Dolly's Dreamings

Dedicated to the one I love

Bet you are humming that song now!

 

This post is dedicated to the one I love most in the world - my best friend, my soul mate, my partner in crime, my travelling companion and Daddy to our fur babies.

He might be getting older but I couldn't love him more.

 

Happy birthday Nigel xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank goodness for a great health service

It was quite a day yesterday.

First thing in the morning Nigel just casually dropped into conversation that he thought he might get his eye checked out! He said he had developed a huge floater like a spider's web in his right eye yesterday and it hadn't gone overnight and so he thought he might like to get it checked.

Um -yes!

We both knew that a change like that, a sudden increase in floaters etc, was a warning sign of something like a torn retina or even worse a risk of a detached retina. We got up straight away and went to Poole.

We figured, rightly, our best shot was the optician where Nigel knows the manager at Specsavers well. He was fab and booked us in for a couple of hours later with one of the specialists there. We went back and Nigel was dilated and examined and yes, he had a possible tear and so they phoned the hospital and checked us in there. A drive across from Poole to the Eye Hospital in Bournemouth (highlighting the fact that when the two hospitals merge and Poole loses its A and E department people are NOT going to survive that journey if they are critically ill - but that is another story)

The hospital was fabulous and we were seen within the hour. They confirmed a small tear which had taken a bit off the disc at the back and so it would need to be lasered which acts as a sort of welded seal to stop any more fluid leaking and stop a detached retina. It sounded horrible but Nigel said it wasn't bad. It was a bit scary but it didn't hurt. His eye is safe now but the big floater is still there and whilst it might lessen a little it is unlikely to go away however his brain should learn to compensate for it.

Once again we are left amazed by the quality of our NHS, the service we received, the care of everyone involved, their kindness and their expertise. We are truly lucky in this country and yet again we cannot speak highly enough of the NHS. 

No scrapping yesterday but I do have new things to share

 

This is a page documenting the amazing PATH station at World Trade Centre - it looked like a dove of peace

It was breathtaking

 

 

This is a page about St Augustine and how pretty the huge number of B and Bs were

 

and this is another page made for A Trip Down Memory Lane using Simple Stories Simply Vintage Botanical and shows Thomas Hardy's cottage in our home county. Love Dorset!

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a happy and positive resolution yesterday
• great stuff to play with from such super people at A Trip Down memory Lane
• retirement - we were able to deal with yesterday without any letting people down at work. For that we are both so grateful.

 

 

Go Figure

I had a lovely day yesterday.

The rib painw as so much less. I felt like I was well ont he road to recovery.

I enjoyed a lovely long lunch with my work colleagues from Magna (one of them even drove me as that still is not on the agenda)

The heath fire was thankfully not near us and all was good with the world.

Then, for no apparent reason at all, my ribs said no - we are not letting you relax. We are not done with you yet!

 

I had an awful pain filled night maybe gettinga  couple of hours sleep at best.

Today it has been painful all day - so much worse and no rhyme or reason for it.

But we soldiered on. I shopped for essentials with Nigel, I scrapped and I sat and watched the new Mission Impossible which was very good. I did fidgeta  lot as I couldn't get comfortable so I was glad no-one was sat near us.

 

It looks like it is due a storm - very very very muggy and cloudy and dark. Let there be rain. Please.

The sad thing is it is cloudy and so possibly won't get to see the lunar eclipse and the blood moon and mars.

 

I did another prompt from the Shimelle layering class #layeringwithshimelle which also worked for FOTLOPP challenge os strawberry red again. Nigel and I looking stupidly young at the start of our lifelong romance

 

Today I am thankful for

• a great day yesterday
• lovely colleagues ... having had some in the past who were anything but, this is lovely to cherish
• some better days (wish they all were but then I wouldn't appreciate the good if I didn't have the bad eh!)

 

NSD Fun

 

 

I have had such a blast today celebrating National Scrapbooking Day.

 

Sue and I came up with challenges to run all day on UKS and it seems to have inspired people. I have been working my way through the challenges and really enjoyed my scrapping. In the olden days, back when things were frantic, I often ended up making pages I didn't love for cyber crops. These days I take my time (though I admit I am a fast scrapper) and make sure I love the pages I made.

 

These are some I made today for UKS challenges

 

This was one of my challenges - usinga  sketch I loved. It is another page for the GWTW album from our last holiday.

 

Lots of faux stitching and fussy cutting

 

 

 

 

and this is one made for one of Sue's challenges - a mood board that inspired me to use a photo I loved where Nigel caught exactly the right moment

 

 

look at those eyes - just perfect

 

 

 

and this is mine for the selfy challenge - I do like this one

 

 

 

 

 

There is new digital stuff too. Dawn Inskip has some cracking things out today and great deals in her store.

 

I made this with Patience - a super collection with a FWP as well

It was fun to document how I waited for the man I wanted!

 

 

and she has an amazing mixed media collection too. These are the elements and there are papers and overlays as well

I chose to document my Thursdays ... art and all of the paraphernalia I have to take

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• scrapbookers - such a wonderful community to be a part of
• Sue - she works like I do - everythingw as ready well ahead of time so we ensured it all went smoothly
• Nigel - he has done everything today so I could just scrap my heart out

We can finally relax and a post about pride in my hubby

Today is a day of really relaxing - even though the world has stolen that extra hour from us as the clocks 'sprang forward' last night.

 

Nigel has been working towards a huge event for the last few weeks and it took place last night. It was the 70th-anniversary gala dinner for Poole Pirates Speedway and Nigel was MC. He made the most amazing multi media presentation and it was just so perfect. It was funny and made people laugh, it was moving and made people cry, it used film clips, old speedway clips, featured the name of every Poole rider ever, featured video interviews with rider and Nigel and Matt, the owner of the club, did interviews with the many many riders who were there.

It was a spectacular evening and I was so damn proud of my wonderful husband who pulled of something very complex, although most people wouldn't have realised how complex and would probably just have thought' that's nice'. He is just one man with no IT or media training who pulls off stuff that is so technical and professional and I am just in awe of him. Love my hubby - can you tell!

I insisted he had some photos taken to remember the evening too - he is quite shy about that really - Poole is a very very successful club and there were no fewer than 5 World Champions spanning 13 years between them

 

My wonderful MC

 

 

 

Nigel with Pete Smith

 

Nigel with Tony Rickardsson who was a 6 times world champion

 

 

Nigel with his good mate Barry Briggs (4 times world champion) and Michael Lee (World champion)

 

Nigel with Magnus Zetterstrom

Nigel with Mark Loram (World Champion)

 

With Marka nd Gary Havelock (World Champion)and being photo bombed by Neil Middleditch

 

 

How he usually looks for speedway - all ready for press and practice

 

Today we chilled out and then went out for our usual picnic lunch and saw these gorgeous daffodils

 

 

 

And I guess I ought to share some scrapping really. This page was made for a mojo challenge on Pickleberrypop - the challenges really are great - check them out

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a great time last night
• my wonderful husband who does everything he ever tackles 100% to the very best. He is a star
• spring coming - sunshine and daffodils

 

 

 

 

Happy iNSD

Happy International Scrapbook Day

 

It's been quite a day I can tell you. The alarm went off at 6.30 so I was all ready for my day of uploads.

 

I have had the kitchen timer set for every hour to make sure I remember to upload the classes and challenges and I think people have had fun. I have also scrapped and had fun but am tired now!

 

This is one of the pages I made today between uploading and chatting. It was a super class to edge stars with twine and I am really pleased that I didn't get any blood on the white cardstock. Blood, I hear you say! Yes - I stabbed the needle right through into my finger. Stupid!

 

 

 

 

Fun is going on digitally as well.

 

Dawn has a massive sale on in her store here

 

and she has this massive bundle on offer too

 

 

I had already made a couple of New York pages with the first part but made this page with the add ons as well. It is quite a story

 

 

as the story is everything with this page I have also included a close up of the text

 

 

Nigel's brother who was picking us up has been over for two weeks and, as I type, is on his way back to Boston. Thankfully he is NOT meeting anyone at the top of the Empire State Building, though life is much easier in these days of mobile phones!

 

Today I am thankful for

• iNSD fun
• resisting the temptation to buy!
• everything running smoothly for the cyber crop - and the end is in sight. I am tired.

 

 

 

Proud of my man today

It is fair to say I am always proud of Nigel - but I was especially proud of him today as it was press day at the stadium and he was, of course, the MC, introducing everyone - riders, team, sponsors, promoters. And, as always, he did a great job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news my balcony is now unsafe! They came today and removed the wrought iron balcony ready for the install of the new glass and steel balcony. Very exciting - or at least it will be when it is done.

 

News of scrapping too

The Pickle Barrel is open

 

I have been so lucky to work with a lot of the collections this month. You need to go and check them out NOW - they are awesome and the deal of the whole pack for $6 is very limited and believe me - they are stuffed full full full of goodies.

This is Happy Easter by Dita B Designs

 

 

and I really liked this page made with it and also using the templates by Miss Mel, also on offer in a  6 pack

 

 

 

 

 and this is Hello Spring by Eudora Designs

 

 

 

 

I will share more of them tomorrow and there are some stunning collections to come - but go check them out for yourselves here

 

Dawn also has collections on sale today at 50% OFF  but today only  and they include The Happiest place on earth collection and the Special Edition Collection #1

and of course her retirement sale is still on -so head to Dawn's store too

 

I made these with the special offers today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• workmen (I think!)
• being free and so able to go see Nigel perform!

 

 

 

How did I ever find the time? and an AMAZING day

No idea where whole days go. I really don't.

I think I just used to be faster somehow.

 

Today was lovely.

Lie in - as usual - then a walk at Hamworthy and a picnic by the Lake at Lake Pier then some serious scrapping this afternoon. It is a friends birthday and I had a card and a gift to make.

 

Can't share those yet of course.

 

 

Dawn has a new collection out today - Special edition Collection #7 and it is lush

 

 

I know I say it so often but ti is one of my favourite collections.

 

There is also new stuff at Pickleberrypop and I worked with this stunning collection by Eudora Designs called Shabby Autumn

 

 

I used it to make this page showcasing a rare time when Nigel and his two brothers were together. Jim is over from the USA and this was last Sunday at Lulworth Cove

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• having time so if I don't do something today there is always tomorrow!

 

 

THURSDAY 22nd  September 2016

Starting mileage 38605

Day started 9.00

Ending mileage 38605

Day ended 9.00

Total miles 0

 

Today we enjoyed a lie in and planned to go to California Adventures when we woke. As it happened we woke early and had breakfast in the room and we were on the first bus at 9 am.

We went into the park easily and Nigel kindly had a chair for me again. We went to Cars Land and it was amazing. I have never see anywhere better themed. I am so glad we watched the film recently as everything was so familiar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wait wasn't bad ... About 40 minutes and it was worth every single second. It is without question the best ride I have ever been on. It had so much detail, the outside was beautiful, the thrill bits were smooth and fun and it was just perfect. I loved when we did the pit stop and the car went up and down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took so many photos in Radiator Springs it was just amazing. And of course we bought a cone from the cone motel. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other areas of the park were also beautifully themed .... It is a gorgeous park, quite small and compact and unique. It really does capture the diversity of California. I love the Grizzly river area. It was so like all the parks we had been to so recently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We loved Soarin over the world. The film was so much clearer and there were smells and it was really beautiful. We rode Radiator Springs racers twice and we also enjoyed Paradise Pier and Nigel rode California Screaming and we did the swinging car Ferris wheel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we also visited the hotel which is based on Wilderness Lodge.

We the had lunch in the Smokehouse Grill before riding Tower of Terror which was not a long wait and was really good with surprise drops and lots of weightlessness

 

We also caught Mickey in the trolley show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was the time to take our seat for the parade ... In the shade... I was cold.

The parade was OK ... Not amazing but OK but we were on the wrong side of the street and our photos were utter pants. Oh dear ... We will have to do it again!

 

PARADE PHOTOS FROM BOTH DAYS WILL APPEAR IN SATURDAY'S ACCOUNT!

 

After the parade we went to go back to Radiator Springs and we stopped at Guest Information and met Katie. we were chatting and she was saying World,of Colour was amazing and asked if we had a fast pass. We said no and asked the best place to view. SHe told us to hold on and see what she could do and we thought she was going to magic us up a fast pass. She didn't. She came off the phone and said we were comped as ,

VIP guests for World of colour. I cried, she cried. It was a real wow moment.

 

We went back to Radiator springs and took more photos and then took yet more of it lit up and the. We did the Luigi Dan I got cars which was cute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way over to the VIP area and wow... Chairs, just a half hour wait in comfort, the perfect central view. Wow!

 

 

 

 

It was fearfully cold I thought but well worth it. The show as almost half an hour and was amazing. Really different and special and fabulous. Loved it.

We made a quick exit and bear in mind World of colour was almost half and hour and started at 8.15 ... We were at the hotel by 9 ... Even better than staying at CB ... And our room was warm!

 

So proud of him

Just a brief post today as we are very busy - so much for leisure eh.

 

I wanted to shout out about my wonderful husband. I am proud of him in everything he does. He has carved out a new career for himself and is valued and respected by so many people. Largely because he is exceptionally good at what he does, very dedicated, a consummate perfectionist and very very clever. OK so I am a bit biased but plenty of other people would say the same. 

 

When Darcy Ward was injured so badly in August 2015 it rocked the speedway world. He was such a popular young rider of just 23 which exceptional talent. There was such an outpouring of love for him after the event and it was important to keep this going and, as Darcy said, to help other injured sportsmen and women who were less fortunate than he was. It is inspiring to hear that he feels lucky even though he is now bound to his wheelchair.

 

Darcy and Lizzie, his partner, are an exceptional couple and so we were so proud when Nigel was invited to help and the Darcy Ward Foundation was born. Nigel has worked tirelessly to liaise with people all over the world (Darcy is Australian and also rode in Poland and Sweden as well as the UK ) has set up a membership scheme and I am just so very very proud of all he has done. It has been a steep learning curve as he has had to learn to build websites and data based systems but - in true Nigel style - he has done it. And he is helping not only Darcy but will also help others.

 

I made this page to show how proud I am of him.

 

 

You can find out more about the foundation here

 

Today I am thankful for

• such a wonderful husband who succeeds at whatever he turns his hand to because he is clever, committed, passionate and just plain wonderful

so this is leisure then

So retirement means - mmmmm

so much time to chill that I am really good at it ... so good that I totally forgot to blog. I would like to say it is because I was super busy - but nope - not that! It is in part as I am sick of not having a computer. We are awaiting a new mother board now as a last ditch attempt to save it ... even if only temporarily.

 

Today I have done nothing and it feels awesomely good. I think my body ... and my mind ... is recovering from 35 years of full on work and 29 years of full on responsibility and accountability.

 

I haven't even done much new crafting. To be honest I don't know what I have actually done today other than relax and enjoy myself with Nigel. Simple pleasures like walks and fraps.. And heck - that is doing something isn't it.

 

I do have a new page to share though which I made two weeks ago -- pre computer fail -- celebrating selling my office! Now that sounds bizarre doesn't it. I had been a head for 29 years and over that time I had been blessed with many many gifts. Lots of them came home and many were edible and they were snaffled up. However, I had an office full of toys and pictures and things the children had made or given me. Most of them were cats of course! The girls used to love coming into the office and looking at the things and playing with them. Counting the number of cats on pictures, ornaments, soft toys, cushions etc became quite the game (there were in the region of 90 I believe. The question was ... what to do with them when I retired. Clearly I had nowhere to put them and they were of little value other than sentimental and so I decided to raffle them for charity. The girls would be happy as they would have a little bit of my office to keep, the charity (Lewis Manning in Poole) would be happy and I would be happy. Win all round. In the end it was a tombola and I raised £80 and a lot of smiles.

 

Faces blurred out obviously

 

Consequently limited new scrapping but I do have things the still share from Nigel's 60th book and I better finish up those posts before he turns 61!

 

These two pages represent his love of all things animal. I tried, in his book, to capture all of the different side of him. The different things that make him HIM and that make him tick. And animals of all sorts are a really important part of his life.

Pf course there are our fur babies - but it goes way beyond that. He has an affinity for animals. He ;speaks' to them. Seriously. And they listen.

I have seen it so many times, from friends dogs and cats to the camel in Israel, wild cats of all types, birds and donkeys and the most amazing F1 bengal cat who as so wild they caged him outdoors and he stopped and make eye contact with Nigel and crept over and purred as he 'spoke' to the cat in his mind.

 

He really is the animal whisperer.

 

  and he had such a special bond with Bruno that even the keepers said he recognised Nigel and behaved differently. And then ... of yes ... then he marked him as his own as only tigers know how!!!

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• retirement (I think that is going to be a daily thankful for the foreseeable future)
• my wonderful animal loving husband
• people who make mother boards ... finger crossed

 

Darcy Ward News

Today was a day I have been dreading. It was time to get that tricky root canal work done.

I think if I had been going last week when I was still in so much pain it might have been easier but the pain had almost gone and I really was terrified.

 

Theresa our dentist is so caring and kind and she did everything in her power to put me at my ease and make it as pain free as possible.

I was in the chair for an hour and a quarter and whilst she honestly did not hurt me at all when working, I have TMJ and keeping my mouth open for that amount of time was agony.

 

The anaesthetic has worn off now and yes - it is hurting like mad, but it is very good for the diet. I cannot eat - only drink - so soup it is then.

It was also a much needed sobering thought that we spent this afternoon with Darcy Ward and Lizzie. How dare I moan about toothache when Darcy counts himself lucky with all he has to deal with. It sure puts things in perspective and they are such an upbeat couple. Darcy really is an inspiration.  I am so proud that Nigel is coordinating the Darcy ward Foundation and has launched the membership scheme today. I am pleased he gets to play a part in helping this inspiring young man.

 

If you are interested in finding out more about Darcy and what an inspiration he is or - even better - if you want to become a member of the foundation and help Darcy and other people with life changing sports injuries as Darcy's aim is to give to others too  (it is £4.30 a month  or £43 for a year of membership) then check out the Darcy Ward Foundation here and click the membership tab. I am so proud of what Nigel has done to make this happen and I hope it is a great success for Darcy and for other people too.

You might also like this link re Darcy ... Echo

I have news for scrapping too. Dawn Inskip has her Focus collection on special offer today here  

 

This is a page made with the goodies that are on offer.

 

 

 

and this is a page made with a new collection called It's a PJ Kinda Day by Created by Jill at Pickleberrypop

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a wonderful dentist
• a clever husband
• people who are inspirational in spite of adversity