Black eyes and Sleeping Beauty!

Yesterday Ronan was playing in a school rugby game. Unfortunately I couldn't attend, so don't really know what happened. However I got the call that all parents dread....your son has been injured! Hell its rugby, its a physical game, so you kinda expect the odd knock, but still you dread the call that this knock might be a serious knock. Thankfully it wasn't THAT serious, but serious enough that the hospital wouldn't let us leave for several hours! He'd taken an other knock to the head, but this time he DIDN'T get up from the bottom of the pile of bodies. When the parents who were watching got to him (one was his rugby coach) he was a bit groggy, confused and his legs refused to work properly, so they carried him off. (No mean feat as he is a "solid" lad!). They found an ice pack for the side of his eye/head, which by this time was looking like he was doing an impression of the "elephant man", and kept him warm. When he had come "round" a bit more they had to get permission to take a car to the side of the pitch to remove him to the changing rooms to get his stuff to come home. When I finally got him he hadn't a clue what was going on , who he was or where he was.....SCARY STUFF. That and the fact he was walking as if he was drunk made me think he needed checked out, so I bundled him into the car and off to the Hospital we went. I had to literally carry him into A+E as he was so unsteady on his feet.Thankfully after several hours of tests, observations and head X-Rays they allowed us home. He seems to be more or less his usual annoying (lovable) self today, only he has a beautiful swollen, black left eye, that he is having problems seeing out of!!!
This was taken this morning before it closed completely!He's still getting headaches, but thankfully no nausea and vomitting. A couple of the parents who were at the game have called to ask after Ronan, but they can't shed any light on the event either and Ronan has no clue as to what happened from a few minutes before it till he came round with people standing over him!!!!!

On to happier things! I went to the Panto tonight (Oh yes I did!) with Bob to see Sleeping Beauty at the Brunton Hall in Musselburgh. IT WAS BRILLIANT! I haven't been at a Panto for years so wasn't sure what to expect from a "local" production. MAGIC. I had forgotten just how much fun pantos are. Ronan isn't a big fan, not since he got scared witless when he was 4 and had to leave before it actually started! (he didn't come, wouldn't have done his street cred any good to have been seen at a panto with his mum and little brother!!)Bob had seen it earlier on in the week with the school and had raved about it so much that he wanted to see it again. Infact I think he would go back again if I could afford it!(So would I)

Blog Fodder!

I saw this on Robin's blog and thought I'd do it too as I haven't done any "blog fodder" for a while!

The things I have done are in BOLD!

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (driven through!)
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (along time ago!)
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I wish!!!!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (after several beers and with a group of friends!)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (my son has)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (parachute jumpng, does that count?)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (numerous times when I was in the army!)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (I,m a nurse!)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (2)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (also been stung by a wasp - on my honeymoon!)
100. Rode an elephant

I don't think I did too bad. Some of the things not in bold I would still like to do, but some there is NO chance....like bungee jump!

In the middle of the night!

Here I am, sitting at my laptop at 4.26 am. What am I doing up and on the computer at that time for? Well I'm at work and all the guys are asleep in bed and as things are settled at the moment, I decided to use this time to catch up on some computer "stuff"! I have been doing some spreadsheets for the rugby club, comparing last years figures to this years figures....depressing reading! Then I did some WWI and WWII war grave research for a project I am working on, which I will probably be working on for a long time to come, but worth it in the end, I hope. I also spent some time on Ravelry and Knitty, something I don't have time to do very often any more.I even managed to catch up on some "blog" reading, which I also have been neglecting of late.

In the time I have been sitting here the gritter has gone past the unit on 3 separate occasions, I'm almost frightened to look out the window to see how frosty it is. I hate driving in the winter, especially with snow and ice.I had several bad experiences the first winter I learned to drive (20+ years ago!)and that has made me very very wary.

Tonight is my 4th night on in a row and I am really tired. Thankfully I am off tomorrow, but I have a very busy next few days. I suppose it didn't help that I had both the boys off school ill on Monday and Tuesday and didn't get much sleep on Tuesday because of it. Ronan had "man flu" and boy did he milk it! Bless!!!!! He was really ill, he had a temp of over 40 degrees and had, according to him, really bad aches and pains. He was doing an awful lot of moaning and groaning and looking for lots of TLC. Which he got initially, but then the noise begun to get to me! Eventually he fell asleep and we all got a reprieve for a while! Bob he just took to his bed and slept, which is usually a good indicator that he is ill, coz he doesn't sleep alot normally. I had to take Bob to the Dr a few days prior to this as he had developed a nasty rash between his shoulderblades. It was weird, weepy in places and crusty in others, he said it wasn't itchy but was sore to touch. It started out like a small spot of dry skin then seemed to grow. The Dr said it was a flare up of his eczeama which had become infected....didn't look like any eczeama I had seen! This is what it looked like when I took him to see the Dr. He got antibiotic cream and medicine to take and so far it seems to be clearing up. The downside for him was that he wasn't allowed to go swimming and that night was the swimming club championships. He was really disappointed that he didn't get to swim, there will always be next year! Both the boys have been chosen to represent the swimming club in a Presidents select competition on 5th Dec, so fingers crossed all will be well by then.

Oh well better go and check that the guys are all still asleep, then time for a coffee I think!

Getting "studded" IS sore!!

Believe me when I tell you getting "studded" in rugby (or football) is extremely sore!Never again will I tell the boys, "oh come on its only a scrape". How do I know its sore? Please don't laugh when I tell you. Well I now know first hand as it happened to me on Sunday!No I wasn't playing rugby......I'm stupid but not THAT stupid!(and anyway I'm far too old and unfit to do that). OK I digress. Ronan and his team had 2 games of rugby on Sunday, so the loyal band of supporters(parents)were in their usual place on the touchline, when one of our really fast wingers was on a try scoring run when one of the opposition decided to "take him out". Unfortunately I was too slow to get out of the way, as I was sitting on my camping chair, due to a work injury to my hip, and couldn't get up in time! The player came charging like an express train towards our player, which he managed to tackle. Unfortunately the momentum kept him going and he hit me on both legs with the studs on his boots. I now have a "beautiful", huge purple and blue bruise with a cut down the middle on my right calf and a smaller, but equally "beautiful" bruise on the left shin. I did try to take a pic, but none of them did justice to the state of my legs!!!! After I got over the shock and the strain of stopping myself from crying, I managed to laugh about it! I actually felt sorry for the player who "took me out" as he was mortified at what he had done....bless!

Anyway as a side note, Ronan and his merry band won both their games 23:3 and 24:3. Well done to them!

At last.....some knitting content!

I know that there has been a lack of posting here of late and a severe lack of knitting posts! However I am about to put that right. I hav been knitting, not a lot, but there has been some getting done!!!

There is even a FO! and 2 WIP's (one is nearly a FO!)

This is my finished object, "Best Friend Scarf" by Cindy Bajema. This pattern is a free download from Ravelry.
I knitted it in Jaeger Pure Silk DK, in pale blue(shade 003), which I bought in the McA Direct sale (see yarn link for page!). I used 2.5 balls as I wanted a longer scarf.

Here is one of my WIP, using the left over 1.5 balls of Jaeger Pure Silk DK I used for "Best Friend Scarf". I decided to knit Leafy Lacy Scarf by Brynne Sutton, with it.

I also have a pair of toe-up sox on the needles as well.....now there's a surprise!!!

They are knitted in Opal Neon, 1935 colourway. This is the first one and the second one is half way up the foot.

Not a lot of knitting to report, but at least there has been some knitting activity over the past few months!

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month..........

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

This verse is taken from "For the Fallen", which is a 7 versed poem by
Laurence Binyon. This is the forth verse and the one most people know and associate with remembrence.


THE FALLEN SOLDIER

Don't weep for me
O' Land of the free
When it was my time to fall
'Twas for my country's call
'Twas for the land that I loved,
That I gave my all
And for the land that I loved,
I did freely give
And in her freedom
And her courage
I'll continue to live

This poem was written by Patricia Krull in 1993 and dedicated to all those servicemen and women who lie in Arlington Cemetery

Why they sell poppies.

I received this poem in an email from one of my friends and thought I would post it as it continues on my theme of Remembrance.

Why are they selling poppies Mummy?
Selling poppies in town today
The poppies, child, are flowers of love
For the men who marched away.
But why have they chosen a poppy Mummy?
Why not a beautiful rose?
Because my child, men fought and died
In the fields where the poppies grow.
But why are the poppies so red Mummy?
Red is the colour of blood, my child
The blood that our soldiers shed
The heart of the popy is black Mummy
Why does it have to be black Mummy?
Black, my child is the symbol of grief,
For the men who never came back.
But why, Mummy, are you crying so?
Your tears are giving you pain.
My tears are my fears for you my child
For the world is forgetting again

Lest We Forget, Part 3

This poem is very personal to me, as it was written about my great uncle, by Alex Craig,one of his friends. My great uncle, William Cargill was killed in action on board HMS Canarvon Castle on 5th Dec 1940, he was 24 years old. He was the second youngest son of William and Margaret Cargill of Gourdon. They also lost their youngest son, John Gove Freeman Cargill on 5th Nov 1939, aged 20 years. he was killed in action on HMT Northern Rover, which was sunk by a German U boat.

Fraternal Memorandum By Alex Craig.

My heart is sad and full of grief
In my eye there springs a tear
When I remember my old pal,
A friend I loved so dear.

It was on board the Carnarvon Castle
Down South Atlantic way
He was killed by a piece of flying shell
And buried at sea that day.

It seems so hard, but it’s true
We will ne’er see him again
They buried him in a watery grave
Somewhere on the Raging Main.

He was so young and full of life,
An ideal blooming rose.
That flower was plucked while in the bud
And now rests in sweet repose.

There will always be a spot, dear Bill,
Left in my heart for you.
The world may, but I’ll ne’er forget
A pal so good and true.

Lest We Forget, Part 2

I have chosen an other poem about war and how it efects everyone....just like the ripples in the pond. This one is about the aftermath of war and how it effects the soldiers.

The Tears I Shed by Chris Woolnough

God knows the silent tears I've shed
For the war in my heart and in my head
Through hollowed eyes that speak of sorrow
Of my yestaerdays and my tomorrow
The tears I shed, they are of truth,
The loss of innocence, the loss of youth.
Tears of a soldier that witnessed war
Through eyes that changed for ever more
They are the cross that I must bare
For the part of me that I left there.
I lost my soul up on that hill
Can't forgive the things I know God will
Tears for freedom that I will never see
For the guilt that lives inside of me
The tears I shed, they are of grief
For the lives in which I was the thief
Tears for the ones I couldn't save
For all the heros in their grave
For all the boys that were left behind
Tears for the peace, i cannot find
Tears of agony, Tears of shame
Tears of misery, Tears of blame
I cheated death and wonder why,
I did not live, I did not die
Because I answered the battle call
For what I've seen, i shed them all
A shattered man, That will not let
Myself forgive or forget.

We remember the soldiers who are killed, and rightly so, but often we forget about the soldiers who came back from the various Theatres of War and we forget how that horrific experience effects them for the rest of their lives.

At this time of remeberance, I remeber them too.

Lest we forget

This week sees the 90th Anniversary of the end of WWI and some of you may or may not know that I have a special interest in both World Wars and in genealogy in general and have, for the past 15 or so years been involved in doing my own family tree. This is currently a “work in progress”! However, I digress, over the past few weeks I have been involved in some research within the rugby club archives, looking for any players that were Killed in Action during WWII. There are none from WWI as the club wasn’t founded till 1921. This also is a “work in progress”!!

LEST WE FORGET.

To mark the 90th Anniversary of the end of WWI, I would like to post some poems (over the next few days) as a tribute to the brave men and women who gave up there lives that we can live ours, and to those who were left at home, not knowing what was going on and when or if their loved ones would return.

The first poem I have chosen is called Battlefield Nurse by Dolores Ryan Rutland.

BATTLEFIELD NURSE

When will it end cried the nurse that night
As she sat on her cot alone
How many more will be felled in the fight
How many heartaches will be sown
Why am I here in this Hell on earth
How do I face one more day
I’m here for a reason God only knows
Are my nerves strong enough for the stay
Seeing these bodies all ragged and torn
Broken and bleeding and blind
Miles from their loved ones
Calling for help
I’ll stay for this special kind
Pour me some coffee for I hear a plane
And I know there will be one or two
Who will need me tonight in this tent with no name
Yes, I guess God I’m here for You.

This poem is dedicated to all Battlefield Nurses who are the Angels of Mercy in wartime. D R Rutland.

The reason I chose this one first is that I was a nurse in Queen Alexandra’s Royal Nursing Corps (QARANC)for about 6 years, thankfully all during peacetime. However a lot of my training was in preparation for war. I was a Nursing Officer, starting out as a 1st Lieutenant attached to a Field Ambulance Unit, then to a General Hospital, latterly I was a Captain attached to the Gordon Highlanders and spent some time in Germany with them. In fact I was one of the first female officers attached to an Infantry Unit! One of the worst moments for me was when I had to come home and inform my parents that I had been called up to go to the 1st Gulf War, thankfully I got a reprieve and didn’t have to go. This must have been a terrible time for my parents, as my brother, who was in the RAF was also on stand by. Thankfully he didn't have to go either, but I did have quite a few freinds who were in that theatre of war.

Whats going on?

The pumpkins have hardly had time to decompose after Friday night and we are already seeing stuff for Xmas. For goodness sake its only the beginning of November, we still have to have bonfire night!!!!!

Last night on my way to drop the boys of at swimming club, before I set off for work, I was driving along the High Street only to see the local council workers erecting the Xmas lights that are strung across the street. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, a short distance further along the street there was a shop all decked out with Santa outfits etc. WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON? What with the credit crunch and my shifts being cut at work and DH just finished his job for the winter and no reply to any of his application forms.....Xmas is getting drastically scaled down this year. Bah Humbug!!!!!!!!

OK that's my bit of a rant over. Where have I been? I appear to have been MIA for quite a while. Well for 3 weeks I was really ill with 1st viral bronchitis and 2ndly a chest infection. After 3 lots of anti-biotics it is still not fully away. It has left me really tired and weak. (Not like me at all) I am now back at work and actually quite glad that my shifts have been cut, as to be quite honest I don't think I could do my usual hours. I have also been busy ferrying the boys between various sporting events...ie: school and club rugby and swimming club for Ronan and club rugby, basketball and swimming club for Bob. No wonder I have been exhausted!!!

The boys had their first "real" swimming competition a few weeks ago. When we got there I really thought I had made a bad choice and they had been entered into something way beyond their capabilities, however the boys rose to the challenge and proved me wrong. They both entered 2 races and Ronan won both his front crawl and his breast stroke and Bob came second in his front crawl and 5th in his breast stroke. This was the first time either had swam 200 metres under competition conditions.Bob was actually swimming against kids aged 10 and 11, he's only 9 and was still learning to swim this time last year!!!!I was extremely proud of them both. They have the club championship competitions over the next 2 Friday nights, so good luck boys.

Rugby news, both are doing well and are currently getting alot of rugby time. Ronan was off down to Biggar on Sunday and they played really well and came out eventual winners of a hard fought game. Bob was playing up at Stirling and they managed to win one, draw one and lose two. But according to DH they all played really well. This week Ronan and his team mates face my "old school" Mackie Academy from Stonehaven and Bob has training.

On the knitting front.....Not a lot to report here actually, it all seems to have come to a stand still at the moment. This might be due to the fact that most of my time has been taken up helping an ex-president of the rugby club do some research into the clubs history and searching the clubs archives. This has also involved several visits to the local churchyard looking for various graves. (All of which I have found!)Now all my time is spent trying to put all the information together....quite a daunting task and one which will take a while. However I am enjoying doing some genealogical research again, as I haven't done any for ages.

Oh well I think thats it for now, I promise to be a better blogger in the future!