THAT OLD MUSIC

Well this morning I got up with this need to blog. I had some real strange dreams about the Walker Brothers and Scott McKenzie and in particular that music of the sixties. You know the stuff I mean. So I visited the web and just had to share some of them again.

My favourite of course is San Fransisco and visit here for a great video and sound.

Then of course I got into the Mamas and The Papas. Remember Mama Cas? oh boy did I love their music. Here is California dreamin. In this video they are so young and so clean cut. Boy can you believe we are all grandparents now.

Of course I also loved Sandi Thom and her I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker. Oh how times have changed. Remember kick arounds and playing in the street. Not sitting at a keyboard and speaking to pals via wires. But then we would probably never have met.

Oh Boy Bummer

Jessie

2009 A NEW YEAR

Well as I sit here in a new year looking back at the old and contemplating the future I realise that I have a serious problem. I am sure it is not unique and that it is shared by many out there.

What is this contagious disease? - Well I think it is called introspection or some such word. I am so busy looking at what is past and dwelling on the ifs and if only's. If I had done this, things would be different. If I had gone to university I am sure life would be better. If I did not get diabetes probably from abusing my temple then I would not have this and that problem.

If I make sure my temple is better treated next year then life will be so much better. That may be true but they are not solving anything. What is past is past - I can do nothing about it. I have to accept that I made mistakes and heck if you think on it I am sure I enjoyed the ride at the time. I enjoyed partying and having fun. I love good food. What can be better than a good piece of cheese and a glass of red wine or a really good port.

One of the things I find hardest to forgive is that I was not at my Mom's funeral. She suddenly took a turn for the worse and had very little time left. We had booked a 2 week vacation in France with my Mum-in-Law and I felt it best to go with her.

My mum was unconscious and did not know we were there. I had spent time with her during the few weeks before hand and honestly believed that it would all be over before we left, but she hung on and finally gave up two days after I left. I had hugged her before leaving even though she did not know me by then and was unconscious. I had been and arranged the funeral and everything so that the rest family would be spared that task - I am the baby with brothers who are 12 years older than me. My only request to them was that the funeral would not be on the 15th May as that is my daughters Birthday. Well when Mom died on the 11th guess what - that's right it was held on the 15th. So my daughter and I went to a sacristy and put a red rose there for Mom and asked Gods blessing. She had spent the previous night in the church under Gods roof. I am sure she had found peace after the pain.

Why the story? Because maybe by writing it down and sending it into space I will give myself a break and realise that I was there when needed not when it looked good to the public. Mom I loved you very much and I still do, but it is time to forgive myself as I know you already have.

This holiday season has been hard as my hubby was not here with us. We missed him so much, but what was important is that I put Christ into Christmas by going to the service at Northfield Methodist with Trevor Hudson. He asked that we give a gift to God and asked the children to come and see what the gift was that he had in a box. My grandson went up and came back to tell us it was a mirror and he saw himself in it. My goal this year is to try and give myself to God every day by giving myself. I think that I can do this by passing on his message of love in the world.

So to everyone out there I send my love and just want to say to you - don't dwell on the past - God loves you and knows what is in your heart. Go into the future with love for all and smile at the stranger in the street, I find this helps to stop muggings if nothing else as people find your smile infectious and have to pass it on or be nice. In the words of an old Jim Reeves song - 'A Strangers Just a Friend You Do Not Know'.

Love to you all and have a great year and enjoy every minute of it like it was your last - as some time it will be.

Hugs

Jessie

THE WORLD IS MAD

You know I remember my mom always saying that the world had gone mad and I used to say to myself och its just cause your getting old. Well I must be getting old now as well because it has gone mad I am sure. So the other day when I got this from my friend Jaqi I thought how true it is.

An Obituary printed in the London Times........ Interesting and sadly rather true

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

• Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
• Why the early bird gets the worm;
• Life isn't always fair; and
• maybe it was my fault

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

In the modern world children run riot ad it is never the parents job to discipline them. I have seen these shows like Super Nanny etc and find it unbelievable that people actually admit how useless they are as parents. Perhaps they have inherited this from parents who were just as bad. I am not a super parent but my daughters always minded their manners and if they had a tantrum in a shop etc. they were left to have it. If you bounce your head off the floor and don't get rewarded for it you stop pretty soon.

Looking through the newspaper ad adverts the other day I was feeling a bit sorry for myself as I looked at all the nice things I could not afford and then I came across an advert for the Salvation Army and it made me realise how much I have to be thankful for. Yes just now things are tight financially but we are still better of than many and we should focus on that. Thank You God for all your gifts to me.

I intend to try and do my little bit to make the world less mad and to stand up to the idiots who encourage us to act stupid. Irons get hot as are coffee and tea by their very nature. Grow up and take responsibility for yourself

GRANDMA'S APRON

I got this email today and here is what it said

The History of 'APRONS'

I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was Easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material,

But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her daughters and granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many Germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.

This got me to thinking about the old days again. How many of your mothers wore aprons? I know mine had them - even though she worked full time as a 'clippy' she still had her apron. How many of us cook and do every thing now without an apron and how many of us have ruined clothes because of this? I know I have.

No I am not hankering over the old days cause they were also tough but it does seem like we left some good and practicle things behind in the journey along this road.

I remember granny's crossover pinny that she wore all the time. She wore it whilst doing the washing on a Monday with that old boiler and she had whites, whiter than any OMO could get them, even thought the men all worked down a pit.

She wore it whilst getting the zinc bath filled in front of the fire that she cooked on and heated water on and then sat beside at the end of a long hard day for 5 minutes just to relax.

When peeling the vegetables often grown in the garden and used to feed the 12 hungry mouths of her children and then her and her 'man'.

There were no spa treatments for her or a visit for a lip and eyebrow wax. Her gym was the house where she had two rooms and 14 people living. So don't lets kid ourselves of where we come from. Without my Grandma I wouldn't be the person I am today and I just want to say thank you to her who sacrificed so much to give us what we have today and which we so often forget to appreciate.

She didn't ask for accolades. All she asked was that her kids grew up hale and hearty, that they made good lives for themselves and that they acted honourably and treated people with respect. When her sons managed to buy a car she was amazed at how wealthy they were.

Funny millions never came into it!

Thanks Grandma and all those like you.

WET MONDAY

Well it is a very wet Monday here with a weekend that has just never stopped raining. I thought this morning we would wake up to blue skies - well last time I think I can tell you. It has been a steady down pour for most of the night and guess what! - it's still coming down.

Oh well what is a bit of rain - ask my dogs. They were very unhappy to go out this morning and Lizzie decided she would use the patio for her business not some wet grass. So once again she is in the 'dog box'. (Please read that as on my daughters bed sleeping)

The weather got me to thinking how it never used to rain when I was a kid! Did it rain when you were young? I mean I must have grown up in drought conditions in Scotland in the 50's, although I have tried to research this phenomenon on the web and they have a total lack of information on it. Really a big gap that needs filling.

Sure we had snow in winter and in fact I remember walking on the local 'burn' which was frozen over and there was a really sneaky thin patch and of course it moved to under my feet and I slipped through into the icy depths below. It doesn't matter that it was only six inches deep after my clothes soaked up the water, it was cold and did I get it from my mother when she walked down to find out where I was. It was only a thin walking stick she had and there was no child abuse involved just a good belt and then get hame tae that warm bath and the fire.

No Scotland definitely was dryer than South Africa and Gauteng in particular is today!!!! In fact if it doesn't improve I may just have to emigrate to the Dessert

DEAR GOD

Dear GOD:
I want to thank You for what you have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better.
I'm not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me.
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job.
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed.

I am thanking you right now.
I am thanking you because I am alive.
I am thanking you because I made it through the days of difficulties.
I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.
I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.
I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.

I just had to share this because so often we focus on the things that are negative instead of the things that are positive. We have so many blessings in our life - the fact you can sit and read this means you have electricity, access to a computer and are able to read. That means you are not starving and livig on the street.

I remember a song that was sung when I was a young girl - Count Your Blessings Name them One By One, and you'll find out what the Lord hath done. It is so true. Count them and list them and say THANK YOU Lord

Have a wonderful day

LINDA AND ROSIE

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