No ..... It can't be 2015!

Hello, my lovely readers ....if any of you are still out there in Blogland

So many changes, and I fell off the radar.. Please accept my apologies. 

In 2014 I was made redundant again and my change of job meant a move to Norfolk. So, I upped sticks and am currently renting a lovely cottage near the North Norfolk coast. It is peaceful and calm and just what I need.  

 #3 finished uni and moved back to Norwich to be with girlfriend. #4 left for London and a degree in chemistry and I felt bereft. They don't warn you about the reality of empty nest syndrome and just how awful it feels. Add that to the menopause and many of you will understand my need to go to ground. I burrowed in and gathered my resources. And here I am, the crone is emerging.

Busy making favours for #2's wedding in Tuscany in May .... Will share with you presently. In the meantime, I am still alive and have missed you all. I hope 2015 is being kind to you.

With love

Mrs Thrifty xxx 

Hello 2013

Hello Lovely Readers

How are you? Are you enjoying the prospect of a new year? I don't know where the last part of 2012 went, but somehow I have crawled my way into 2013.  It was all going so well. I was loving blogging and then I started a new job and it all went to pot. I stopped all my crafting because I could barely keep my head above water at school. And I had nothing to say........ Now for anyone who knows me, you will find that somewhat miraculous! But it is true ..... I just dried up. I am not quite sure how we did Christmas.... but we did ....

... and we celebrated #4's 18th on Boxing Day as well as #2's 24th. We had a 2nd Christmas Dinner in honour of #2 who was with Gorgeous Girlfriend's family on Christmas Day. He adores a roast dinner, as do his brothers. 

But, new beginnings are here again with the arrival of a new year and there is always hope. My sister has started blogging about counting blessings and so I am waving goodbye to the lacklustre soul that I have been of late, and I am starting afresh. So, my dearest readers, if you are new to my pages.... "Welcome" and if you are old friends then, "Hello again - please forgive my absence."

I started blogging on 30th December 2011 and so I am a year old in Blogworld. I started with these thoughts as the old year waned......

I will try to be more frugal.      (I made inroads into this and learnt to spend less - thank you to the Blog Friends who inspired this)
I will try to be more healthy.       (Nah..... this didn't really happen. I dieted and stopped, so here's to 'New Beginnings' again.......)
I will try to engage my brain before talking.  (Mostly managed this one)
I will try to be more compassionate.    (I tried and checked myself when I wasn't)
I will try to find ways to love myself.       (Mmmmmmmmmmm another non-starter)
I will have a life outside of work.      (Oh dear!)
I will spend less.             (I did)
I will use up the food in the larder/freezer/fridge before going shopping (I am a hoarder).   (Partly managed this)
I will (finally) de-clutter my life! (In spite of some peoples' comments, I am NOT like that poor man on the telly who hoards absolutely everything, but I do hang on to things I no longer need). This is the year to act on William Morris' adage not to own anything that that is neither useful or beautiful. (Okay, I didn't do as much as I wanted and it all came to a grinding halt at the end of August, but I did part with 2559 items last year which is a jolly good start).

The clothes sort began ....................

and was completed......

So, some good, some not so good, but isn't that what life is like? I think all of last year's musings will be works-in-progress. Maybe, I need to be more realistic with myself. I do love blogging and I felt so privileged to meet so many lovely people via their amazing blogs - so thank you all for that!

In December, we ended the old year with some good news. #2 passed the final exams for his Chartered Accountancy and is now a fully-fledged chartered accountant. We are so very proud of him. A week later, after 13 months of assessments and meetings and more assessments and more meetings, Mr Thrifty and I were accepted as foster carers.... so a new chapter is about the begin. I will be continuing in teaching while Mr Thrifty becomes a full-time carer...... who knows what lies ahead!

I wish you all a wonderful and peaceful 2013 full of abundance and blessings.

Love Mrs Thrifty

xxx

Is it nearly Christmas?

Oh my word..... tired does not even come close! 

What a term. New school. Failing department. Sixteen hour days and I am on my knees, but with a hard-earned "outstanding" judgement. We don't finish school until Friday. No tree up! No decorations! Not a thing bought to eat ............ And I have two birthdays to sort too, on Boxing Day! #2 will be 24 and #4 will be 18! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............. HELP!

On a positive note... I trained a signing choir at school and they performed in our carol service last week. I don't think there was dry eye in the place. 

How are you my friends? I have missed you all. I haven't done any crafting and my poor house has lacked any loving attention. I shall do a bit of blog hopping and see what you are up to.

Mrs Thrifty

xxxx

Zena meets the Princess

Hello my Lovely Readers 

I can only apologize (yet again) for my lack of blogging .... I have been lost somewhere in life's dramas ..... anyway, I am back. How are you all? I have missed you so much. Thank you so much Millefeuilles and Cindy for your messages - I have so appreciated them. Welcome to new readers Carol and Eight by Six - I am sorry that I haven't been here to welcome you.

So, my news! Last week Zena was runner-up in the Hearing Dog of the Year Awards and we went to London to meet Princess Anne. Now, I am not a royalist, but she was delightful - utterly charming and so easy to talk to. The judge of my category was Pam St Clements (aka Pat Wicks from East Enders) who displayed a disappointing lack of warmth and personality. The ceremony was presided over by the delightful John Barrowman who was so pleasant and friendly - he made a point of talking to all the recipients of hearing dogs and gave me an autograph to take back to school for my year 11s! I a guessing you'd like to see.............

John Barrowman with Hearing Dog puppies
photo courtesy of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

Here's John again, with Zena!
photo courtesy of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

The Princess Royal with award winners and dignitaries
photo courtesy of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

We stayed in London overnight which was great fun and what made it even better was that our lovely friends Simon, Vicky and Foggy were there too.Simon and Foggy were winners of the Life-changing Hearing Dog Award last year and this year Simon was awarded a Hearing Dogs Ambassador Award. Here they are with the Princess:

Thank you to all at Hearing Dogs for your support and help on our journey.

I will try to catch up with my reading of the wonderful blogs that I follow.

Love Mrs Thrifty

xxx

Hello my Lovely Readers

.... and the hugest of huge apologies for my silence. What can I say? I spent the last 12 days of the summer break in my new school trying to sort out the department and I have pretty much worked 7am to 7pm since. I have just finished the week's planning and I am taking time out. Pub lunch and a beach walk are on the agenda for this afternoon .... if the threatening storm stays away that is.

Welcome to Alison, Poppy, Bonsaimum, η γελαστή κλωστή (sorry, no idea at all what that says!) and Hollywood Graham. I am sorry I haven't been around to welcome you earlier.

Is it really Autumn? I love Autumn but the cold is not so welcome. #3 returned to university this week and is 20 today .... only one teenager left at home and he is 18 at Christmas. Empty nest looming!

The wonderful Zena has been short-listed for an award; life changing Hearing Dog of the Year. She is in the last 3 finalists.. we have a film crew coming into school on Tuesday and the awards ceremony is in October in London. I'll keep you posted!

My crafting output is zero .... school has been all consuming, but I hope to sort out my life-work balance sooner rather than later.

Off to check out your blogs and catch up on the news.

Loads of love and have a wonderful Sunday

Mrs Thrifty

xxx

PS. Our polecat/ferret never returned!

Uninvited Guests

Hello Lovely Readers

Apologies (grovel, grovel, grovel) for my long absence. However, I thought you might like to see our latest house guest. I say "guest" although he (she?) walked in the other evening uninvited and made himself at home.

Mr Thrifty was reading in the lounge and caught the visitor out of the corner of his eye and thought it was our cat, Gomez. He certainly did a double take when he realised it wasn't and called us down to have a look. #4 coaxed the visitor out from beneath the couch with ham, but his idea of catching him in a shoe box didn't work out. 

He decided to have a little play in the potato basket, a look around the kitchen and a nosey in the bin (full of Zena's hair after I had brushed her).

When the boys had had enough playing they coaxed him out with a broom and he left the same way he had entered, by the back door.

I contacted the British Wildlife Society as we aren't supposed to have pole cats in our area, but that is what we thought it might be. The very nice man from the BWS emailed back to say that he thought it was a pole cat x ferret and had possibly been an escapee pet as he seemed rather friendly.

Anyhow, it brightened an otherwise dull evening and #3 (who is 19) described it as "the best day ever" - bless him.

So, what do you think? Is the BWS man right or do you think it is something else? Anyone in East Anglia seen pole cats? (They are apparently spreading east)

Love Mrs Thrifty

xxx

One Lovely Blog Award

Good Evening Lovely Readers and many, many apologies for my lack of posts...

Thank you for all the lovely comments you left after I returned from Canada. I am still organising the house and de-cluttering, but the end is in sight. Pics to follow soon.

I have been lucky enough to have been awarded the 'one lovely blog' award by the wonderful Sue from http://sftandthe101challenge.blogspot.co.uk/ who is currently in Africa. Sue is such an inspiration for anyone wanting to pay off their mortgage and still lead a full life. Thank you Sue.


AWARD CRITERIA

Thank the person who nominated you on their blog -Thanks Sue.

Tell 7 things about yourself

1. The most amazing place I have visited is Petra in Jordan.

2. I love reading travel books and novels set in other countries. One of my favourite ever books is Lisa St Aubin de Teran's "Off the Rails: Memoires of a Train Addict".

3. I am hearing impaired and use BSL with friends who sign. I lost my hearing through Meniere's Disease. I belong to a signing choir. My hearing dog, Zena, goes everywhere with me. 

4. I love the look on peoples' faces when I tell them I teach languages.... they assume it would be impossible with my hearing loss. 

5. I love "Little Women" and "Jane Eyre" - two of my favourite childhood novels - both given to me by my Grandmother.

6. My hero(ine) is my Nanny who was dumped in a convent by her mother to be raised as an orphan. She never knew that she had a family who had moved from Dublin to London and lived near to the convent where she had been placed. Although they had money, my Nanny had been born out of wedlock to a widow and in 1906 Ireland that was not acceptable. Her mother later married the father but they never made contact with my Nanny who died when I was 17. She taught me to knit and to sew. I still miss her.

7. I have worked as a teacher, counsellor, community theatre worker, shop assistant, make-up consultant, canning factory worker, waitress, barmaid, chambermaid, accounts clerk, and voluntary care worker, breastfeeding counsellor and Samaritan.

Nominate 15 blogs. This is hard because there are so many that I love, but I consider most of these my "blog friends":

Sue at http://ournewlifeinthecountry.blogspot.co.uk/
Debbie at http://myblog-nannysplace.blogspot.co.uk
Isobel at http://thehomenest.blogspot.co.uk/
Jane and Chris at http://swiftsuresongbird.blogspot.co.uk/
Kay and Sime at http://thesmithsontour.blogspot.co.uk/
Cindy at http://justnorthofwiarton.blogspot.co.uk/
Amanda at http://craftyinthemed.blogspot.co.uk/
Lena at http://frugalandthankful.blogspot.co.uk/
Linda at http://lindacraftycorner.blogspot.co.uk/
Stephanie at http://sbmillefeuilles.blogspot.co.uk/
Sue Marie at http://www.home.suemarie.co.uk/
Lexie at http://piecesofwonderful.blogspot.co.uk/
Jan at http://slowlivinginafastlife.blogspot.co.uk/
Justine at http://justine-jazzysplace.blogspot.co.uk/
Arwedd at http://arweddindevon.blogspot.co.uk/

I will be back to blogging soon - I promise - swamped by the de-cluttering and sore eyes (apparently they are very dry following the laser eye surgery and I now have two different eye drops to try. Excuses, excuses .... I know.

Lots of love

Mrs Thrifty

xxx