Deblyn

This reminded me of the phrase "random acts of kindness" - pity more people don't practise this, isn't it?

Talking of open windows - one of my favourite things in the autumn is to have a hot bath early in the morning with the bathroom window wide open. I love the combination of hot steam and very cold snappy air coming in to met it. Really sets you up for the day as my granny used to say!

Right, me next............... I need just over 700 I think.............

The first frost is threatened for next week, according to tonight's weather forecast. Not down in the very south where we are, though; we should have a few weeks left before the groundforst comes first.

Yes, leeks grow throughout the winter and do well for me usually. Nothing like a big plate of leek and potato soup in the winter; we like them as a cooked veg with a strong cheese sauce too. They are planted out in August, and are still going usually in February/March, so they are really useful. I always leave one or two to flower as well - the bees love them when the come back out in the spring.

What on earth is termination dust? Do I want to know? It sounds awful!

Nope, got the cheerio straight away! We will have to compare notes on hubbies' reactions I think!!

My favourite colour (at the moment, but it changes occasionally, much to Mr Lowies' consternation when it comes to decorating) is a very precise shade of duck egg blue with a hint of green in it; it is a very calming colour, light, peaceful and will look wonderful in our bedroom when we finally get around to painting it (no I haven't told him yet, but it WILL be that colour!). Luckily I have a little china pot in the exact colour I want, so I can take that along when we go to buy the paint.

We live only about 8 miles from the "real thing" and see him regularly; I saw hime a few times before we moved up to this part of the county, but as I had absolutely no trouble whatsoever in conceiving, I didn't need to sit on him. Mr Lowie now thinks that two children are just the right amount, so I am definitely not allowed even in the same field as that giant! I would like another four children, but don't suppose that will happen now. Mr Lowie tries to placate me by saying I can get a couple of goats, but it's not quite the same, somehow.........................

Too clever for me - I couldn't think of any to add!

Isn't that amazing! You never can tell how your actions (or inactions) will affect other people.

That's good Dee. I'll show the children that tomorrow, they'll enjoy that. I did manage to read straight through the message, so what they say about the first and last letters must be true, and that you read the word not the individual letters. Must try it out on hubby - I wonder if men and women would react differently? If he cant read it, he'll probably say it's a woman thing. I can't win!

Hahahahahahahaha. Ha. I like those - very clever!

..share lemonade and brownies - sounds alright to me. Anyone else care to join me? I'm off in a minute to bake some shortbread - we have a busload of dgnitories visiting our newly re-furnished village hall this morning, so I'd better change my clothes as well! Hope everyone has a good day - the weather is lovely here - crisp and bright at the moment but will turn hotter later on. See you all later!

Thanks, will do. Although my little angels would probably prefer the frog spawn.................................!!

I had to show some decorum and make it 6 o'clock in the photo - would hate to offend anyone! Joan - the real thing is a huge figure cut into the hillside, about 100ft or so ling. This guy just pictured him on a clock face for a laugh. I think you can also get the giant on t-shirts, etc as well as postcards. To help you get pregnant, you have to actually go out and sit on the appropriate part of the real figure on the hillside. The clock is just a bit of fun, although I think the guy who makes them is the one laughing all the way to the bank, judging by what he charges! Mr Lowie paid, though, so that's alright. I want to hang the clock in our hallway so everyone who comes in can see it. It will go beside my little sampler that says: Dull women have immaculate houses.

I enjoyed that little glimpse into your life there Cat. Shame about the relatives; I suspect most families have them, but you seem to have more than your fair share there, girl! I read today that one good friend can be worth 50 relatives - maybe that is right in a way. I didn't know about the no photographs of people with the Amish, so I've learnt that today.

Many thanks again.

Sarah

Yes, it's wooden, and I'm hoping the colour will mellow a little - it's quite bright just now and can be seen some distance away, I've been told! Mr Lowie put it together, it came as a flat pack. I supervised hahahaha! And held the beers! The rocking chair is still in the kitchen; the shed is now so full of stuff (!) that I'll have to wait until it is sorted out before I move in permanently (me and my clock!)

..............so I made it look like 6 o'clock in the photo!! Can't wait to get the batteries in it!

About three days in total; it's machine pieced, and machine quilted in the ditch around the dark purple borders. It is hand tied with yellow, red and pink embroidery silks at the corners of the main patches. It is actually still too warm at nights to have it on top of the bed, but we will need it soon I think!

Stuff the politically correct - you could put virtually any politician's name in there!!!

I use the Picturetraail site, where you put your picture into your own Picturetrail album. Go to www.Picturetrail.com - all the isntructions are there on how to register, user name, password, etc. At the moment, I am using the introductory account, which lasts for 9 - 11 days. I think you would have to pay for the use of the site after that, but I haven't got that far yet.

This is the way I do mine - there may be other ways, but this works for me:

Save your picture to your hard drive, then you need to put it into a picturetrail album.

1. Go to www.picturetrail.com.

2.Click on member login. Type username, then password, click on login.

3.Click on Upload pics, then click on the Browse button for picture1. Find your picture on your hard drive, double click on it and then click on Upload Pics Now!

4.Choose the album you want to put the pic in from the drop-down list, and click on Move Photo! Type in a title for the pic if you want, then click on Move This Photo to Album.

5.A new screen will appear, go to Main Page in the menu on the left. Click View on the album you have put your pic in.

6.Click on your pic under Gallery on the left, and it will come up full-size on the screen.

7.Right click on the big pic and click on Properties in the drop-down box.

8.With your left mouse button held down, drag to highlight the address (URL)of your pic. Leave your mouse over the highlighted area and right-click, then in the drop-down box, left click on Copy. Then click on OK or Cancel to close the box so you can exit Picturetrail.

Now you can put the pic in a forum.

9. Go to the forum you want your pic in, start a new topic or reply.

10.Type in your message, and then, with the cursor where you want the pic to go in, right click, then in the drop-down box, click on Paste.

11.You shouls then have the picture address (URL) in your message (wherever you had left eh cursor).

12.At the very beginning of the address type in , using square brackets, and don'tleave any spaces between the URL and the brackets.

that should be it. I got these instructions from another Board, and I was able to post my pics there as well. As I said, I find these instructions clear and fairly easy to follow, and they work for me.

Hi Auntmeanie,

Sorry for the delay, but I've just caught up with this one! No other birds, either ducks or chickens have been affected, so it is a one off, thank goodness. I have lost a couple of hens since then, but just through old age; a lot of our hens come to us from other people who get fed up with them, and don't even know how old they are! Having said that, some of them are still going strong and must be nearly six years old! I see them all at least three or four times a day as a rule, so I always keep a close eye on what is going on, and know them so well that I can easily spot if one is out of sorts, and take action then. We have had no disease in the six years we have been here, thank goodness; we only have a few hens and ducks and they are convenient to visit at the top of the garden!

That sounds like a good idea - I will have to try it with ordinary tapioca as we don't get the instant here. Will let you know how it goes. Thanks.

This sounds a good one! I think I saw the film a few years ago, but I may be wrong, and would like to read the book anyway. The mobile library comes tomorrow, so I will either pick it up then or put in a request for it. I will read it anyway, even if it is not chosen for the book circle. Thanks for that one. By the way, my film review book lists the film as a "barren feminist fantasy"...................!

There seems to be a little confusion here! It is not the clock that you sit on - the figure is a giant figure (not sure of exact size, maybe 100ft or so, and he is certainly visible for miles around) actually carved into the chalk hillside. Women who wish to conceive actually go and sit on the giant himself at the appropriate part of the hillside. Every few years a team of volunteers goes and cleans him up to keep his edges white!

If I sat on the clock, there wouldn't be much clock left.............

Hope this clears it up!

Glad you like where I live! Yes that is the church at the top; the building on the very left of the picture is the pub, and in between is the "big house" - the village mansion! It is quite old, and a firm of brewers bought it back in the 1940's for the brewery owners to live in. For their staff, they built two cottages just a bit down the road, one for the cook and one for the groom. I now live in what was the cook's house. My friend lives across the road in what was the gardener's cottage. All very typically English and feudal sounding. Anyone welcome to visit if you want to!