Well lads and lassies, sorry for my long absence, I have now fully recovered from that dreaded lurgie and feel much more like my old self. Thanks to crunchy junior for letting you all know that I'm still around!

I would have liked you to have been able to picture me laying draped artistically on my chaise, looking pale but interesting ala "Lady of the Camilias" but alas I would not have wished my appearance on anyone. It was more me sitting on said couch, feet resting on the coffee table while covered from head to toe with my electric "blankie" (which darling daughter thankfully gave me a few years ago) and wads of Kleenex tissue shoved up my red and streaming nostrils. Not a pretty sight. I also watched waaay too much TV during my recovery period. When I was with the cable company, I just paid for basic programming which went up to channel 28 here on the lower mainland. Recently, however, I switched to digital TV and had 3 months of what seemed to be hundreds of channels for free. Whoopee!

The only programs I got hooked on, however, were of the "How not to decorate" and "Sell this house" variety. I became fascinated with just what awful taste in decor the Brits appear to have! Wall to wall carpeting in the bathroom, three different wall paper patterns in the same room, clutter and junk everywhere! What fun the decorators had ripping these poor people's home's apart. Of course bad taste isn't restricted to the Brits, lots of room for improvement out here too!

Come to think of it, we had carpeting in our bathroom in Scotland at one time too, there was no heater of course. To warm the room so DD (darling daughter) could have a bath, I ran the water as hot as I could to fill the place with steam and rush her in when it resembled a sauna. Meantime, I'd warm a towel by the wee gas fire (not like the models are now) then run in, wheech her out of the tub and back to the fire before she froze solid. Sigh, those were the days. No shower, no central heating, no dishwasher and a fridge the size of bread bin. In the depths of winter the frost made lovely patterns......on the inside of the windows! The three of us would huddle around the gas fire, vying for the warmest spot, That would be DD, the cat and me. The cat usually won. For years I had blotchy red marks on my legs from sitting too close to the fire while my back froze. I'm sure there are lots of you out there with similar memories, and that was only in the 70's in Edinburgh! When we arrived in Vancouver in 1981, we thought we had died and gone to heaven, constant hot water and a shower every day, what bliss!

Well, I've digressed a bit from where I started but will return with more stories and chit chat soon, time for a long, hot shower!