And the award goes to.......................

I was going through the lengthy list of your amazing blogs and thought I would pop by one of my favourites where the sweet Audrey
reigns supreme.

I was shocked, amazed and humbled to find I had won yet another award from her! Please pop by her posts as you are going to get reeled in and smiles sent to your heart! OK, I am getting a bit better at this blogging lark, so here are the rules of this delightful award:


Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:

- Inspire you
- Make you smile and laugh, or maybe give amazing information
- A great read
- Has an amazing design
- Any other reasons you can think of that make them Uber amazing!

The rules of this award are:

- Put the logo on your blog or post.
- Nominate at least 6 blogs
- Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

1. Omi
This blog is fantastic! Check out the illustrations, they are funny and heartwarming!

2.MOB
This Glaswegian lass found me through crystal jigsaws blog (more on that blog in a bit) and boy I'm I glad. If you are looking for laugh out loud posts, this is the place to be!

3. Cindy
I owe Cindy a lot more than awards. I have promised I will write a post in her honour as I have had the joy of receiving the most beautiful enchanting gifts through her beautiful blog all about Halloween! I have taken photographs for all these gifts as I wanted to show you all how much talent this lady has, but blogger wouldn't not let me upload! I will soon though, if it kills me. Go and see her blog just to see her wonderful Halloween radio she made and her beautiful poems. Amazing!

4. Alicia
Because it's your birthday girl! Happy birthday! Also she has beautiful jewelery, go and find some sparkling gems!

5. Crystal Jigsaw
Her dog just had some gorgeous puppies! Go and see her lovely video on her blog of them feeding! I want a puppy! Lovely blog and sometimes has updates on her novel which is coming along rightly and has you hooked!

6. Sarah

Sarah is unwell at the moment and is feeling under the weather. Go and cheer her up and yourself by looking at her wonderful art work and her quilting bee! She has cream cakes some times! Hope you are feeling better soon!

So there you have it! These blogs and many others not mentioned have become the staple diet in my daily life and it makes me feel goooodd! Or as Audrey put it "the noisy neighbour"!

Hope you are all feeling ggoooddd!

I have just be reading my weekly round up of celebrity news (on the web, safe the tree's and all that) and all the troubles celebrities have been getting themselves into.

I was just reading about the latest saga from Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and how could we forget, Lyndsey Lohan, to name but a few, and thought, "My word, how do they get themselves into these sad, if not embarrassing situations?"

Then it hit me. They are all in their twenties. I can only speak from personal experience. I was so messed up in my twenties. Learning things everyday and not taking notice and paying the major price for it.

I am 29 now and believe it or not, I can't wait for my thirties! I look back and I was so depressed, lazy and not appreciating life as I do now. When I say lazy, I certainly wasn't lazy in a sense of not doing anything, I worked three jobs and was in uni full time, but lazy in not doing anything for my happiness. Easily led by silly people I would take one look at now and say "I don't think so!"

I didn't get into major trouble like addictions and the like (apart from smoking far too much) but just making life extremely hard for myself and burning myself out doing thing others wanted me to do and not what I wanted.I am now learning to say, "Actually, I disagree" and not break out into a guilt ridden sweat. I guess what they say is true, life is a learning curve.

Never mind, just glad I can learn from those mistakes now and learn that bit more everyday. (I will probably write ten years later on my blog "Oh my thirties were awful, I was so messed up............................) See you in ten years I hope!

Now, never mind me, was your twenties as exhausting and tear stained as mine? Or was it the best time of your life?

I found a home for the marbles! What do you think?

And here's me thinking I had lost my marbles

Well, after my bargain bonanza, I was in a very busy mood, and spring cleaned the flat, which was desperately needed.It had to be done, the big fellas idea of cleaning is reminding you about it. I went through drawers and through boxes and came across a bag of marbles I had bought ages ago for work, of course forgetting that young toddlers just love putting them things in their mouths and choking on them.

So discarded they were to the back of the cupboard along with the unopened bills and unposted drunken love letters to the actor James Franco. (Don't even start me.) So since I was cleaning everything, I thought I would clean the marbles too to see them in all their colourful glory. I put them in a sieve, run the tap on them, and left them to dry in the sunshine. With all the pretty colours shimmering in the sunshine, a very pretty moth came in to the flat to get a closer look. He (or she, PC friendly post) stayed there quite a while so I thought "now there's a Kodak moment" and thought I would let you meet little pretty moth.

Soon he/she ( I didn't think to ask if it was male or female) flew to the window desperately clambering to escape ( I was also steeping the big fellas socks in the sink, because even the mighty power of washing machine can't get that pong away. That could have been why.)

So after baptising the flat with aromatherapy oils like the exorist screaming, "Jesus, do you never wash your feet?!?" and " Big foots feet don't smell that bad! and " You are suffocating pretty little moth"to the big fella while he sat staring aimlessly at the fish tank/sea world attraction,(well, he is a Pisces) ignoring my snorts and feet stamping, but soon the flat began looking nice and clean.

Now it is the night time and the flat is nearly in a worse state than it was before,(The big fella knocks a lot of stuff over, I don't call him the big fella for nothin) and my aching feet (and voice) are tired and I must let go of my weekend and back to work I go tomorrow.

I had a lovely weekend and I have left the marbles by the open window just in case pretty little moth comes by again. I doubt it though with that smell, he has probably gone to grouches bin in Sesame Street, it is five stars compared to that. Hope you all are well!

This is my kinda shopping!

Look what I got at the local car boot sale! A huge Rose quartz lamp for £2.00, yes £2.00!
A compass for the big fella, in case he gets lost, as trust me, he does,
these beautiful set of oracle cards for 50p! Sweet!
This amazing starfish for a £1.00,
and the lady threw in this large clam shell, as she thought no one would buy it! Hello?!!? Thanks for that one lady, I was about to buy it too! And my bargain of the century is this beautiful, weighs a ton, tiffany lamp for...........................wait for it.............................................. £3.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe it! (but you can bet I didn't ask twice!) Bargain! I got there at 10.00am and was back home after dragging all my treasure home at 11.00am! I was partied out by that point, and considering we are going through a sticky heatwave too, I think I did pretty good! I think I must have lost a stone in weight with all the sweating, huffing and puffing! I am happy though, I am just wondering where I am going to put it all! Hope you are all well!

Oh, my laptop got a makeover!

In my last post I showed you what accommodation looked like, when we went for a weekend away.Apparently, judging by the this picture we got the honeymoon suite.



Some buttercups!


Big old oak tree!

(Can you tell I have not posted pictures in a looonnng time, just random!)

Well, thanks to all the lovely comments and suggestions about fox fire, I bit the bullet and went for it! Oh my, it does make my computer look gooood! Sort of like Pimp my laptop!

It still takes ages for my photos to upload, but at least I know they are actually doing it, and I can read all your blogs and they are not blocking me! To be honest, when it first started happening, I thought people were deleting me from follower lists and I thought, "Oh god, what have I done now?" I was relieved to know that this seems to be a common theme amongst others, and everybody said Go foxfire! So I did, (God knows how I didn't mess that one up! I did something like that before and deleted the actual start up for the computer! Also it was someone else's computer, which was a shame! Why did they ask me anyway? They obviously never read my blog.)



I can upload again, just not very well, and the pictures above are random snippets from wales, but due to the hangover achieved from the night before, did not get too many shots, it hurt my ears to even lift a camera. All better now though and can't wait to get back into the swing of blogging! Here goes nothing! Hope you are all well!

I am able to upload, surprise, surprise

Went away for a much needed weekend away to Wales with the big fella. We thought we were staying the night in this beautiful country farmhouse.........................................................................



But we where brought through the house, out the back, to be greeted with this. Thank God we brought alcohol.

So as you can see, blogger is letting me upload again, (after a twenty minute wait of course.) But of course, I can not seem to be able to read any of your blogs! Every time I go to each one, it takes me out again, saying connection failed! I swear, it's not my fault! I hope to fix this situation very soon as I would much rather read your blogs than post pictures like these. But as I said I feel the pictures say a million words. I only wish someone took a picture of my face, because that would have said it all. Hope you are all well, sorry I haven't been in touch! Blogger will be the end of me!

Can you get arrested for assaulting a computer?

OK. peeved. is.the.word.to.describe.me.right.now. (Hear we go again.)
I wanted to wish you all a lovely Summer Solstice through a celebration of photographs to tell the story, so to speak, set the scene shall we say. Unfortunately I have just come back from a very eventful weekend and I wanted, through the power of technology, to tell you the story though these photographs, which trust me, speak a million words. In fact no words are needed at all. But when I spend two hours, yes, two hours, trying to upload pictures, patience is growing thinner than a thread. I have tried one at a time, all at once, small, medium, large, writing and then uploading image, not writing and uploading images, turning round three times for luck and reciting three renditions of the Hail Mary.(Which I can't believe I still remember)
Get after twenty two minutes and 44 seconds approximately ( Yes, I timed it. I had already cleaned the kitchen, did dishes and matched up odd socks, hoping the big fella does not put his glasses on before putting his socks on. I had nothing else to do.)
I have started to write drivel and I am sure I am losing readers in droves. If your anything like me, I love to read a book with pictures in it. Also it's a lot less stressful when posting. Ahh well, all in all though I had a lovely Summer Solstice, it's just a pity I couldn't show you. Drivel city here we come. Happy Summer Solstice and I hope you are all feeling good! I am away now to get some smelling salts for I feel faint with defeat.

Well, it's been a bit of a mad week so far. It all started on Friday night. I had been invited (forced) to go to a colleagues 21st birthday party. To be honest I don't like going to work dos, ( in my younger (other) life, when anybody asked me for the gossip the Monday after the staff do, let's just say they were looking at her.

But now I am just an old fart, who moans about having to go out, yet gurns like a baby when no body invites her because of it. Another reason is bitchiness. There, I said it. ( I actually feel like a bitch writing this, but this is not bitchiness, it's gossip. They don't know you and you don't know them. Let on your reading the national enquirer.)

I was sitting there (bit bored) and decided to excuse myself to the ladies. While getting comfortable so to speak, I couldn't help overhearing a conversation between two people, bitching about somebody. As I sat there (sorry for any unexplained graphic images) I thought to myself, " God, imagine if that was ME they were talking about. (can you tell where I'm going here?) I sooo realised, yep it was me. To be honest I was so busy thinking about what it would feel like if it where me, I didn't realise they where talking about me!

I prayed that they would leave the toilets, I was a bit embarrassed to say the least. It wasn't that bad what they said, it was just the fact I heard it. Awkward. Nobody likes to be talked about. My head was pounding with shame. Of course, the two girls in question stayed by the basin, chatting away, while I sweated until I had no choice but to come out. I just said "hiya girls, you having a good night?" Their faces, priceless. I wish I could write, "I shot out of them cubicles faster than a whippet and give them girls a good dressing down and give them my best Claire Stare for effect as I stumped through the door."
(hopefully pulling up my pants first.)

Then amongst other things that happened that I would need to start a new blog, last night I put on some dinner for me and the big fella (baked potatoes if you must know) and half an hour later when I was supposed to be cleaning the kitchen floor and reading your blogs instead, the oven blew up! Like, door smashing to smerthings (how do you spell that word?) all over the you got it, kitchen floor! So basically your blogs (and my laziness) saved my life! Any way, Big fella got home and first thing he said was, so what did you make for dinner instead?" ("might of been my dead body, if it were not for my awarding winning blog!" (I like to throw in the award bit when I'm stressed.)

I was not amused. I'll be honest with you, I shit myself when it happened. I was fragile. I am from Belfast. The last thing I want to here is any form of explosions. But trust me it gets worse. After spending an hour, yes an hour watching the big fella clearing up glass and potato peel from the oven/shelves/ceiling (he deserved that one) he put it all in huge container, heaved it to me and asked me to take it downstairs to the bin. (on purpose you say? Surely not. Mmmm) I would have until I lost my grip and I poured shards of tiny glass all over the carpet. Before he could throttle me, I ran to the hoover thing and furiously began er hoovering. It was making really loud noises which was good, because I can't stand moaning man, when all of a sudden....................................it stopped working. You don't think me hoovering up glass would have anything to do with it, do you? So, to sum up, we are having salad until remedy is found, start using a broom (personally, my favourite) and we will never ask anyone to ever take their shoes off when entering the flat for fear of death by excessive bleeding. Hope you are all well!

This is mine

Hello I am back. Somehow this blog makes me feel like I have had a productive day, (let's set the scene.I could go tidy up the bedroom before some one will think you have been robbed, or go to blog page and read comments, shake my head, nod my head, go tsk, tsk, a lot and laugh out loud a lot, while reading your blog posts. Least I wont get robbed, You can't even open the front door for rubbish. I just read a comment from my last post in which the lovely Joyce at http://octoberfarm.blogspot.com ( I hope) where she felt her blog "was mine"(er, hers) when commenting on the last piece of drivel I had written(thank you!). I wrote about my dinner in it for gawd sake! So to recap tonight:

Just had a big bowl of mashed potatoes. Do I count calories, hell no. That's next years resolution. Of course the girls in work constantly read the label of my cream cake I like to spoil my self with occasionally two or three times a week and say, "a moment on the lips, forever on the hips", while they crunch furiously on a celery stick.I know who I'd rather be, but I am obviously insanely jealous.


"Back to Joyce, woman!" I hear you cry. So she was talking about how her blog is hers and it is precious to her and I feel the same as I am sure you do. But if someone had of told me when I was fourteen I would be locked to my computer writing about myself!?! ( and that I had a boyfriend) I would laughed. But yet I have come to find it an essential tool, especially if you are living with a partner. A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets, (did you like that one, I got it from the movie Titanic) and nothing is mine anymore! Let me give you an example:

I love the idea of a herb kitchen. So I sorta got one. (Stuffed pots on a window sill and hoped for the best). I was amazed to find they thrived. (For me, this is a miracle. I might start up a new blog entitled Plant of the week, before it dies.) So I did some research on how to care for them, (not die) and found that some people swear by dirty fish water. Me being the lady that I am, thought aye aye, I get some pets as well. I will get a lovely big glass bowl, have one goldfish and use the water for my plants. (by the why in case your wondering, I don't eat the herbs, but I just didn't tell the big fella how we have monster jungle growing up the windows. Remember, a woman's heart............

This did not go to plan. I told the big fella, fatal mistake right there, because now we have a aquarium the size of sea world, with some fish you wouldn't know where it's tail ended and head began, and every time I open the lid, some of them jump out of the water! Christ on a bike! I can take pee being shot at me at all directions at nappy change, but these are weird slimy fish! No chance of getting water out of that baby. Also it makes the flat look like backstage at Woodstock with all the bloody temperature/ filters/ wiring, plugs and shark cages.

So what's the moral of this tale? I am keeping my blog in my deep ocean of secrets! Pirate bloggers unite! Arrah, harrah me hearties! Now how can we capture Johnny Depp to play Jack Sparrow?He can look after the fish. Oh God, I have got to tidy this place. I think it's all the humming from the sea world attraction making me go funny.

Shhh, don't tell them.

QUICK POST! I couldn't resist! I have so much thank yous, and big ups to give out (Big ups, haha, i'm cracking up myself) on this little ole blog of mine, it will have to be a weekender. (As I write this, I haven't done sod all since I ate a giant bowl of pasta, about fours hours ago so, I will just ruin the self illusion that I didn't have time, I am just a lazy(greedy) git.) But I wanted to tell you this: Nobody knows about my blog. (GASP!) Not my friends, my family, just the big fella, but he doesn't remember anything I say after a period of around five minutes, which is great when I need money.

I am on facebook. I have not logged in for six months in fear that someone I really don't want to speak to will be online or worse, add me as a friend. I feel terrible having the dilemma of (certainly not rejecting, that would be two faced) of adding them as a friend, knowing full well if I really wanted to speak to them, I would have found them first? Not all of them of course, I love keeping in touch with people I have met and have fond memories of. But what about the people you would rather forget? It's like getting into the ocean knowing a great white shark could be in these waters!! (Sorry, just bought Jaws 1, 2, 3 , and 4 The Revenge DVD box set. In case your asking, it's down hill after two.)

But no one I know, knows about blogging. (Trust me, I work with a 15 strong ratio of women aged 18 - 23. I know all there is to know about how to become a Hanna Montana fan on facebook, bebo, the works. But nowt about blogging. Sorry Hanna.) If they don't know, I know something they don't know. If you know what I mean.

That makes me and us hip! I like that air of mystery that only I know. I recently made the near fatal mistake of blurting out to one of my friends that I have a blog, I won an award, so it was a award winning blog! ( I couldn't help it, I was so excited!) Luckily, she just looked at me and said, "You are so Random! So Kooky!" and starting asking me if the beige carpet goes with the beige curtains which compliment the champagne walls? Crisis averted.

I like the fact that this is my little getaway and my little haven, so thanks everyone and I really love reading your posts! Hope you are all happy and well!

I found some time! ( I am such a liar, I have it, I just do not use it effectively. Lair, lair, pants on fire! There! That told me!) Any road, the time has come to in visualise myself on 60 minutes (make that thirty) cause it's interview time! ( By the way, if it was in movie land, I would like Angelina Jolie to play me, stop snickering!)Don't go to another blog yet, here me out. Trust me, you will forget all this soon.

The lovely Rose at http://livingonthewiccyside.blogspot.com/ did some intense research on my blog,( God love her) so intense that as I read the questions I thought, " How the hell does she know all this? She truly is a witch!" Until I actually dredged through my blog and saw what I had written about. Some crap amongst it, I must be boring beyond believe. Ah well, ignorance is bliss........... until now. Let me bore you just that little bit more.

1) When you first set up your blog you didn't post frequently. What happened to make you change the way you use your blog?

See above paragraph. To be honest, I had never heard of it in my life, and I was searching for activities to do with children in work, and I delved deep into google search, beyond the horizon, page 11! Yes, 11! I know, I am thinking the same "is there nothing this woman can't do?" or from another point of view " Jesus, she really is a bore!"

Back to point. I came across http://myinspiredheart.blogspot.com/ by a lovely lady called Sandra, who is homeschooling her children with amazing activities. The reason I totally loved it? Is because the lady was from America and her posts and pictures were beautiful and reminded me of my childhood. I have been really lucky to have aunt live there and I lived with her a few times. ( Let's just say I could write a book on my own childhood). So, when times got really, really scary, I was sent to live with her. I loved it! She lived in the beautiful garden state, New Jersey in the country in a house with the next neighbours miles away. I have amazing, fond times of amazing people and wondrous places, such as a 24hour Christmas warehouse open everyday of the year! Mind boggling for a seven year old girl from wee place in Belfast which had, a pub, a shop, which was inside the pub and the army standing at the corner! I plan to live in the US some day.

So you could say, my memories where restored by her posts and photos and I was hooked. Unfortunately, all I did was work, work, work and I had nothing to write about. So that's why I didn't really write much stuff, instead content to be a noisy git into other people's lives. Until everything changed and a) I moved to my flat and b) I GOT A FOLLOWER! Oh my God, even remembering the feeling makes me giddy and a wee bit embarrassed. Then I moved and I wanted everyone to know about it! But reading other blogs give me courage and inspiration in buckets loads and I realise I actually want to know how these people are so I followed and got followed back and it's a lovely little community and I love it!

2) What advice would you give to someone moving in with their partner for the first time?

Don't. I'm kidding! To be honest, I wasn't too hot on the idea to start with. I was quite happy sharing a house with my wee mate and having a good ole girly time! But, my friend just got her house redone, I want her to enjoy it, and the big fella was staying in my room almost every night, and we sort of needed our own space if you know what I mean. I was heart broken on leaving my friend, but we have some brilliant funny memories and we meet up all the time!

Boys are messy, and more often think that we will do everything for them. (Don't worry, he's trained now. I just gave him the ole "Claire stare" a couple of times, did the trick.) My advice is to think clearly about how that person lives before you move in. If their room is messy, the house is gonna be messy, unless you clean it. That sorta thing. Such as, I knew the big fella was bringing a electric bass guitar, but luckily I also knew how to dislodge the fuse from the plug of that guitar and hide it.

Another classic is when you feel like you have done the cooking one too many times, burn it once or twice, (eat beforehand. Think with the head, feet are for dancing.)
He will declare that I can't cook, ( for those in the know, merguine anyone?) Then proceed to make it himself, perfect for blogging time. How do you think I am writing all this? Smells good!
So as you can see, it's not all bad.


3) What is the funniest or most bizarre thing a child in your care has said to you that is repeatable?

This is the part where I thought Rose had amazing physic insight into my life! I thought I didn't write anything about work. I will tell you why. I started of this blog in the mind of passing on activities to do with children form 0 -5 years old.

But I realised, that is a huge part of my life, and constant thoughts of child protection, child abuse and poverty as I work in a hugely deprived area, I needed a outlet. I am always thinking of ways to improve the quality of life for these children and their families. That can become soul destroying, and I needed to remember to look after myself as well, and this as helped tons! Perspective I think is the word I am looking for.

( At this point, someone will pass me some tissues and someone in the audience will run over and hug me with a huge bunch of flowers. Remember, I am on 60/30 minutes and I am Angelina Jolie. Stop laughing!)
Sometimes I fell like that doctor guy out of scrubs who always daydreams. Hehe, that a funny show!

Once again, back to point. There is nothing I love more than having a conversation with a three old. Kids are funny! This young chap was sitting on my knee at circle time, where about 100 people were in the room watching and was also being televised for Liverpool's 800th birthday. ( Can you see where this is going? I am going purple thinking about it)
We where talking about his pet dog or something when he stared at my chest and said, "my what are those? " and started giggling uncontrollably.Into the microphone. I was laughing as well until he repeated it, and repeated it, in a screaming laugh apparently pointing a my knockers. I wouldn't know, I had passed out with shame at that point. My boobs are massive. I'm not showing off about this. This is what happens when the kid looks lopsided sitting on my knee because them.

4) I want to know about you and mermaids...........why mermaids? What got you started on them? What is your favourite mermaid procession or book?

Ahh, my mermaid pictures! I had a set of little books called the lady bird collection of fables and children's literature and I loved The little mermaid, especially the drawings in them. My dad used to take me swimming every Saturday and I was in love with the water and wanted to be a mermaid. Everything was so calm under the water. Solitude. I was very lucky my dad taught us how to swim from year dot. Ever since then, anything to do with mermaids, I was on it. I starting drawing them one day after seeing a beautiful piece of artwork in a shop window and wanted it for myself. Short from stealing it, I decided I would have to make my own, so I did. I love drawing them, but I am not very good at it.

5) What is your favourite aromatherapy oil and why?

It's an old ciche, but it depends on my mood! But my sooper dooper favourite oil has to be geranium. It's just wonderful in a oil burner and it smells divine. It counteracts depression and lifts the spirits. Self explanatory really and loverly smell to boot! ( Round of a applause for Audrey from the audience please!)

So that's the interview over! Thank you to my interviewer Rose, who had provided these insightful questions! I will cancel the next months therapy sessions. In the next epidsode, Claire will talk about how amazing Cindy at http://idreamofhalloween.blogspot.com/ really is and how to keep man from getting out of laudry duties! Thank you, you have been a great audience, You stay classy.

(Fade to black)

Well, I have been getting my knickers in twist the past couple of weeks and I wasn't sure how much longer the big fella could take the constant whining and groaning and if I am honest, My best impression of a right ole sour face. (God knows I'm doing it, but sometimes I think he deserves it?)

But I digress. I was going through my blog list, seeing how you all are, you know, when I came across the lovely Audrey and saw that she had won an award. I was not at all surprised, but as always wanted to congratulate her as this lady truly deserves each one. I read her beautiful introduction that always has you struck by the pull of wanting to know where it would lead to, and the beautiful award she had received about building bridges, hence the title,and she had dedicating it to bloggers she felt were part of this bridge building process, and I was shocked startled and amazed that one was me! I will spread this beautiful award around like wild fire, but for now I am basking in my happy glow!

Audrey's blog is heart on your sleeve, word weaving and clarity throughout. I am now ashamed of the way I have been behaving, punishing people because of my bleakness. It would seem I am always moaning about something instead of doing something about it, and Audrey has giving me courage and a kick up the jacksy, and as the big fella would say "have a word with yourself". Please read her post on the award as she tells it all so much better than I do. (you are lucky you are even reading this, the way I am, Audrey will explain all.) So Audrey, I truly thank you, and I can see the moon blooming through my window, and will wish on her for you tonight.