Hello again my dear friend Beryl

I just realised that your lovely David died aged 67, which was the same age as my Doug when he died - yet another coincidence.

You sound as if you were lovely and cosy in your PJ's snuggled up in the chair, best place to be in this horrible weather too. It's supposed to be really nasty today but at the minute we have glorious sunshine, although the wind is picking up a bit. I hope it's not too wild for me and my pal going out tonight, I hate spending ages trying to get my hair right and then within 10 seconds it's all ruined. If you didn't live so far away, you would be most welcome to come to our little club with us, the people in there are really friendly and we feel at home already, even though we've only been going since December.

We had a lovely time out for lunch on Thursday, again if you didn't live so far away you would have been invited along too Beryl, believe me. I bet you had a lovely time at your sons the other night, the grandchildren would have been a real tonic for you. It's lovely to have a good laugh from time to time, as we know there aren't too many of them in our lives now. Yes it is true, nice things DO come out of little parcels!

I've had a awful day so far so hope it gets better. The betting shop where I clean got another alarm installed yesterday and for one reason or another I didn't unset it properly this morning. What I huge shock I got when a voice boomed out all over the shop asking if I was the cleaner!! It was like Big Brother is Watching You! I obviously pressed a wrong button and called for assistance rather than just unsetting the alarm. I won't make that mistake again in a hurry. The other nasty thing was another letter from the Tax Office, they have got all my income for last tax year wrong and have been demanding over £300 in unpaid tax. I know they are wrong, but proving it is difficult at the minute. No worries though, I'll sip my few glasses of wine tonight and they can all go take a running jump.

Aren't our cats strange? Growling like dogs! I was woken by Poppy at about 4.45 this morning, she made a little mew sound, unlike how she usually sounds. Obviously she wanted a cuddle and I hadn't woken up soon enough to oblige.

Well Beryl, fingers crossed for the start of the decorating on Monday, yes I do hope David approves and it will always be his room won't it. But with a bit of a difference, so you can start enjoying it again.

Take care and keep warm - and dry.

Love and hugs

Joan

xxxx

Well hello my lovely friend Joan

These coincidences are just bazaar how amazing that Doug was the same age as David when he died.    I just had a little chuckle at you with the alarm, my house alarm has gone funny apparently I need a new box or something it's under guarantee so I am not bothered.  How amazing yet again Joan I have received a tax  bill for £277 but I am not worrying I shall have a large gin and tonic and forget about it.

Poppet is sat on my knee at the moment she is very heavy and I am dreading taking her to the vets as they will tell me off as she is over weight.  Maggie has taken tyo her bed she actually climbed under her blanket so as you can imagine it is quite cold here.

Gosh I wish I was coming to that little club with you I would love it.  I live in Southampton Joan, we moved here from up north with David's job, where do you live Joan.  I was born in a little market town called Ormskirk it is about 15 miles away from Liverpool and I met my lovely David at a local dance and here we are with David ending his days in Southamption although he was very happy here.

I am really missing him today as I do not like weekends but never mind I shall just get on with it.

Take care. Y lovely have a fab time tonight

Love and hugs always

Beryl xxx

Hello Beryl I see the weather is cold where you are and your cats like and always seem to find warmth dont they ,my cat Button has been on my lap purring as I have been trying to have a rest no such luck ,Rusty and I went for a walk early this morning it was dry but very windy and cold so we wrap up warm Rusty has a lovely red coat with a fur lining and waterproof.I see you now live in Southampton,I live in a town called St Austell in Cornwall miniutes from the sea I was born in Launceston 30 miles away  Tony was born in Great Yarmouth and moved to Cornwall to work where we met  I like you dont like weekends but my daughter has just popped in for a cuppa which is nice  wish we lived closer and we could have a cuppa or something a little stronger take care Beryl big hugs as usual   Susananne x

Hi Susananne

Lovely to hear from you it is cold and rainy here in Southampton I bet Rusty looks smart in his winter coat and how brave of you to walk him in this cold wet weather.  I have just had my two cats Maggie and Poppet on my knee and I have had to push them off as my legs have now gone dead.  You certainly live in a beautiful part of the country me and my lovely David just loved Cornwall.   I too wish we lived nearer to each other we could have a nice chat and a glass of wine.

I do hope you are feeling better my love as I know this journey  called grief is so very sad and difficult and I do think of you enjoy your daughter.

My love and hugs

Beryl xxxxx

Hello again my dear friend Beryl

So the coincidences continue! Tell you what Beryl, can you try to win the lottery this week, then maybe it'll be my turn next week, ha ha.

I hope your decorating has been started today and soon you will be able to use the room again. It does sound lovely overlooking your garden, that's what my conservatory is like and I love just sitting looking out. I'll wait until the weather gets a bit warmer though, hopefully very soon.

We enjoyed our night out on Saturday. The singer was good, he also played guitar, ukelele and keyboards, and did some comedy too. Then he dressed himself up like Al Jolson and we were all singing the old songs.

I know where Ormskirk is, so you are from the North West, I thought you might be when you mentioned that your lovely David was a Liverpool supporter. I am from the North East and I live in Sunderland.  Saturday night was even better for us as the local derby had been played that day between Newcastle and Sunderland - and Sunderland won! I think the whole town was in a celebratory mood that night.

My cat Poppy is really small, she only weighs about 7 - 8 lbs, but the cat I had before was called Holly and she weighed about 16 lbs. We used to dread taking her to the vets because he always moaned about her weight. The strange thing is though, Poppy eats easily as much as Holly used to, and yet there is just so much difference in their sizes. Maybe Holly was a bit lazier than Poppy, but Poppy is a lot younger and is always racing around like a whirl wind.

I used to really hate the weekends too Beryl, it was the weekends where I used to feel my most down and depressed. I think the gradual change came when I met up again with my old schoolfriend in the summer of 2011, about 9 months after Doug died. We started meeting up every other week, usually on a Saturday, and gradually I got to not hate the weekends as much. Of course it will never ever be the same again, I'd much rather have the weekends that Doug and I used to enjoy for so many years. But that life has gone now and won't be coming back.

I hope you enjoyed your nice large gin and tonic on Saturday night! I admit to having a few glasses of white wine, purely for celebratory reasons of course.....

Take care and let me know how the decorating is going.

Love and hugs

Joan

xxxx

Hello my lovely Joan

Well it is 11.35 and my decorator has just gone and ehat a lovely job he has made of my room, it is gorgeous completely different he helped me put everything back together again and I am going to call it the fuscia room as my lovely David loved fuscias, I wish he was here to see it as I am assured he would have thoroughly approved.

I am so pleased you enjoyed your evening on Saturday if I lived nearer I would have been there like a shot, but never mind live may turn around for me one day

My. Ate afe driving me mad at the. Ome t they just want and want these Felix pouches all the time and I know I am in for a telling off from the vet as they are both over weight I have never had over weight cats before.

Well my lively I am off to bed now as it is midnight take care and please keep in touch.

Loads of love and hugs

Beryl cxxx

Hello to my lovely friend Beryl

Oh I'm so pleased to read that your room has been finished and you are pleased with it. The Fuschia Room sounds a wonderful name for it - and both me and Doug absolutely loved Fuschias, so there's another coincidence. I think from what you say that your lovely David would have been over the moon with the transformation of the room. Talking Fuschias, what really saddened me was that in the winter of 2010, the year that Doug died, we had the most awful winter, as I'm sure you did too, and all my lovely Fuschia plants died. I had taken as many as I could into the greenhouse to try to keep them over the winter, but the weight of the snow on the greenhouse roof caused it to cave in and the sub zero temperatures killed off all our Fuschias. I've since replaced them but it's not the same as the ones Doug and I had nurtured and grown.

Well I was out with my friend again last night and we had another lovely night of singing, dancing, and a few drinks too! I must sound as if my life is full of fun but it isn't. It's only a little respite for a few hours before I come home to reality, a life on my own without my Doug - not that I would ever want anyone to replace him. I would swap every last bit of it to have him home with me. Oh Beryl, I'm only sorry that you are so far away because you too could join in the fun, just for a few hours, before going back to reality.

I hope your two lovely and naughty cats are still enjoying their Felix food - Poppy is still loving her Morrison's pate. She was a very naughty girl this morning but I won't go into that on here, suffice to say I am annoyed with her!

Next Saturday me and one of my other friends, who I used to work with, are going on a little trip to York for the day. I need something to wear for my niece's wedding in April so we will scour the shops for, hopefully, a nice dress.  Once the shopping is done we go for something to eat, then we have a couple of glasses (or more?) of wine before heading back for our train.

Well Beryl, I do hope you are managing to keep warm and dry, I know the weather down there has been so much worse than we've had this year. In fact this is one of the better winters up here for many years but I hope we still have a glorious summer, like we had last year. I want to get out in my garden and get started on the veggies! And flowers!

Loads of love and hugs

Joan

xxxx

Hi Jules

How lovely to hear from you, I do hope you are well and hubby is responding well to his treatment etc.,   I too have spring cleaned the feeding station for the birds. It I haven't had many birds at all this winter I do hope they come back.  My new room is gorgeous and I can now sit in it without looking for and feeling sad that my lovely David isn't  there.  I used to call it the cancer room as that is where David spent a lot of his remaining days but now I call it the fuscia room because lne of the walls is a lovely fuscia pink and David loved fuscias

I do hope your Mum is feeling well and you are not worrying about her as much because you have enough worries at the moment.

Tske care lovely Jules

Love and hugs

Beryl xxxx

Hello Lovely Joan

Well I have just finished cleaning the bungalow of all the decorating dust and my fuscihia room looks gorgeous.  Just tried to put my gas fire on and it won't work good job I have central heating, so I will have to get someone in to mend it so that's more money to spend    I am so pleased you had another good Saturday might out I would be there like a shot if I could.  I hope your trip to York is a success and you get a lovely outfit for your nieces wedding. 

The weather here is awful very windy and it rains all the time?  I ran out of Felix Cat food last Friday I gave them whiskers which they turned their noses up so finally I gave up got in my car and drove to Asda and got them their Felix the heavens opened and just getting from my car to the store I was soaked so as you can imagine I was t impressed with them.

Joan I can't wait for the gardening weather I love my garden it is the one thing that helps me through this horrible pain  ever mind it will be here soon

Take care my love

Love and hugs always

Beryl xxxxxx