THANK YOU!!!

Posted on December 21, 2010 by thepogblog

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I got my Christmas wish…thanks to the clicking and generosity of you, we’ve gone over the target I set and as a result, 10 more homeless people will be able to attend the Crisis Christmas event :o)

I will keep donating one pound for every 10 clicks up to Christmas Day like I said I would and if you want to donate a few pennies too, you still can.  

Thank you very much though.  I hope you have a smile in your tummy like I do.  It’s a good feeling isn’t it?  :o)x

A big hug from us :o)

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Christmas Presents and Christmas Preparation

Posted on December 19, 2010 by thepogblog

What’s your best Christmas present ever?  I don’t mean the best one you have received; I mean the best you have given. 

The favourite present I have ever given involved snaffling the letters and telegrams my Granddad wrote to Nanny during the Second World War and some accompanying photos from my parent’s loft.  I typed them out, organised them into date order and had them made into a proper bound book for my Mum.  Bless my Granddad; he had the spelling issues that still afflict this side of the family.  Each letter was obviously supposed to start ‘My darling angel’.  In actual fact (and the only correction I made throughout the book) he had repeatedly addressed Nanny as ‘My darling angle’.

Not a great picture, but you get the idea...

Trying to better that present each year since has been a bit of a struggle.  Dad liked the ‘OAPs on the loose’ hi-vis vests I had made up for him and Mum last year for their walking in the country (Dad is convinced that with the ‘ridiculous speeds cars travel these days’ it is only a matter of time before he and Mum get squished).  Mum seemed a little less enthusiastic though…

This year I think I may have managed to come up with something they will both like.  (Don’t worry – they wont read this before Christmas day as they are possibly the only people in the uk still without a computer).  A lovely photography shop has matched up a series of photos I took of a place my parents love and printed one large image.  I picked it up the other day, rushed round quite a few other shops, went back to the car, dumped my shopping in the boot and…realised that the photo wasn’t there.  I turned into something akin to a cartoon character.  I went very hot, started sweating profusely and I imagine turned a tasty shade of red.  I then completed the look by trying to run; forgetting the ground was sheet ice and ending up with those legs that look like you are cycling without a bike.  Very, very happily, the folder containing the photo had been handed in at the second shop I went back to.  I hope my parents like it sufficiently to make the palpitations worthwhile…

So I think now all that is left to do is help the cookie fairy cook a few more hundred cookies (the 400 this morning didn’t actually fill all the containers and we’ve* run out of ingredients).  It also turns out that 12 meters of wrapping paper wasn’t actually enough so it’s off to Tesco now.  Again! :o)

 * we = me and the cookie fairy.  I have scared myself slightly by seeing us as an ‘us’.  I blame it on my brain shutting down now I am off work.

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Festive-ness and a tiny bit bah-humbug

Posted on December 17, 2010 by thepogblog

Despite the fact it was -4.5 degrees this morning, that I had to force the car door open using a combination of a kettle and my finger nails and the fact that I broke the ice scraper trying to clear the car windows, I still managed to make it to the pool for my swim.  (Please be impressed).

Spotted locally

And jolly festive it was too.  ‘Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree’ greeted me as the doors opened which felt a bit too jolly for 7.15am, but by the time we were ‘Feed(ing) the World (and) Let(ing) them know it’s Christmas time’ in the changing rooms, I had woken up sufficiently to be humming along. 

By the time I was on my 5th length, I was part swimming, part drowning to ‘Frosty the Snowman’ (it’s hard to sing to that one well without really opening your mouth on the ‘Frosty’ part…).  Around length 20 I was trying to incorporate a bit of a dance into my breaststroke to accompany ‘Santa Claus is coming to Town’.

And then it all went a bit weird.  What sounded suspiciously like some chipmunks on speed started a rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ which, as Sister 2 so eloquently puts it, ‘made my head feel messy’.  I think it must have been Pinky and Perky who appeared on the next track, by which time I, along with a number of other swimmers obviously had sufficiently pained expressions on our faces for the life guard to look concerned.  Thankfully, he put two and two together, rushed for the poolside phone and….bliss!  Absolute silence.

Feeling festive is all well and good, but it has its place and that place is not the public pool in Bumpkinsville before 8am.  Not for me anyway.  Sorry! :o)

he doesn't move much...

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A big thank you update

Posted on December 16, 2010 by thepogblog

Wow! The clicking has gone up a lot and I’ve donated another £36 tonight. Thank you so much. I also have some lovely friends who have donated a very generous amount. Thank you very much – you know who you are :o)x

I’ve put a widgety thingy on the page to the right so you can see where we have got to. If you click on it, you can go straight to the Just Giving page should you want to add a few pennies yourself (due to my limited technical abilities the widget won’t update automatically but I will keep updating it…).

No funny for today – I just wanted to remind you that we’re raising money for Crisis which you can read all about here.  I’ve focussed on the Christmas appeal, but Crisis work all year round with homeless people offering all sorts of services including training, offering physical and mental health support and research and campaigning.

More snow is forecast tonight. I can’t imagine not having heating let alone not having a definate roof. If I was in that position though, I would hope that someone more fortunate would help.

Luckily, this is the closest the boys and I have to get to cardboard boxes this Christmas

We’ve almost raised enough for 5 people to have a decent Christmas with access to services and goods that most of us take for granted (food, health screening, dentists, clean clothes etc). To reach the target and raise enough for 10 people to attend at Christmas, please keep clicking. Take a look at any blog post you’ve not read and send the link on to friends and family who might want a smile (and ask them to pass it on if they enjoy it) – that is the ultimate aim of the blog and raising money for Crisis after all) :o)

Thank you, you lovely people. x

Norman rather likes the box though…

PS:  If you need more infomation on this, the original plan is here 

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Pog-Don’ts-on-First-Dates

Posted on December 14, 2010 by thepogblog

Prepare to fall off your chair.  Last night I went on a date.  I know…me!  And I know it was a date because I checked with him. Well, I didn’t want to assume anything and it could have just been a drink (which apparently is just a boy/boy thing.  A girl/boy drink is what constitutes a date.  I don’t actually agree with this definition but last night it was all such a novelty I wasn’t about to argue).

Obviously there were a few small issues, so for all you single ladies out there I thought a list of Pog-Don’ts-on-First-Dates may be useful.  (For those of you coupled up, be grateful you can laugh without having to take notes!)  So:

  • Don’t admit to date that you couldn’t remember what he looked like and that you’d actually approached someone else at the place you’d agreed to meet…
  • Don’t ask date if he has slept with any Eastern European prostitutes as if he has you might as well get it out the way now (this was based on the date-from-hell a while back when the bloke felt it necessary to list all the Eastern European countries he had visited brothels in.  Really.  And yes, the date-from- hell finished at that point).
  • When date goes to the toilet, resist the urge to have a quick scan through the Evening Standard you just picked up.  It is possible that the ink will transfer to your fingers and then your face, prompting a ‘what on earth did you do to your face?’ from date on his return (What you did to your face, it turns out, is disguise yourself as a cross between Alice Cooper and a panda).

Despite the above, date (amazingly) didn’t run for the hills.  It would seem he had a sense of humour.  That or he was so stunned he just couldn’t move.  Thinking about it, it’s probably the latter but hey ho, it made a nice change from Monday night TV…:o)

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Panic, Preparation and a lovely Present

Posted on December 12, 2010 by thepogblog

Well, after the Christmas party finishing with a white van and a French bull dog and the resulting horizontal day (hangover – nothing more exciting), I had one more day off and managed long weekend of Christmas panic.  For some reason I’d worked out that I only had one week of work left (hooray!) but hadn’t worked out that meant there was only one week after that before Christmas.  Many people will confirm that numbers are not my strong point.

Anyway, I am pleased to report that I finished making 20 jars of jam at 2am on Saturday morning (this was not good as I started at 4pm on Friday night).  Still, people WILL love them as little token presents.

Saturday day time, Sister 1 and I went to buy decorations.  We decided a tree was out unless I hung it from the ceiling to Charlie and Norman-proof it.  A good idea but we couldn’t work out the logistics (I can’t even do the logistics of getting a weeks shopping in the fridge so it wasn’t too surprising).  In the end I decided to just go with forgetting the tree and hanging the decorations from the ceiling. 

Today has been cookie day.  I’ve made plain cookies for one who doesn’t eat chocolate, two batches that are wheat and gluten free for two allergy full friends and a batch of ginger and chocolate ones for someone who prefers them.  Then of course I have made the usual wheat, gluten and chocolate full ones, got through 12 packs of chocolate drops and almost 2 kilos of flour.  They are the ones I have to get to people this week.  Next week I think I have even more to make!

The best news for today though is that hit counter on my blog has just gone over 2000. An early Christmas present for me!  Every hit raises money for Crisis too though, don’t forget, so pass on the link, get clicking and hopefully everyone will be smiling by the time we get to Christmas :o)

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A Christmas party, a white van and a French bulldog

Posted on December 9, 2010 by thepogblog

I am never drinking again.  I have had to stay horizontal on the sofa for the vast majority of the day – the annual reminder that there is a very good reason I hardly drink the rest of the year.

The work Christmas party was good fun.  There was large quantities of alcohol (which in retrospect should not have been mixed to quite the extent that I managed), mini burgers that allowed the spreading of ketchup over shoulders of friends (I’m so sorry Katie!) bad dancing, inappropriate removal of shoes that were too hurty to wear for long (it was those bloody stilts that I swore I’d not wear again last time I wore them) and lots of crying in corners, surreptitious kissing and quite a lot of falling over (none of those were me though- hooray!)

In the most surreal end to the party, having missed all buses and trains, I considered getting a taxi all the way from London to Bumpkinsville but the bouncers at the venue seemed concerned at the ‘easily over £100’ quotes I was getting and asked where I lived.  To cut a long story short, I ended up in a white van, sandwiched between two bouncers with a French bulldog (called Esme) on my lap.  I’m not proud that I put myself in a potentially daft situation, but these two blokes turned out to be true gentleman who were not only incredibly polite but who drove me right to my house, would accept no money at all and even waited to check that I got in ok before they drove away.  Esme was also very lovely and a great conversationalist.  There are some truly kind, selfless people out there.

So that is it for another year.  Thank God I took today off work.  Maybe tomorrow I will be able to get off the sofa and and start feeling human again! :o)

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Thank you!

Posted on December 7, 2010 by thepogblog

You lovely, lovely people. Since I posted my blog entry last night I have had over 140 visits and as promised, have donated £14. Keep clicking, keep telling your friends to click and find out a bit about Crisis and I’ll keep donating…:o)

For now, I am off to find my Christmas party outfit and discover if I own more make up than some very old mascara and a bit of powder. Am slightly concerned that I’ve not tried the outfit on yet and can’t decide if I should or not…if anything is wrong I don’t have a plan B after all. Maybe I should just leave it until after I’ve had a couple of drinks at the bar before I even get changed. Oh it will be a giggle either way…

Thank you all again :o)x

sorry - it was a cat or snow and I've had enough snow!

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Please help in the quest for smiles…

Posted on December 6, 2010 by thepogblog

I need your help.  I am not asking for your money or for more than a few seconds of your time…please just keep reading the next few paragraphs. 

You may have realised, I like trying to make people happy.  I’d like to make more people smile through this blog of daftness, but to do this I need you to tell your friends about it, send them the link, to maybe click on a few of the entries you’ve not read yourself so you can recommend a ‘good’ one.  That would be a bit selfish though as the onus is all on you.  So… 

…in return, this is what I will do:  For every 10 clicks on the site between now and Christmas day I will donate £1 to Crisis, a UK charity helping homeless people (up to £233.50).  I’ve set up a Just Giving page so that you can check up on me and you can see the blog hits on the right of each page you view (sometimes it takes a while to show up in this view, don’t think your clicks haven’t counted!).  At the time I have published this, that figure is:  1725.  I’ll blog each time I add some pennies, but I will aim to do so every few days.

 

Times are tough for everyone at the moment and I said I’d not ask for money so I am not – the only person who has to give is me.  Should you want to though, please feel free!  I’ve researched the homeless charities and Crisis is a damn good one. They do a Crisis at Christmas appeal, which you can read about yourself, but £233.50 will allow 10 people to access the service over Christmas.  Ten smiles from being out of the cold (and it is so cold right now, I just cannot imagine it).

I just want to leave you with one little story which might help you understand why I think this is a particularly worthwhile group of people to help:

A few years back I was privileged enough to meet a lovely bloke, about my age.  Let’s call him Joe.  Joe was homeless and had been for a while.  He was also addicted to crack to cope with the fact that he had no shelter, slept on and under cardboard and frankly, I couldn’t blame him.  At the time we met I’d taken to wearing a sweatshirt over my PJs when I went to bed as it had got so cold.  His feet had started to rot because his shoes were always wet and the night before I met him he’d taken them off to try to help them heal.  While he’d slept they had been stolen.  I was so upset for him, I gave him £10 to go to and buy some new (admittedly cheap) shoes.  Five minutes after he left I was kicking myself so being so gullible and falling for his story. But, an hour later Joe ambled up, the biggest smile on his face and a pair of dry shoes on his feet.  He’d been to Oxfam and bought shoes and a jumper.  He even offered me the change.  I felt awful that I’d doubted him and admitted it to him.  His answer was something along the lines of ‘if someone trusts me to do the right thing, I will.’

It would be great if we could all help a few people like Joe and spread smiles over Christmas…just click on the link then pass it on – that is all you need to do – I’ll do the rest! :o)

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Sticky Chairs

Posted on December 5, 2010 by thepogblog

I may have just discovered why Jim (‘ll-fix-it) never wrote back to me when, at aged around aged 5, I wrote him a letter asking if he could arrange it for me to sing Super Trouper with Abba.  I wrote all the words to the song out (I wasn’t allowed to keep the record sleeve with them on) and took them to bed with me every night to learn so I’d be ready when I got the call.  I never got the call.

Tonight I have been rounding off my snowed-in-apart-from-a-3-hour-round trip-to-Tesco weekend by singing along to the countdown of the ‘Nations favourite Abba Songs’.  Super Trouper is a rather disappointing 16 but the programme has just enlightened me with the fact that it was actually about a divorce and waiting for a new girlfriend to turn up when your ex wife is standing next to you.  Or something like that.  I guess maybe that wasn’t quite what a 5 year old should be singing on tv.  A thanks-but-no-thanks postcard would have been nice though Jim…

I have to go – Sticky Chairs has come on and I have to have a bit of a dance (Sticky Chairs = Take a Chance – I honestly misheard the lyrics.  For about 20 years…)  :o)

Yup, still got snow...

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