For The Love Of Poodles!

    Yesterday I travelled over to meet my sister and we went to see my Dad as he had a doctor's appointment which showed everything is still improving. After the appointment we took my dad shopping. It is very hard to watch how much the stroke has affected his mobility but it is improving so we have to stay as upbeat as possible about it all. I'm really getting to find my way around Marks and Spencer food now. We rarely buy food from Marks and Spencer as it is expensive but one thing that has really struck me about this store near my Dad is how much they reduce the food after about 4pm. I had to travel home on the train so couldn't buy too much but I got two delicious looking stuffed peppers for 70p and an enormous tray baked chocolate cake that was £6.50 reduced to £1.50. They will be past their sell by dates when we are still eating them but that never bothers us as long as the food looks fine.
  One thing I have noticed a lot where my Dad lives is how many beautiful little poodle mix dogs there are. It's strange how dogs come in fashions and dog ownership has changed. In the 1960s I remember that dogs were all called names like Whisky, Brandy, Rex and even Rover. Non of the gender specific dog names of today. Dogs often wandered about all day and then returned home to their owners in the evening. I don't think dog wardens existed and the lack of traffic on the roads mean't that they were relatively safe to wander. Our little poodle Whisky however was far to precious to us to allow her to wander about. She was the original pampered pooch.
    In the 1960s poodles were everywhere! There were poodle ornaments, poodle china, poodle toys, plastic poodles and even poodle headscarves. All clipped in different cuts, there was a poodle parlours in every town. Whisky was as pretty as a poodle could possibly be with her little "lion cut". I was so proud as a child walking her about. She would go on all our holidays with us at a time when dogs were allowed to go in so many more places than now. Every holiday snap has her little face looking up at the camera. I took this photo with a little Box Brownie camera that used to belong to my Mum. We were on holiday in Devon at the time, obviously with not a single car on the road.

     Now all these years later I can't help but stop and talk to poodle owners when I'm out and about. These days pedigree poodles are not nearly as common as they were, they all seem to be poodle crosses ending in oodle or poo. I'd love another poodle one day but in the meantime I make do with poodle collectables from the 1960s. I bought this poodle print in the local charity saleroom. It reminded me so much of Whisky.

I couldn't resist this kitsch poodle ornament I found at a car boot sale. Any poodle lover out there would just love to own this! 

  Dogs certainly don't wander about now, which of course is much better and safer but around us the in thing is "doggy day care" ! I'm not sure if this is progress or not!

   It's a lovely sunny day here and Tom is off work. We have lots to get on with as I have planned a move around in the house. I love a good furniture move almost as good as a house move but without the stress. I hope everyone has a lovely day what ever you are doing. xx

Family Coincidences

It was a lovely sunny start to the day yesterday. Scarlett came over at 7 and it's so lovely now that she can tell me little things that have happened to her during the previous week. As the weather forecast said it was going to cloud over later, after breakfast we wrapped up and walked down to the ponds to feed the birds. It was very cold first thing and really felt like autumn was well and truly here.

  We cut through the cemetery on the way home, which was beautiful in the autumn colours. If there is another day of bright sunshine I think I may go back to take more photos before winter arrives.

   I have been tracing my family tree, but in the last few years because of lack of time it had ground to a halt a bit, until recent months. One of the most coincidental things I have found out is that my 4x Great Grandmother Judith was born in 1791 in the village we live in now. She was baptised in the church I walk past almost every day. The village now forms part of a London borough but in those days it must have been tiny. By 1812 at 20 years old Judith was an unmarried mother applying for relief from the parish and naming a local man Nicholas Mustilsillan as the father of her child. Now there's an alias if ever I heard one! The next reference I can find is 9 years later having left her young daughter in the care of her brother and his wife, she married a naval officer in South Africa who came from a very well to do family. How on earth did that happen? It is definitely her as in an obituary in a newspaper in Simonstown dated 1831 there is a reference to where she was born. 

   One of her sons settled in Liverpool many years later which is where my family are from. I doubt I will ever know what happened in those 9 years to cause her to travel to South Africa, but the other fact that has come to light in my research is that her grandparents, my 6x Great Grandparents are buried somewhere in this graveyard I cut through with Scarlett. I always found this a beautiful peaceful place and sometimes I wonder now if that is why. 

   I think it's going to be cloudy here today but hopefully no rain. I hope everyone has a lovely day what ever you are doing. xx

Retirement, Pensions And Happiness

 I had a brilliant time on Saturday night with my old school friends out on the South Bank. We talked and laughed non stop for hours. Reminiscing, talking about what we are doing, talking about families. We didn't stop. One thing that we talked about a lot was out plans for retirement which is fast approaching. We all have taken very different career paths and some of the group are much better off financially than others. I have never, ever bothered about whether people have more money than me. I am very happy with my lot in life so I don't care. The wealthiest most "successful" man there, who works in banking, was horrified at some of our retirement plans. I'm not retiring until I'm 65 he said "Can't afford to I've got too many outgoings and need to earn more for my pension pot." He looked pale, grey and old. I felt sad for him remembering the fun, bright youngster at school. He was advising some of the other men on ways to invest money for the best possible income. I could catch bits of the conversation "risky but high returns" kept cropping up. I felt like saying "Are you mad?".but felt it was far to rude to say to someone I only see a couple of times a year.
  At the end of the night, one of the men, who is probably one of the most cheerful people you could meet, and I caught the train home together as we live close by. He was full of his family, his grandson, his life and how happy he is. He told me he kept quiet in the pension conversation as he doesn't have a private pension. He laughed, as long as I pay off  my mortgage and I have my family I will be happy. Some people may think I have done things wrong but never mind. I looked at him and thought how could anyone think he has done things wrong.
  I know we all need to be able to survive, and poverty in old age is no fun, but will all that extra money above what we need to live realatively comfortably really bring that much more happiness? I suppose time will tell!
  It was a really lovely day yesterday and I took Tess to the park to clear my head after such a late night. It was a beautiful autumn day and I thought no amount of money could buy this sort of day.

   I know lots of people may disagree with me but sometimes I think it's easy to be always striving for happiness in the future and not noticing it when it is right there every day. I hope everyone has a lovely day with a bit of brightness in it. xx

Woolworth's Photo Booths - The Selfies Of The 1970s

 In all the photos I have in my old albums the ones that make me smile almost the most are ones from photo booths. There has been so much in the news about the way young people are always taking selfies. According to some people they are a sign of self obsession, vanity and even that they have nothing better to do with their lives. Poor teenagers all they are doing is trying to fit in with other young people as young people always have. I think the main problem lies with older people who have forgotten what it was like to be young. In the 1970s we had our own selfies, they were called the Woolworth's photo booth! 

  On Saturday mornings we would often head off to Woolworths in Epsom and have our photo taken. It was nearly always with a friend and we would share out the photos. 50p for a lifetime of memories! Some days there would be lots of us and we would jump in and out of the booth in the few seconds between flashes to change places. It would be the cause of much hysterical laughter and loud tutting from older people shopping in Woolies at the time. This is me and my friend Janet in 1974.

   We even had them taken on days out at the coast. Never mind photos on the beach at Brighton or Littlehampton we would head to the local Woolworths for memories of the day!

   I remember this colour photo so clearly. We had heard there was a brand new colour photo booth opened in Woolworths in Croydon. We set off on the old 470 London Country route to West Croydon which took about an hour, just to get our photos taken. I still have this precious photo although being at the back I'm not quite sure if it was worth the long journey!

  

 This final photo I have, I remember having taken to send to my new penpal and I eagerly awaited her photo in return. Much more fun than facebook! I remember I had got my hair cut and really wanted to look like Suzi Quatro. 

  So I say to young people, enjoy your selfies. One day in the future your descendants will be saying "Wasn't Great Granny lovely." Enjoy the moment in history.

   I'm off later today to meet my old school friends for an evening out no doubt for a bit more nostalgia about the 1970s. So if you're up near the Thames tonight and you see a group of 60 year olds (nearly!) acting like a crowd of 1970s teenagers that will be us. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Back blogging Monday, xx

How Could I Have Made Such A Mistake?

 The weather yesterday was dreadful. Heavy rain, thunder, I didn't feel like going out at all. I only found time to have one cup of coffee all morning and was feeling very thirsty as I left straight after a quick sandwich for a very early lunch. I'll have a cup of tea as soon as I get to my Dads I thought. When I was waiting at the station I had a chat with the man who works there. We always have a little joke and he gives me a countdown to how long it is until he retires!
  We didn't have time for a cup of tea when I got to my Dad's so decided we would have one when we came back. The appointment dragged on and on. We were all worn out waiting around all afternoon. The stroke nurse was so lovely, thorough and kind. she was very pleased with my Dad who is making good progress. As it was nearing five when my sister and I dropped my Dad off there was no time for a drink again. Oh well, I'll be home soon I thought as I rushed for my train, very pleased I had managed to catch the train to London Bridge which goes directly to my station so no changing or running about.
  To my horror I went straight through my station. Never mind I thought I'll get off at Croydon and come back. Straight through Croydon. It was only then I studied the little message going round and round on the roof of the carriage. "This train stops at London Bridge only". I nearly cried at the thought of the long journey I had into London in the rush hour and then the journey all the way back when I was so tired and thirsty! It was awful. It took all my determination to think to myself I can do one of two things, cry all the way into London, or accept what has happened and make the best of it. I chose the latter but I was very nervous an inspector would get on the train and want to know why I was gallivanting around the capital with a £4.90 ticket. I took this photo to try and brighten my spirits. Sunset over Anerley. Wherever Anerley may be!

 At London Bridge, which was packed, I got off the train to see how to get back home. I realised it was on the train I had just got off, which looked as if a crowd from a football match had emptied onto it. I had to stand all the way home. By the time I got off the train after 7pm, as parched as a crisp, it felt like a week since I had chatted to the man who worked on the platform. I had missed saying goodbye to youngest daughter going away for the weekend and I was totally miserable.
  A bit later though, after Tom had kindly made my evening meal and I had drunk a few cups of tea, I started to feel a bit better. Typical of us we laughed and laughed. It all seemed so funny when I was sitting in our cosy little living room. How could I have made such a mistake? I managed to catch the one fast London Bridge train of the day. I have got the journey to do again today but this time I'm going to be a bit more careful.
  I hope everyone has a fantastic day today with no mishaps. xx

Remembering Summer And Preparing For Wildlife In Winter

  I had quite a few plans yesterday but youngest daughter is going away for the weekend to stay in an Airbnb with friends at the ExCel Centre in London and it was hair dying day which I was roped into, to help. You could not believe how long it takes. First there is the blonde bleach which has to be done twice as we always seem to miss a bit first time. Then it is what ever colour she is using. This time she is going pink, and that has to be done twice too and as her hair is long it seems to take hours. By the evening my hands were sore with being in and out of water all day, but she looks beautiful and bright so it was all worth it.
  In between the hair dying I thought I would tidy up the very end of the garden. It is the part that tends to be a bit neglected as we can't see it from the house. Last year I made it a little wildlife garden and made a small wildlife pond. The end of the garden is ankle deep in leaves at the moment and they have all fallen in the pond so I decided seeing my hands had been in water all day anyway I may as well clean that out. I loved it this year it was so peaceful and pretty up there sitting by our aviary. I take up a cup of coffee and sit and watch the birds.

  I doubt our little wildlife pond is  big enough to entice frogs and toads but at least it is a water supply for passing mammals and birds. I have planted a hawthorn  hedge, a butterfly bush and other bee friendly plants. I’m hoping it will pay off and all kinds of wildlife will visit. In my quest to use as many recycled items in the garden as possible I have used an old jam pan to make the pond. The wooden and metal chairs were bought at a charity sale for £5 each.

  The stones we have put around the pond were all dug up in our garden. Our house was built in 1908 on what had been a very old farm. When I looked on an old map of the area exactly where our house was farm buildings had stood and our road follows the line of the farm track.  Parts of the old walls of the farm buildings are still all around the garden. Whenever I dig up a piece I use it and display it. Comparing them to old walls on other local buildings I think they date back to the 18th century at least.

It looks much tidier up there now all the leaves have been swept up but not nearly as pretty as in the summer. I felt quite sad thinking there will be no sitting up there enjoying a cup of tea and a sandwich for months now, but at least with the bird feeders up there too it should be a little haven for the wildlife this winter.

   I have put together a video of the summer flowers that were in our garden, my Dad's garden and out and about this summer. When I'm feeling fed up with the cold wet weather I'll watch it and look forward to the summer flowers of next year. I hope you enjoy it.

 My Dad's appointment with the physiotherapist went very well yesterday and today we are taking him to see the specialist stroke nurse at her clinic. Good old NHS they are really looking after him well. Have a brilliant day what ever you are doing. xx

A Changing Street

  It was a lovely bright day yesterday even though I seemed to spend most of it running around. While we were over visiting my Dad my sister and I went to do some shopping for him as he hasn't been out yet since coming out of hospital. A few years ago a Marks and Spencer's was built in Ashtead which has been very useful for my Dad as they have a big selection of ready meals which are perfect for him.
  It has seemed strange spending so much time around the shops in the last week in the street that was my little area as a child. My sister and I would cycle up to the shops when we were very young and pop into the sweet shop or the newsagent to buy a comic. There was a little shop at the top of The Street called Nova that sold stationary and toys. We would go in to spend our pocket money and I can still remember the smell to this day. It felt so safe, there were no real restrictions for us as children or that is how it seemed.

Ashtead Street 1960s

   Marks and Spencer stands now where the petrol station is on the right but the biggest change is the traffic, it is so much busier along this road now and in the rush hour big lorry's are queueing to get onto the M25 just down the road. It certainly wouldn't be safe for young chilldren to cycle on now. I remember we protested and protested about the M25 in the 1970s but it made no difference. It was still built right across our school playing fields. Every time we drive onto the motorway I look down at the traffic and picture us lying on the hockey pitches on a sunny day listening to our little transistor radios. That's progress I suppose.
  I took this video just after Marks and Spencer opened as I wanted a record of how it had all changed. Maybe one day people will look at this and say wasn't it quiet.

My Dad was in fairly good spirits yesterday as the physiotherapist is coming today to assess how steady he is to get out and about again. Although he is concernend how forgetful he is after the stroke, there was a funny moment when we were all trying to remember something that happened and he said "Who's had the stroke here?" Oh dear, I am really going to have to work on some strategies to help my memory as I get older. 

  I have a day at home today so lots to catch up with. I hope everyone has a lovely day what ever you are doing. xx