🦞🦂 Lobstars 🌟 still shining bright 🦞🦂

Cherry lovely to see you posting.
Grandmafrench sorry about your friend. Hope you have memories of happy times together
Grammaretto you are quite right the hospice gave us a peaceful and beautiful place to be with Dh in his last few days and I will forever be grateful for that. I’ve been there today to see his name in the book of remembrance.
I go there at least once a week to spend time there with my memories.
Been a bit tearful tonight but we did have a lovely life together so mustn’t forget that.
Sorry I’m not writing much my left hand is aching with overuse. It’s not used to doing all the hard work.
Iam reading though.
Just off to look at that video now Notspaghetti.
Love and hugs to all you lovely people

Anyone with Welsh heritage will celebrate the legendary Twm Siôn Cati today. A poet, philanthopist, he became a Magistrate for the Brecon area.
A little inaccurately described as the equivalent of Robin Hood, there is some evidence to believe he really did help the poor.

And from the sublime to the ridiculous:
When I was 15, my mother employed a professional corsetiere to come to the house and measure me for a bespoke, full foundation garment. It was duly made and had a front zip from crotch to bust.
Far from turning me into the thin and shapely girl which I suppose was the object, it was not only vastly uncomfortale and restricting, but when I sat down, the zip bowed outwards, making me look like Mr Pickwick.

Kaimoanayou never fail to come up with an interesting story.
I can only imagine what such a garment looked like. It sounds most uncomfortable 🤣

Kaimoana what a disaster!
I really shouldn't laugh!
🤭

NotS Oh no, it was a complete triumph because it taught my Mum (who paid a LOT for the corset) to simply let me be myself and not try to make me into some idea of hers impossible to achieve. At least it was the beginnings of acceptance, so no disaster at all.

Go ahead, laugh - why do you think I include these funny stories??
Given time, almost everything in life is funny (or it is to me).

I'm popping in to own up that I didn't go to be 'eyed up' ( measured) in the end. I had a small investigative procedure done on Wednesday and thought the better of taking a train trip the following day.

*Just as well I did because Thursday afternoon saw me taking
'the dress' to the seamstress and Oh boy did she manhandle the 'bad boys' into a position they haven't been since I was 15....and no bra will be needed...oxygen may well be.*

Kaimoana I yearned for your happy feet after standing for half an hour in the wedding shoes who will shortly be going back whence they came ie the charity shop. They are brand new and I swear they did actually fit when I originally tried them on...but on Thursday I looked like Miss Piggy ...and walked like her too. So the hunt for new shoes with exactly the same size heel is now on.

Doodle...I hope today is a little happier for you...I am so glad you can look back and say you had a wonderful life together. I'm sure you feel his presence chose to you and may that always continue...love never dies.

Naughtyneine not sure what your feet are like but mine are lumpy and bumpy, (so pretty much like the rest of me then!)... I wore "Sole Bliss" to my son's wedding and found them to be comfy.

You do need a mortgage to buy them but could try some for fit/size and see what you think.
Lots of "Worn Once" on Vinted/Ebay etc if you don't mind that.

Hope your breasts stay in position and that you survive the excitement of your 15 year old figure!
Gosh! I'd never achieve mine!

Naughtyneine your dress sounds amazing . Just hope you manage to stay in it for the ceremony.!
nitspaghetti Oh dear, shoes! My feet hate them. Anything remotely stylish and they start screaming before I put them on. As for anything with a heel. That’s a strict no no.
Grammaretto any news on the house sale? You’ll miss your helper. Anyone else coming soon?
Kaimoana. Love your stories. They always cheer me up.
Tomorrow our sons are going with me to the hospice. We’re going to spend some time there remembering DH. It will be good to have them with me

Lots of house things for me and a picnic on the beach listening to some singing and occasionally joining in in celebration of a wonderful woman who died 6 months ago. Her friends had organised it all including an exhibition of her knitting in a nearby church hall.

I was warned to bring a chair so was comfortable.
It was unbelievably hot.

All this talk of undergarments reminds me of the dreadful outfit I wore to DD's wedding. It was v uncomfortable squeezing myself into some tummy crushing pants.
The shoes weren't much better.
I gave the outfit away but the shoes, which look fine, but are painful for me, are somehow still in my cupboard.
Perhaps I should put them on vinted?
Can I tempt you NN?

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Nothing funny in this post unfortunately.
Some of you will remember the Viet-namese war of the 70's. During that time, refugees poured into the UK and volunteers were desperately needed. I was one and had 10 families (42 people) in my care.
I'd just had a baby and with no vehicles, walked from home to home with the baby in a sling. He was, of course, very popular and one family had a daughter much the same age.
She had been born at sea, her family were 'boat people' so she was called Stop the Waves'

The mother of this family Tuyet Van, was born the same year as me, so there was always astrong bond between us all.

Last year, her beloved spouse died, of whom she said, 'my husband knows no anger' and yesterday, on her 78th birthday, Van died as well. I had just sent her the usual birthday greetings.

We stayed close when I came back to NZ (such a terrible parting at the airport )

Before Viet-nam was over-run by the Communists, she'd been part of the elite national dance company and taught her daughter, Tri Lan, all the traditional, cultural dances.

The world is a sadder place without my loving and gracious sister.

Kaimoana I am so sorry to hear about your friend. What a lovely gentle couple they look in the photo. So sorry for your loss . How close you must have been to each other. Sending gentle hugs xx

That's so poignant Kaimoana.
I guess you are still in touch with the daughter. Where is she living?

I'm trying to organise a party in the Summer for what would have been DH's 80th birthday. Our cousin will be here from America. She's really his cousin but I have adopted her.

I had an unexpected invitation yesterday from a friend who has said I could live with her while my house is being built. if I go down that route . I am touched and grateful but not sure it would be good for our friendship 🤣 😂

Hello all. Had a lovely afternoon with our sons at the hospice. Lots of memories so peaceful there . I will be going on my own tomorrow morning to spend some time there .
Love and hugs

Dear Doodle
May you find new strength and hope, from sharing love and memories again - together in your special place.
Love to you today and always 🌹🌹

Hugs, Doodle, on this poignant day🌷.
Thinking of you, as always.

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I know that your time in that supportive place gives you strength and peace Doodle .

I was on a walk today near Falkirk. Lots of birds with their young on the water. The Kelpies ofcourse.

My solicitor came to see me this afternoon but I completely forgot to offer him a cup of tea! He was here to look at my building site and hopefully to reassure me that it is actually possible.

Thank you all so much for caring. The support from our lovely group has helped so much.
I had a quiet reflective time at the hospice this morning. I sat by the lake on my own and lit a candle whilst I had a chat with God about taking care of him and a chat with Dh about how much we all miss him . Lots of tears but I’m calm tonight.
I am very lucky to have had such a lovely man in my life for so long and am grateful for our lovely family too,
So much support from the lovely lobstars. Thank you all 💕💕

Grammaretto i hope the outcome of your meeting was what you wanted.
I have seen many pictures of the kelpies are they really big they look amazing

I am very lucky to have had such a lovely man in my life for so long

This is truly a blessing Doodle.
Those who love so deeply are bound to struggle with such an absence. I hope that as you have faith in a reunion one day, you can find your way through with the support of your dear family.
🌹

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For someone special.

Ah Lovely Kaimoana. A doublé thank you for the lovely flowers x

Very lovely!

I'm calm tonight.

I'm glad of it dearest Doodle.
Much love to you 🌹 X



.

Doodle I was thinking of you last night watching the Chelsea Flower show...there is a hospice garden this year and I was hoping that you continued to find peace of heart and comfort from your visits.
Kaimoana....I am sorry to read about your lovely friend....may she rest in peace, back with her beloved man. She was blessed to have you as a friend
Grammaretto... Fingers crossed that the solicitor has good news and it all starts to happen soon.

This reoccurred today....Storm is the older dog and Finlay the naughty puppy.

Storm... Remember a couple of weeks ago I told you there were days when it's best to make yourself scarce.

Finlay...Oh no...is today one of those days?

Storm...looking like it it's going to be.

Finlay.. But it started off so well..Dad plonked me on the bed just as he was leaving for work and I wrapped myself round her head and farted and snored for at least half an hour.

Storm..I know Bro...I was fooled too. All that washing and ironing done by 10.30 could have meant she would have been in the garden by 10.35.

Finlay... Well why wasn't she and why are we down in this dark place?

Storm... It's called the cellar... She comes down here to work on that box thing on the desk.

Finlay...well that's ok then isn't it?

Storm...nope..see those boxes ...they contain 'Summer Clothes '

Finlay...do we have Summer Clothes..?

Storm..No we don't which is why you will never see us performing the spectacle that's about to take place.

Finlay....Gulp. is it going to get really bad?

Storm...it can go two ways...

Finlay... which way do we want it to go...?

Storm... Just hope and pray that when she opens the boxes and starts taking things out and holding then up against her that she starts smiling and at end of it all she skips (poetic licence) up the stairs humming Canol y Llan very loudly.

Finlay...and the other way it can go?

Storm... That's when it can get dangerous... Her face turns a funny colour especially when she tries to do up that zip thing and her lallies won't be contained by the material stretched tight across them and explode out from under her armpits. Clothes start flying in all directions and she mutters incomprehensible sentences that sound like' nothing but a lettuce leaf until August'...'b.st..d things have shrunk in storage'. Then she grabs a black sack and starts thrusting armfuls of stuff into it whilst sort of whimpering.

Finlay...I don't think I want to be here today.

Storm....no choice Mate but if you see me scarper at speed up those stairs it means its all going Pete Tong and I suggest you hotfoot out of pronto.

Storm....Finlay where are you? Finlay bruv what are you doing?

Finlay... I'm up here in the sitting room eating through the internet cable again.

Storm...Good thinking... That'll distract her. I'm off to dig up those fancy named green things she put in the garden yesterday.