What makes my blood boil.

Now, all of you who know me, know that I can, at time's, be grumpy. Particularly first thing in the morning. 


There are, however, very few things that really make my blood boil. 


On Armistice Day during the two minutes silence there was a disturbance by some protesters who burnt a giant poppy.


I absolutely disagree with what they did, wholeheartedly. 


What made my blood boil was our reaction to this. 


On one social networking site there is a group called - Muslims who burn poppies on armistice day should leave our country.


The comments within this group are both, racist and offensive.


A small minority of extremists have behaved in a way that was not acceptable, but it seems our reaction is a mass reaction, to fight hate with hate? 


Does no one find it ironic that we (our nation) fought and our soldiers fought, for freedom, against racism, against oppression, against hatred, and yet our first reaction is to oppress. 


I am extremely proud to be British, I am proud that I live in a country where most people try to treat everybody equally.


I am proud that we are a melting pot of languages, cultures, ethnicity and religion. 


I am proud that we can all practise the religion we choose too, or not,if we don't want to,  without fear that we will be 'disappeared' or victims of hate crimes.



I am proud that I can write this without fear.


I am not proud of our mass mentality, our belief in the red top newspaper, our fear of the individual and our ignorance and unwillingness, at times, to accept change.


People of Britain need to remember that the majority of our forefathers and mothers came from somewhere else originally.


Britain has been invaded by the Romans, the Vikings, the French, the Germans and when we went on the Crusades our soldiers brought people back from all over the world. This continued with Sir Francis Drake, Christopher Columbus and many many more. We are a tiny island. 


Anyone who thinks that they are 100% white and Christian are fooling themselves.


I dislike the ghetto-ism of our cities where similar cultures congregate and other cultures and influences are pushed out.


The only way things will improve and change is if we accept that people are different, our cultures are different, we are different colours and we have different personalities (some of us can be quite grumpy). We have to accept the difference's through knowledge and openness. 


I think sometimes people think because they are 'just' average they can't change anything. Of course we can, we bring our children up without hatred, with open minds and a curiosity for differences and change and we will all be OK. 


Seriously, it is as simple as that.


So what makes my blood boil. Ignorance, hatred, oppression, inequality, injustice and racism. (There is probably more, but that will do for now).

Silent Sunday - Peace

For more Silent Sunday's go to here

Silent Sunday - Nana and Heather

For more Silent Sunday's go here at Mocha Beanie Mummy

Eight and Still Growing

My eldest daughter was 8 yesterday. 

How did that happen? 

One minute she is like this:

And now she is like this:

 I mean, seriously, where did the time go. How did she turn into this confident, bubbly, bright and beautiful person (I was going to say small person then righted myself, she is 4ft 4in - I am 5ft 2in she will be taller than me in no time). 

She has her own social circle and has had the same group of friends since starting school, and remains friends with her friend from nursery. 

She does well at school and is bursting with energy, so full of life. I am immensely proud of her and wish for her only good things.

When people say to you, don't wish the time away, they are SO right. 

The Gallery - Before and After

For the Gallery this week Tara has asked us for before or after. This is what I have come up with.

When Heather was a baby, we took this picture - I loved this picture, she was smiling and the sun was coming through the window. The Zebra romper suit was just a bonus.

So four years later I recreated the picture with Lola.

I see in these pictures their similarities and their differences and as time goes by and as Lola, gets to the same points in her life as Heather I see this continue.

And the frightening thing is, I see a little bit of me in both of them.

The most important thing is they are unique, special individuals who will always have each other for love and support.

Autumn - The Gallery

I love Autumn, I think it is my favourite season, so when Tara at Stickyfingers said this weeks Gallery was about seasons - I was made up.

Originally, when I was young it was because my birthday was in October and the new school started in September. This was reason enough to love the season. Nothing to do with the colours and the beauty of this time of year.

Now for me, Autumn stills starts at the beginning of the school year, I send my eldest off in her new uniform all smart and shiny and bright.

Then it is my youngest's birthday, so still about the birthdays.

Then mine, I have no photo recording this so instead I will put one of the pictures that symbolise autumn for me.

Nice weather for ducks!

Then, of course comes pumpkins and Halloween

and conker hunts.

At this time of year my road looks gorgeous.

And for me Autumn finishes on Bonfire Night...

Now roll on the cold winter, where it's all about Christmas and being cosy. (Love that too...)

What do you do when you are off work poorly?

I have been off work poorly these last two weeks, now before you all panic (because you are lovely and care about me) it is nothing Leukaemia based. The reason I have been off is more to do with an emibarrassing bodies type thing, which is all I am going to say. (Mortified!).

Anyhow I have been fully reacquainting myself with This Morning, Loose Women and 60 Minute Makeover, and I can literally feel any intelligence I may have had slowly seeping away into the abyss of daytime telly.

Realising this I have been wondering around Sky looking for things to watch.
Now, I love a movie, so my first port of call is always the movie channels or Sky Anytime. As a result, this week I have watched Backdraft and A League of their Own again.

Can you believe Backdraft was made in 1991, I know, shocker. And the thing that caught me out was William Baldwin, well, wasn't he a hotty in 1991, not the same man we recently saw in Dirty Sexy Money at all! I still found Jennifer Jason Leigh highly annoying with her bleached blonde perm and bad acting. Overall though, its a fab film. I had completely forgot the story and it was brilliant to re-watch it fresh. The only thing that really aged it was Jennifer JL's hideous perm.

As for A League of their Own made in 1992, there is the amazing Gina Davis who most of you will remember from Thelma & Louise, The Accidental Tourist, but who I loved in The Long Kiss Goodnight which is an awesome film. Anyhow, in this baseball for women during the 2nd World War film,  Madonna is there, Rosie O'Connell and Tom Hanks and the awesome Lori -I played Tank Girl in the movie of the same name - Petty.

- Gratuitous picture of Tank Girl - 

Now when this film came out it was panned by the critics, but I have watched this over and over and love it. It's schmultzy and kitsch and all of those things. Brilliant.

What worries me though, is that both these films were made in the early 90's and yet to me they seem quite recent. Time is clearly speeding up for me. Having said that I also watched White Christmas (1954) with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Ellen and Rosemary Clooney (yep, George's Mum) and I wasn't even born when that was made, so it has all kinda balanced itself out.

So what do you do when you are off work poorly?

The Gallery - Show me the Funny

I was thinking about doing a Halloween blog to show off all the fab photo's of the kids my husband and I took of the kids (I can't take full credit this week as husband has been doing quite a lot of the photography as I have been a bit poorly...ahhhh..full sympathy please), but then I remembered the theme for this weeks Gallery - marvellous.

So here we go. My Children went to the pumpkin farm this (see below) was here. Now, I find this funny, and I am gutted I missed it.

They also went to Kenilworth Castle. What concerns me is what my daughter is doing to the boy next to her. OMG she is 7 where did she learn that - put that boy down!!!!!

 Back at the pumpkin farm...Mr Pumpkin Head

And finally, here is my little witch enjoying her potions a little too much....

Hope we have made you giggle.