Looks as if no-one's been happy for ages!

It's cold today, but it's definitely starting to feel more springlike (in the Northern hemisphere!). The days are getting longer, and the snowdrops are out. And there are daffodils in Tesco, even if not in the ground yet .

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We really must stop eating like this ...

Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.

http://setinthepast.wordpress.com/

It's really impossible for East Anglians to know that the days are getting longer, the sky seems to be a uniform dark grey for 24 hours per day.

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Carpe diem, carpe noctem, carpe pecuniam et exe, celerrime.
A certain edge when she spoke of Mrs Maynard, certainly, but, after all, not everyone could love Joey.
'Life,' said Marvin, 'don't talk to me about life!'

The sun's been shining here today, which helps, although it's not very warm. This morning, I walked my regular route across the local park, which takes about 30 minutes and was very pleasant. But definitely not a day for standing around. Better to keep moving!

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''He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot

We had some sunshine this morning. It was very pleasant as I stood at the bus station enjoying the sun on my face.

Until Vicky arrived with her son, Ryan. She has three children , a boy and two girls. She also has a very loud voice, and shouts a lot. She is also a drama queen, verging on professional victim.

She sat downstairs on the bus, leaving a very unwilling 'friend' to go upstairs to look after Ryan, who has a slight mental handicap. Unfortunately, one lesson that he has learned thoroughly is that shouting is the solution to any problem.

All happiness disappeared, but I'm glad to say that Vicky didn't dare to speak to me.

If you think I'm being nasty, you should hear what her neighbours have to say.

So I guess that being given the silent treatment is a good reason to feel happy today.

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Carpe diem, carpe noctem, carpe pecuniam et exe, celerrime.
A certain edge when she spoke of Mrs Maynard, certainly, but, after all, not everyone could love Joey.
'Life,' said Marvin, 'don't talk to me about life!'

Is it silly to be happy that someone called Karen Marlow liked one of my Twitter posts?

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http://www.timwoodward.weebly.com

After all the saga of the past 12 months concerning my daughter's epilepsy and the impact on her final teaching degree year, I am proud to report that she got her final results yesterday - a First and an 'outstanding' for her teaching practice. My thanks to all who offered Positive Thoughts for her over the past year!

That's brilliant .

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We really must stop eating like this ...

Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.

http://setinthepast.wordpress.com/

Oh yay, congratulations to her!

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"And I'm sure there was blood in the gutter from somebody's head, or else it was the sunset in a puddle."

I have won £25 on my Premium Bonds!!!

Good heavens - congratulations to your daughter, chattie; and to you, alicat!

Congratulations to your daughter, Chattie, and well done, Alicat.

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"All books are either drums or swords. You can cut, or you can drug with words." (Amy Lowell)

How wonderful Chattie for your family and especially your daughter. I hope she finds/has found a nice school.

Hope you treat yourself with something nice, alicat!

I have a ticket to see the Andy Murray-Roger Federer tennis charity match in November. As tickets sold out pretty quickly, I feel quite chuffed.

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Every life is both ordinary and extraordinary – it is the respective proportions of those two categories that make that life appear interesting or humdrum.
William Boyd//Any Human Heart

I wondered if you'd go for that! so pleased you got a ticket ... should be a good one!

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to be nobody but yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
e.e.cummings
http://stitchwords.blogspot.co.uk

Great news Chattie! Tartan-belle, I seem to recall you had to cancel a trip to see some tennis a few years ago so that's great news

I went to "do" the snowdrop walks at one of the stately homes today. It always feels like the first rite of spring .

And this may sound silly but it is so nice getting to drive along country roads, without long queues, traffic lights every two yards and none of them co-ordinated, and cars parked all along both sides of the roads! It is amazing what a sense of freedom you can get just from escaping from traffic for a couple of hours.

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We really must stop eating like this ...

Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.

http://setinthepast.wordpress.com/

Snowdrops out, daffodils on sale, also daffs coming up in the gardens.

And today, we have already had seven hours of sunshine.

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Carpe diem, carpe noctem, carpe pecuniam et exe, celerrime.
A certain edge when she spoke of Mrs Maynard, certainly, but, after all, not everyone could love Joey.
'Life,' said Marvin, 'don't talk to me about life!'

Today I received in the post a 'buddy box' from Blurt. It has tea and a mug and a little craft kit and various other lovely self-care type things in it. And it was quite anonymous! So if it happened to be anyone on here - thank you very much indeed.

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"And I'm sure there was blood in the gutter from somebody's head, or else it was the sunset in a puddle."

That was a lovely thing for someone to do, Abbey. I hope it makes you happier and more cared about.

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Carpe diem, carpe noctem, carpe pecuniam et exe, celerrime.
A certain edge when she spoke of Mrs Maynard, certainly, but, after all, not everyone could love Joey.
'Life,' said Marvin, 'don't talk to me about life!'

Whilst I was having a particularly bad day last week, I e-mailed the council to complain that my paper/cardboard recycling bin had not been emptied properly. I even sent a photo – they'd left a whole load of paper and cardboard inside. An extremely nice man has rung to apologise profusely, say that if it was causing me a problem then he would come round to cut up the cardboard so that it would be easier for me to squash the newspapers etc into the bin so that it wouldn't get over full before the next collection, and tell me how nice and clean my bin was. I'm not sure whether he actually would have come round if I'd asked, but he sounded as if he really meant it. Made me smile, anyway .

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We really must stop eating like this ...

Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.

http://setinthepast.wordpress.com/

Over the weekend, the drain outside my property became blocked, which happens from time to time - it causes my toilet not to flush properly.

I rang United Utilities at 8.30am on Monday and they said (as they usually do) that they would send someone out by 10pm the following day.

I then had to go out for a couple of hours and when I returned just after 11am, they were working on the drain. It was all clear by 11.30.

I often moan about utility companies, so it was a pleasant surprise to have the problem solved within three hours.

In the past, they have always taken at least 24 hours to sort the problem and on one occasion, when there was a huge backlog, they took three days!

In other news, I am going away for three days to a lovely hotel in Matlock, Derbyshire. It's not till the end of May, but I'm really looking forward to it.

And the friend with whom I went on holiday to Scotland last year has invited me to go again. But I hope to go later in the year, because of the trip in May.

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''He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot