Hello My name is Princes "POPPY"

Pictures and comments courtesy of Big Daddy and Rosie. That face that is so ugly that it is cute belongs to Rosie.
Put mouse of the photograph for discription to pop up.


























Except from Bob

IN 1953 I HAD A TWO PIECE SUIT MADE AT JOHN COLLIER. THE MATERIAL WAS SELECTED UNDER FLUOESCENT LIGHT, AND I DISCOVERED WHEN WEARING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT IT WAS A BRIGHT BLUE, RATHER LIKE THE COLOUR OF THE SUIT WORN BY TRIGGER IN ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES.
I RESOLVED THEN TO TAKE IT TO MY LOCAL BRANCH OF ACHILLE SERRE IN WOOD STREET, WALTHAMSTOW TO HAVE IT DYED DARK BLUE.
WHEN TRYING ON THE SUIT AFTER DYING THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS THAT THE MATERIAL HAD LOST IT'S TEXTURE AND HAD THE CONSISTANCY OF A WET DISH CLOTH!!! THE SUIT HAD ALSO SHRUNK SO MUCH THAT IT WOULD ONLY FIT WEE GEORGIE WOOD.
BACK I GO TO THE LOCAL BRANCH WHERE I WAS REFERRED TO A NOTICE IN SMALL PRINT THAT REFERRED TO DYING BEING AT THE OWNERS RISK, AND WAS TOLD TO WRITE TO HEAD OFFICE BUT THEY THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE LITTLE OR NO SUCCESS.
I DULY WROTE EXPRESSING MY DISAPPOINT WITH THEIR TREATMENT TO MY PRECIOUS SUIT AND AS CLEANERS AND DYERS OF LONG STANDING THEY SHOULD GIVE UP THE DYING AND CONCENTRATE ON CLEANING. I REQUESTED COMPENSATION FOR THE COST OF THE SUIT, BUT WAS REFERRED TO THEIR CONDITIONS OF SALE AND SENT A POSTAL ORDER AS AN "EX GRATIA" PAYMENT FOR THE COST OF THE DYING.
I WASN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT IT AT THE TIME BUT IT HAS GIVEN ME AND OTHERS A GOOD LAUGH SINCE.

BOB SYMONS RAYLEIGH.

Anniversary

We just had the best day! Our Anniversary was perfect; Al made it wonderful for me. We started by getting up together having coffee, giving cards and I got a present!

A gold quill with burgundy feather for my calligraphy writing. It also represents paper that is the 1st Anniversary's symbolic gift. There's beautiful paper with fantastic writing in Italian rolled up in a scroll tied with a deep red ribbon. Matching antique burgundy ink and other bits ... so lovely.

The thing is, it was an off the cuff remark some time ago when I was doing some calligraphy.

I said, some time I would really like to try writing with a quill. Just a small remark, and he tucked it away thinking of pleasing me.

Alan took the day off so we could be together and have lunch in the city, wander around etc

We were going to see Matt and Bianca for dinner on Wednesday to take him out for dinner for his Birthday and give him his gift, as it worked out we did it all today. It was great to have a good time and laugh all afternoon with them. I was banging on about being clucky wanting a baby; they should hurry I said and give me my new grand baby! LOL!!!! Matty said give them money and they will start straight away. They will have to do it like the rest of us, on their todd.

We went to a fantastic Asian place to eat. Oriental Tea House, we had relaxing teas, warming teas, loving teas, invigorating teas and then all sorts of yummy delicious Yum-Cha and dumplings with fillings to die for!







We then walked across Chapel Street to Bogarts in South Yarra (Jam Factory) for cigars and coffee, I tried the Monkey's Launch, a cafe late with Banana Daiquiri, Kailua and some other liqueurs .. yummy yummy yummy.

Then into Borders (book shop) where I had told Al I wanted to take him so he could choose a book for his Anniversary present from me, he wanted The Turning by Tim Winton an Australian writer who has won many big priZes, and so has this book. It's made of paper, fits the day.

Back to Matty and Bianca's where he puts on his Peter Alexander PJ's Bianca bought him for his Birthday, and the pale blue snuggly soft, thick velour comfortable dressing gown from us. 'B' has fallen in love with it, I doubt it long before she is wearing it as soon as he is out the door, I did with Al's one, every chance I got to warm up and cuddle into the couch; I now have my own lilac snugly gown. Matt was curled up on the big chair, saying it was bloody fantastic.

Well he would, cos it is.

We have day dream fantasies whilst we work, of getting our gear off and getting wrapped up in our gowns. We no longer bother with trying to look pretty for each other after work, it's all about comfort and easiness at the Symon's house. That's the best feeling, wanting to make each other feel at home, safe warm secure. Content with tummies full of delicious home cooked suppers, washed down with cups of tea, reading our books and love.

And he loves his book, Alan gets to taste what life was for us growing up in a sun burnt country.

Tim Winton is a gift to our collective Aussie memories, evocative and hypnotic he writes brilliant stuff, takes me back to being in a hot summer childhood day, running under sprinklers in knickers and smells of pine tree in the lounge room decorated with the paper cut-outs we all made and delicate glass ornaments that cost a fortune; each of them having their own story of when and for who they were bought, memories and babies first Christmas.



That's Tim Winton's Cloud Street and Dirt Music . He takes me back to the best things of childhood, cicadas singing louder than six children playing chasey on summer's evenings, being read ''To Kill a Mockingbird" and watching Disney movies with home made ice lollies from the freezer. Mum in a petticoat looking like EliZabeth Taylor from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" Dad in tennis shorts with no shirt flaked out, wasted on his chair sipping coola cordial with his iced lolly tinkling against the tall glass.

Excitement, whispers, secret searches for hiding spots full of Christmas presents, plum pudding hanging on the back porch, fat free range chickens waiting to be cooked with mountains of crispy roast potatoes, peas and gravy. Nana's rum trifle in the refrigerator, piled high with cream that we dipped fingers into and skillfully covered our tracks smoothing up again the ever dwindling dollops into smaller peaks against the crystal bowl.

Carols, and hot sleepless nights filled with magic and anticipation we laid in tents in the back yard looking at stars, playing truth or dare in pretty shortie pjs with legs sticking out the tent so our feet could feel the wisps of water thrown across the fence next doors sprinkler always soaking Mrs Donaldson's borders of cottage flowers through the hot nights.

PANDORA! The best radio station in the world ...Big Daddy becomes famous Essex DJ! DOESN"T THAT A RING TO IT?

The idea is you type in the name of your favourite artist, then this amaZing program creates a station with all that type of music you love. I typed in MOBY in seconds, I have this wonderful personal DJ it's brilliant. You must try this.

Simply click on this click me!!!!

when you register, it will ask you for a ZIP CODE USA ... not to worry, type in this 10021 which is New York's code .. at this stage it only works with US codes, since it is free ... go for it, soon it will be in the UK and AUST. etc.


Then for the golden oldies out there, those way past 40, 50, some even past 70 type in your old favourites .. go get onto it!

You might like these artists if you are up the top end of the 1 - 100 year age bracket.


Andrea Bocelli
4 Saisons
MOZART, famous arias, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
The Piano Player
Riberas
Bryn Terfel Sings Favourites
Love Changes Everything: The Andre
Sarah Brightman
Closer
Josh Groban
Love Around the world, Andre Rieu

Insieme a Te, Alessandro Safina

Glen Miller Band

The Voice, Encore. Russell Watson

GENE PITNEY

You only need to type in either the name of the song, or artist. I prefer the artist of course as there is a better selection of that type of music.

Keep adding artist names until you have your perfect station, or create other ones ...

So get to it, try it out, then register for free and play and play and create by putting in more of your favourite songs and artists. It is just lovely


CANT REMEMBER THOSE GOLDEN OLDIES?

Click for Golden Oldies!!!!

or click me if your feel like some classical music!!!!

To help your remember what was around in a specific year ... try this
THEN CLICK HERE for the years 1957 to 1958



Then pick a year of your own choice and type it into Pandora

Check out it is the right tune, you decide you love it, or rather hate it.

You will hear the music without lyrics only if you CLICK ON "Title" it will reassure you that you have the right song.


Go on give it a go, find your old love songs and memories, have some fun together making the best music for yourself in minutes whilst you have a cup of tea.

Later in the day a wine and perhaps sit down to a lovely meal, enjoying the music wafting thru from your radio station with songs that match your own likes because of the type of songs you have typed into it, really you could just type in one song and let it go from there choosing your beautiful music designed just for you.

You may fancy a bit o fish for your dinner, later after desert you could ask your lovely wife for a dance.

That company should start paying me for this advertising .... lol

And you BD can DAZZLE and AMAZE your friends, relatives and grandchildren with your brilliant computer skills. Really it is a doddle, but how are they to know? I wont tell them

Really impress your daughter in law, she will be dead impressed if you give this a go, and enjoy yourself, especially good for my darling mother in law!


She deserves beautiful music you have chosen just for her.

But not only this, you get a set of steak knives with it! Kidding, really just kidding.

Jumping Jamali: MOTHERS' DAY

Jumping Jamali: MOTHERS' DAY

Link


The Story of Mother's Day

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called"Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter*),"Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.
*(For more information on Lent/Easter check out - Easter on the Net)
During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.

Our lovely weekend away at Rosebud

Make sure you click on all the coloured texts .. ie like the Flat at Rosebud
and
"LONDON" written by Edward Rutherford; it will take you to more information, there is a photo of the book cover that Alan has been in raptures about, and is now reading it to me so I am tempted, even enthralled so I cant resist picking it up read the 1,302 page tome. The review quotes "At 1124 bicep-busting pages...." AHAH! she has not got the numbers right, I assure you is is exactly as I quoted; it's sitting right next to me on the couch.

"LONDON" Alan's country, ancestry, culture and heritage. Mine too if we dig deep enough!













There was my hubby burried under that hoodie somewhere reading his new book







How blue is the water here! And the flat was actually on the foreshore, out the gate, a couple of meters of Tea-trees (bearers of the great aussie fly swat) and voila, there is loads of white white sand, and pretty blue water. Took less than a minute to be testing the water with my pretty toes!! LOL










Who is that surly looking bloke on the end of the pier a couple of minutes from the flat? Hmm Bob and Doris Symons' one and only son, oh and my hubby. No he was not in a bad mood, the son was shining so brightly that he was squinting, that was what put him in a bit of a hump; staring into the bright warm winter Australian sun.












And if you look the other way, there is a better view. Not a frowning fellow to the left at the end (start really) of the pier there just to the left about the length of a smallish ant, is where the flat hides behind the fly swatter trees.












Just below by growly looking bloke in the water was a metal sign post, the message read "KEEP LEFT" we tried, bit hard though was at the very left end on the bottom of the pier.

On Location

We were really looking forward to the Queen's Birthday long weekend inRosebud.It was all taking long walks on the foreshore, cafe late at the end of the pier, snuggling up on the huge couch to watch the soccer, read or snooze Alan read to me from Stephen King's Eyes Of The Dragon whilst I at the other end other end of the sofa knitting my new Jo Sharp project into being. Dont you just love to knit, click here for a site I enjoy on knitting and life.

We were warm, comfy and happily sleepy in this quiet sea front flat, in the middle of winter enjoying the sounds of the water and the fog horns of the ships passing less than a kilometer away from us finding their way in the pea soup nights that turned into beautiful blue waters and days on Port Phillip Bay.













We loved it, then of course we mostly love anything we do together.

Show down time had come, either rest up or be held captive for three weeks in a hospital said my Doctor clearly this was the time and place to do it, it would be me and Niko taking long walks and longer naps for the next week.

Chrissie who owns lots of these cute little places, including our favourite Blue Berry Cottage, needed footage and post editing skills for her web site.

My eyes have been molested…On Location in Scary Knitting Land

Hey Ziggy would you like my insane half sister-sister to knit you one?
For my girlfriend Ziggy, I just dont know why, but when I saw these knitted masks you instantly came to mind! must be those strange instruments you have hanging around your bathroom, the old dentist prongs and torture tools

My eyes were insulted or assaulted they were aaahhhhhh!!! I have to scare you, I cant live with these images on my own. But these masks would be ideal for people with facial deformities! As if they're not scary enough on their own.


The first two look like sock monkeys, and the boys mask is what, either a chicken or a Mexican wrestler?

I must say those are the oddest ski masks I have seen for a long time...(she speaks as if she has seen anything of the like in her life!)
quite odd and spooky....










Something died inside of me when I saw that. The 900th layer of hell to be inhabited by a bunch of shrieking, dancing demons sporting THESE. . .








My eyes are bleeding















That poor little girl looks like a burn victim, I THINK it is a girl, but please make it stop...I can't get the image of the little girl (?) out of my mind...













This is just wrong. I don't even know what this is but I don't want it near me













…what would possess you to make this?? LOL













and this one, is right up there Zigster .... you would not surprise me if I found it on your lounge room wall.














This one is so scary and funny at the same time I nearly fell out of my chair, I want to give it to my father in law, he has the best sense of humour.