Sheds and other bits and pieces

Bet you can't believe I'm here so soon after the last blog! I'm determined to catch up on myself with EVERYTHING. We'll see. This is just a short blog though!

Below is a link to the piece about my Shed/Office that is on the Shedworking Blog.
http://tinyurl.com/calse6 I think I mentioned this last time.
Ian is not over-impressed because he thinks his shed is better! Of course it isn't........ Ian's shed is below and mine is below that. Mine is obviously superior and I also have a Buddha to look after me. He only has a squirrel.




Now I have to get to grips with the Old School piece.

On friday we're all going to a 'Glitz and Glamour Ball' in aid of daughters friend Jessicas charity in Vietnam that supports orphans. Should be fun. I'm not doing a ballgown and tiara but hope to scrub up a bit! I'm excited to be going out after having to miss a few nights out recently.

For anyone who wants a laugh,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3rwVZIZA8k
I so remember the film and the song and even now people of a certain age break into song when I tell them my name!

Anyone been following the sad story of the elderly lady who was taken from her daughters home by what i can only describe as a snatch squad from Social Services. Well it reminded me of how badly my own mother was treated so I penned the following to the Mail and it was printed on Monday.

..............................'Why am I not surprised that Social Workers / police et al stormed in to remove an elderly woman from her daughters care?
when my mother, who still lived independently with our support, was taken into hospital it turned into a nightmare and not just because of the lousy state of the ward and the indifferent attitude of the Care staff.
The assorted services were determined she wasn't going back home, they held meetings without me and even went so far as to call in the owners of local nursing homes to find one to take her. When I said that there was no way she was just going anywhere without my approval they over-rode me and tried to arrange it anyway.
All they were concerned with was how much her property was worth and how much she had saved.
My mother was 95, lived just around the corner to me and had constant support from the family with all of us visiting, doing her shopping and caring for her. All was well until she was taken to hospital following an attack of diverticulitis.
Yes she was difficult and demanding, yes she would shout and be rude to the staff but hey! at 95 she deserved a bit of leeway!
Her health went downhill rapidly and she died on the ward before they could cart her off to a care home against her, and our, wishes.
I feel the way Mrs Figg and her daughter were treated is abominable but at the same time I'm not suprised. The system now comes before the individual and that is so wrong'................

Any comments? Experiences?

Must go and do some work after playing around on twitter etc for far too long.

Spring and Twitter

Spring has sprung. I know this because the sun is shining and also our 'fit' postman has got his shorts on. Brightens up the moring no end!

I don't know how many of you are on Twitter.... but I've got to grips with it now. You still won't find me listed for some weird reason or other but if you want to follow me / be followed then its: www.twitter.com/bernikennedy
It's yet another 'work displacement activity' for me along with Facebook, MySpace and assorted Yahoo groups. I'd do so much more of everything if I was surgically removed from the internet!

WRITING UPDATE......
Portugese edition of 'Shattered Lives' as well as the large print edition should be out later this year;
Currently writing a piece for my old convent school (St Bernards, Westcliff) on 'memories'. Good and bad I guess but on the whole I quite enjoyed it. Sadly I was easily distracted even then and read far too many novels and nowhere near enough school books. The Angelique books and also Harold Robbins books were my downfall!
Also doing something on 'working in my office shed halfway down the garden' for a blog on sheds. Will post the link as and when.
'Whatever the Cost' is coming along nicely and just maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel that is not an oncoming train!

Till next time. Enjoy the sun! xxx

Soon be Easter!

Hello again. brevity will be the buzz word today mainly because I've done nothing except work recently.

WHATEVER THE COST was thundering along quite nicely when I had one of my 'moments' and decided to change it all around. All very time-consuming but I think / hope I've changed it for the better.
Sometimes just the briefest mention of something means heaps of research to make sure I get it right so I've been reading up on OCD, a fascinating subject, and adoption in Ireland in the sixties.
It makes me realise what a truly wondrous invention the internet is, everything is there at the touch of a button. I LOVE Google so much, though I do often get side-tracked and go off at a tangent.

I've recently tried to sign up to TWITTER but I have a problem that my name is too long. I'm used to having it spelt wrong because of the dreaded second 'r' in Bernardine but the fact that Bernardine Kennedy is two letters too long is really weird. Guess I'll have to give it up, its no good if no-one can find me. Bernardinekenne isn't something that rolls off the tongue withe ease.

Holidays are at the forefront again, this time we're thinking of taking a brief break in Jersey. I haven't been there for yonks and Ian has never been. Its only a short hop from our local airport which is just around the corner so is convenient and I also really want to go to Jersey Zoo. I'm not a zoo supporter but many years ago my parents and I travelled on the same ship as Gerald Durrell and a film crew.

We were going to Nigeria and he was going to Sierra Leone to film a documentary on the Colobus monkey which he also used in his book 'Catch Me a Colobus'. He was a terrific man who loved animals, liked his triple gins and kept everyone amused for nearly two weeks.
I want to go to his zoo but I am also worried I may be disappointed! Maybe I shouldn't go? I'm not sure now.

I feel the same about Monkey World in Dorset (Jim Cronin). I've been watching the programme (Monkey Business / Monkey Life) for so many years now I feel part of it so will I be disappointed at the reality if I go?

And there's Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin) but doubt I'll be getting ther in the near future!

Yes I know, I must stop analysing everything and just do it!

I hope you all have a very Happy Easter regardless of the inevitable bank holiday weather.

Till next time xxxx