New Year Resolutions for 2012....with a completely NEW slant !!!

Following a request and suggestion from a very dear friend of all of ours on this forum, Sylvie from Canada, I’ve agreed to set up this thread on behalf of both of us and hope that you’ll join in the fun .

Sylvie's idea came from the age old New Year resolution pledges that we’ve all made and have often all broken, throughout the years, and hoped that by trying a "new sauce" on that "old turkey"  it could feel easier for us all and give us a chance to be able to "pat ourselves on the back" and proudly say we achieved our goal of following to the end our... "New Month"... resolution instead........ what do you think?

We both agreed that the month of January would be a "freeby" so we can share suggestions if any of our usual active forum members are interested in this project which, we both hope, will turn into something worthwhile and a lot of fun too.  So guys, if you’d like to take part, please feel free to share your ideas of what you think would be useful and fun resolutions for all of us to follow each month. 

Obviously this January is, apart from a "freeby" month, a trial month too so that Sylvie and I can see your interest in this and figure out what the majority think so that we can start February with a very firm idea of what our 1st Resolution will be.  Each one, thereafter, will be clearly displayed before the month begins and will be advertised with an MB calendar as is shown below for our "freeby" month of January.  We hope that each month we can all share stories, tips and cheer each other on.

 

 

If you’re interested please join in and give us your thoughts and let’s make this great forum even more of a fun place to visit where we can all come together as friends, thanks to our love and admiration for our Michael.

 

Sylvie from Canada and Sylvia, your wee Scottish friend.

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A Russian wedding ring Kathy is three wedding rings interlocked to form one like in the little picture below ....which I have just taken of mine to let you see......

 

 

.......and it symbolizes the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and it also represents Faith, Hope and Love and it is generally of the three colours of gold, yellow, rose and white.....how and why it came about I don't know because it hasn't always been considered a Russian wedding ring as Russian wedding rings were generally pretty simple bands of gold but it came to be known as such in the 19th century.

 

Can In take opportunity to say I think we will scrub doing things outside for April........you know how a week ago I was sitting out sunbathing well today it looks very much like I will be building a snowman......there is thick snow in the north of Scotland;  started falling last night and temperatures went down to -4 in Glasgow which lies in the central belt and the snow was only supposed to travel as far west as Glasgow and we, on the west coast, were supposed to only see sleet and rain......I got up an hour ago and it is flakes of snow that are falling, albeit not too thick, but there certainly is no sign of sleet and the top of the hills surrounding me are white with my view over the Clyde towards Ben Lomond blocked because you can see it is coming down hard over there and also it is blowing a gale  !!  I had been cleaning and hosing down my patio slabs over the last couple of days and I had stacked my chairs and put a lot of my pots in another little sunken  section I have beside steps of my patio and my pots with my fir trees in are over and my chairs, still stacked together, are lying in the middle of the lawn and what all the plants are going to do....oh dear.....for I have clematis that is already starting to bud and thank goodness I have it secured on its trellis but it and the honeysuckle will end up getting burnt, pretty sure of it because they along with a lot of other plants are far too advanced for this time of year.....the majority of my tulips are all out and they shouldn't be out until May and heaven knows too all the little birds for they had already started nest building and mating.... just hope not too many have lain eggs for they will get blown out the nests today.....yeah, roll on summer but ....where did spring go ???????? LOL.   Can I also say I know we go on about "climate change" and there are still the believers, the non-believers and the sceptics....wonder which category I fall into....because 61 years ago it was the exact same weather then as, we are having, now !! :)

 

Sylvia.   Your wee Scottish friend.

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Thanks for the info Wee One :)  I love rose gold and very fond of yellow gold...not so much white gold. I do have a necklace and bracelet with all 3. I never heard that term before so thanks for another lesson learned. I am not sure about the climate either. It seems more to me that the poles are changing as they have since the beginning of time North pole to south and vice versa. But what do I know????? jmo Hope you do ok through this next hit of winter your way :/ 

Tie the hatches down!!!! lol

Kathy and LAFD Bob

Thanks for views on "climate change" Kathy for I agree entirely......Mother Nature at work again and we haven't stopped Her in the past and we won't this time either !!!! :))))

 

Sylvia.   Your wee Scottish friend.

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As it has been a darn long time since anyone has been in here just thought I would "break the duck" and have got to let you know Sylvie that our idea for April was a little premature for Scotland.....yes, we were all fooled here for a couple of weeks as we were sure summer had arrived let alone spring but for the last few weeks winter has just about returned !!    Yesterday, in the morning, it was beautiful although very cold but in the afternoon we had hailstones and I mean hailstones.....they were bouncing and everywhere went white and also too during April we have had freezing cold nights with sharp frosts in the morning so much so that plants I had which were coming on far to early have got hit ....I have quite a few fuschias in pots and each and every one has had its new growth shrivelled and blackened and whether they have been killed or not too early to tell but it don't look good and even a hydrangea that I have in the ground has been badly hit too although ones in pots are fine....no accounting for because a lot of other shrubs that you would believe are extremely delicate like, azaleas for e.g., are perfectly fine and starting to flower away and honeysuckle which I have all over the garden is perfectly fine too....wait and see what the next few weeks bring !!! :)

Because of the weather I have got stuck into a couple of books and one was by Patricia Cornwell, who I adore and it was called, Port Mortuary, although I would have to say I felt she was becoming just a little too technical....not all of us that enjoy her stories about Scarpetta are pathologists but she was heading down that road a little too much for me but the other one I am still reading and thoroughly enjoying is a Nora Roberts book and not one of her murder series but a complete romance and it is beautiful.....it is the first book in a new trilogy by her called "The Inn at Boonsboro" and the first book is called "The Next Always".....only thing I am very disappointed in is that the next book in the trilogy which is called "The Last Boyfriend" is not due for publication until November and the way the story is going in the first don't know how I will wait until November !!!! lol.  Know a lot of you out there enjoy Nora Roberts so I will just say I definitely recommend her new trilogy and she has introduced a new little twist for there is a ghost involved....enjoy if you read her !! :)

To finish off my little inclusion I will tell you a couple of jokes.....so unlike me but if your weather is anything like mine just now you will need a laugh and I do hope these two bring at least a wee, wee smile and before I write I do hope they are taken in the manner they are intended and do not cause any offence whatsoever !! :)

Man went into doctor's  surgery and was waiting his turn when a nun came out from the doctor's room and she was so upset he wondered if he should go and talk to her but the receptionist came out and took her back into her room and then the doctor called this man in and when he got into the room he said about the nun and asked why she was so upset and he hoped it hadn't been bad news that the doctor had had to tell her ???   The doctor said, "oh no, don't you worry I just told her she was pregnant !!"   The man stares at the doctor and asks;  "but is that true, she is pregnant ???"   "No, don't be daft !" says the doctor, "I just told her that and it certainly had the desired effect for it sure cured her hiccups !!"   boom, boom !!! LOL,.  The next one concerns the man who went into the doctors and I have to say too that it does, in the punchline, take in a little bit of "Scots slang", for he tells the doctor that he is there to have something strange that is happening to him investigated.  So the doctor asks him what it is and the man replies that he has talking knees !!!   The doctor thinks, "Got a right one here !!" but he plays along and asks the man about these talking knees and what they say to each other and the man tells him to go down and listen so the doctor gets his stethoscope and puts it at the man's knee and low and behold he hears the knee saying;  "Can you lend me £5 ??"  "Well I never !" says the doctor and the man tells him to listen to the other knee so the doctor bends down and again he hears the knee talking but this time it says; "Can you lend me £10 ??"  The doctor gets back up and he says to the man; "It's okay, I know exactly what is wrong with you !"  "Oh, good !!" says the man and what is it doctor and the doctor replies;  "Both your knees are skint !!!"   boom, boom !!!  LOL.  In this part of Scotland we are apt to say "skint" meaning, no money, in place of "skinned" meaning, no skin ...so "skint" kind of means the same...no money or no skin - get it ???  OMG, when you have got to start explaining jokes.....................will I stop now while the going is good ???????? LOL.   Okay, okay.....I hear you all screaming, yes  !!!   I'm out of here.....until next month.....see you all then !!!!! LOL.

 

Sylvia.   Your wee, definitely "nutty", Scottish friend.

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Hey Sylvia, about the weather, the temperatures seem to be out of control over here too. We didn’t have hail, but we did have snow yesterday, but had 20 degree weather on Sunday and 26 a week prior. My tulips are having a hard time too. As far as books go, I’m not really into novels, unless they’re the basis of movies, although I’ve made a resolution years ago to read classic novels and started with “Great expectations” which I loved. I could recommend a couple of books I really enjoyed. The first one is called “E. Q., emotional intelligence” by Daniel Goleman, which talks about defining it and improving one’s EQ, as opposed to IQ, saying a bus driver can be smarter than a doctor. I’ve read it years ago, following a suggestion on Oprah and need to re-read it and buy it too. My second suggestion is “musicophilia” by Oliver Sacks, the same guy who wrote “Awakenings”. It’s a study, through patient cases, of how the brain  works and how some deep recesses of it can be reached by music, when nothing else seems to work: it was truly fascinating.

Now as far as your jokes go, :D they remind me of a forward I got once: a guy goes to see a psychiatrist about a recurring dream. So the doctor asks what the dream is about. The guy says he dreams that he’s a tee-pee and a wigwam. The doctor replies: “Oh, I know what your problem is: you’re two tents!”. :D All right girl, enough with the punny jokes… :D Take care sweetie pie and hope that by June, we can take advantage of that outdoor resolution! Big hugs, sincerely, Sylvie from Canada :D

Loved that joke Sylvie and as for the weather our forecast tonight was that there could be enough snow on the slopes that they may be open this weekend for skiing and that the rest of the UK has to get so much rain that there are flood warnings out all over the place....as much rain could fall in the next 72 hours as we normally get in the whole of April.....think that forecast is enough of a joke that I won't attempt to tell anymore !!! lol.

Hopefully as you say by June we might be able to fulfil the barbie and the outdoor activities but hey, what are we going to do for the whole month of May.....pray our dreams come true !!! LOL.

 

Sylvia.   Your wee Scottish friend.

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Ist of May has arrived and Sylvie and I haven't discussed what we are going to do this month ......so......anybody got any suggestions for us ????????????????????????????????   Please remember it is "resolutions" we are looking for !!! lol.     Another opportunity for me to be the "dripping tap" and say hey, Michael, could you come in and help please and tell us what you believe could be something appropriate for Sylvie and I to do this month....it is only the two of us that seem to be following this and from somewhere I am sure I can hear shouts of; "give up, give up, give up !!" response back; "NEVER, NEVER, NEVER !!"   We WILL get a good resolution for this month.....we will..................................................

Come on Sylvie what is yours ??????????????????? :)

Well, let’s see... I’ve been working on watching some classic movies that I’ve picked up at library sales, so I want to keep that up and watch one every week. So far, I’ve watched "Sabrina" with Audrey Hepburn, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart and "The Maltese Falcon" which I quite enjoyed. Of course, you have to remember that these movies are quite old and just a little corny at times,but watching "Sabrina", I thought that those are rom-coms like they don’t make them any more. Or maybe I just haven’t found one this sweet lately. My big resolution is to clear off my coffee table in the living-room. I have a couple of tapes and about 10 LP’s that I need to listen to and file away. Most of them are opera but I have a Tony Bennett in there too. It’s just a question of making the time. There’s always something else to do, you know what I mean?So there you go girl: targeting one area for clean-up and it’ll get done eventually.

So come everyone there is Sylvie's response watch old movies and get cleaning and I have decided today whilst sitting down at the beach....didn't go down onto the sand it was a bit too windy so I found myself a lovely little sheltered spot up on the rocks and just sat and watched the world go by, read a little bit of my book and then watched the world go by again until I got disturbed by a whole load of men on the golf course celebrating because one of them got a hole in one....have got to admit I felt like joining in....bet they are still at nineteenth....but I have decided to resolve to definitely finish, or at least without question or doubt attempt to finish, all my jobs I want to do outside and I am going to say to myself when I start saying "I'll do it tomorrow !" I am going to reply with "what was wrong with yesterday, that was a good day to get started !!"

Something both of us have agreed for this month as a very definite resolution and that is that before the month is over we are getting our heads together for our resolution for June and we have both agreed too that although we have sort of come up with little resolutions that suit us we are still asking anyone that comes in and reads this to give us your suggestions and still asking Michael for suggestions too !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL.   Okay....I will admit....that was me that put in the bit about Michael....Sylvie didn't know that was going in BUT....if you don't ask; you don't get !!!!!! LOL.

 

Here now is the little calendar picture for May and Sylvie the picture of Michael is one of him sitting on a stool playing guitar and looking down at the guitar with a very serious, concentrated expression and I have placed the page in amongst a vase of white chrysanths and deep pink carnations. 

 

 

Sylvia.   Your wee Scottish friend.

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Hey Sylvia, I'll say good luck to you instead of my usual "break a leg" since you're climbing ladders! :D I'm glad for you that we both seem to have gotten a head start in our monthly resolutions. :D You know, you might be on to something about taking a day or at least half a day off to take a walk, sit somewhere and watch the world go by. Speaking of things going by, time is flying by so I'm off to make supper. Take care Sylvia, glad you've enjoyed your day and thanks for the mental picture of the calendar page: it sounds lovely! Hugs, sincerely, Sylvie from Canada 

Hey Sylvia, just checking up on you and see how you're doing with your  cleaning up the spring outside your house... :D I'm keeping up with getting a little movie pop culture in and have watched a few fun musicals this week like "High society" with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby and also "Kismet" with Howard Keel which I quite enjoyed, but I realized that I'd better make it a daily or almost daily goal to listen to a new record every day or I'm not gonna make it. Again, it's all about making the time. "Watching" all these tapes is doing wonders for my sewing projects though!Take care sweetie and let me know how you're doing. Hugs, sincerely, Sylvie from Canada

To let you know I have come to a stop outside the house as the sun has been truly shining the last few days and sun bathing has been order of the day and it is to do with that that I wanted to share this little bit for I have been reading James Patterson's latest book and he nearly always sets his stories in CA and I was about half way through when Private Eye, Jack Morgan, arrived in Ojai and then later on he found himself at Pebble Beach.....I thought any moment now he is going to take up playing golf and get a hole-in-one out at Toscana  !!! LOL.   

Next job I am going to tackle outside is to varnish my storm door and surround.....I have already washed down and cleared off all loose old varnish but of course now have to wait for the sun to disappear a little as I get it all day out the front and it is not till early evening before it moves off but don't want varnish to blister so have to wait for the perfect day......one of those jobs where I can't pick the day I have to be ready to get out there when the weather picks it for me !! lol.   Tomorrow has to be a warmer day here and it has to remain dry for the rest of the week .....more sun bathing and next book I am moving onto is John Connolly's "The Burning Soul" and a lot of his stories are set out in the east coast so maybe this time we will end up in Westport !!!! LOL.

 

Sylvia.   Your wee Scottish friend.

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Hey Sylvia, do enjoy that sunshine, but for Pete's sake girl, put on some sunscreen! I'm glad you're enjoying your reading list and it's good to know that you seem to have a checklist for your projects. My goodness, it sounds like your outside was due for a makeover this year! :D On my side, I was able to listen to this lovely operetta LP by Elizabeth Schwarzkopf last Friday so one less off the pile.  Also, my son got my USB turntable functional and recorded some awesome memories I'll finally be able to put together on CD! You know the songs you can't find on CD anywhere? Anyway, the next step will be to learn to do it myself with a non-blind-friendly program: wish me luck! Thanks for the progress report sweetie and goodluck with the varnishing job! Hugs, sincerely, Sylvie from Canada

Was that perchance a very, very slight dig about me NOT finding things ......know this will give you a laugh apart from more ammunition to have digs at me but a copy of THAT particular CD is in my car....yes....it gets listened to just about every day !!!!!!!! ROFL.

Yes, quite a bit did need done outside as it all took a battering winter of 2010/11 what with gales and hard, hard frosts and as I say where my front gets the beautiful sunshine it also is where the beautiful storms lash too......my front windows, when it pours, can be running water and yet out the back you have to look at the slabs to see them changing colour to know it is raining.....wind always seems to favour coming in from the east or north/east and as you have guessed front of house lies just about directly east and back west but that is what is so beautiful at night for I can sit out on my patio till the sun goes down and some of those sunsets....wow .....wouldn't change the little location of my house for nothing !!! :)

Glad to hear you are being able to stick with your plans and glad too that you have got that USB turntable on the go.....I can just about keep up with the concept of that technology and realize what you are talking about but for goodness sake don't become anymore technical .....please !!!!! LOL.

 

Sylvia.  Your wee Scottish friend.

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