Yet Another Long Weekend!

David and I had another three day, long weekend.

Friday was filled with chores like shopping and going to the dentist. We had Rentokil out first thing in the morning and found that we have woodworm in the new house! The bathroom will have to have new floorboards! I am not best chuffed! At this rate we will never move in!!

Saturday we went to my favourite garden centre, Lady Green and spent £25 on flowers! I got lots of herbs for the new garden. Amongst the flowers I captured a small tortoiseshell butterfly.

Saturday afternoon, David and I spent 5/6 hours building the garden wall. My wrist aches with mixing sand and cement. I even caught the sun on my chest and shoulders and I was not even in the sun!! The only consolation was that a nice Saffron curry was awaiting the end of the day and we saw a Comma butterfly, though it flew away before I could take a picture! This summer really has been the best for butterflies!

Sunday was a bit of a wash out! With thunder and torrential downpours, so the garden will have to wait for another sunny day (that's if we have another?)

The bird feeders have been busy this weekend, with not only Pigeons and Starlings visiting but at one stage there were 15 Goldfinches, five were babies and four, yes four House Sparrows, three male and one female!

Sample Chapters of Novel on Authonomy

Friends, please find link below for a website where I have put a few sample chapters of my romance novel for you to peruse. I really need to know your feedback whether I continue or not.

Do please let me know.

http://authonomy.com/books/54444/after-plato/

Christine x

Things DO Happen for a Reason!

It took a good few weeks for me to mull with the idea about sending my CV to the agency Randstad with regards to an Access to Work booking with the Royal Liverpool Hospital.  I decided 'why not!' I was not working at the time and the prospect of going on job seekers allowance was not preferable. That was in June! I have been working there now for three days a week, with the odd fourth since then. Today I learned that my 'boss' at the hospital has had her hours for myself extended to 30, meaning working four days a week permanent!

From working less than ten hours a week to now working 30 is amazing! What a brilliant stroke of luck! I am pinching myself at the knowledge that after all this time at working at the university I now have a more permanent, almost full time job! Finally! A reason to break open a bottle of white tonight then. :)

Last Friday was my day off! So I planned to go with David and my Mum to the Festival Gardens. My Dad worked there when it first opened in 1984! It only opened for a couple of months in the 80's, but today it has been reclaimed and given back to the city, something I think is a lovely gesture.

I had kept two badges that my Dad had given me when I was seven years old from his time at the festival and I thought it was nice for me to take them back to the gardens. I really loved walking the grounds of the new park. It was like walking down memory lane with seeing the old Chinese pagodas. My favourite part was the Moon Wall, we all had fun goofing around that!

Mmmm Man of Steel and Mexican Cooking..

Friday was another of my days off work. This week I have worked a full four days at the hospital! The 'heat wave' has continued to bless us with high temperatures, in the mid 20 degrees (although it was a bit too humid by far!)

After the success of last weeks BBQ (these BBQs are costing me a fortune!) another family BBQ is planned for tomorrow!

For last weeks BBQ I had vegetarian Mediterranean sausages swilled down with sparkling rose wine. This week I have got Quorn peppered steaks and to serve with salad and Pearl potatoes, swilled down with Merlot wine :p

Today was also David's day off work and after going to see Man of Steel at the Showcase cinema, (just to listen to Hans Zimmer's soundtrack!) David did some work on the house and I cooked a Mexican stew (which I saw on the Good Food website!) and substituted the chicken for Quorn chicken, added kidney beans and served with tortillas. Yummy!

My Weekend Starts...Here!

Phew! What a week! I worked a full three and a half days! Believe me, my body has not been used to doing that for a good many months!

I worked my three days at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, meeting many company representatives and people who work in the admin side of Supplies and Nursing in the NHS and on Wednesday I 'chief' invigilated my first 'big' room exam! I usually specialise in 'extra time' exams for students with disabilities but this morning from 10am to 1pm I ran and conducted a medical exam for 20 students! To say I was amazed at myself that I could stand, talk and direct more than 20 people is an understatement. I really did not think I had it in me to stand before people and talk aloud! I am more stronger, more confident than I give myself credit for. I am surprising myself more and more as this year progresses. I always thought myself as shy but maybe I am now, finally coming out of my shell to fulfill my potential???

But today is Thursday and I have Friday and the weekend off! The UK is supposed to see some sunshine and summer like weather again, so I am hoping to spend tomorrow sunbathing before cheering on Andy Murray in his Wimbledon semi-final! On Saturday I hope the sun continues to bask down upon us and my family can enjoy a BBQ. Well that is what I have planned anyway!  :)

Below you will find two videos I have uploaded to my YouTube channel recently. One is of baby Goldfinches I videoed on Tuesday evening around 7pm. They were making a right racket and the rest of the 'charm' were all eagerly gobbling the sunflower seeds on offer in my garden.

The second video is of my Bengalese (Society)  Finches, Chocolate (female) and Romeo (male). This is the first video I have made of Romeo since Caramel passed. (I still miss her.) I think Chocolate is cursing my name as since getting Romeo, he has not left her alone! It is pleasant of a morning to sit listening to him singing. Now, Thursday evening as the sun sets, it is nice to see them finally bonded and sitting on their rope swing together.

Hope you all enjoy the weekend wherever you are! :D

Jump, jump!

Sunday was my nephew Nathan's 4th birthday party. My brother Stephen had organised a bouncy castle for the event and it ended up being a garden party!

Below is the video I made of us all having fun on the bouncy castle! Much fun was had by all! :D