Thursday 25 February 2010

Unsolved mystries and the German spy/

Radio 5 live tonight is asking about mysteries one has never solved. Mine goes right back to the war time. My mother worked for a German Jew who had escaped just before the war. She had been helped to do so by a Nazi lover. My dad and I, for various reasons, in later years often wondered if she had been a spy. We felt if she had it would have been because of pressure but who knows, it might not. I can’t say how but she had access to knowledge of the troops which were numerous in the town. We never did come to any conclusions. Perhaps it was because dad did not like her very much.

Wednesday 24 February 2010

A couple of moans

I didn’t feel like writing anything last night after being told that I have to have another colon x-ray. Anyone who has had one will know what I mean. They are absolutely ghastly.

Didn’t lose any weight this week at slimming club for all the walking and exercise I have done. Must try harder.

Sunday 21 February 2010

Memory of just after the war

Remembered the feeling of walking down Guildford High Street just after the war, realising the war was over and the fear of death any moment had gone. Then there was a big fire somewhere west of London which lit up the whole sky north of Guildford and was just like the red skies we had seen during the bombing of London. It gave everybody the shivers.

Monday 15 February 2010

The Brown Interview / Sport Relief Walk

Well here goes with my two pennyworth about the Brown interview. Unless they cut it out Brown did not cry. As if the man hadn’t the right to be emotional about the death of his baby, what hell is this world coming t? So his lip trembled, so would yours if you had such a memory. For God’s sake let our politicians be human and have some feeling, we upbraid them often enough that they lack them. I thought he seemed a moderately ordinary, normal person. I liked him personally a bit better than I did, although I don’t always go for his policies or the labour party as it stands today. But it was a good interview and I’m glad we have a good family man in Number 10. I have know worse in there.



Yesterday I walked a measured 6 miles in training for the Sport Relief run (walk for me) and today I had a sore foot where I aggravated my arthritis. So I had a rest today. Only went out to shop and got a new pair of shoes. We went to a new Coffee House in town which was very pleasant. Met someone I new some years ago and caught up on some gossip. Tomorrow got to get on with ironing and making some cards that have been asked for. I do them for charity. By the way you can sponsor me at www.mysportrelief.com/juliephilipshana should you care to.

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Weight Gain after Illness

Slimming World night and I had put on one and a half pounds after being ill last week and not keeping track of my food intake. Sh…..!!! I am trying to get off the last few pounds and I keep going backwards and forwards of the same ground. Bit on, take off, put it back on. I must get back to THE PLAN as they call it. It does work if you do it properly as I proved losing three & a half stone. I was size 20 and now size 12.


Had a pep talk from a woman in class tonight who had lost even more than me – which did get me off from having to admit the gain in public – she came from another group and had been one of those women who took up more than one seat on the bus and had one of those after pictures holding out a skirt she used to wear – upmty sizes to big for her. Nice woman and like me does a lot of exercising. I wish more of the members did exercise but although it is encouraged not much is talked about it.



Not thought of things past much today which is a change. Sometimes think I live in my past memories too much. I do try to be with today in as many ways as possible but as you get older yesterday comes more readily to mind than a few hours ago

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Sport Relief 6 mile walk - Twitter

Getting cold again just as I want to go out. Worries me after my bad cold. I really got back to my exercises today. I have signed up to do a 6 miles walk for Sport Relief in March and that means I must train. My tread mill works in km so I worked out, with the help of Google, that means 6 mls is about 10 km. I have walked 6 miles quite a few times in the last two years – or at least since I had my last knee joint, but not all in one go, no rest. So I must train because I don’t want to be finishing at midnight. Oh, if you want to sponsor me go to www.mysportrelief.com/juliephilipshana

Got to grips a bit with Twitter yesterday and even left a message for someone I follow. Still don’t understand it too well. I am maybug74 on Twitter and Yarner on You Tube.

Sunday 7 February 2010

The Tread Mill. Memories of Sir Johnny Dankworth

Feeling my age this afternoon. In the morning we had to carve out space to store my new tread mill. For all my protestation that it would fit under the stairs I knew in reality it would not. We live in a tiny modern cottage. In fact many an old cottage would have more room than our house. But I wanted a tread mill with the big computer board so I could read it easily – and I can.
Now the cupboard under the stairs which lead off from our living room, had its wall and door ripped off as soon after we moved in. Making the room more spacious we called it. We then proceeded to fill it with everything we could get in there and more. Shelving, filing cabinets, big plastic boxes and stationary folders. Plus the rubbish. At one time our whole office and computer desk was in there.
Today it had to all come out, be sorted, (Stuff thrown away) new fittings made and finally the great lumbering beast of the tread mill wheeled in. It fits with in and inch of its life and the roller blind, fitted sometime ago to hide the rubbish from the sight of visitors, was pulled down with success. The only thing I can say is that had we left the wall and doors on there would have been no way we could have got the tread mill in there!

Sir Johnny Dankworth

I can’t say I was all that fond of his music, not being a jazz lover, but he will be a sad loss to the world of British music. I have only one memory of him. In about 1955 or so I was in the Air Force stationed in Wales. We all went on a night out to a big dance hall in Porthcawl. Johnny Dankworth’s band was there in the days of ‘The Big Bands’. He had a hit at the time entitled ‘Three Blind Mice’. The only other thing I remember was Cleo Lane had started in 1951singing with the band. We thought her a bit odd as she was not white and they had cut her curly hair so short she looked almost bald. She wore a neon pink full skirted dress, short not long. We didn’t think much of her and never expected her to turn into the famous songtress she did let alone marry Dankworth. But she did both and I am sure that this is a very sad weekend for her and her family. I offer my deepest sympathy.

Friday 5 February 2010

Pardon me, but which is the real world.

Just listened to Radio 4 ‘How does that make you feel?’ Absolutely brilliant. I wish I could write like that. A counsellor listening to her clients. Amazing to me that much of it seems to stem from the fact that young people want to be ‘Famous’. They needed to be on Television. Has the television now become the ‘real’ world? The real world, the normal world, the one we all live in is too boring. Nothing ever happens – unless it means you are getting on Tele.


I think this even apply to me, a 74 year old, just as much as the young. I have managed to get on the Tele more than a few times in my life, radio as well. Always exciting, makes the pulses race which doesn’t happen much when you are 74.

The last time was on our local Spotlight programme, but hell, its telly isn’t it? And friends would say afterwards “Saw you the other night”. You smile and pretend it was nothing really. Which of course is exactly what it was – nothing. Yet you feel it was because for all of four minutes and a few words you said while you were inside that real world, that box – well thin screen now – you got your four minutes of fame. (How hackneyed that sounds now) You got there and all those people out there didn’t.

No wonder our young are hypnotised with it and think there is no other way to go. That, now I come to think of it, is one reason why the web, the internet has become so popular. For those that don’t make it on to that screen they can have a go for themselves on bloggs (like me) You Tube (like me) and Twitter (Also like me) plus all the other sites. Like them I am hooked. Help!

One Week Wasted?

Its been one week out of the world to me. Not a holiday, not a change, just a nothing week, a wasted week and how many more of those do I realistically have? If I go by my Father – 2 years, if I go by my mother 20 years plus. If it’s the former I have just wasted a week doing nothing but sleep, eat and feel unwell. If the latter – nice to have a good rest. Just wish I could get my energy back. It was only a cold but age disallows a quick recovery.
Watched a TV programme about ageing yesterday, why we age and how. To me it seemed to come down to genes. So with what I related above about my parents – CAN I CHOOSE?

Thursday 4 February 2010

Flu or Cold?

Flu or a cold. Doesn’t really matter, both as bad as each other. Mine can't be flu as I have had the flu jab, I suppose it could be the Swine Varity but no, I think it is just a cold. I am a little better today and had to get my own breakfast in bed, husband gone to work. I was up all day yesterday but did little more than the washing up. I shall get up in a moment but the day is sad with dark rain and the forecast says it will be like that for some days so I certainly won't be going out.
Yesterday I did try to walk for 10.00 min on my new treadmill but only got as far a 8 min when my heart rate went silly and I slowed down to a crawl. I usually do an hours exercise everyday of one sort or another so thought it might pick me up from my doldrums.

I slept well last night so didn't hear anything on my radio except Dr Carl from Australia for a few minutes before I went back to sleep. This morning they are going on about MPs expenses again - Have we forgiven our MPs yet - Not really. I like our MP but now he has been in for a while he has become the 'professional' and is not quite so likeable. He did have to give some money back, which he did immediately, but no duck house and so on. Quite a normal bloke really not like a close neighbouring constituency, some ripe stories going round about him - and he is leaving!

I didn't start voting till quite late in life as I was in the WRAF from the age of 18 and didn't have a place I could call my home constituency. So I was 25, married and with a baby for my first vote. I remember a friend and I chose to have the party we did not like chauffeur us to the polls and back. Made it come up our muddy, unmade up lane to the caravan site where we lived. We were not gypsies but might just as well have been, just the only place we could find to live. Great heavens - that was fifty years ago now. History.

Wednesday 3 February 2010

On going Cold

Still fighting my cold this morning. Had a small improvement but still sneezing like mad.
I have a radio on all night with earphones under my pillow so only I can hear it. Its mostly on BBC 5live, BBC World Service and sometimes on BBC Radio 7. Music seems to keep me awake and talking drifts me off to sleep. Trouble is I don't always hear to the end and have to use BBC player to find out what happened.
This morning I woke up to hear them talking about the mydavidcameron.com poster you can change. That sounded like fun so I went and did mine http://twitpic.com/115e8t and put my take on it up on my Twitter. Not very clever but my memories the Tories last time were not very good. Our life went to bits under them and I certainly don't want them back.
But the fact that people can change politicians bland untrue posters is great. I hear some of the big real posters have been changed and have had to be taken down. The nastiest poster the Tories did was the evil eyed Blair - I don't know though - perhaps they got it right. Although I did admire Blair for many things he did take us to war!

Tuesday 2 February 2010

Third Day in Bed

I am on me third day in bed where I have my own notebook computer rather than our joint main computer downstairs - and time to write. I had promised myself that I would write more come the new year. Now truly the new year and I have not written one word - till now.
This morning I have got to grips with my Twitter account - still can't work it all out. I have started to follow Stephen Nolan of 5live as he has weight problems like me and he is, like me, trying to get exercising. (I have just bought a motorized treadmill) and is going to do the six mile Sports Relief run. So with my husband and friends so am I BUT I am going to walk it. (Doctors say running is too high impact for my new knee joints.) So if any one wants to sponsor me let me know.

I quite often walk six miles so not too worried, I did a 3 mile walk for cancer research a couple of years ago and could easily have gone round twice, waking not really a problem but running is no longer an option.

As this blog is supposed to come under 'that reminds me'. What does all this take me back to? Being a PTI in the WRAF in the 50s. Probably the source of all my knee trouble now. I wasn't any good at long distance stuff but was a sprinter. We did a hundred yards in those days, not metres. I did hurdles and long jump as well. Never all that good but got to Command level once or twice. To diffused, I think, as I also played tennis, and swam freestroke. But as a PTI one had to be able to do everything and teach it. The one thing I hated was doing and teaching PT to the girls yet in later years, in my 40s, it stood me in good stead as I managed to earn my living by running aerobic classes for a year or so. I had moved to Devon and in London I had just seen the first mass aerobic classes in sports centres. I adapted it and ran 3 or 4 classes for over a year - which really finished of my knee joints good and proper.

Than I got fat with lack of exercise and knees collapsed entirely. New joints over three years and now - I am going to walk the six miles - when my damned cold gives over!!