Friday, 7 October 2011
The Persons are happy to be home....
Percy and Kobi are happy to be home after their trip to the UK where unfortunately they spent a fair bit of time sleeping in their box! So as a special treat I let them share some Blythe Con UK goodies. Kobi got the tee shirt from the special BCUK goody bag and Percy got a new long stripey tee shirt from 'Auntie Sue' and she's nabbed my badge, just to prove that although they may not have been seen there much, they certainly were at Blythe Con UK 2011!!
Tuesday, 4th October.....Oh what a change in the weather!
Tuesday dawned with awful grey skies and a definite threat of rain, I could hardly believe the difference a day could make...but there you are, that is the UK for you, where you really can experience four seasons in one day, if you are particularly lucky!
We didn't do anything much Tuesday because I'd developed a really painful head cold which immediately affected my sinuses.....I think I caught it from my brother, he is particularly generous when it comes to sharing his colds!
So I packed my bags instead for my journey home and worried about whether I should have bought pressies for several people .... then promptly forgot about them again! Ooops! That's what cold meds do for you, isn't it!
Another friend, Jackie, came to see me for a short while in the afternoon, and I said my goodbyes to her!
I had a lovely, lovely time in England, visiting with my mum and brother, and meeting up with old and new friends....I couldn't have asked for better weather or a better time there! I don't know if any of my friends will read my blog but if you do, Sue and Jo in particular, thanks so much for our time spent together....I really, really enjoyed it!
We didn't do anything much Tuesday because I'd developed a really painful head cold which immediately affected my sinuses.....I think I caught it from my brother, he is particularly generous when it comes to sharing his colds!
So I packed my bags instead for my journey home and worried about whether I should have bought pressies for several people .... then promptly forgot about them again! Ooops! That's what cold meds do for you, isn't it!
Another friend, Jackie, came to see me for a short while in the afternoon, and I said my goodbyes to her!
I had a lovely, lovely time in England, visiting with my mum and brother, and meeting up with old and new friends....I couldn't have asked for better weather or a better time there! I don't know if any of my friends will read my blog but if you do, Sue and Jo in particular, thanks so much for our time spent together....I really, really enjoyed it!
Southend, just made for you.....
.....from your first cup of tea to your queue for the loo....! (as sung by Cleo Laine in 1962)
I've no idea if they are the right words, but yes, on Monday, 3rd October, my mum, brother John and I took the train down to Southend on Sea for the day! It was such a beautiful day with temperatures in the high 20s/low 30s centigrade, so we wanted to make the most of it! It is not often that they get temps like that in the UK.....especially in October!!
My mum and my brother John on the train to Southend on Sea:
We had our lunch in a restaurant....of course I had to choose Cod because you can't go to the seaside without eating fish and chips, can you? LOL!
Afterwards we went on the little train to the end of the pier. Southend pier is famous for being the longest pleasure pier in the world and is 1.33 miles long....stretching out into the Thames Estuary. Because it was such a beautiful day, we sat on the end and had a nice cup of tea! What more can a person ask from life, eh?
This is my mum on the little train that goes to the end of the pier....she looks a little startled in this photo, I have no idea why!!
Views back to the shore from the little train:
My mum and my brother John, enjoying the sunshine at the end of the pier:
Some people come to the end of the pier to fish......didn't fancy the chances of this pair (below, not above LOL) already in a bucket, poor things!
Afterwards we strolled along the promenade and I had, of all things, a pink candy floss! (Cotton candy for my American friends). But it was too sweet for me and my brother ended up finishing it for me! I guess we grow out of these things sometimes! Wish I could say the same for chocolate, which is never too sweet for me!
I've no idea if they are the right words, but yes, on Monday, 3rd October, my mum, brother John and I took the train down to Southend on Sea for the day! It was such a beautiful day with temperatures in the high 20s/low 30s centigrade, so we wanted to make the most of it! It is not often that they get temps like that in the UK.....especially in October!!
My mum and my brother John on the train to Southend on Sea:
We had our lunch in a restaurant....of course I had to choose Cod because you can't go to the seaside without eating fish and chips, can you? LOL!
Afterwards we went on the little train to the end of the pier. Southend pier is famous for being the longest pleasure pier in the world and is 1.33 miles long....stretching out into the Thames Estuary. Because it was such a beautiful day, we sat on the end and had a nice cup of tea! What more can a person ask from life, eh?
This is my mum on the little train that goes to the end of the pier....she looks a little startled in this photo, I have no idea why!!
Views back to the shore from the little train:
My mum and my brother John, enjoying the sunshine at the end of the pier:
Some people come to the end of the pier to fish......didn't fancy the chances of this pair (below, not above LOL) already in a bucket, poor things!
Afterwards we strolled along the promenade and I had, of all things, a pink candy floss! (Cotton candy for my American friends). But it was too sweet for me and my brother ended up finishing it for me! I guess we grow out of these things sometimes! Wish I could say the same for chocolate, which is never too sweet for me!
And there's more......
On Sunday, 2nd October, we decided to stay home because to be honest my feet still ached a bit from the previous days exploits in London....yes, I'm getting old I think! LOL! (If only in the body!)...so my mum cooked a lovely dinner of roast beef, roast potatoes, fresh runner beans from her garden, followed by plum pie and custard! I was very spoiled!
In the afternoon, one of my 'oldest' (as in length of time) friends came to visit! Jo and I have been friends for, well it seems forever....far too many years to count! We met when we were about 13 years old and worked after school in a sweet shop! I think this may be when I developed my sweet tooth! (Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!) Even now I remember how Jo and I used to chat so much when we were supposed to be working that the manager used to separate us into different ends of the shop....but it didn't stop us from becoming really great friends! In fact Jo is one of those people who, even if I don't see or speak to her in ages, we just can pick up where we left off...as if we'd never been apart! I love that about her, she is great fun and I love her to bits! So poor Jo had to suffer hearing all about Blythe Con and the dolls....it must be awful being friends with me if you're a non dolly person!!!
I don't know if Jo will ever read this blog of mine but if she does, then the photos below will bring back many memories to her, I'm sure!!!
In the afternoon, one of my 'oldest' (as in length of time) friends came to visit! Jo and I have been friends for, well it seems forever....far too many years to count! We met when we were about 13 years old and worked after school in a sweet shop! I think this may be when I developed my sweet tooth! (Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!) Even now I remember how Jo and I used to chat so much when we were supposed to be working that the manager used to separate us into different ends of the shop....but it didn't stop us from becoming really great friends! In fact Jo is one of those people who, even if I don't see or speak to her in ages, we just can pick up where we left off...as if we'd never been apart! I love that about her, she is great fun and I love her to bits! So poor Jo had to suffer hearing all about Blythe Con and the dolls....it must be awful being friends with me if you're a non dolly person!!!
I don't know if Jo will ever read this blog of mine but if she does, then the photos below will bring back many memories to her, I'm sure!!!
Pink candy shrimps!
White chocolate mice!
Saturday, 1st October 2011...Blythe Con UK London
Today was the day that I'd been looking forward to for ages! Blythe Con UK! My ticket had been booked for months and I was really excited to be going and meeting other dolly people!
I met up with my friend Sue (SamsonSue on Flickr) at Barking and we travelled up to the venue together. It was being held at Baden-Powell House at Queen's Gate,London SW7and the theme was "Let's Have An Adventure!"....well I didn't dress for an adventure but it was an adventure in itself that I got to the event without needing to stop for the loo....which is the norm for me! LOL! Yes, I have a reputation!
When we got there the place was heaving and Sue and just wandered round in awe looking at all the dolls....I don't think either of us had ever seen so many dolls in one place at one time. Sue is new to Blythe so I was keen to share with her, what is for me, a relatively new part of the doll hobby. I think she enjoyed what she saw!
We met so many lovely people! It was fantastic to be able to put faces to the names of many friends on Flickr, friends from all over Spain, the Netherlands, the US, Italy and of course the UK! Oh and we even chatted with a lovely girl who had flown in from Dubai, just for the event! It was great fun.
And the icing on the cake, as they say, was when both Sue and I won raffle prizes! I usually cannot win a jacket for a gooseberry but I won a DOLL!!! Yes, a Middie Blythe Milk & Honey! And Sue won the cutest little pink haired custom Blythe too! So now she has her own Blythe......and I believe she has started to shop for her already! Ooops!
Here is my cute Middie Blythe, I was absolutely amazed to win her!!!
Heather and Noelle can't believe that we're bringing someone new home with us!
And of course Kobi is worried that this new cutie will steal some of her limelight!
The hall showing the stalls around the outside and tables for sitting and chatting, down the middle:
This photo shows just a part of the table which was laden down with lovely raffle prizes. The pink haired girl in the centre, ended up going home with my friend Sue! Yes, she won her in the raffle, which was fantastic as she'd been admiring her from the beginning!
More raffle prizes!
The Group Shot! I have never seen soooo many dolls in one place before, it was amazing....and all of them so different and unique! My two girls, Noelle and Heather, managed to squeeze on the very end of the lowest step:
Here you can see them more clearly, Noelle is wearing her glasses and Heather is next to her, taking a sneeky peek towards the camera!
Afterwards, Sue and I went for a lovely meal in a local restaurant where we ate juicy steaks and lovely jacket potatoes!
It really was a fantastic day, one that I'll remember for ages I'm sure!!
I met up with my friend Sue (SamsonSue on Flickr) at Barking and we travelled up to the venue together. It was being held at Baden-Powell House at Queen's Gate,London SW7and the theme was "Let's Have An Adventure!"....well I didn't dress for an adventure but it was an adventure in itself that I got to the event without needing to stop for the loo....which is the norm for me! LOL! Yes, I have a reputation!
When we got there the place was heaving and Sue and just wandered round in awe looking at all the dolls....I don't think either of us had ever seen so many dolls in one place at one time. Sue is new to Blythe so I was keen to share with her, what is for me, a relatively new part of the doll hobby. I think she enjoyed what she saw!
We met so many lovely people! It was fantastic to be able to put faces to the names of many friends on Flickr, friends from all over Spain, the Netherlands, the US, Italy and of course the UK! Oh and we even chatted with a lovely girl who had flown in from Dubai, just for the event! It was great fun.
And the icing on the cake, as they say, was when both Sue and I won raffle prizes! I usually cannot win a jacket for a gooseberry but I won a DOLL!!! Yes, a Middie Blythe Milk & Honey! And Sue won the cutest little pink haired custom Blythe too! So now she has her own Blythe......and I believe she has started to shop for her already! Ooops!
Here is my cute Middie Blythe, I was absolutely amazed to win her!!!
Heather and Noelle can't believe that we're bringing someone new home with us!
And of course Kobi is worried that this new cutie will steal some of her limelight!
The hall showing the stalls around the outside and tables for sitting and chatting, down the middle:
This photo shows just a part of the table which was laden down with lovely raffle prizes. The pink haired girl in the centre, ended up going home with my friend Sue! Yes, she won her in the raffle, which was fantastic as she'd been admiring her from the beginning!
More raffle prizes!
The Group Shot! I have never seen soooo many dolls in one place before, it was amazing....and all of them so different and unique! My two girls, Noelle and Heather, managed to squeeze on the very end of the lowest step:
Here you can see them more clearly, Noelle is wearing her glasses and Heather is next to her, taking a sneeky peek towards the camera!
Afterwards, Sue and I went for a lovely meal in a local restaurant where we ate juicy steaks and lovely jacket potatoes!
It really was a fantastic day, one that I'll remember for ages I'm sure!!
Friday, 30th September 2011.....MORE shopping!!!
On Friday my mum and I went shopping again....did I mention that we like to shop?! This time we went to Romford because I really wanted to go to HobbyCraft, which is probably the only craft shop chain in the UK.
Firstly though we went into the West Ham United shop and I bought a couple of things for Brendan....how could I pass that shop without buying something for the lad? He is, after all, their biggest fan!
After that we shopped to our hearts content....I spent far too much money on myself! We also went to the craft shop and I bought a few odds and ends that looked like they might be useful....however, I was a bit disappointed because I felt that their range of goodies had gone down since I was last there in September 2009....but it was nice all the same!
For lunch we had my very very favourite Pie and Mash with eel liquor...oh boy, I'm sure I could eat it every week without getting fed up with it!!!
On Friday evening we went to the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch to see a preview show called Up and Under. It wasn't something I would have chosen for myself but have to say that it was quite funny and well done, considering the cast had just 6 members!
It was a very full day, I was glad to see my bed on Friday night!
Friday purchases: Lightweight jacket for me! 2 shirts for Brendan; bra for Magdalena; lots of craft things! John Freida Sheer Blond hair mousse x 3 for my friend at the coast! Can't remember what else now! Oh yes, chocolate covered fudge from Marks and Spencer....yum yum!
Firstly though we went into the West Ham United shop and I bought a couple of things for Brendan....how could I pass that shop without buying something for the lad? He is, after all, their biggest fan!
After that we shopped to our hearts content....I spent far too much money on myself! We also went to the craft shop and I bought a few odds and ends that looked like they might be useful....however, I was a bit disappointed because I felt that their range of goodies had gone down since I was last there in September 2009....but it was nice all the same!
For lunch we had my very very favourite Pie and Mash with eel liquor...oh boy, I'm sure I could eat it every week without getting fed up with it!!!
On Friday evening we went to the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch to see a preview show called Up and Under. It wasn't something I would have chosen for myself but have to say that it was quite funny and well done, considering the cast had just 6 members!
It was a very full day, I was glad to see my bed on Friday night!
Friday purchases: Lightweight jacket for me! 2 shirts for Brendan; bra for Magdalena; lots of craft things! John Freida Sheer Blond hair mousse x 3 for my friend at the coast! Can't remember what else now! Oh yes, chocolate covered fudge from Marks and Spencer....yum yum!
Thursday, 29th September 2011....shop shop shop.....
On Thursday morning my mum and I went food shopping.....to Tesco!!!! However, what should have been a quick hour getting the few things my mum needed, ended up being an epic 4+ hours wandering around and chatting to several friends of my parents! It was nice though as I've known them all my life and hadn't seen them in some 7+ years since we moved to Spain!
Unfortunately I made the silly mistake of wearing new shoes without socks or tights and my goodness you should have seen the size of the blisters I developed! OUCH!!!
Home we went and that evening, my mum, brother John and I went to a local pub/restaurant for our dinner, where I had a lovely meal of scampi....I took ages going through the menu as I really wanted to have something that I generally didn't have the opportunity to eat here in Spain! And as expected, we bumped into more friends of my parents....so a short meal turned into a much longer one, but it was lovely all the same!
We decided to walk home as it was such a beautiful evening. I was really fortunate with the weather whilst I was there!
Thursday purchases: 2 large bars of Cadbury's chocolate for my neighbour (1 x Caramel and 1 x Fruit and Nut); 2 x 500g bags of Pearl Barley (for putting in stews); Vaseline Intensive Care cream deodorant; John Freida Sheer Blond shampoo; Imperial Leather Shower foam......ALL items that I can't find easily in Spain, if at all!!!!
Unfortunately I made the silly mistake of wearing new shoes without socks or tights and my goodness you should have seen the size of the blisters I developed! OUCH!!!
Home we went and that evening, my mum, brother John and I went to a local pub/restaurant for our dinner, where I had a lovely meal of scampi....I took ages going through the menu as I really wanted to have something that I generally didn't have the opportunity to eat here in Spain! And as expected, we bumped into more friends of my parents....so a short meal turned into a much longer one, but it was lovely all the same!
We decided to walk home as it was such a beautiful evening. I was really fortunate with the weather whilst I was there!
Thursday purchases: 2 large bars of Cadbury's chocolate for my neighbour (1 x Caramel and 1 x Fruit and Nut); 2 x 500g bags of Pearl Barley (for putting in stews); Vaseline Intensive Care cream deodorant; John Freida Sheer Blond shampoo; Imperial Leather Shower foam......ALL items that I can't find easily in Spain, if at all!!!!
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