1. Did you have a favorite blanket or toy as a kid? If so, do you still have it?

 

My first teddy was a firm favourite.  It was dark brown, very soft and fluffy.  It was simply called Teddy and I had it on my bed for years.  At some point over the years it lost one of its eyes, but thankfully I cannot remember the traumatic event which caused the injury!  I’m pretty sure that Teddy is still at my Mum and Dad’s, most probably up in the loft.  My parents are like me and tend to hoard things.  I should really spend a day rummaging through their attic and see what lost treasures I can unearth!

2. Do you dream in color?

 

Absolutely!  Doesn’t everyone?  Why else would some dreams feel so real!?  During the heatwave we experienced in Scotland in early summer, I had a lot of really weird but vivid dreams!  I mentioned this fact on my Facebook page and soon discovered that many of my friends had also experienced strange vivid dreams.  I guess we were not sleeping soundly due to the hot humid weather – we’re just not used to it in Scotland!! 

3. How tall are you? Do you wish you were shorter or taller?

 

I think I’m average height 5’4″, but I do feel rather short and wish I was a few inches taller. 

4. If you could have anyone’s (celeb or other) voice as the guide on your GPS, who would it be?

 

Oh how I *heart* this question!! 

In a previous job, I used to speak to a colleague on the phone who had a voice I can only describe as “chocolate“!!  It was rich, creamy and delicious!!  LOL   He was very well spoken, posh, calm and impeccably polite.  I swear I could listen to him talk all day!!   I have to say that I was not alone in my appreciation of his dulcit tones.  My colleagues (all female!) all agreed that he had a dreamy voice!  *sigh* His voice would be perfect as a SatNav voice!

If I was to pick a celeb voice, it would have to be my favourite cheeky chappy actor, James Nesbitt, who I adore!! *swoon*

I also think it would be really cool to have a SatNav with the voice of Phil Glenister as DCI Gene Hunt (Life on Mars / Ashes to Ashes), with his non-PC rants, foul temper and one-liners it would make boring journeys sooooo entertaining!! 

5. Do you return your shopping cart to the corral or leave it wherever in the parking lot?

 

LOL  Sorry but I’ve never heard it called “the corral” before!! 

Yes, I do return my trolley to the bay (or station)…. well 99% of the time anyways!  I can remember abandoning it a couple of times in heavy rain! *blushes*

NEW FRIEND FRIDAY

Join in the fun that is New Friend Friday at The Girl Creative and The Trendy Treehouse.

Hubby was one of the brave civilians who stepped in to help the police apprehend the terrorists.  Unfortunately he ended up suffering a broken leg during the fracas.

We had just returned from a family holiday in Menorca with our twin daughters, and Hubby’s parents.  Hubby was on his own, loading our luggage into our car, when the jeep struck the building.  I was with my mother-in-law and my twin daughters inside the airport, while my father-in-law was on his way back from retrieving his car from the long stay car park.  Therefore, thankfully, I did not see my husband grappling with a terrorist or lying injured behind the burning vehicle.

I guessed pretty quickly after the fire alarm went off, that it was a terrorist attack.  It was terrifying when we were evacuated from the terminal building, as we did not know if (and where) there was going to be any further explosions.  I knew that the smoke and flames were coming from the direction that I had watched my husband set off, some five or ten minutes before.  I was worried sick about him and my father in law.

Shortly after being evacuated, we saw the police bundling a smirking man into a police van, as my mobile phone went off.  It was my brother-in-law to say that my Hubby had called him and that he wanted me to know that he was ok.  I just assumed that Hubby was trapped on one side of the flames and we were on the other and that we would meet up eventually.

We were directed to a designated area away from the burning terminal building, where we waited for a couple of hours before being reunited with my father-in-law, who had been wandering around, frantic with worry, looking for us.

An hour or so later, I discovered that Hubby was actually in  hospital with a leg injury.  Eventually a policeman managed to get us a taxi to take us to the hospital.

I was later to find out that the smirking man who had been bundled into the police van was Bilal Abdullah, and he was the man Hubby had tried to apprehend.

The fact that my Hubby got caught up in these events and ended up in hospital was all the more poignant because it was his 40th birthday on that very day, and we had to postpone a family celebration at a local restaurant which was due to be held the following evening.

Three years on, we returned from our family holiday to receive a letter from Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond re the very exciting news that Hubby is to receive The Queen’s Commendation for Bravery.

You can read more about this at the following sites:

The Civilian Gallantry List

The Herald

The BBC

I loathe cheap toilet paper and fee it is a false economy to buy it!   Instead, I tend to buy more luxurious brands when they are on special offer. 

No, I´ve never had a surprise birthday party thrown for me.  I´m afraid I´m too much of a control freak to leave such things to chance!  LOL   I like to plan my own parties!

I once threw a surprise party for my hubby, who was then my fiance, when he was turning 30 (many moons ago! LOL).  He had expected to go out for a meal to a local restaurant – just us and his parents.  When we turned up at his parents´house to collect them to take them to the restaurant, there were family and friends waiting to shout “Surprise!” at the flabbergated Birthday Boy!

That has to be my computer!  I simply cannot live without it! 

NEW FRIEND FRIDAY

Join in the fun that is New Friend Friday at The Girl Creative and The Trendy Treehouse.

1. Do you collect anything?

No, I don´t collect anything in particular, but I am a hoarder of knicknacks and I like to pick up little momento treasures on my travels – ornaments, crockery, photos, trinkets, etc…  I have collected treasures like this from holidays in Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Canada, USA, Egypt, Ireland and even throughout the UK, where I live.

2. Name 3 celebrities that you find good looking.

 

Hugh Jackman, George Clooney & Christian Bale. 

3. Do you have any scars? If so, what’s the story behind it (them?)?

 

Yes, I have a small scar on my left eyebrow which dicates the shape that I can have them groomed.  The scar was caused when I was a toddler and my mum fell when carrying me.  It probably should have been stitched, but I think she made do with a little plaster!  I think she got the fright of her life when I drew blood!! 

I also have a small scar on my right knee, caused by a fall in a swing park in Riddrie, when I was about six years old.

My “best” scar has to be my caesarean scar, from when my twin girls were born six weeks early six years ago!  It is almost invisible now – thank goodness!!

4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it’s gross or weird?

 

I like eating cereal with yogurt instead of milk, which some people find weird or gross, but I cannot understand why!? 

5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?

 

No, we don´t really get extreme weather systems like that in Scotland – just year-long rain!!  LOL  I have seen a small funnel cloud, when I was in Canada many years ago, but it was very far away.  We had been enjoying the sunshine at sand dunes by Lake Ontario, when we had to cut our trip short because of a thunderstorm.  The rain was torrential and it was pretty scary to be out in the car!!

Why not join in the New Friend Friday blog hop at The Trendy Treehouse and The Girl Creative.

I can't wait to see the look on my daughters' faces when they see their Super Mario birthday cake! It's awesome! #

Powered by Twitter Tools

Absolutely NOT!!  LOL   I wanted to be a primary school teacher or a journalist!  Now I’m a number cruncher for the local council!  I couldn’t have ventured much further from my chosen path, eh?

I wish I’d learned how to ride a bike!  I feel that not being able to ride a bike makes me a failure!  I wish I could go cycling with Hubby and the girls, but who’s ever seen an adult bike with stabilisers!? 

Why not join in the New Friend Friday blog hop at The Trendy Treehouse and The Girl Creative.

Here’s a photo of Elaine with Dad and Andy, outside the church.

Unfortunately, the day was not without its drama and disappointment. The other bridesmaid, Claire (Andy’s sister), had a brain seizure en route from the church to the park where we were stopping off to get photos taken before the reception. Claire has had more than her fair share of health problems in recent year, having had brain tumours removed three times!!  The chauffeurs had to dial 999 for an ambulance to take her to hospital.  Her husband (an usher) and her parents went off to hospital with her, leaving a worried and bewildered Bride and Groom and remaining Bridal Party.  What was even more heartbreaking and stressful was that Claire’s two children – Abby, 7yrs, and Jamie, 4yrs were with us, and were (understandably) worried about their Mummy.

Here’s a picture of (L-R) Claire, Elaine and myself, outside the church before she took ill.

Her brother, Ross (the Best Man), had to make an announcement before the meal, to explain the reason why we were over an hour late arriving at the reception and why the Groom’s parents, Usher and Bridesmaid were absent.

After the meal, he was able to provide an update on Claire’s condition which, thankfully, was looking good. He was happy to announce that his parents were on their way back to the reception. Abby and Jamie were very relieved to see the return of their Daddy and grandparents (as was I and the rest of the wedding party).

I’m delighted to tell you that Claire got out of hospital yesterday, and is making a good recovery. She is, of course, very disappointed to have missed out on the festivities. However, we are all just so glad that she is okay.

Here is a picture of me, Elaine, our Mum and my gorgeous twin daughters outside the church.

Congratulations Elaine & Andy!! Get well soon Claire!!…

Well done @andymurray #wimbledon #

Happy #4thJuly to all my American friends! #

Powered by Twitter Tools

I LURVE New Friend Fridays, as I get to connect with lots of new interesting people and to discover lots of great new blogs!

I haven’t blogged every day this week, as I’ve been very busy at work, as well as with preparations for my wee sister, Elaine’s wedding tomorrow!    I am her bridesmaid (well, okay, I suppose I should really be referred to as the Matron of Honour, but that is sooooooooooo old sounding!!  LOL) and my gorgeous daughters are flower girls!    Can I please ask all my readers to keep your fingers, toes, EVERYTHING crossed for a sunny day in Glasgow tomorrow?…  Watch this space next week for some lovely photos of the big day!!….

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome new visitors to my blog. You can find out more about me and my blog here. I hope that you will decide to become new followers and then we’ll become new friends! You can follow me on Google Friends Connect, Blog Frog, Blog Catalog, Facebook and/or Twitter. You can subscribe to my RSS feed or via email. Whatever method you may choose, I hope you’ll come back and visit again soon!…

Please leave me a comment below to let me know you dropped by, and I’ll return the favour… Thanks.

The Rules are simple:

• Add a link to your New Friend Friday blog post.
• Visit the blog of the person whose name is above and below your name in the list and leave a meaningful comment on their blog.
• Visit as many blogs as you can and leave comments telling them you are visiting from New Friend Fridays at The Girl Creative or The Trendy Treehouse (or yours truly!).
• There is no obligation and no pressure to follow everyone who follows you. Please just follow the blogs that are of interest to you.
• Family Friendly Blogs ONLY please. Explicit sites will be removed.

So, go visit The Trendy Treehouse and/or The Girl Creative, grab the lovely new button, post it somewhere on your blog, enter your URL into the linky and get ready to make some new friends!

Happy blog hopping!….

Today I found out that I am the One-Minute Writer Winner from Tuesday 15 June 2010.  Yay!    I am so thrilled!

I’ve only recently started participating in this fun writing meme.  There are daily writing prompts published, and participants have just sixty seconds to write their contribution.  It’s a lot harder than it sounds, but great fun all the same!

Here is contributing post called “This Moment”.

I can now proudly display the Winners’ Badge on my blog.  Yay! 

Please also check out my contribution for today’s One Minute Writer prompt here.