Just A Thought...

I am a curious person by nature. I always have a question to ask or a thought about something in my head. Usually random meaningless things that will have no great impact on the world but bother me.

For example...

Who decided there should be 60 seconds in a minute? Or for that matter 60 minutes in an hour? Why 60? Why not 50 which is a nicer number?

Supposing you have a best friend or partner whom you've been with or known for say 40 years. You've done everything together, share everything, are the biggest part of each other's lives. Always there for each other through up's and down's. You couldn't bear to lose them could you? And they think the same about you. Yet for all you share and for all you go through together the likelihood is that one of you will be left to face the death of the other alone. Worse still, despite sharing everything for umpteen years, one of you will probably not say goodbye to the other and will not attend the other's funeral. That really bugs me.

I believe in the afterlife but if it's there then why has no-one come back to tell us what it's like?

When you die, they tell you that you'll finally meet your maker. He/She/It will be there to welcome you to heaven/or whatever you believe in. Fine. However thousands of people die on the same day. Do you have to sit in a waiting room until your name is called? Or is it like to supermarket Deli counter where you take a ticket and wait till your number is called? Pack me off with a good book just in case there is a wait...it'll help pass the time.

There are loads of other random thoughts like this which enter my head with surprising regularity. God knows why. Maybe I just think too much. I am though not alone. Nikki one of my mates came out with a blinding thought just the other day.

Mosquito's bite a human being and suck the blood. If they bite a human with Aids do they then contract the virus? Are they then an Aids carrying Mossie? If so do they pass the disease on when they next inject and suck?

Like I said blinding thought. I only wish it had been mine!! I buggered if I know the answer!

Jenny xx

Inspired...

So there I was feeling pained by the fact that I had nothing to write about on here when I stumble across another blog which blows my boredom from my mind and makes me feel a bit silly for having nothing to write about.

The blog is by a lady called Michelle who lives in Minneapolis (one of my favourtite places, in fact I'm off there in 8 weeks!!) in the US of A. Michelle is 28 years old. There is a photo of her on the blog which shows her to be a beautiful woman with a lovely bright smile. This photo, with it's big grin, is sort of at odds with the subject of the blog. You see Michelle has MS and the blog is her journal of the illness.

I have known 2 people in my life who had MS and know what a horrible illness it can be. It's debilitating nature can leave even the most positive soul feeling sorry for themselves and with good reason. Michelle though has detailed the first symptoms, her fear while waiting for her diagnosis, her treatment and her up days and down days with a hint of a smile and a big dose of "I won't let this ruin my spirit".

I fully admit that while reading through it I went from tears to laughter and back again more than once. Michelle's lack of self pity and determination to carry on with her life as much as possible is an inspiration. Not only to fellow sufferers but to other's like me who have nothing more to worry about today then whether to hang out my washing!

Read it for yourself here.

Jenny xx

Boredom...

I feel the need to write on here but I am being held back by one vital element. Boredom. I simply cannot think what the hell to write about.

This is mainly because nothing has been happening in the merry old land of Jenny in recent days. I've no stories to tell and have heard little or no gossip to pass on...unless you count my sister's ex-boyfriend's brother in law commiting suicide, my cousin losing her drivers license for reckless driving after hitting a lamp post, a thief being on the loose at my children's school or someone I know being suspected of fraud. Of course this is usual run of the mill stuff for me and not worth bothering about.

If you're reading this and have any suggestions n what to write about let me know...god knows I need the inspiration!!!

Jenny xx

Don't You Just Love A Smart Ass....

Last night at "the club", you know that place I work in, there was a quiz night on. I like a wee quiz and so Nikki and I decided we'd join in - not officially cause we're not allowed while we're working - but unofficially to test our brains.

Upon advising Ross that I'm a bit good at general knowledge and useless trivia, he declared he was the master at such things, or words to that effect. "who caused the start of the first world war then?" he asks me. I haven't a clue and tell him so. I try to advise him that in a pub quiz they are much more likely to ask how many number one's Wham! had...Ross disgaree's.

So along comes round one...basic general knowledge. 10 questions.

Question one is read out - "At any one time what is the average number of people on death row in Texas?" The quizmaster asks. Nikki and I look at each other in a pondering kind of way. Ross however states "I saw that in tv not long ago...it's about 320" He's confident. We write it down. After all he's a master at this stuff. The next few questions are fairly straight forward and Nikki and I reel of answers between us.

Question 9 comes along - "In which county is the Glastonbury festival held?" asks the quizmaster. Nikki's not sure, I'm thinking it's near Taunton somewhere but not sure...Ross says "Wiltshire" with a smug grin and no hesitation. We write it down.

The final question is easy enough and we complete the round. Time to mark the answers. We get Dean, the glass collector to mark our as we're serving. We get a fairly impressive 8 out of 10.

Which 2 did we get wrong? Yep, you guessed it. The two that Ross answered!!!

For the record there are on average 490 people on death row in Texas at any one time and Glastonbury is held in Somerset...which is where Taunton is funnily enough!!

Luckily for us Ross was not around for the rest of the quiz and Nikki and I did it alone. We did well and in the real world had we been playing we would have come second. I'm pleased to say I was proved right...there was a question on Wham! number one's!!!!

Jenny xx

A Black Day In West Lothian.

On Sunday evening we found out the police had found a young man's body in West Lothian. It seemed inevitable that it was going to be Rory Blackhall the 11 year old who had gone missing in the area on Thursday.

Yesterday the police confirmed that this was the case. Sadly today we found that his death was no accident and the police launched a murder enquiry.

I am sure I am not the only one who had been hoping this was simply a case of a boy skiving school and being too afraid to return home fearing the consequences. Unfortunatley this was not the case.

What his family must be feeling now I simply cannot pretend to know. Most parents have at some point felt that immediate panic when they lose sight of their child for even a few minutes. The panic you must feel when your child is missing for 3 days is beyond me. To then find out the unthinkable has happened...

As a citizen of West Lothian I can tell you that the shock and sadness is felt throughout. We live just a few miles from this family and the thought that this has happened so damn close to home is hard to comprehend.

5 year old started school last week, already he likes to walk with his Sister, normally I give tem a head start of 5 minutes and follow them in the car to make sure they get there alright. Today I took them to school in the car, I didn't want them to walk. I wasn't alone either. Mum's and Dad's who normally drop their kids off and go stayed for the bell, other kids who normally walk were taken by car. Irrational behaviour? Probably. It's unlikely that lightning will strike twice but then only a few years ago it was taken for granted that no-one would murder your child as long as they were with a friend. Then we had the terrible events in Soham when Ian Huntely and Maxine Carr changed that theory.

So far the police have not released much more information. As far as parents are concerned at the minute there is a killer on the loose somewhere. Until I know otherwise I will be a little more protective and I know others will be doing the same. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

My thoughts are with Rory's family and friends.

Jenny xx

On The Road Again....

In January this year we had 3 cars parked outside. My sporty job, the family car and Better Halves company 4x4.

Thinking there was no need for this situation we got rid of the family car and I traded in my sports car for a 4x4 of my own. So we became a 2 car family once more. It was all good.

However...

Better Half changed job and the company car was no more. All of a sudden we were a one car family and christ it has been a hassle! I live about 8 miles outside of Edinburgh in a village and it's not the best place on earth to be when you don't have a car all day. Better Half has been taking our sole remaining vehicle to work all day leaving me (during the kids holiday's I might add) without wheels.

I am now pleased to report that I am back in business! Better Half has got a new car and we are again a 2 car family! Of course seeing as how he got a new car I wanted one as well and so the 4x4 we currently have is today being replaced with a new 4x4 for me! So it's goodbye to my lovely Japanese imported turbo diesel, with japanese Sat Nav and Japanese TV - none of which I can understand and hello to my new black 4x4 with UK Sat Nav, DVD player and Leather Seats.

Happy? I think I am! Keeping it for any decent length of time? I intend to but we'll see! We've had 10 cars in 5 years!

Oh and happy days also to my wee sis who has traded in her little 1 litre Daewoo (Dad used to say he had had Lawnmowers with more power!!) for a nice shiny new Peugeot.

What my Dad would think about us spending our inheritance on cars I don't know - he'd probably be fairly happy. Dad was the sort that liked to get a new car himself...I can guarantee that if he'd been here and my sister, better half and I were all buying new cars he'd soon have followed suit...with that in mind I can only wonder how long it will be before Mum is trading in her Tony Toyota for a new model.

Jenny xx

Another One Bites The Dust...

I attended my second funeral of the year yesterday. Not bad going considering my attendance rates at funeral's last year!

A family we have known for a good few years lost their leader yesterday when Husband and Dad Geo died just 10 weeks after finding out he had cancer.

He was a nice man and it is really sad that he had to end his life suffering the way he did. It also a damn shame that his family had to watch him waste away like that in pain. No-one deserves to be put through that. We wouldn't let it happen to a dog, yet law dictates that we should allow ourselves and our loved one's to suffer even when all hope is lost. That can't right.

Cancer is a horrible illness that will affect one in three of the British population at some time in their lives. It is an indiscriminate illness which picks it's victims at random. Geo had very little in the way of symptoms that he was carrying this plague in him. They say that there are things we can do to lessen our chances of having cancer. Eat healthily, stop smoking and drinking and lead an active life. Tell that to the family of my Brother in Law. Bridget, his Mother, is now dead as a result of Cancer. She never smoked in her life, very rarely drunk if at all, kept her weight at a healthy level and had an active life.

Yesterday they told women that if we eat chips just once a week or risk of getting breast cancer rises by 27%. My personal response? Bullshit.

They would be better off trying to find the cure for this disease than wasting millions telling us not to eat chips once a week. I still cannot believe that we can send man to the moon, make cloned babies, catch mass murderers through a cigarette end left at a crime scene but we still cannot find a really effective answer to cancer.

Sadly until we do many more families will have to go through the same pain watching their relatives try and fight this horrible disease. I pray (selfishly) that one of these families is not mine and I pray that it is not yours either.

R.I.P Geo.

Jenny xx

Happy and Sad...

Whilst I was glad to hear the ringing of the school bell on Tuesday, I was also a little sad.

The reason for this was that 5 year old started school. My little baby boy became a big school boy.

Off he went in shirt, tie, big boy's trousers and blazer with a school bag almost as big as he is to join the ranks at the local primary.

There were 28 new Primary One's going in this year and the playground heaving with Mum's & Dad's, Granny's, Grandad's and Auntie's all armed with Camera's and Video Camera's to capture their respective loved one's first day at school for prosperity.

Here's one from our family album!


All 28 of them lined up when the bell went and their new teacher came to meet them and escort them into school. "Say goodbye to your Mum's and Dad's" She said and there was a collective shout of "Bye Mum, Bye Dad" from them all before they all climbed the stairs to begin their first day. Each of them calmly walking into school without so much as a backward glance leaving their Mum's reaching for the hankies!!

5 year old has been desperate to be a big school boy since his best friend started last August so he seemed fair chuffed to be getting his wish at last. I was a little choked up to see him in the uniform but more choked up about the fact that neither his Grandad nor his Gran Isa were still around to see him. Without doubt they would have both been there, camera's in hand, proud as punch! Still he had Mum, Dad, Gran, Auntie Gill and his cousins all waving him off!

He's now finished his first week and seems to still be enjoying it all but of course it's still a novelty...I wonder how they'd feel if they had any concept of time yet and realised they had to go to school for at least the next 11 years!!

Mind you 5 year old seems to have cracked it...there are 9 boys in the class and 19 girls so he'll be spoiled for choice when he gets a bit older!!

Jenny xx

Back To School

It lasted 7 weeks and 1 day in my neck of the woods.

It involved tears, tantrums, juggling of schedules, many a trip to the cinema, the beach and various other Landmarks. It involved spending too much money and inevitably a trip to Blackpool.

It was the school summer holidays.

But Hurrah for they are now over!!! At 8.50am on Tuesday 16th August the Mother's of Kirknewton (and many other places no doubt!!) breathed a collective sigh of relief as the school bell rang.

Jenny xx

Back From Wherever...

Jeez. Haven't been on here for a while. Not that you'd have noticed unless you read this regularly. Haven't felt the need to write anything in the last week or so but I'm back now and gearing up to blog away and make up for lost time.

Exactly what I'll be writing about is as yet a mystery to me but there have been a few events in recent days that should be logged (or is that blogged??) and exactly when I will begin to write them up is also a mystery. Right now I can't be arsed filling in the gaps of last week but it's hugely possible that I might just do some typing tonight.

Might see ya then.

Jenny xx

Watched The Video...

Sat down with 5 year old and 8 year old last night and watched the video of my Tree performance for Scottish Television back in 1985.

Absolute class. The kids were in hysterics as the close up of me came on the screen. They were rolling around laughing. I must admit I got the giggles a bit myself. One thing became totally apparent to me while watching though...5 year old doesn't half look like his Mum!

Better was to come though when I found a video marked "camcorder". We put it on and spent the next hour ending ourselves as various family gatherings appeared on screen. My wedding, 8 year old as a newborn, my Niece's first birthday, 8 year old's first birthday, and various "taken for the hell of it" moments in between.

The main reason the kids found this funny was looking at what I and my sister were wearing and our hairstyles. Given this tape is only 9 years old, I am disgusted at the state of us both. My hair is scarliy short and my Sister's hair resembles an old english sheepdog! Thank god we've found straighteners! There can be no excuse though for wearing white trousers with heeled shoes...ever! Still we weren't alone, everyone looked dodgy in the video.

At least it gave the kids a good laugh.

On a more subdued note, it was a strange experience watching it again. It's the first time I've seen my Dad in the flesh if you like or heard his voice since he died. It was strangely calming and made it seem like he'd never gone at all. There is also footage of my Sister's Mother-In-Law who died just 7 months before Dad. She looks so healthy and to hear her distintive Irish lilt on the tape again was nice.

They may be embarrasssing these old videos but they do hold a lot of memories and it was nice to see it.

I'll away and put it back for another decade now!

Jenny xx

Confused Dot Com

If you live outside the UK you may well haev no idea what the hell I'm talking about...but there is an advert here for a Car Insurance Broker called Confused.com.

The advert is highly annoying and features a man shouting loudly how "looking for cheaper car insurance drives him mad" and saying "Confused dot com" a lot in a very annoying manner.

Turns out that this man is my Uncle's Cousin...bloody hell.

Now how I can't be related to a man who is related to Robbie Williams I don't know...instead I am related to a man who is related to the mosty annoying thing on Tv after Crazy Fucking Frog!! Typical.

Of course things are different if you're a child. 8 year old loves the advert, knows it almost word for word and is thoroughly chuffed that her Great Uncle is related to the man in the advert. She's telling all her friends and they think it's like waaay coool.

I wonder how cool 8 year old and her friends will find me when they learn I too have been a Tv star. I'm off to rake out the video of me appearing in a school's programme. I get a big close up as well that's definitely Waaay coool. I do the best impression of a tree in school uniform you've ever seen.

Yes you did read that right. I was performing a "dance, mime scene" to classical music in school uniform. My role was that of a tree in a forest which closes in around innocent young children wandering along through a forrest! My school was a big highlight in the STV Schools Programme schedule of Autumn 1985. No jokes please about wooden acting!

Of course it's not my only bruch with fame whilst at school. I have also been seen by an audience of Millions on Tv when I took part in the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in 1986. I was seen dancing in the stadium as part of a big choreographed number and running through the streets of Edinburgh before hand!

Now how cool will that be to 8 year old I wonder...I imagine it will be waaay uncooool!!

Jenny xx

New Lifestyle Update...

I was you may recall going to start my new healthy eating regime this past Monday. That didn't happen - there is a good reason though. I had recently done a big shop so the cupboards and fridge were teeming with "bad" foods and it would be a waste not to have polished them off before beginning this new adventure!

However, I did pop along to Tesco on Wednesday night to fill up the trolley with all the "good" foods Dr Gillian says I need to be eating. I whizzed past the biscuits, cheesecakes, crisps and wine and filled the trolley with sweet pototoes, leeks, carrots and butternut squash and £100 later headed home.

My fridge looks fantastic - packed to the gunnels with fresh veggies.

Yesterday I began the new eating thing in earnest. Breakfast was a fruit smoothie, Lunch was homemade organic lentil and carrot soup with lettuce wraps and dinner was vegetable chilli casserole and wholegrain rice, with a litre and a half of water for good measure...sound lovely eh? To be honest it's a shit load different from a normal days diet - no breakfast, no lunch and pasta for dinner with crisps in between!

I took the recommended vitamins - B complex, Iron supplement, multivitamin, enchinea, Milk thistle, starflower oil and liquid Aloe juice. I'm sure I heard myself rattle a few times as I was walking along!

So far so good though - I managed to get through day one with no crisps or diet Irn Bru!

Apparently I need to keep it up for 3 months then alter the plan to bring in more normal foods. I'm sure it will be worth it in the end.

One downside I have noticed though...I could now pee for Scotland.

Jenny xx

Age over Youth...

There may be a moral in this for people lke me who work in an establishment teeming with old farts!!

A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her faithful aged poodle named Cuddles, along for the company. One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, Cuddles discovers that she's lost.

Wandering about, she notices a leopard heading rapidly in her direction with the intention of having lunch.The old poodle thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, she immediately settles down to chew onthe bones with her back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard isabout to leap, the old poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here."

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a lookof terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!" says the leopard, "That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!"

Now, the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running, the dog sits down with her back to her attackers, pretending she hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says: "Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!"

Moral of this story..Don't mess with old farts...age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! Bullshit and brilliance only come with age and experience!

Jenny xx

Inner Peace...

Got this in an E mail a few days ago...might give it a try.

I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me and we all could use more calm in our lives. By following the simple advice I heard on a Oprah, I have finally found inner peace.Oprah proclaimed the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see things I started and hadn't finished. There was plenty and so before leaving the house this morning, I made a point of finishing of the things I had started…

I finished off a bottle of Vodka, and the bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge, I also finished the bottle of Baileys, and a bottle of Merlot, I finished the Hagen Daaz in the freezer, a packet of Doritos I had left half eaten. I then finished of my Valium supply and my Diazepam supplies. Finally I finished off the cheesecake.

You have no idea how good I feel.

So it seems it is true that finishing off all those things you started can bring you inner peace.

Jenny xx