Take a slice.......

of cake

and a glass of champagne

and help me celebrate my birthday.

CHEERS!

Indian Summer.........

I'm off to Goa today for a true Indian Summer, so I won't be around for two weeks.

Don't hate me.

That's what I was supposed to be posting today but we've had to cancel the holiday.

This is what happened....

A gastroscopy saved MWM's life, in a manner of speaking! He suffers badly from reflux and has been taking medication for a few months. He has been scheduled to have an gastroscopy twice recently to check if the medication is working and for one reason or another has had to cancel the appointments. Last Monday it was scheduled again and he went. They wouldn't do the procedure because his BP was dangerously high and told him to see his own doctor, which he did last Wednesday. His doctor was extremely concerned and upped his medication immediately.  He's been on medication for high BP for many years.   Of course flying with high blood pressure is extremely dangerous and she advised he shouldn't take the flight so we have cancelled the holiday. The point is, if he hadn't gone for the gastroscopy we would have taken the flight oblivious of the danger and ANYTHING could have happened!

Someone up there is looking after him, thank goodness.

Microfiction Monday #28

Susan at Stony River hosts this fun theme each Monday, so do pop over and read the others who have
signed Mr. Linky. The rules are thus:



Every Monday Susan will post a picture for the subject of your story. Microfiction means the shortest of short stories. Think Aesop's fables, comic strips, or even jokes: complete stories that can be told in under a minute. For this game, the limit is a tweetable 140 characters or fewer, including punctuation and spaces.


Here's today's picture and my contribution.

Scowling at the photographer.

Pedro wished he’d get on with it.

He knew it was a mistake agreeing to model knitwear for the dratted catalogue.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction #141 Colours....

Mmmmm, what colour? she thought.

It has to be something dramatic, maybe Mandarin or Sunshine Yellow?

Something to impact with the black.

Then she saw it - Fuchsia - that was it!

She removed the lid from the tin of paint and smiled in delight

before promptly tipping the contents over the bonnet of the love-rat's car.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction is brought to you by G-man (Mr Knowitall). The idea is you write a story in exactly 55 words. If you want to take part pop over and let G-man know when you've posted your 55.

In Remembrance....

Remembrance Day

Armistice Day

Veterans Day

Whatever you call it, let us remember them and thank them for our freedom.

LEST WE FORGET

Did I read that sign right???.....

Received this in an email and thought you might enjoy the laugh....




TOILET OUT OF ORDER.............PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW



In a Laundromat:

AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN

THE LIGHT GOES OUT



In a London department store:

BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS



In an office:

WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING

IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN



In an office:

AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE

DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD



Outside a secondhand shop:

WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT

BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?



Notice in health food shop window:

CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS



Spotted in a safari park:(I sure hope so)

ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR



Seen during a conference:

FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY

CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR



Notice in a farmer's field:

THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE

BULL CHARGES.



Message on a leaflet:

IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS



On a repair shop door:

WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

Microfiction Monday #27

Susan at Stony River hosts this fun theme each Monday, so do pop over and read the others who have signed Mr. Linky. The rules are thus:

Every Monday Susan will post a picture for the subject of your story. Microfiction means the shortest of short stories. Think Aesop's fables, comic strips, or even jokes: complete stories that can be told in under a minute. For this game, the limit is a tweetable 140 characters or fewer, including punctuation and spaces.
Here's today's picture and my contribution.

Amy was sure she knew the way home and she was hungry.

Now she wasn’t sure, everywhere looked the same.

 

She wished she’d waited for Jo now.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction #140

It seemed like a good idea when they met to discuss it.

They hadn’t reckoned on someone leaking what they were planning though.

Unfortunately for one Guy he was caught

guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder in the bowels of the House of Lords

And sentenced to death.

Guy Fawkes – 5th November

Gunpowder, treason and plot!

Friday 55 Flash Fiction is brought to you by G-man (Mr Knowitall). The idea is you write a story in exactly 55 words. If you want to take part pop over and let G-man know when you've posted your 55.

Dona Nobis Pacem....

Today is Blogblast for Peace.

If you aren't already flying your Peace Globe go get one and fly it. Then go to Mimi's (Mimi Writes) and sign Mr. Linky so other Blogblasters can come visit you.


You can get your Peace Globe here, it has instructions on how to do it, then post it on your blog today.


Please join in and make your voice heard, it will make a difference.

Microfiction Monday #26

Susan at Stony River hosts this fun theme each Monday, so do pop over and read the others who have signed Mr. Linky. The rules are thus:

Every Monday Susan will post a picture for the subject of your story. Microfiction means the shortest of short stories. Think Aesop's fables, comic strips, or even jokes: complete stories that can be told in under a minute. For this game, the limit is a tweetable 140 characters or fewer, including punctuation and spaces.

Here's today's picture and my contribution.

Pretty Polly’s smile hid a dark secret.

She wasn’t what she appeared to be,

 

as the other guests at the Halloween party were about to discover.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction #139 Accident.....

Her whole being screamed "NO"!

as she watched the rescue team take her husband from the wrecked car.

He was still alive, she heard someone shout.

She hovered as close as she could get, then heard someone say

"Too late, she's gone"

as she turned to see her broken body being lifted into the ambulance.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction is brought to you by G-man (Mr Knowitall). The idea is you write a story in exactly 55 words. If you want to take part pop over and let G-man know when you've posted your 55.

I've taken over for the day.....

MWM here.   Akelamalu has given me permission to do a guest post today regarding my birthday yesterday.   My darling wife bought me a very special birthday present - I got to experience riding on the footplate of this

60163 TORNADO - the first steam engine to have been built from scratch for 50 years and it took 19 years to build by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust at a cost of £3.1 million.  For any anoraks out there reading this, it is a Class A1 Pacific loco originally designed by A. H. Peppercorn in 1945 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).  Unfortunately none of the original 49 that were built were preserved, hence this new build.

Here's me on the footplate being given instructions of where to sit so that I was out of the way of the footplate crew.

Here's the driver Brian

and the machinery that makes it all work so magnificently.

Here's the view of the track from the fireman's perspective.

 It has been a lifetime ambition of mine to enjoy a footplate ride and to realise this ambition on such a unique engine, on my birthday, was absolutely wonderful.    All too soon the 50 minute journey was over but the memory of this day will be something I will cherish forever and I have a certificate to prove I did it.

Here I am looking very happy riding the train back home

PS TORNADO is off to Scotland next week.