed...........yes - I've started getting those cardboard cartons..hopefully they aren't sad enough to go though my paper recycling....

Fab news this week - Issie has a new job starting in the new term in September - and Alex is testing very expensive bows for her violin - I was gobsmacked at the price of those things - special mention next week for anyone guessing the cost - to the nearest thousand........
Hope you all have a lovely weekend
Kimmie x

TGIF :-) The Big Split - Men are from Mars - well some bloody planet anyway!

Hi Friday peops

Well, what an exciting weekend I had last weekend - ready to prepare me for my weekus horribilis.. Go get a cuppa or large glass of wine. it's a long one - Jane just delete..:-)

Last Bank Holiday weekend, the Roaches bimble was good - and with Sue driving - I had rather a lot of Marstons Smooth afterwards, and we drove home in our usual 'high fidelity' girls from Fame way - see the pic - guess which one is me?

While we were in the pub the boys ie Ken, Gary & Martin wanted to have a mention on the Blog - so I will do that - hello to you boys....and pop up their photos too - so you can see how lovely they all are...




The lovely Ken - holding it in.....











... and the lovely Gary in red


However .. The same weekend saw the start of the demise of the love affair of the year. Some of you had already guessed since I was a bit negative about the 'YES' group in my rather tiddly (hic!) TGIF - yes - sorry folks about divulging all your addresses - oops!.... that things were on the slide.....

Maybe Charlie we would still be together if I'd seen in May Day with a proper Beltane love feast? :Oh well..... can use the candles for something else now or go back to BOB ;-)

Yes....Peter - bless - has decided to find something better to do on a Tuesday and Thursday - our girlfriend/boyfriend night - he has been tempted from my clutches by a better offer from Dennis - free membership of the David Lloyd gym for 3 months - and what with my Council-run gym currently closed for refurbishment (probably one of the treadmills being cranked up?) I couldn't compete. I shall miss the happy clappy 'Yes Group' nights - especially as we had only recently learned the new clappy affirmation "1-2-3-YOU ROCK!" which Sarah and I so enjoyed around the lakes this week - Sue too when we bimbled round the Roaches last Monday - everyone is positively rocking here now. Waseem - you may want a private discussion on MSN before you say 'YES' to being rocked...

It really was doomed from the beginning when my first gift from him was a book on 'How to kick the habit' - ie chocolate - by Jason Vale - I mean, that is like me asking him to give up Dennis or Brian - I love chocolate ...I've taken it in to the charity book sale at work and hidden it in a rather large Hutchinson's Encyclopaedia under "C".. and instead Sue has loaned me James Runcie's 'The Discovery of Chocolate' and we plan to have a girlie night in with a large box of chocolates to read it together..........any other takers?

I wont be all negative though - we had some good moments and ended on a nice evening out at a rather relaxing poetry night - at the MAC - with some really good Brummie poets sharing the floor - some excellent observational, political and satirical writings - it has inspired me to write a tribute to him though which I shall publish on the Blog..

Sadly for Peter - the poetry night didn't really work for him - as on the journey home he was more enamoured - and the most animated I've ever seen him - with Meatloaf's new single which was on the reality show 'Joseph - any dream will dooooo' show last weekend.. bit heavy for me - I prefer Meatloaf's 'Paradise by the Dashboard song' - very funny - the girl butting in to have her say - and it takes me back to my younger days - more specifically in a liitle soft top MG - on a T.A. skiing trip - under the stars - and Halles Comet - with a very badly placed gear stick - still makes me smile.....

Sarah made me laugh though because I admitted that I felt I made an effort as I really do appreciate that men are from Mars and women from Venus, but like she pointed out it is made all the more difficult when they are actually on a satellite orbiting Mars....

Have a good un folks...

Kimmie x


...Relationships...
Diamonds are a girl's best friend. Dogs are a man's best friend. Now you know which sex is smarter....

Love...Men always want to be a woman's first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a man's last romance.

The only way to understand a woman is to love her - and then it isn't necessary to understand her.

To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

Yes Group - are they for real?

Well... 15 mins till it becomes a TGIS ;-)
Full moon week - nuff said....started and ended the week amongst the bluebells - which apparently signify 'humility' :-) aaaawwwww

Last Sunday..on a SPICE bimble - maybe you had to be there.. me and Sue had a wonderful cattle grid moment -we pretended to be a car driving over a cattle grid even though we were just walking - so I opened gob wide and was "AAAaaaaahhh" girlie soprano style - with a pretend perfunctory rumble over the grids as if driving a car....and we all had a girlie giggle.... and the boys following must have been as bored as they also thought it seemed like a good idea - Ken & John - suddenly we are hearing a 'boy walking version' of a car driving over a cattle grid - a baritone and bass cattle grid rumble....

Then Monday Sarah and I enjoyed a sunny woody bluebell moment.... photos on the blog when I sort my mobile phone out...and tonight despite the weather forecast being wrong (yes how unbelievable is that!!??) we still braved the woods and lakes....and put the World to rights as per.... what do you think of the shadow pic?
Wednesday we had a 'works do' groupie night out to see our Communications Occupational Therapist Am' Dram' guy Phil play Sir Danvers Carew in the musical version of Jekyll & Hyde - it was brilliant - but we were all a bit miffed at the sad ending - you know us girlies - we like our endings happy!

Thursday I went with Pete for my second 'Yes' group - maybe I am a 'special' needs person but I can't be doing with all this happy clappy stuff - and again came away feeling the most normal person there - which of course you all know cannot be true! The guy (Dave Turner) who did a presentation on memory tools was fab...made it funny- but for the life of me I can't remember the web site he gave us - so that worked...................NOT!

Sarah and Garry thank you all for your toast/egg responses - which I forwarded - Garry was convinced he was only going to get girlie responses but has had to concur with boy responses from US, New Zealand and other such diverse places as Erdington and Massachusetts!! They are still together and were last reported snuggling up after a sweaty tennis match tonight - so all is well in Earlswood.............. no doubt dipping their soldiers and the yolk is on us?

Have a fab bank holiday weekend folks - eyelids drooping..... night night x

TGIF :-) Sharpie cupboard love & bread and butter responses

Hi Friday peops
Very unusual last weekend - spent with Sharpie - in a wardrobe - or two - the first was built without beer - the second with.... Apparently they are still standing this evening, even with all those big knickers hanging in there.... so all is well in Sharpie's Ikea World :-)

Now you see her..... Now you don't....

We then went to Richard Branson's steam room and spa pools on the Sunday to get over the aches and pains of hammering the tacks in with a spanner - tho most of the aches were from laughing... so nuff said - see the pics.

Went to say a final goodbye to Paul on Wednesday - the Crem' was packed out - very popular and good all round chap - a fun service - our family are getting quite good at funerals - was great to see all the cousins - and meet Tracy's new man - John - he's a good 'un - we had some philosophical discussions afterwards about whether we would take our mums and dads in when they are older, and bless - John's so kind - he's quite happy to take his future mother-in-law in when she's 75 - apparently he was thinking of the free TV licence? Cheered myself up a bit by going to the flicks with Sue in the evening - Wild Hogs - and had a curry afterwards....

Mom was 71 yesterday - so had take out number 2 - a Chinese - and had it delivered - and in her eagerness to dish it out while hot - I ended up with dad's, me with mom's and she with mine - so there was a gradual realisation after we scoffed half of the meal - followed by a lot of guilty tossing of prawns and chopping and changing of chop sueys - which was quite funny - in the process mom shouted at me (as they do) cos I splashed the table cloth - but as I pointed out - it was really dad's fault - cos it was his chop suey....even though I threw it.

Tonight went for a quick blat around Earlswood lakes with Sarah - who is on tenterhooks about the bread question she tossed into the forum ;-) The bluebells are all out - so a pretty blue haze - which may explain why we got a bit lost - and had a surreal moment when out of the blue haze a huge black and white Dalmation coloured Great Dane bounded towards us - looked like he was in the 'wrong film' - then got home and Sue came round and we had take out No 3 - chippie - and pie - eating them out of the paper - with a glass of white wine, followed by a box of chocolates while watching the DVD 'Chocolat'. -We know how to live in St. Irchley ;-D She just called a taxi - and goodness knows how they knew - but they sent a people carrier to take her home - so if any of you felt a tremor around 2200 GMT - that was Sue heading home......
Have a fab sunny weekend
Kimmie x

Bread and butter responses - or should I say "Doh!".... Get it?

Kings Norton - Matt: Soldiers have to be toasted!!! Mmmm I might go and get a boiled egg with soldiers. Just the one side for me! Too messy otherwise and I’m watching my figure. This is a good question, See it’s nice to eat toast hot – however if you leave toast to cool down before buttering then it tends to be nice and crunchy. Tough one that.

Solihull - Andy & Bex:Andy - Toasted, Both slices, Either Becky Toasted, One Slice, Hot Hope that settles it :oD

New Zealand - Sam: Soldiers start of as raw bread when you are young, then you progress to toast the older you get! Thats if you care to admit that still eat soldiers and egg!!Bread should be buttered on both slices, cos otherwise your filling will drop out, cos it doesn't have anything to cling to!!Toast most certainly should be hot when you butter it, so it can melt and be all yummy!!

Rowley Regis - Sean & Sue: Here are the results of the Rowley Regis jury!!
Norway...null points...oops sorry getting confused...
1. When we talk about soldiers dipped in that runny yolk - are soldiers toasted or just 'raw' bread? Not that I like runny yolk, it must be toasted soldiers surely, raw bread would be just disgusting!!
2. When we have a sandwich - do we spread butter on one side of the slice of the bread or on both slices? Not sure what you're actually asking here:If you're saying, butter on one side or both sides of each slice of bread then, one side of course, both is simply wierd (unless you're doing a toasted sandwich in your Breville!!) but if you're saying butter on one side of one slice or on one side of both slices, then I don't see how it matters, but I butter one side of both slices.
3. Is it proper for toast to still be hot when we spread our butter on it at breakfast or should it be cold? Toast still to be hot so that the butter spreads more easily and melts into the bread. If toast has gone cold then you can get clumps of butter in places with dry toast elsewhere.

Sutton Coldfield - Margaret: 1) Depends on how your parents served them to you as a child, either are yummy,
2) ONE SIDE ...........Buttered inside a normal sandwich and outside for a TOASTIE
3) PERSONAL CHOICE - I prefer mine warm so the butter doesn't melt
One thing is for sure though................... if you drop your toast on the floor, it will always land BUTTERED SIDE DOWN.

Sutton Coldfield: Margaret's other half: http://www.icons.org.uk/nom/nominations/eggandsoldiers

And my favourite - Hertfordshire - the lovely Owen: As for the bread stuff, do either Sarah or Garry live in one of those strange Dr Who-type parallel universes - you know - where things seem OK at first , but then you find all sorts of disturbing differences.

Anyway, here goes Soldiers: I'd find it impossible to stick anything floppy into something warm and runny. No fun at all for anyone. I expect any soldier would tell you that. Sandwich: not really worth answering. I suppose this relates to minimalist design and lifestyle not having a kitchen table and making up a sandwich on your other hand- you can butter the first slice, add the filling, but there's nowhere to butter the second slice.The answer? Doh! Butter one slice, add the filling to one half and fold it over. Or is it that you've only one knife and dont want to get marmite in the utterly butterly. (for that - and I know this involves a challenging amount of planning - do all the bread FIRST - dont work it out as you go along). However I have a reference to back up the both slices position. It's a guide the British Council (no less) proved to Koreans on british culture. Interestingly, never order a club sandwich in the USA. It's about 6 inches thick and you can't take out the middle slice cos it's got butter on BOTH sides Hot and cold: I think choosing cold toast reveals a disturbing tendency towards necrophilia. Only acceptable if you're also putting a dead animal on the toast

TGIF :-) Moben Call Centre gets more than they bargain for!

Hi Friday peops

Sort of back to 'normal' this week - whatever 'normal' is here in St. Irchley ;-)

Moben kitchens left 50 blank messages on my answer machine on Monday before finally catching me to tell me how lucky I was to have been 'chosen' to have my kitchen done - and despite me answering all their set questions and declining their very kind offer, they left another 44 blank messages on Tuesday to check I was still interested.....so on Wednesday when they called me again to check my details I sort of made it more interesting..........YES I had been in the house more than 10 years, NO the kitchen was only a year old (you didn't say that yesterday? - that's because today is today) and when they asked how many people lived here - I said sometimes just me and sometimes there were ten of us.. and do you have a partner and I said I had two - sometimes three ....and none of them ever know where anything is in the kitchen so who cares...that he clicked that I was being less than helpful - even though mostly I was telling the truth as all you TGIFers know ;-)

Mon & Tues bimbled round Earlswood Lakes with Sarah - pondering and putting the World to rights - and she has asked for your help this week - and I shall forward all your responses - and maybe this is a good forum for answering the weird and wonderful quandaries that blight our wine laden evenings?
Answers on a post-card - or simply by return e-mail will be good.....and remember folks this is Garry versus Sarah.....

1. When we talk about soldiers dipped in that runny yolk - are soldiers toasted or just 'raw' bread?
2. When we have a sandwich - do we spread butter on one side of the slice of the bread or on both slices?
and finally....
3. Is it proper for toast to still be hot when we spread our butter on it at breakfast or should it be cold?

Believe me, this will really help Earlswood lakes ripples settle.....

In Kiwi land, little Lucia had her birthday this week - and because I was so blonde, I couldn't work out when I should call to try and make sure I got the right day/morning/evening to say happy birthday - so instead I shall call at the weekend and break the good news that in January 2008, they had better brace themselves - as I have taken the plunge and put mom's money where her mouth is - and shall be gracing their islands. I still need a bit of help trying to work out when I fly out and when I linger for an extra week with them - so I make sure I am at Heathrow on the right day!!!

Helping Sharpie build a wardrobe this weekend - as you do........

Have a good one folks - and don't forget to help out with Sarah's bread queries.....

Kimmie x

PS Thanks for this Hilarie - since I haven't been to the gym this last fortnight and am starting to expand it seems quite appropriate!

The Miracle of Toilet paper
Fresh from my shower, I stand in front of the mirror complaining to my husband that my breasts are too small. Instead of characteristically telling me it's not so, he uncharacteristically comes up with a suggestion. "If you want your breasts to grow, then every day take a piece of toilet paper and rub it between them for a few seconds" Willing to try anything, I fetch a piece of toilet paper and stand in front of the mirror, rubbing it between my breasts. "How long will this take?" I asked. "They will grow larger over a period of years," my husband replies. I stopped. "Do you really think rubbing a piece of toilet paper between my breasts every day will make my breasts larger over the years?" Without missing a beat he says "Worked for your butt, didn't it?" He's still alive, and with a great deal of therapy, he may even walk again although he will probably continue to take his meals through a straw. Stupid, stupid man