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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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?