Friday Night

It's Friday night.
There was a time when that meant one had to be out there, meeting people, being "sociable", sitting 'round on bar stools, drinking, smoking, and in the "swing" of things.
Not any more. Friday Night is Family, TV, Good Food and perhaps some Friends. When the kids have gone to bed, we sometimes remember to have a cognac, but we mostly don't.
Does that sound boring? Well, it's not. Once I was done with the pubbing and clubbing time of my life, I never looked back. I'd rather have my safe, cozy family haven any day.
Have a great weekend, everyone, however you choose to spend it!

This was a sponsored post, honest!

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August # 100 Post

Just to see if it works, I'm posting this today (September 3rd) and putting it in August.
99 posts in August looked so sad, I thought I'd try to rectify that.
So, here you go, another post about absolutely nothing - feel free to ignore it.

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Where Areth Thou, Romeo?

I guess if Romeo and Juliet had had access to dating websites full of eligible singles, they may have lived happily ever after...
No, seriously - why skim through thousands of uninteresting profiles, if you know exactly what sort of person you want to meet?
For latin singles , for example, why not check out a website that specializes in profiles that may suit your tastes? Maybe you're Latino yourself, maybe you just think they look gorgeous, maybe you're looking for someone you've lost...
If latina dating is the thing for you, there's no place like this site. There are 1000s of profiles, and perhaps your Romeo (or Juliet) is there waiting for you?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained - go see for yourself...

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A Viral Link Project

All right, I'm a believer. Viral linking works. Since posting this list a little over a week ago, backlinks have been coming in steadily.
I can't say how many, Technorati has started removing links from my "authority" as well, they seem to have gone over the age limit...
I'm getting more visitors too, so this is fun!
Check out DCR Blogs' viral post - he's done a Skittles!
I'm including some of my favourite girls in this list, and urgeing them and anyone else to grab the list, post on viral linking, and keep the ball rolling. Remember to add yourself, if you're not already in, and anyone you want! (Copy in "compose", Bloggerbloggers!)

If you've included me, and I haven't reciprocated, please let me know, and I'll have you in ASAP...

One Man’s Goal - Ryan Shamus - Terence Chang - Rich Minx - Slyvisions - E-Revenue Select - Misdo Club - Digital Lost Boys - CyberSurge - Technically Easy - How I Will Be Rich - Boston Brat - Your Website Profit - The Dragon Project - I Am Facing Millions - E-World Vu - Allscm.com - Hiding-N-Public - Webd360 - Techie Zone - The Insane Writer - Olympic Blogger - Norwegian Photo Blog - The King Kong Blog - Bamboo Nation - Mobile Phone Geek - Boogie Mum - Miri Guy - Everything Finance Blog - Net Monetization - Groovy Vegetarian - Etienne Teo - Omicra - Komirad - Pro Blog Design - I Do Things - Fashion Style Trend - Marketing Land - Marketing Deviant - Blogging Tips - Rammel Firdaus - Don Biz Blogger - Groovy Entrepreneur - Mr. Baconpants - The Daily Fuzz - Forex Trading Blog - Zr5 - Cariboo Ponderer - Utah SEO - Queen City Hoops - Blogging Bits - Demp.se/y - Scraps of Mind - High Fivez - Poewar - Blogging Expertise - Escape Job Hell - Oil Offshore Marine - Smart Not Cheap - I Hate Your Job - Vegan Momma - Sewing Mom - Lillie Ammann - Life Snippets - My New Hustle - Mouseki - Chill Technology - Mother's Home! - Blogging Mix - A Blog About Nothing - Untwisted Vortex - Jaycees Desires - Chessnoid - DCR Blogs - Muffin 53 - Chicken's Life - Skittles' Place - The Buzz Queen - A Little Piece Of Me - Comedy Plus - Adsense Tips - Escape Job Hell - Missylicious - Secretalife

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An Inspiration

Meet Karl Moore. A best-selling author and entrepreneur, he also finds time to post daily on his blog, Karl's blog.
He's also Miracle Boy's namesake, so I had to check him out...
I had a good time, and I will come back.
His "Friday Factoids" are a hoot, and his posts on "Random Acts of Kindness" on Mondays are sweet, and really make you think. (Thought counts!)
His other posts are meant to inspire, and some of them really do. He posts about attitude, age, hypnosis and office furnishings (among other things!), and he hits a nerve...
For a good, relaxing (but thoughtprovoking) read, grab a cup of coffee, put your feet up, and head on over to Karl's blog. For more on the man himself, and his other work, you might want to visit Karl Moore.
An interesting acquaintance!

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Thursday Thirteen # 17

Thirteen not so gross Things in my fridge today Since I gave the pigs all the derelict stuff in my fridge last week, I thought I'd reassure everyone this week, and list some edible items! 1. Cured salmon - lovely stuff, it's cured in sugar, salt and dill, and tastes heavenly with a mild mustard sauce. Also, one piece of smoked salmon. Y'all know what that is - we love to eat it with scrambled eggs on a Sunday morning. 2. Strawberry jam. I sometimes make a bucket of waffle whateveryoucallit (dough?, no, it's too runny - oh, yes, batter), on Sundays, since we sometimes have between 10 and 20 people here in the course of an average Sunday. No waffles without jam. Or ice cream. 3. 1 bottle of French Rosé wine. 4. Cold cuts - the kids love their ham and salami. 5. Little cubes of soft cheese - for Miracle Boy. 6. Eggs aplenty. We believe in keeping our cholesterol levels on a steady high. 7. Lettuce from our garden - we salvaged a few heads after the frost the other day. Also, one red pepper (paprika). 8. Wasabi paste - I'm a total sushi addict, and I have to have some paste on the ready, in case hubby wanders in with sushi take-away. (Yes! Of all things, we get that in our little corner of back-of-beyond!) 9. A selection of sausages - just in case we manage to squeeze in another BBQ in a day or two. The rest of the meat is in the freezer. 10. One kilo of Swedish meatballs. 11. Various fruit flavoured yoghurts. 12. Blueberry juice. 13. Fizzy water. My healthy alibi. Do I drink it? Well, sometimes, but I tend to go for Pepsi Max... I hope you're all a little less grossed out this week...

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

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Paris, France

Great, I get to blog some more about Paris - this time about Hotels in Paris! I've been investigating quite a bit lately, and found some very attractive Paris Hotels, so I'm just about ready to book.
We've more or less landed on the Quartier Latin, for it's charm and it's nightlife...

It's also quite close to everything, and the Metro will take us anywhere we want to go - like the Louvre Museum or the Notre Dame Cathedral.










We'll probably be spending most of our time in the Quartier and the Marais, though, soaking in the "shabby chic" atmosphere...

Now, all I have to do is check out one last site for good deals on Hôtels en Paris, get out my credit card, and we're all set for Paris in October!


This was a sponsored post - 2 cafés au lait, s'il vous plaît!

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I'm Luved!

Sandee of Comedy Plus has very kindly given me an award - isn't that just the nicest thing? It's the "I ♥ Your Blog! - Spreading The Luv One Blog At A Time." award, and I accept it with humility and thanks!



I also get to pass it on, which is always very nice! Now, many of the blogs I luv to visit have been honored by Sandee, so I'll top up the list with these luvely favourites:




Another Day In Paradise
Autofocused
Beautiful British Columbia
Muffin 53's new blog
Chicken's Life
Dis' Book Blog
Eleanorblog
In My Mother's Name
scribbit
Skittles' Place
Small and Big
The Buzz Queen's new blog
The Mis-Adventures Of Captain Poopy
The Seaside Stitcher
Tiggrbobs Temporal Typings
Tinkerbell

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Shopping Online

The shopping season is coming up... In this household, we have 6 birthdays in October and November as well, so we're well into the spirit of things long before Christmas!
This year, though, Santa's dealing in online coupons!
For the little ones, if it were me choosing (!), I'd go for a Childrens Place deal. Cute clothes! Let them decide, and I'd find myself using a Disney shopping coupon! For the teens, a Best Buy Coupon code is just the ticket - they all like their gadgets. They like clothes, too... Decisions, decisions!

Whatever we decide to buy for everyone, though, we'll certainly check out these online deals first. There are great deals to be found, on virtually everything, so it would be a shame not to take advantage.

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Adsense Hoodwinked

OK, I mention Rome once, and suddenly this blog is an Adsense Rome guru. How many ads for Rome do you see here???? I counted 8 just now. Top that, anyone!!!

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Wordless Wednesday # 22

Click photo to enlarge for a better effect...
Coolopticalillusions.com

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New Widget! - update!

If you go aaaaaaallll the way down on my sidebar, you'll find a voting device thingy, where you may vote for me if you so wish. As per now, I've got 2 votes, and one is from myself... How pathetic is that? I hope you so wish, please, pretty please!

Update: 20 votes now, thanks all!!! Any new takers? Go for it!

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The Eternal City

No, this isn't turning into a travel blog, but I really love taking opps that pertain to travel, both for my own enjoyment and for my interested readers...
There are so many places I'd like to see, and Rome is high up on the list.
I hereby give you RomaClick.com, a site that will direct you to quality hotels in the heart of the Eternal City. Rome accomodation at it's finest, in most price ranges. All the hotels on the site have been investigated for you, and they're all centrally located, for easy access to all the marvels of Rome.
The site offers Rome apartments too, for families or small groups, or if you just want more autonomy and space.

The site looks inviting and trustworthy, the hotels get a comprehensive review, complete with prices and nearby attractions. You can search for hotels by rating or by location, which is helpful. Just decide which area you want to stay in, and they'll direct you to nearby hotels.
There is also a Skype live helpline, where you can get answers to your questions right away.
Be sure to have a look at the Rome guide, it's marvelous, and has a mention and description of all the major sights.

I've bookmarked it, we might just give Paris a miss this fall, and visit Rome instead.

This has been a sponsored post.

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# 400 Post - This One's For Bee

Post # 400 already, and I'm dedicating it to Empress Bee (of the high sea), who's going through a difficult time.
Head on over there, folks, give her a hug, and bring cake if you can.




Good wishes, Bee...





Bee's customized ribbon designed by Ms.Maggie Moo Talks 2 U

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A Ramble

My mother's cousin lives in the Arizona desert. It's true, she does. Now, that may sound normal to some of you, but it didn't to me, when she first told us she was moving...
Then, two years ago, she came to visit, and showed us photos, and told us how happy she was in her new community.
I finally got it... The beauty of it made me realize why, say, Scottsdale real estate is a popular investment.
It's gorgeous, and althoug the heat can be staggering at times in the summer, I can even relate to moving there for the climate. With the horrible summer we've had over here, and frost setting in already, some stifling heat wouldn't go amiss right now.
We have a standing invitation, and I'm tempted!
Valley of the Sun - beware of a Viking invasion...


This post was sponsored. I have to pay the heating bills.

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Was That It?

Just a few days ago, I posted about summer finally being here. It was the 24th, Friday, I remember it well. It's now the 28th, 4 days later, and we woke up to frost this morning!!!
What IS this? The sun is shining now, and we're ever grateful that no snow came with the sub-zero, but really! The Clematis has just come out, the roses finally had some sun and were looking not-too-bad, considering the amount of rain that has poured for the last two months, but now?
One can only hope that it's a one-off, and that when the full moon subsides, we'll go back to "normal", whatever that is.
OK, OK, leave the sub-zero, but no more rain...pleeeease!

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True Fashion

I used to look good in cute denim jeans, and now, I have daughters who do... I've done some market research for this post, don't you know.
A browse through the e-boutique Kultic.com and their True Religion Jeans section with the three teenage girlies, and there was no end to the oo's and aa's. The inevitable question did come - from all three of them. "Can we order some??? Please??".
The interest of # 3 Brat arose, and he was shown the men's page. He muttered something like "Yeah, they're cool", and that' some badge of honor, I can tell you!
So, I've been foolish enough to contribute to another must-have on their Christmas lists... That's OK, though - the jeans really are cute, but don't tell them I said so!


This has been a paid post, and I had fun writing it!

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Heads or Tails # 3 - Hobby

I was introduced to silk painting in the early 90s, I think, and was immediately hooked. The versatility, the possibilities, the vibrancy of the colours... I just loved it!
I loved the sheerness of the fabric and the way the dyes run and interact when wet... And however little talent you've got for drawing patterns - as long as the colours are well suited, it'll look good even without any patterns at all.
These are some of my scarves - from a long time ago, but it's definitely something I will take up again.
Below some wonderful designs I found via Google, aren't they gorgeous?

Geraldine Watson


Kariva Singh



Gabriele Augustini and the silk painting process.

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A Discovery Blog!

Have you ever wondered how small the world's smallest horse really is? Or how it would look if you were wrestling in chocolate?
No???
How about the history of Sudoku or how much a walrus penis bone would go for?
These, and loads of other things you don't need to know, but might enjoy the discovery of, at Discovery with YeinJee!
I found many interesting stories, none of which had any relevance at all to life as I know it (except perhaps the Sudoku one!), but fun and educational all the same.

I had a good time over there, and I'm smiling now, so there...


This was a paid post. That's no reason to ignore it.

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A Real Life Venture

We've been thinking for some time about what we want to do with this place. It's not big enough to be called a farm, and we could certainly not live off the land alone.
We've had sheep (and will have again), we have horses, dogs, rabbits, pigs, and we're looking into getting some chickens. It's a lovely, secluded place with a lot of potential!
We've toyed with the idea of offering what's called "Green Care" here, meaning that people in care (elderly people, mentally challenged people, kids with troubled backgrounds) are taken in on a daily basis, to interact with the animals and participate in the chores they are able to do. We'd love doing that! To be helping people, giving them something meaningful to do, would be meaningful to us, too.
To start up something like this, though, we'd have to do all the things we hate first... Like talking to potential buyers of the service, market research, applying for grants and loans... We'd have to go to some classes too, but that's fine - there's a lot to learn. All the rest, though - arrgh!
Maybe I should sign up for some relevant classes first - if I'm in luck, they'll teach me how to approach and overcome the things I dread!


A sponsored post - with a glimpse of my real life...

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The Viral Dream Meme

I'm sending this off as a Linky Love experiment. I got the idea from Skittles' post My Linky Love Dream, and from the various posts on viral linking that I've seen around lately.
Remember passing 'round a piece of paper when you were a kid, and everyone had to add a sentence to make up a story? Well, we did that, anyway...
Why not try that as a meme? I can't say that it's a new approach to viral linking, I don't know if it's been done before, but there should be plenty of Linky Love for everyone as the story grows and moves around the Blogosphere!

Rules:
1. Copy and paste the story below, and the rules, on your blog.

2. Find out who you're going to tag. (2-3 people, or more, if you wish)

3. Write one or two sentences to continue the story, and use the titles of the blogs you're tagging or any word(s) associated with them as keywords in the links you include in your part of the story.

4. Remember to tell your taggees that you've tagged them!

5. Feel free to use this and start your own viral link story. I'd very much appreciate a link back to Mother's Home if you do. (Or a tag, if you prefer!)

And so the story goes...

Once upon a time, after the evil stepmom had put up a Barbed wire fence around everything, the Empress came and shouted: "I've come to give you A little piece of me'mind!

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Clearing Out The Junk

I've got my new Blogplace in place, so one project is down. Only 784 to go... The next one, and the one I've been dreading, is clearing out the junk that's been piling up in the kids' TV room upstairs. Let me elaborate: Atop some very practical, very boring pieces of office furniture (a desk and some shelf units) are sacks of winter clothes that should be in the attic (I'll soon be spared the trouble, winter's coming!), life vests, sleeping bags, various office equipment, a derelict computer, and various (read: many) items that I've no idea what to do with. The kids pile stuff there, too.
The beauty of time in this context of course, is that once I realize that I've not missed any of these things, I'll be ready to chuck them out... Since our "office" has been set up downstairs now, we can probably clear the space altogether, and use it for a wardrobe, a chest and other storage. A steel container would look better than its' present state...
I'm not posting a picture. Too much junk. Maybe after it's done!

This post was inspired by the assigned keywords, and sponsored.

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Manic Monday # 21 - Faith

Faith - what a big word for a Monday morning, Mo...

What I believe in... I'm not sure. I don't believe in the various Churches, and their monopolizing Right and Wrong. Blind faith I find scary, because it could lead to fanatism, whichever religion we're talking about.
I do believe in people's right to choose, as long as no one gets hurt, and in man's inner and personal strength. I believe that there's good and bad in each and every one, and that if there is a battle between the two, it happens within us. I think that if there is a higher force, it's essentially benign, and that divine punishment was invented to keep the masses in tow.
I believe Jesus was a great man, who had no idea he would be deified, and who was as much a Jew when he died as when he was born. The invention of Christianity wasn't his doing...
Mostly, though, I believe in freedom of creed, and I'm continually baffled at the human race. We keep killing each other over faith, although at the core of every religion known to man lies peace, respect of creation and the sanctity of life.

"He, who is free of sin, shall cast the first stone" That's not me.

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Stumped...

I do like PayU2blog. You can write anything, as long as you include the assigned link in your post, and the post contains at least 60 words. I haven't done too badly until now, but this time I'm stumped. How do you sneak in something like cbu mailboxes in a post about... say... rural Norway,dogs, horses or even monetizing your blog???
I have no idea. So I'll just ramble on, put the link in, publish with my eyes closed, and hope it'll be approved...

This was a sponsored post. (I hope).

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Saturday Photo Hunt # 17 - Happy

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Finally!

Summer's here! After what seems like months and months of steady rain, fog and more rain... OK, it's an Indian summer, but it's all we're gonna get, so we're making the best of it. Yesterday's birthday party was all outdoors, with a barbecue and a very balmy evening to follow, and we're hoping to barbecue again today. It's pleasantly warm, the sun is shining - wonderful! The forecast is for more nice weather for the next few days, so we're squeezing in as much outdoor time as we can.
The garden is a disaster, apart from the vegetables, but I got this nice detail from a large pot on the terrace...

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Dreaming Of Oz...

How much blogging will it take for me to take the gang Down Under??? Probably quite a bit - and I may have to include grandchildren...
Sydney Hotels can be booked at a reasonable price online, which is a good thing, because hubby and I would have to go to the opera. You know the one...


I'm not at all sure the rest of the gang would appreciate that, but the building is worth a visit - and Sydney Harbour too, I'm told.








For more urban experiences, we might just go for one of many Melbourne Hotels or Brisbane Hotels. Melbourne is a must, as I'd absolutely love to go to Tasmania.





As for hubby, he'd have the time of his life if we were to visit a sheep farm, so we'd have to figure out something to do for the kids in the meantime!


I'm sure there's a beach somewhere...


This has been a sponsored post - how else am I going to get to Oz?

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Happy Blogaversary Skittles!

Skittle's Place is one year old today!!!
I'm sorry to say that the people who were here yesterday to celebrate Miracle Boy not only ate all of his cake, but heartily started eating Skittles' cake as well!!! I'll whip up another one, assemble the Hopeful Home Gang (all 8 of us) and scramble over the pond ASAP...
Happy 1!!!
Jump on over there and congratulate her!

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Interested?

Does your credit card company charge an arm and a leg? Are you on the lookout for a better offer? You might want to try Mint! Mint is a uk credit card company that offers highly competitive interest rates. They also have a very savoury introduction offer - have a look and see what you think!
Plastic is here to stay - but why pay more than necessary?


This has been a paid post.

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I Had A Good Cry Today...

I recieved a letter today, from an insurance company I've never been associated with. Opened it, thinking it was just another sales letter.
It wasn't.
My aunt, who passed away in June, had divided the payout on her life insurance policy between her husband and me.
This means I'll be getting something like 650$ per month for the next 11 years. I never knew, and it never occured to me that she'd have thought of me in that context.
She did, and I'm so touched and all weepy.
She was one of my "mothers" at one time. I now know that she thought so, too.

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Garage Plans

We're going to build a garage - or should I say an outhouse. I really can't wait to have that done!
It's doubtful that there'll ever be room for a car in there, we have so much stuff that needs storage space.
One thing I will find room for, is a proper tool chest. Ideally, I'd equip each tool with a tracking device as well, but maybe, if we had something like this in place, people would put things back where they belong... (Since I'm a girl, color does matter too, so I'd probably choose a red one!)
We have a lot of tools, but they're never where they should be. I'd say a heavy duty tool chest with a place for everything is pretty high up on my wish list.

This has been a paid post.

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One Birthday Boy, One!

Miracle Boy is ONE today! And what a year it's been...

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What's 4 Months Away?

Isn't this a great time to talk about Christmas? I'm on a budget, and my Christmas list is loooong, so I usually try to get started early, to allow for some bills in December, too! (Emphasis on try!)
Mpire is a good place to start, especially if you're planning to shop online. You can compare retail and ebay prices, you get an overview of what's available, and you can shop, of course.
Say you want to buy a doll for a lucky little girl (or boy - let's be PC...) Just type "doll" in the search box, and you get all the different types, the price range on each item, and the number of stores the prices are collected from. You can the go and look at the stores, and see which you want to order from. If you click ebay, all the dolls on ebay will show up!
The categories are endless, there's everything from clothing to computers, via toys, jewelry, cosmetics and more.
I think I'll avoid the Christmas bustle this year...


This has been a sponsored post.

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Thursday Thirteen # 16

Thirteen Things I found in my fridge this morning



1. One burst can of Pepsi. The culprit, and the reason why my kitchen table is now FULL of stuff while the fridge is defrosting.
2. One very outdated jar of pickled herring. (Don't ask - some people here like it... But not enough, apparently.)
3. One parched and shriveled slice of salami. (It got away...)
4. One tin of maquerel in tomato sauce, embedded in ice/snow at the back of the fridge. It's still there - waiting for global warming to take hold/ice to melt.
5. One jar of caviar (Not the Beluga variety, just your average North Sea fish eggs) - having been kept for a fitting occasion, and forgotten.
6. 3 cans of beer. Not outdated, strangely enough!!! We buy beer on occasion, in case someone shows up that drinks it. We dont, so I always have some beer in the fridge, waiting for thirsty company. I sometimes have to pour it out... The pigs like the stuff, apparently - must test that next time!
7. 3 jars of pickled beetroot (we do eat the strangest stuff), all opened, and well within their sell-by date. They can now magically be turned into 1 jar!
8. Jam, jam, jam, jam and jam. Top that with preserves. (The difference being???) At least 3 jars will be fed to the pigs, leaving us with the stuff we actually eat.
9. By the time I got this far, I'd also found most of the contents of the Pepsi can. Lucky - it was Max, so everything was just moderately sticky...
10. 2 (empty!!!!) juice cartons. Seems I'm not the only one with a brain function problem around here.
11. 2 mini bottles of bubbly. Hmm - forgotten about those. We do tend to forget that there is something called alcohol around here. Someone always needs to be picked up or taken somewhere. We live in the outback, and therefore we are taxi drivers. It's a choice. (ish).
12. Tsatziki (??? - when did I ever buy that???) Date? Woops! Pigs.
13. Loads of other stuff, some of it you might actually like to try if you came to see me. And that I will now be able to find, thanks to a can of Pepsi and the relocation of most of the above to the pig pen...


Now, wasn't this wildly interesting? I thought as much. Happy TT, everyone!!




Links to other Thursday Thirteens!



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

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Dating By Persuasion...

I probably would. If I were to change styles to being gothic, I probably would try to date someone similar to myself. What better way to go about it, then, than to check out one of the specialized dating sites, like this one, dedicated to goth dating?
There are hundreds of gothic personals, featuring profiles of people of the same ilk, who are looking for like-minded singles.


I'm past 40, big and blonde, so I'd probably look positively weird as a full blown goth, but many of them are absolutely beautiful, and impossible to imagine wearing pink... It's hard to imagine them dating someone who's wearing pink too!

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A Man With A Goal

In my highly irregular "Upwards" series, I would like to introduce you to someone...

Meet Bryan Clark. He's a man with a goal. In 365 days, he aims to be a full time blogger, and with a substantial income, too.
There are no "if only"'s on his blog, One Man’s Goal - no wishes, no "but"'s. Just a very determined young man on a mission.
He's doing it all - PPP, rank-building, ads, social bookmarking, and he's doing well. He's cracked the social bit, too - he's not the "I'm better than you" type at all, and the more people he manages to drag with him to the top, the better, it seems... (He's going to the top, make no mistake about it!)

His blog is full of tips, things he's tried, things that work. He writes well, and seems a likeable chap. I'm not doing a review here - you go see for yourself. If you're the least bit into monetizing, you will find a lot to interest you.


One thing that he's doing, that intrigues me with it's simple genius, is Viral Linking, and I thought I'd give it a go here. I've used Bryan's list, obviously, since that's where I saw it, and Bryan says this about it:


"I recommend that all of you at least try Viral Linking. It’s a great way to build backlinks.

The way it works is that I add a bunch of links to my post, you copy and paste those links along with your link (if it isn’t on the list), post a description of how viral link works, and then encourage your readers to try it. I spreads like wildfire. The last time I posted a viral link chain I gained over 300 backlinks! 300 Backlinks, one post… I’ll take it! So try it out."

There you go, then. Copy and paste the below link list, (for Blogger, paste it in Compose, saves a LOT of work...) add your own link, and post about how it works, encourageing your readers to do the same. There should be enough backlinks to go 'round...
Please comment if you're going to do it - it'll be fun to see how it evolves...


One Man’s Goal - Ryan Shamus - Terence Chang - Rich Minx - Slyvisions - E-Revenue Select - Misdo Club - Digital Lost Boys - CyberSurge - Technically Easy - How I Will Be Rich - Boston Brat - Your Website Profit - The Dragon Project - I Am Facing Millions - E-World Vu - Allscm.com - Hiding-N-Public - Webd360 - Techie Zone - The Insane Writer - Olympic Blogger - Norwegian Photo Blog - The King Kong Blog - Bamboo Nation - Mobile Phone Geek - Boogie Mum - Miri Guy - Everything Finance Blog - Net Monetization - Groovy Vegetarian - Etienne Teo - Omicra - Komirad - Pro Blog Design - I Do Things - Fashion Style Trend - Marketing Land - Marketing Deviant - Blogging Tips - Rammel Firdaus - Don Biz Blogger - Groovy Entrepreneur - Mr. Baconpants - The Daily Fuzz - Forex Trading Blog - Zr5 - Cariboo Ponderer - Utah SEO - Queen City Hoops - Blogging Bits - Demp.se/y - Scraps of Mind - High Fivez - Poewar - Blogging Expertise - Escape Job Hell - Oil Offshore Marine - Smart Not Cheap - I Hate Your Job - Vegan Momma - Sewing Mom - Lillie Ammann - Life Snippets - My New Hustle - Mouseki - Chill Technology - Mother's Home! - Blogging Mix - A Blog About Nothing - Untwisted Vortex - Jaycees Desires - Chessnoid -
DCR Blogs

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Wordless Wednesday # 21

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Zero Film On Blog

I was just over at Coke zero , making my own movie, thinking to post it here... I got that wrong, that wasn't the idea, but I did get to send it to all my friends, and that was quite fun too.
Ok, Ok, I wasn't making my own movie. They've compiled some old b/w clips for you to manipulate with a voiceover thingy. It's all part of the Life as it should be campaign.
Just the ticket for all you caption experts out there! It's easy, fun, and if you've got a lot of friends, your clip could be top rated...
Real taste, zero sugar - I never thought I'd post for THEM...

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Looking for Heads or Tails?

Scroll, scroll!

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MMM - Furniture

I do have the taste for it... Still, since I have very young kids (sticky fingers, jumpy feet), leathery and shiny wooden surfaces are not what I'm aspiring at for the moment. I will, though, I will!
The furniture on display at the furniture room store is amazingly beautiful.
From their bedroom furniture (have a look, it's dreamy!), via the Sectionals (sofas) for the living room, to the efficient AND beautiful Home Office Furniture, I really would like to start ordering right away.
The leather sofas look stunning (inviting too - I can easily picture Hubby fast asleep in one of those sectional recliner numbers...), The dark wooden dining room sets (check out the Chess/Backgammon table!) are just the thing for entertaining, and for a romantic bedroom, look no further. I'm running out of superlatives here - go see for yourself...

The site is well set up, as well - a pleasing color palette, that matches the merchandise, and very easily navigated. Just one look, and you find what you need. The pictures do right by the furniture too, everything is set up in a "milieu", and you really get to see the pieces in use, not just as pieces in a show room.


All in all a place where I'd love to go shopping...


This has been a paid post.

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Tagged - Double Tagged!

Misty Dawn @ My Dogs Keep Me Sane AND Empress Bee @ Muffin 53 have both tagged me with the Face Off meme. I will get 'round to it, and bestowe Linky Love upon all...

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Watching The Weight

While we're on the subject of 'fessing up - I'm too big. I know I can do something about it, but I don't. As far as I know, there are no physiological problems, I just enjoy food too much, and indulge myself.
Heard the "life is too short" excuse before? I invented it.
I haven't tried everything. Far from it. Every diet under the sun hasn't been bothered by me. Banana, pineapple, hoodia, eggs, low carb, high fat - nope. Sorry - I have done low carb, and it works, it's just that with a family that eats too, a special diet for one is hard work.
The ideal diet? A pill you take in the morning, and then go on as normal, and lose 20 pounds a week. Even 20 pounds per month would do, on that regime... One for hubby too - he's a growing boy!
I wish I were as brave as some blogger chicks - posting their weight and their progress; it might be an incentive. Nothing else works as an incentive, you see. The getting into your clothes one? No. Bigger clothes are available. Looking good on the beach? Past that. 4 births. Looking good off the beach? I look allright. Feeling better, less arthritic? Tried. Doesn't help. Living longer? Don't want to be 90 and needy.
Get it? It's all in the mind.
Inside my fat person is a thin person that just doesn't want to come out... Yet. She'll probably have to one day though - I'm quite persistent.

I'll be paid for writing this. Amazing, huh?

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What Brain?

I forget.
Ask me what I did yesterday, and I really have to think - hard. The kids' names? I call at least three of them before I come up with the right one... Did anyone call? Nooo... don't think so - oh yes, come to think of it, I had several calls. Dental appointments, doctor's appointments - gone.
I write them up (most of the time), mind you, but I forget to look at the calendar. The hard-drive (my so-called brain) is full of useless information - I'm a quiz whiz, don't you know, but the day-to-day stuff just disappears.
I sometimes wish that it were possible to implant an IBM memory stick or something, that could help me with my everyday shortcomings.
OK, I could program everything into my cell or computer, but do you really think I'd remember to do that? And I forget where my cell is, anyway...
At least, this blog helps me remember my English. Which means that there's still some movement up there. Maybe I should do a French and a Norwegian blog too, but then I'd be so busy blogging I'd probably forget real life altogether.
A friend of mine used to throw an oven glove on the floor to help her remember stuff. Thing was, she would then spend the day trying to remember what it was lying there for...
Oh, well. I'm good with telephone numbers. And geometry rules. All useful stuff, no???


A ponsorsed-endorsops-oh, right - sponsored stop. Post.

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Heads or Tails # 2 - Luck

TAILS today - ways LUCK has played a part in my life...

I - When I was 21, I avoided being maimed or killed in a car accident. Pure luck - we were driving an old Merc with a sofa for a front seat. The other car hit us in the side, but the back of the front seat (hit sideways) took the blow, and we crawled out of a totalled car with only some very sore muscles... I'll never forget the noise, and the feeling of living in slow motion until everything went silent. The people in the other car were OK too, but I have a feeling they were off on a guilty weekend, so maybe they didn't feel so lucky just then...

II - Meeting my # 2 husband. Although we've known each other for ever, us getting together was sheer luck. It took time, but we eventually knew we were right for each other. I guess if the timing is right, you get to see people with "fresh" eyes.


III - I can't bypass Miracle Boy in a post about luck. He's the boy that shouldn't have been, but he IS!
Waters broke in week mid-19 of my pregnancy, and I was told that there was no hope, and to take some pills to end it, give birth to a dead baby, and did we want a funeral?
Mama Lion awoke, and I persuaded them to help me give this baby a chance, as long as the risk to my life was manageable, and he was OK in there. Reluctantly, they agreed. For 12 weeks, we hung in there, with minimal amounts of amniotic fluid, steady leaking and checkups. He didn't give in, and neither did I. Finally, at 30 weeks, he was taken out by C-section. A healthy, but tiny little boy who had to stay in hospital for another 7 weeks.
He'll be 1 on Thursday, and not a day goes by when I don't look at him and think how lucky I am.

IV - Miracle Boy has a special place in the luck department, but we are so lucky to be able to love and raise all the 6 individuals we have in our care. All different, all wonderful, all terrible - our kids are what we've been the luckiest with!!!

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A Blogging Miracle?

I read about it over at Bee's... JJ at Another day In Paradise had her blog stolen (!), url, archives and all, while she was in hospital. Suddenly, her url was taken, everything changed, loads of Google ads and all her hard work gone...
I thought I'd post on it today, to try and generate some linky love to her new blog, but that was gone too... So I reluctantly went to the old url, and lo and behold - everything is back to normal - don't ask, I don't think she knows what happened either.
Go and see her, and welcome her back!
Another Day In Paradise - Miracle of the day!
Oh, and while you're at it - go and see Bee too - she's off to do uncomfortable medical stuff today, and can't eat or anything. Not even cake. Some blog hugs wouldn't go amiss...

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Britain - Business And Pleasure...

I've never travelled to Britain other than for leisure, and I'd love to do it again some time. I've been in the South, and in the Nottingham area, but I'd really like to see some new places, and perhaps combining it with a trip to London. As for accomodation, Hotels in Manchester, for example, or Hotels in Birmingham can be found at any price.

The same goes for Hotels in London, should you choose to go there for your pleasure. You should, it's so worth it!
Whether you're after a 5-star hotel in Mayfair or a hostel in Paddington, anything is available.
As for London sights - The London Eye, Covent Garden, Tower Bridge - it doesn't really matter where you stay. If you're loaded, rent a limo, and if not, the Underground will take you wherever you want to go, it's cheap, quick (avoid the rush) and efficient.
Anyway - if you're after a good deal in the UK - click and explore...

This has been a sponsored post.

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Plan B - May 2008

# 4 Brat's confirmation is coming up next year, and we've been forced to use plan B with regard to the location. The church, in its wisdom, has changed the date, so the local we had booked was suddenly not booked for the right date... And everything else was full, obviously - it seems we were the last to know.
This is the first weekend of May, and since you can't rely on summer to fall on the first Sunday in May every year, a garden party is sorta out of the question.
But then, Plan B started to materialize.




Our new deck/terrace is perfect for a party tent... Or even two, depending on the size. You can walk right out/into it from the living room, and they can take quite a lot of rain and even wind before it gets nasty.
So there! Problem solved. I'll have to rent or borrow some chairs and some kind of conference tables - we have some, but not enough. We'll also probably have to buy the tents - renting them is so ridiculously expensive over here that you could buy them twice over.
Some heating to put in there if need arises, and a banquet cooked by yours truly for about 40 people, and Bob's your uncle. (Eeeh - I might just do the cowardly thing and order food for a buffet, but don't tell anyone)...


A sponsored post. Just a little bit.

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Yes, My MM Is Up!

I just found myself tangled up in a strain of tags and tentatively creative paid posts. Please scroll down for MM and today's geography lesson...

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I Love My Doggies

They're sweet, dear creatures, but anyone who's ever had puppies indoors know this: They stink!
I change their "bedding" regularly (read: often!), but now that they've started to eat proper puppy food, they really, really smell. And there's only 3 of them this time...
I sometimes feel I need a portable oxygen concentrator - preferably with a mask, an oxygen tank and some smelling salts, just to bring myself to go in there...
Luckily - only 3 weeks to go before we sell them, and before that, they may well move outdoors for a spell.
I want my bathroom back!

Sponsored, but not corrupted - squeeky clean, in fact... (Except for a stink in the bathroom).

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The Image Meme

Skittles has tagged me with the image meme, and the rules are like this:
1) Go to Google.
2) Click on Google images.
3) Type in your name and search.
4) Re post (w/ a link) the picture of the oddest, craziest, strangest, coolest, oldest, etc. person that shares your name. Post multiples if you find a few you like.
5) Pass it on to at least 5 other people.



Here's what I found...

The photo title is "Stine and Buffe" - I hope the spider is Buffe!

For the tagging - this is such a short and sweet one, and you know you want to do it, so just leave me a comment, tag yourself, and there's a link in it for you!

Angelika is tagged!

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Travel Plans?

I feel I'm a bit too old now, and too pressed for time, to do everything on a "spur of the moment" basis when I travel. I did when I was younger, but time and arthritis seem to have caught up with me!
I don't want to plan everything in detail, mind you - I like discovering places in my own time, but some things get better with a little bit of planning.
A travel guide powered by real, ordinary people who've been there sounds like a great idea.
Restaurants, attractions, photos, things to do - all reviewed by people like you and me. You can also browse for the best deals on hotels, flights and car rentals in your chosen destination.
For our upcoming trip to Paris, I'll certainly take note of some restaurants - to be looking for a place to eat when you're well beyond starving is not my idea of a nice evening...
I think I'll check out some attractions as well. I used to think I knew everything - I know now that I don't, and that a lot of time and effort can be saved by looking into things before you go. Also, I may well discover something I'd never have found "on site".

This post was sponsored by the good people at Realtravel.com

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The Middle Name Meme

Sandee of Comedy Plus has tagged me with this, and since I do have a middle name, I thought I'd give it a go...

Here are the rules:


You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts.
At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

The Middle Name Meme

H: Home - well, Mother IS Home. Mostly.

E: Erudite - I like to think that I am.

I: International - as much as I can, in this backwater... But I believe it's a state of mind.

D: Doting - On our children. Yes, I am. Not to the point that I think they can do no wrong - believe me, they can. They are such a huge part of the meaning of my life, though, so they'd better turn out right...

And that's it. Heid is my middle name. No i at the end, it stops there.

I get to tag 4 people, or I can go on with my tag yourself "policy". I've been tagged left, right and center, and I don't "know" that many of you well enough to know if you'll be annoyed or not.

So: Anyone! Leave a comment saying you'll do this, and I'll link to you here. Don't be shy! You can also bookmark this site, and come back and click my sticky post some other time...

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More Light? Not.

How many posts can a girl do about lights? I know I've done a couple of brilliant, scintillating, enlightening ones in the not so distant past, but how to fit in kichler lighting in another one without rousing suspicion? Or at least without driving my ever-increasing audience, that thrives by my daily rants, away into the randomness of the blogosphere?

That, dear reader(s), was just about 60 words. Two of them were sponsored.

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Manic Monday # 20 - Deal

No cards. No business. I found loads of stuff about a TV show...
... but I think I'll leave that alone too.

The deal today is... Geography! I found three places with reference to Deal, and we'll start off in Romania, in somewhere called Ieud Deal, where you will find this lovely little wooden church. It very much reminds me of our Norwegian stave churches, but that's all I can tell you about it. I was unable to find anything in English. So we'll just have to enjoy the beauty of it...

























Just a small trip around the world, and I give you Deal Island, Australia, with it's lighthouse and lighthouse museum, as well as breathtaking scenery. The lighthouse hasn't been in use since 1992, and is deteriorating. Sad, but a universal problem, it seems...






Back to Europe now, and to Britain, under Henry VIII. He feared the Catholic hordes of mainland Europe, and had this little beauty built down in Kent. Deal Castle, in the shape of the Tudor Rose, was finished some time in the mid 1500's.

Thus endeth the lesson.

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And So... Back To School!

All the kids - well, 4 of them - go back to school tomorrow. That means book-shopping for 3 of them in the days/weeks to come. In # 2 Brat's case, it also means shopping for other gear. She's in a fabric designer class, and she'll need stuff.
I dread that.
I shall have to go with her into a hobby shop... And unless I have loads of cash to spare, I should never, ever go into one of those. Really.
I may find myself to be a newborn scrapbooker, jewelmaker, oilpainter or even dollmaker after a stint in one. Short a lot of money, and with another dozen of projects on my slate!
I do love it, though, so I'll willingly be led in, be inspired, and follow my red hot credit card out again, with starry eyes and a bag full of sequins. Or something...

As sponsored posts go, this is actually quite truthful.

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We're Back!

And we've had such a lovely time! Just me and the three youngest kids went off this time. We didn't have the best weather, but there was one day of sunshine, would you believe...
We've hardly done anything but potter about in and around our cottage. # 4 Brat tried her hand at fishing, and I had the frying pan all hot and ready, but nothing was biting... She enjoyed herself, though! # 5 Brat played around in the sand outside and played games with her older sister indoors. Miracle Boy was let loose on the floor, and enjoyed it thoroughly.
I never moved even as far as the shop - the little kids walked the little boy in the little pram over the little bridge to the little shop, and brought home the supplies.
By the time we were ready to pack everything back into the Samsonite, my shoulders had come all the way down and I was totally relaxed and revived. Amazing what a few days away from it all can do!




The view from the kitchen window in our cottage. No wonder, perhaps, that one feels relaxed...


A sponsored, but personal post.

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Spam?

I think I'm getting spam comments - several similar-looking comments, with more or less the same content, making no real sense. I haven't dared to go and look at the sites or blogs they're coming from, either. Other than enabling the word check thingy, is there anything one should do if it continues???

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Scroll, Please!

WW is down there somewhere...

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Off Today!

I'm taking the tank and the three youngest kids off to our cabin later today - will be back Friday or Saturday.
The tank/truck is wonderful. When the fuel tank doesn't start burning (happened once, in a loooong motorway tunnel, very close call! New one in place though...), it just runs and runs, no trouble at all. Noisy, rusty, fresh out of truck accessories, but I really like it! Just keep it oiled and fueled, and it purrs like an oversized lion... And I look quite cool in my sunglasses in it - until the kids start pouring out!
Anyway - see you all Friday (or Saturday) - bye!!!
PS: do you see the deer through the window?

I let them sponsor this...

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Another Lucky One!

Now, to the lucky # 5000 visitor... I haven't been able to pinpoint him/her exactly - it was a lurker... Aptly enough, though, Mike from Mike's Place commented on his wife Skittles's Heads or Tails meme just in time to become the winner of the 5000 visitor raffle ticket! And sidebar link. Go see him, and say hi!
Congratulations, Mike - the grand prize hasn't been disclosed yet, but the draw will be on November 26th. (No one has guessed how old I'll be then yet - get on it, folks!)

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Walking On Air...

Last night, this blog went over the 5000 visitor mark! The lucky one will be disclosed, but for now, let me tell you that I'm walking on air!!!
No, I haven't bought a pair of Air Jordan shoes, although with my arthritic club feet I probably should.
I just woke up this morning, saw the magic number, and I've been quietly elated ever since.
Thanks for making my day, folks!

And this was slightly sponsored, too, if you must know!

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Wordless Wednesday # 20

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My New Blogplace!

We finally got our new (old) desk in - and here it is, pc and all! It took some time - the tangle fairy had been very busy with the cables...


We like our home furniture to have a history - this desk was found a few years ago in a barn, covered in haydust and swallow-droppings. Since then, it's been in storage at the in-laws' house, but it's finally ready to start its new life as a computer desk... Although some of the drawers have been forced open (no key!), I think it looks very nice!

Did you guess? This post was sponsored!

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Heads Or Tails # 1 - Beginnings

You are witnessing the beginnings of a new Tuesday meme! Skittles' Place is the host and the mother of this one - go and see her for the rules, and join in!

I'll just let the Aurora Borealis (Nothern Light) illustrate today's theme - just because it's beautiful, and because these crisp, clear, snowy winter's nights can symbolize new beginnings as well as anything, especially when lit up like this...

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Manic Monday # 19 - Drop

Drop - let's see... You've come to the right place! Let's be tourists, shall we???








"Prekestolen", or "The Pulpit", as it looms over the Lysefjord in the West of Norway. The drop is 600 meters...









Same fjord, new setting - "Kjeragbolten" or "The Kjerag Boulder" (A troll must have put it there). You'd never, ever catch me on that thing! If it should
drop, it's 1000 meters straight down!


And last, but not least: This is the size of the raindrops here this year!

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A Long, Happy Ride!

Last Saturday, # 4 Brat was signed up for her first Endurance ride with her horse, Boersa... 20 kilometres, in varied terrain, all around here, as it happened...

She rode off in the morning, to catch the signing in, the vet and all that stuff before starting at 11am.

Ready and rearing to go!

Waiting to start, with 18 others...

They're off!

After about 2 hours riding, they were back, and they both looked equally pleased with themselves! Some of the other horses were quite frisky, some positively aggressive (must remember to buy a life insurance and a health insurance for the horse, in case she wants to continue with this), but everything went well.
Boersa was the only barefoot horse in the trial, and she was just fine afterwards, although it's still frowned upon by some vets.
The horse's pulse had hardly increased (it's measured before and after), and that's a very good sign... It wasn't a competition, but since it was # 4 Brat's first time, she got two rosettes and a T-shirt, and was positively beaming when she got back on her horse (bareback, this time...) and headed for home.

This has been a combined sponsored and personal post.

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Backwards

Norway is really quite a backward place, in many ways - also when it comes to curtains and window dressings. In the winter, we hang heavy draperies and dark curtains, to enhance the cozy indoors atmosphere we want for long, dark winter nights, and in the summer, up come the light, breezy net and gauze curtains, to let as much light in as possible...
You would have thought the other way around would be more logical, but no!
What do we do, then, when the blazing sun heats up the house through more or less unprotected glass surfaces? (Not a problem this year, but it has been known to happen...)
We put up blinds, that we can open and shut at will. All sorts - faux wood blinds, wooden blinds, fabric blinds, aluminium blinds... Anything that blends well with the light curtains, and that will provide shade while letting some light in.
And so the seasons go - we shut ourselves up in winter, light our fires and our candles and get on with it as best we can, and open up our windows, doors and hearts in the summer, to catch as much sun as possible before going back into hibernation...

This was an attempt at a creative, sponsored post.

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Saturday Phot Hunt # 16 - Row

Didn't scavenge, took a spanking new photo, of 3 sweeties in a row!

PhotoHunt

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Autumn Lights

Autumn will be upon us soon - I don't like to think about it, but it's true. In our part of the world, the most tell-tale sign is the dwindling light... Suddenly, my terrace is plunged in darkness at 10pm! To be able to enjoy that Indian Summer that we're waiting for, I should be thinking about some lighting out there!
At Farrey's, while I'm at it, I should really be looking at indoor lighting as well. Lamps and lights, I must admit, have been quite the "step-child" in our decorating endeavors...
We should have more light, and more efficient light, to counter those long winter days and nights!
Fine Art lamps or Forecast lighting should be able to provide anything I need, or I could go see what any of the many other brands have to offer.
The choice in lighting, both indoors and out, is awesome, and there are scores of other products as well, to make your home both more beautiful and more practical!

This has been a sponsored post.

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TT - Or Not TT...

I missed Thursday Thirteen yesterday, in fact I missed all of yesterday.
Blog-wise, anyway.
I was going to list 13 things I didn't want to do around the house, but instead, I went on and DID some of them. (Yes, thank you, I'm feeling quite well...) So now, there's only 10 things left to do - out of the list that never was, anyway.
Yay me!
(For Friday's Feast, scroll down - you won't catch me at it two days running!)

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Paris, Here We Come!

Did I mention we're going to Paris? OK, maybe I mentioned it in passing, but let me write that one more time, just to savour it: We're going to Paris! In October.

"We" is hubby and me, alone, no kids. Don't get me wrong, I love all our kids, we both do, but we don't get to be "him and her" very often, it's mostly "mum and dad", so the prospect of having 4 days to ourselves is quite someting, I can tell you.

By then, we'll hopefully have sold our 3 puppies as well, so we won't have to take up a payday loan to be able to go, even if the fridge, freezer, TV or PC should decide to call it a day before we go.
Not that they will. It's just nice to know that we'll be able to go regardless...

Tourist traps, good food and wine, wandering around in the evenings, all "à deux" - we're due some alone time, and we're looking forward to it!

You'd never have guessed, but this has been a sponsored post.

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Ten Lies My Mother(s) Told Me

The prolific Empress Bee tagged me with this meme ages ago, and I've been pondering it since... It will have to be lies told by step-moms, ex-moms and grand-moms, and here's the list, without mention of who said what...

1. Finish your food, or I'll send it to the children in Africa. (I said they were more than welcome to it, but it was never sent).
2. Don't make that face, you'll stay that way. (I think that was a lie, but as time goes by, I'm having doubts).
3. Tonight we'll have a nice family evening together. (No such thing).
4. You'll like wandering around the neighbourhood with a key around your neck while we're working. (Alone, 5 years old, near a psychiatric hospital, for a whole summer. Don't think so).
5. Yes, you like mashed lungs.
6. Don't swim too far out, the sea monster will get you. (I knew that wasn't true, but the river was deep and dark, and I could picture the monster very vividly!)
7. Follow in my ski-tracks, it's fun, you'll see! (I had club feet, and before my operations, both my feet went inwards. Skiing, even in someone's tracks, was NO fun at all...).
8. You should have told us you had an infected finger before, now they'll probably have to cut it open. (I was 9, no doctor, taught to endure pain, and she, the doctor, had put a band-aid on it a few days earlier, and said it'd be fine. I thought I'd have to amputate, or at least have it opened from top to bottom. I said nothing, I had been taught to endure fear, too. No one bothered to put me right, until we got to the emergency room and all was solved with alcohol bandages and a tetanus shot).
9. She'll be brain-damaged, and it's your fault! (I, 8, had been sent out with my sister, 2, in a pram. She was strapped in, but somehow managed to heave herself around so that the thing toppled over. I was'nt strong enough to prevent it. She was taken to the emergency room, I was left at home alone, on that encourageing note. She was fine, by the way, just a few scratches...).
10. It's all going to be different now - we'll be a big, happy, communicating family.

This is apparently a new meme (it was, anyway, before I started procrastinating on it), but I'll let you tag yourself anyway - I like memes and being tagged, but I know some of you don't.
Leave your comment, saying you'll do it, and I'll link to you here!

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Helpful?

A very good friend of mine suffers from a disease in her digestive system that's painful, crippling, and potentially lifethreatening. Conventinal medicine is stumped, and can possibly help her alleviate the symptoms, but can do very little about the cause of the problem. As a final resort, they want to try chemotherapy, but she's unwilling, and I don't blame her...
She feels she's tried everything, and is now ready to try everything once more, by looking into alternative treatment.
All we can do that are around her, is to be supportive, and perhaps do some investigating for her.
I do that, and from time to time, I come across something that gives a little hope, or that may well offer some relief. Whole Food Today, with their garden of life concept is one such thing. I wish I could promise her that their products would work for her - I can't. I can only draw her attention to the site, and let her decide for herself.
One thing is certain, though: Our bodies are (or should be) fine-tuned machines, and if one part fails, so will the others.
I do wish some conventional doctors would learn one thing from alternative therapy: to look at the body as a whole, not just a mass of parts that should be treated individually...


This, would you believe, has been a sponsored post, but I meant every word.

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Friday's Feast # 5

How about a Friday's Feast for a change? It's been a long time...

{Featured Flickr Feast by kumquatgirl}

Appetizer

What is your favorite kind of pie?
I sometimes make bacon and leek pie, with garlic. MMM!

Soup

Name something that made you smile this week.
# 5 Brat, insisting that onehundred and ten is written 100+10, not in that ludicrous manner 110... No 100 there, you see...

Salad

What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?
This year - nothing! Its' been so wet this summer that the heat these last few days must be enjoyed to the last Celcius!

Main Course

You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?
One room? - It would have to be the kids' TV room upstairs. The main problem with it being all the junk that's stored there, I think I'd buy a garden shed to get that out of the way. I'd buy more shelves for their games, books and DVDs, some fun cushions and a new carpet. New curtains and a lighter shade for the walls and ceiling.

Dessert

Fill in the blank: My scales say don't eat that stuff, but I 'm old,deaf and hungry.

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Aqua Vitae

Water of life - no, I don't mean alcohol, just plain water...
Is there such a thing as plain water anymore? Water is one of our most important commodities, and possibly the most polluted, world wide. Tap water is undrinkable many places, and not only in developing countries...
If you're lucky enough to have tap water without exorbitant amounts of e.coli, chances are it's full of chlorine and other detergeants, affecting both taste and quality.
So - those who can afford it resort to bottled water for consumption. As we all know, the market is huge. Spring water, sparkling, designer water - with or without the twist - it's all there if you've got the cash.
We drink our water straight from the ground - deep, deep down, where we drilled our well a few years ago. The water usually has a lovely spring water quality, but with heavy rainfall or long draughts, there's a sediment. Not dangerous, but it affects the taste and colour a bit.
What to do, then? I've come across these portable water filters, that I think I'll keep a few of around the house. They should be a part of every household's emergency kit, in my view, but can also be used on holiday, or in our case, during the periods when our water quality is less than optimal. One filter will last 3 months!
They fit onto most drinking bottles, and filter and cleanse the water as you drink it. Definitely a must-have, for thirsty kids on the go, and anyone who thinks tap water tastes foul. In most cases, it does...

This has been a sponsored post.

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My Friend Adsense

It seems Adsense has suddenly found some sort of sense in this blog lately - I rejoyce in the travel ads I'm getting these days. No, no, no, I don't click them, I wouldn't dare, but I sometimes copy the urls and go peek...
Especially since hubby and I are planning a trip somewhere this fall. A long weekend, with no kids... Do you think it matters where we go??? You're right - not in the least!! Without kids I could happily have taken a tent out in the forest! ;-)
It's looking like Paris, though. Sometime in October - can't wait!

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Loading Trouble...

Some of the blogs I visit won't load properly - not the first time 'round, anyway. I have to refresh several times before I get the blogs to "stay up" and not the "can't find server" page. Comedy, And Miles to Go..., sometimes Bee.
Does that mean there's something wrong with my system (should I install Firefox, and if so, why?), or is there something wrong with everyone else (somehow I don't think so...) I had the same trouble with Skittles' blog at one time, but that's passed...

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Blog Promotion?

T Shirt Printing! How about giving out T-shirts to friends and family, complete with your blog's name and URL, and some choice teasers about it's wonderful and unique content?
Tshirt printing doesn't have to be about your blog, of course. You could use mine, if you like!
Perhaps you'd like to promote your company, or maybe your child's beaver group or football team needs a boost?
I-Print For You is a Christian based company, dedicated to provide T-shirt printing and any other printing needs you may have (tote bags, hats, sweaters, tank tops and much, much more!) at a low price.
From 6 to 100 000 items, no order is too small or too tall, and they offer embroidery too.
For a very wide choice of garment types, accessories, colors and fonts, this is the place to check out.
They accept logos as well, of course, and any type of artwork in a variety of formats that can be mailed to them. Almost anything can be transferred to T-shirts or other items.

As for me, maybe I should design a Family T-shirt for next year's holiday trip. Neon colored, saying something like: If found, please return to......, or Please, do not feed me. Might save quite some time in rounding up the gang between venues...

This has been a sponsored post.

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Wordless Wednesday # 19

(Try this hack with your photos...)

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Critique A Movie! (Or A TV show)

Are you a budding movie or TV critic? Do you usually have plenty to say about your wide-screen movie, flat-screen movie or tv show experiences? Get it out and off your chest!
Write movie reviews, participate in movie discussions, rant about tv shows... all on one site!
Current season tv, new releases on DVD and current release feature films - your opinion is wanted!
Register and sign up for the Critics Rant newsletter, and you could win a featured film on DVD, too. The more you participate on the site, the greater your chances to win... If you refer a friend, your chances will also increase.
Get your opinion out there where it's seen!

This has been a sponsored post.

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No Takers For The Moaning Meme?

Go on, people, let us know what you moan about... Don't make me tag you, tag yourself: click here, tell me you'll do it, and I'll throw in a link...

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We've Got A Boat!

Isn't it great? A relative of mine, who lives near where our cabin is, called to say that we can borrow his boat, and keep it near our cabin, to use whenever we're there. We did try our hand at a bit of fishing last time we were up there, but with the flood and everything, we saw one trout, it got away, and that was that. Now that we can go boating as well, no fish is safe in that river!
My mouth waters just thinking about that fresh mountain trout...
Of course, the boat can be used for excursions up and down the river as well. If I have my way, no motor will pollute the peace & quiet of the place, and muscles and oars will be the only way forward.
I somehow doubt I'll have my way on that one...

This has been a sponsored post.

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New Venue For Sponsored Blogging

Skittles tipped me off, and I promptly went and registered at Payu2blog. In the meantime, I read an article at RT's on the matter. He tried to register too, but when presented with the "rules", decided against it. As a US citizen, you have to fill in some form or other (overseas people don't have to...), and you also have to accept every assignment given to you. (You can block them from giving you assignments at any time of your choice, though, so you can go on holiday without being banned...) The price is also set in advance (usually 5$).
Not having to fill in any forms, I don't find the rest offensive at all. 5$ is a normal fee for me - I sometimes get more from PPP, ReviewMe or Blogsvertise, but I sometimes do 100 to 200 words on a given site for that fee.
At Payu2blog, you most times do a minimum of 60 words, and you can blog about anything, as long as you include the link and keyword provided.
As soon as you submit your post, you're told if it's approved or not.
I was a bit at odds about whether to disclose these as sponsored posts, since they're more like contextual links, but I decided I would.
They pay every two weeks - I don't know how that works yet, but I'm sure I'll find out in due course...
Another way upwards - at least where blogging dollars is concerned.

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To Stand In Line - Or Not!

We don't go out very often. With 6 kids, you can't!
We did, however, manage to go and see Elton John a while back, which gave me occasion to try buying concert tickets online. And isn't that just a wonderful thing...
When we first planned it, I remembered being 20, and queueing a whole night to secure tickets for Springsteen, and thought: No way am I doing that now! Luckily, times have changed, and with a credit card in hand, good timing and an Internet connection, it was all done in 5 minutes.
When # 1 Brat wanted to see Metallica - same thing, and Mum needed only to worry about the concert, not about her standing in line for 24 hours. Small mercies, but hey! You try letting go of your kids!!

This has been a sponsored post.

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Manic Monday # 18 - Lie

Hard word, Mo, very hard - but Google answers everything, and here's a competition you may not have heard of:

Every year, in November, a competition is held at the Santon Bridge Inn in Cumbria, UK - to determine who's the Biggest Liar In The World...
It all started with an honest-to-goodness publican, who in the beautiful Wasdale Valley enthralled punters with stories of local turnips, for example, being so big that after the dalesfolk had dug into them for their Sunday lunch, they could be used as sheds for the Herdwick Sheep from the mountains.
Will Ritson (1808-1890) of course insisted that all his stories were true...
The title is awarded annually to the person most worthy of following in "Auld Will"'s footsteps!
It's open to anyone, apparently, so maybe we should combine it with a Blogger's convention???

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Dreaming...

I haven't touched my Blogging Dollars. I'm planning to keep it that way until I can treat the family to a proper trip. We've got kids from 18 to 1, and the difficult thing will be to find somewhere that caters for all age groups, including the old and grey (us). I've thought about going on an Orlando Vacation, Florida being a place where it seems you'll find everything. Theme parks of every description, of course, beaches, untouched nature and good food. It will take some doing, us being all of 8 people, but if I keep the dream alive, and keep blogging, we all may get there some day.
Don't tell them I said so, though - as surprises go, this'll be a good one...

This has been a sponsored post.

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Hahaha

Something's wrong at Technorati... My rank is....1 (!!!!!), and subsequently, I'm in the top 100...
I know it can't last, they're bound to work it out, but it sure looks great. I'll just go back and wallow in it now, if you'll excuse me...

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Ticket For Shaz!

Shaz commented on my post # 300, and a ticket for the latest raffle is hereby issued... The prize is yet to be disclosed!

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Saturday Photo Hunt # 15 - Funky

Today - a bit of namesdropping, courtesy of # 1 Brat. The first photo is from Metallica's concert in Oslo in July - they may be offended to appear in a "Funky" post, but see if I care...


This is # 1 Brat and a friend as they pose with Jack Sparrow... I think he's rather funky!











OK, so it's at Madame Tussauds. So?...

PhotoHunt

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The Moaning Meme

Sandee over @ Comedy Plus tagged me with The Moaning Meme. This meme was started over at Freelance Cynic.

I. List four things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth.
1. Anyone who's been given any type of power over others and who harass or abuse people just because they can.
2. Tax people.(Re # 1)
3. Politicians. (Re # 4)
4. War. I think your soldiers and ours are doing a great job around the world, but I disagree with the premise that got them there. War never solves anything, it just creates more victims.

II. List three things people do that make you want to shake them violently.
1. Ask me to turn the sound down on the TV when they sit down in front of it with a portable phone.
2. The snappy answers from any of the household teenagers to perfectly civil requests.
3. The fact that anything and everything is dropped anywhere and everywhere all the time. Good thing I don't shake anyone (including myself) - we would all be going 'round with a permanent St Vitus' dance.

III. List two things you find yourself moaning about.
1. The weather. (Give me some slack, this summer has been awful!)
2. My chronic pains. I try not to, and I probably don't moan that much, it just feels that way.

IV. List one thing the above answers tell you about yourself.'
1. I'm a peace-loving, sun-starved, cluttering anarchist with arthritis who aspires at the power to shake people up who answer back, interfere with my telly-time or don't clear up their (and my) mess.

Now, doesn't that sound charming...

RULES:
Link to the original meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it's all about!
Be as honest as possible, This is about letting people get to know the real you!
Try not to insult anyone - unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
Post these rules at the end of every meme!
List 5 people who will be annoyed that you tagged them....

Well, I won't list 5 people - I'll let 5 people tag themselves.
So - consider yourself tagged: leave a comment saying you'll do it, and I'll link to you in this post.
Go on - you know you want to...

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A July Update

OK, here's my first monthly upwards update.
Not much to write home about last month - the overall income was just over $100, with Adsense accounting for 3 of those! Which is a real upswing from June, when I raked in all of 12 cents from Adsense...
The rest has come from paid posts, and with July just about halved (blogwise) by real life and holidays, it's not too bad.
ReviewMe has come up with a new system - it looks like the result is fewer opps for your average small time blogger (me), but we'll see how it goes. Early days yet.
PPP has limited the number of opps you can take per day to 2, and I don't think that's a bad thing. I just wish Blogger would get a better standing in the advertising world - it's banned from so many opps, and I really don't fancy dotcomming it.
A new venture - Payu2blog - I was just accepted, and their rules are a bit strict, but they may well be a welcome addition.

About ranking - Alexa is steady, although I'm expecting my low spell to result in plummeting numbers there in 2 months time. Temporary, and nothing to worry about.
Technorati is steady too - with their new system (links losing their clout after 6 months, or is it 3?), I expect my "authority" to go down there as well, but we'll just have to help each other there, won't we, and post new links as time goes by. Same for everyone, I gather.
There are a couple'o things on my todo list that may give results, maybe I'll get 'round to those in August...
Google... well, just hoping to keep my PR 3 after the next 'bot-round.

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BBW?

What on earth is that, I thought, and promptly went to investigate this bbw dating site. I didn't get it straight away... But having perused the profiles (and peeked at the bottom of the page), it finally dawned on me: bbw singles are Big, Beautiful Women...

And we are, aren't we? Beautiful, I mean. In this day and age, when skinny is all and everything, it's quite refreshing to see that big women get out there looking for love. Why shouldn't we? Those prickly coathangers out there, who can't enjoy a meal without counting calories - what fun are they?

Don't get me wrong - I'm very happy indeed with my chunk of a man, but if I were single, I'd certainly be investigating what BBW Romance can offer. There are thousands of profiles, and joining is free.
Maybe that VSM (Very Special Man) is out there looking for you?

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Thursday Thirteen # 15

Thirteen Places I've been AND WOULD VISIT AGAIN



Let's start locally, shall we...

1. Hunderfossen Fairy Tale Park in Lillehammer - with a neverending supply of kids popping out in this family, that one will be a must in a year or two... As will

2. Kristiansand Zoo, which is also an amusement park of sorts - but without the scary bits. Will have to take the two youngest there soon!

Over to the French connection:

3. Strasbourg - my "home town", where I love coming back as a tourist.

4. Paris - always new things to explore, new foods to try, tourist traps to fall into.

5. The French Atlantic coast - where you can find the most picturesque villages, and find yourself in holidaymaker's hell - all in one afternoon...

6. Menton, a beautiful little town on the Mediterranean coast, near the Italian border. Well worth a rerun!

Now, for the more exotic destinations:

7. New York. Can't say I've been there, just spent one night, 30-odd years ago... Certainly a place I'd love to see.

8. Cape Cod. On the occasion where I spent a night in New York, I was on my way to Cape Cod. I was 10, travelled alone to the US to spend the summer with relatives. And a great summer it was - the Cape Cod area is wonderful, and I would love to go there again.

9. Leros Island, Greece. Any Greek island will do, but this is (was) such a lovely place, tourism was limited, and I had a very relaxed fortnight there once, walking through wild rosemary and thyme, enjoying local cuisine and folklore...

10. Geneva, Switzerland. The cleanest city I've ever been in. You could see the bottom of the river (Rhône) in the city center! And where better to enjoy a Mövenpick ice cream than at the source??

11. Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland, UK. All that beauty, and that Roman wall that goes right across the country. Barbarians to the North, slightly more civilised people to the south. And never the twain shall meet.

12. Cornwall, UK. I spent two summers there, in St.Ives, when I was younger. # 1 Brat is concieved there, come to think of it... I would love to see more of the rugged landscape, the pretty fishing villages, and even the heaving tourist traps... The beaches are breathtaking!

Back to dear old Norway now -

13. Geiranger - A valley overlooking one of our fjords in the west country - the water is emerald green, there's snow on the mountains, and it's one of the most beautiful vistas I've ever seen. Complete with cruise ships like little white shells on the fjord below...





Links to other Thursday Thirteens!



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

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Tagged!

I knew it! I'd forgotten something... Was peeping through Technorati, and there it was - Sandee had tagged me! I remembered when I saw it, but it's been totally lost, and I'm sorry!!
The Moaning Meme has been moved up on the ToDo list, and will follow...

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Wordless Wednesday # 18

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I Miss My Waterbed!

I used to have one - from the late 80s to sometime in the beginning of this century, I slept on various waterbeds. When I first got one, I was pregnant, and the experience was pure bliss. I slept like a baby (!) for the rest of my pregnancy...
When the last mattress developed a hole in it, hubby had a job where he got great discounts on conventional mattresses, and it seemed silly not to take advantage of that. It's a good mattress, but I miss the warmth in winter, and the snuggly feeling...
When the time comes to renew our sleeping arrangements, we'll certainly consider buying a waterbed again!

This has been a sponsored post.

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Me - An Expert?

I've just submitted an article to Ezine Articles. I don't know if it will be accepted, but

I thought - well, why not. I don't think of myself as an expert in anything, but while I was reading through the site, I came to realize that I would be more than able to write informative articles on a number of subjects.
The object being to gain exposure, preferably in places where you've not been exposed before, I thought it may be worth a try.
It's another way of keeping the old grey cells active, and if someone somewhere enjoys something I write - why not? If not, well, nothing ventured, and so forth...
Maybe another way upwards in the blogosphere?

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