Indigo Blue

I used to have a friend who was a descendent of Guy Fawkes. I know her father was asked to go to a thing in London and they were trying to get people with famous ancestors there. He was a thin, tiny man, he didn't want to go. I think he felt qite pleased to be asked though.

I used to wonder about Bonfire Night and did my friend go to Bonfires how would she feel seeing a guy thrown on the fire? I found out she did go to them but I'm not sure if it bothered her. I would have hated that if it had been my ancestor. It certainly made me think!

Last night I was invited to watch some firework display in Lancaster at the top of the hill by the castle. I had no idea it would rain so heavily. I'm talking monsoon season here!

I gingerly climbed up the castle steps, The castle I believe is still a prison! A very foreboding building indeed! Floodlights hit the area where we were supposed to stand and classical music played on loud speakers. There were stalls, a mulled wine stall and fudge stall, a burger bar had queues of people waiting. I had a little umbrella and stood in the mud by a tree, Thousands of people seemed to be closing in and all with wellies and umbrellas. In the floodlights I could see the rain sheeting down and felt the seeping water trickling into my shoes and soaking my socks.

I looked at the clock, ten to seven, My daughter told me it started at seven, by seven thirty we realised we had the time wrong. Her socks were also saturated. Her husband decided he had had enough and left to find a coffee bar, we decided to follow him. As we left more people were trying to get in but guards on the gate were turning them away. We heard the loud bang of the first fireworks as we ran down the castle steps.

my legs were numb with the cold. In the coffee bar we peeled off our coats and checked our socks...all dripping wet. The worse thing was not seeing one firework!

I looked at the tv and "come dancing" was on, we had invited my son to come with us but he had declined saying he wanted to watch "come dancing" I couldn't help but wish I had stayed home myself and watched it.

Tonight I'm going to a Halloween party, This is my outfit from last year. I have to bake some cakes and biscuits and hopefully will have time to get a new outfit. If not it will be back in the same old thing!

My boyfriend has been unable to smell anything for years, miraculously after a recent illness his sense of smell has returned.

I have never seen anyone so overjoyed, we went shopping and he said he could smell the coats. He asked if I could smell them too and I did pick out a distinct smell from them. we stood near the coats and he was amazed at how they smelt.

we went for a drive in the countryside. Some farmers had been muck spreading. "agghhh what's that terrible smell" he asked, "I feel like I'm going to be sick" he continued. I kept thinking I hope its not my feet!!!

we went to the antique centre, normally he would be picking things up, and examining them but overcome by the musty and horrible smells in some areas he avoided doing it. It really put him off.

we decided to go to a garden centre and as we went in he smelt the candles, "whats that smell" he asked "its so lovely" The people in the shop were so amused as he went round sniffing the candles. It was amazing how joyful he seemed.

I kept thinking how we take simple pleasures for granted. I also thought I had better make sure I have clean socks on each day!

Yesterday I went to visit my mum and took her the new spider catcher that I bought for her. She was delighted with it. (It even has a plastic spider to practise with)

She was followed home last week by some yobs and they unnerved her so much she fell over and twisted her ankle. She hasn't been able to move without hobbling.

Mum was telling me that her sister has also hurt her foot, the same left foot at her. She went on to tell me that my very poorly aunt had a repairman round to fix her fire alarm and he dropped the screwdriver and it pierced my aunts foot. It seems strange its the same foot and done at the same time on the same day.

The wind was biting yesterday I waited for 40 minutes for the bus and some yobs were trying to get on for half fare, the driver refused to believe them, I was frozen and trying to get on the bus, eventually they paid the full fare and we got going. I felt like I had hypothermia when I finally got home.

I phoned my son who had his driving test unfortunately he hadn't passed. He seems to get a shaking foot when on the test and loses control a bit. I tried to sound encouraging but actually think they have made the driving test a lot harder than it used to be.

If anyone out there knows of a good wine please let me have its name!

I'm desperatly trying to find some nice wine but I don't know of any and everyone one I try is horrible.

Last night I went in the local shop examining the wines and a lady confidently sprang up and grabbed a bottle, I thought that must be nice so bought some and it was so spicy I couldn't drink it. (Do they put pepper in it?

I think for a red wine it would be nice if it was fruity, not spicy.
Does anyone have any favourites? in white or red?

Yesterday would have been my 30th wedding anniversary. It’s funny how dates evoke such memories.

I woke feeling sad, I pulled back the curtains and could see the park beyond the window and people walking their dogs. I laid in bed taking in the early morning sunshine; on the window ledge I have some antique prisms. The sun shone through the window creating lots of coloured lights. When I was younger I thought the light through a prism was “fairies” I managed to catch some of the lights on my toes, my big toe turned purple as the light shone on it. I thought foolishly it might energise my foot for clutch control of the car, my driving lesson was in an hours time.

The driving lesson went better this time. I used to drive in the 70s at that time I used to drive a “Triumph Herald” I remember driving along to college where I was studying law. It was white and had a black open top. It had a very dodgy third gear and I had to make a jagged shape to knock it into third gear. I suspect the distant memory of my herald was the reason I kept missing third gear on my driving lesson. Its like my brain remembers driving from before, but my feet don’t seem to!

I suppose I just need to keep practising. I don’t know why I remember the bad habits from driving and not the good ones.

I have spent the last two days running ragged trying to help sick family members by getting their shopping, this has involved catching buses in the rush hour traffic, journeys that should take 10 minutes taking two hours! People coughing all over me on the buses!!! possible swine flu carriers coughing on my neck. Anarchy and noisy schoolchildren banging on bus windows and screaming. Smelly people making me so sick I could vomit (why don't some people wash) squashing me with their fat bottoms.

Its no wonder people don't like travelling by bus.

I saw this gadget on Amazon for catching spiders. It is a stick with fibre optic strands and you catch the spider and throw it out. I have ordered one for both my mum and me.

We both are scared of spiders and as we both live alone we have no men to eject the little blighters.

My mum found this really distressing and at first she used to spray the spider with shaving foam to stop it running off then try and capture it. There seems to be loads of spiders about at the moment and I hate seeing them when I'm in the shower. I turned the kitchen light on yesterday and a tarantula was right near my hand. Yuck.

I just hope the spider catchers work or I will have to find something else to eject them with.

I think taking driving lessons has made me change my thinking style. For a long time I thought it was an impossible dream to learn to drive. I hadn’t been able to afford to do so and I just thought it was totally out of reach and I was too old. Now i'm driving! (ok not that brilliantly yet but its coming along)

Its unlocked a key in my brain! I’m now thinking of my other impossible dreams.

I have a spare bedroom that I wanted to make into an art studio. It’s cluttered with storage boxes from my old house and my children’s things. I intend to give them back their belongings and make this dream come true. Emotionally I had found it hard to go into the room as it held so many memories. I have hundreds of books to get rid off too.

Maybe if you put in the effort things do work out. The important thing is to rise to the challenge.
Its going to be a busy week uncluttering!