West Park Hospital, Epsom

I was just googling the hospital where I did my nurse training, and I found this photographic website of Britain in ruins.  There are some wonderful - and wonderfully sad pictures of the hospital I lived in - and trained in - for three years.  The hospital where I met my first husband.  Where I had my engagement party.

On this first page you can see so many places I worked and socialised - so many memories.  We lived in the grounds - in fact my first room was in the building in the bottom picture on page 1:  HERE

And I can't believe the burned out hall HERE  (scroll half way down) where my ex husband used to play badminton in the evenings.....

Seeing many of these pictures makes me feel quite sick - how the government could let such beautiful buildings go to waste - I understand some of the beliefs behind closing down the institutions BUT the way they did it was sooooo WRONG and now seeing the waste left behind - remembering the stories and the personalities of the people who called this place home for so long :(

I remember walking THESE corridors many MANY times with friends, with patients, boyfriends....to get mail....to go for dinner...to head to work on shift....to head to school.....to the store or cafeteria....

I remember being given a tour of the PADDED CELL when I first arrived as a student - it wasn't used though even then - just kept as a piece of history!!

It's wonderful to see these pictures and remember back - but so sad to see somewhere that meant so much to me in such a sad state - I was hoping it was being utilised in a better way!!!  :(

You can read about the hospital HERE  it's really interesting!!

I moved there when I was 17.  I have such great memories of my time as a student - fun times :)

Sooooo funny ;)

Ooooh my Husband thinks he's so funny ;)  

Last night was a really bad night for one reason or another and we didn't get much sleep - poor Sam just couldn't sleep and was pretty unhappy and restless - Lloyd left me to sleep this morning and when I woke up he had left me two thermal mugs of coffee by the bed and this little note tucked on top.  Normally his little notes are very romantic and I have them all in a big glass jar in my craft room.  I opened this one wondering what it would say......and then burst out laughing.....

I am sooooo NOT doing star jumps this morning ;)  

Friday Fill ins!

1. Today I will be cuddling and caring for my itchy, scratchy, sad little chicken poxy boy and sadly NOT going out for dinner as planned with Dave and Tracey :(.
2. There doesn't seem to be much attention on tv on the Paralympics at ALL and I say why not?
3. What do you think of Annoying Orange??  Or Marshmallow Murder??  My kids are a little addicted and I have to admit I find them funny too Don't forget though we're a family who likes Salad Fingers*.
4. At Starbucks on March 23rd it's free Pastry Day til 1030 Friday!
5. People say that what we're all seeking is Happiness.
6. The image I cherish most is My babies all curled up sleeping contentedly.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Hhmmm not sure now as we were supposed to be out for dinner, tomorrow my plans include seeing how Sam is before I decide whether to follow through with my plans  and Sunday, I want to see what the day brings!


*  Youtube them lol


Find your Friday Fill-ins HERE

Duh!!!

Susannah had a small bumpy rash on her side and back about two weeks ago and had these symptoms too:

 "upset stomach, headache, fever, and the chills".


We didn't connect those symptoms to the rash and she felt well enough to go to school - a little nausea, took advil for headache a few times and put the upset stomach down to 'girl stuff'....we kept an eye on the rash but after a week or so it started to go so we didn't bother to see the Doctor..Susannah was just bothered by the itchiness while it had been there....


BUT - I was just looking up SHINGLES and the rash she had is EXACTLY like a mild form of shingles!!!!  It looks just like the pictures and descriptions!!  OMG - maybe it was Susannah that gave chicken pox to Sam!!!    I always consider shingles to be an old persons illness but so long as you have had chicken pox you can get it at any age!!!  

dot to dot.....

Sam likes the pink calamine lotion.  He's a little itchy today but not too bad and he's his usual happy self full of energy.  He's been practicing with his bow and arrow - not necessarily a good thing as his aim is getting VERY good ;)  

Pleated ribbons...

and plain cardstock scraps:

One good thing about being 'stuck at home' is that it gave me a chance to get caught up on my homework for Shimelle's class 'Something from (almost) Nothing' as well as some ATC's for Swapbot.    I'm now all up to date.  

How plans change!!

We were supposed to spend today at a friends house - the children were excited to spend the day with their friends playing.  I was going to spend the day with a group of friends crafting - we were making brown bag albums!!  A workshop organized and taught by Joanne.  I've made brown bag albums before but I have a feeling Joanne was going to put her own, new spin on things!!  She's so very creative!!

Sam has been tired and a little grouchy the last few days and I put it down to us being busy.  Last night he had a little spot by his groin that he had scratched.  I didn't think anything of it.  An hour ago we took his pyjama top off to get him dressed and he's got spots popping up all over his abdomen - especially under his arms....

Yes, he has CHICKEN POX!!!!!!

Yikes....how can that happen so FAST!!!!  He was fine when he woke up and we had PLANS for the day!!!

I got on the phone to Val, who was fantastic and gave me tons of advice and stopped off on her way to Joanne's, with calamine lotion and support :)  she said hello to my little chicks and made comments about Kitty's pompoms ;)

So, here we are - I've Emailed Jennifer from Monday and let her know that Sam has chicken pox and that we may have passed it on to everyone at the birthday celebration...

I keep checking his body and seeing for more spots appearing.... it's addictive - like a new hobby - spot spotting ;)

Paddy's Day treats...

St Patricks Day treats - not sure what we'd call them but they are Ritz crackers with green icing in between.  Sounds yucky but the kids LOVE them!!  Someone made them at preschool a few years ago when Abigail went and they were a HUGE hit - so I made them for the kids for school and they LOVED them - and ever since, every year they have asked me to make them for school.  So yesterday I made a huge box full so they could take them for their friends.  A little bit sweet and a little bit salty. 

And a little bit green ;)

When I was finished Abigail made everyone some to snack on after school!

Rainbow at Sunrise....

This rainbow marked the end of the thunderstorm....I wonder if the Leprechauns left their crock of gold at the end of it especially for St Paddy's Day.....

Random Dozen...

1. On a scale of 1-10, how superstitious are you, honestly?  Not very at all!  I would say maybe a 3 lol - if that.  

2. Julius Caesar is quoted as saying, "I came, I saw, I conquered." Which circumstance or experience of yours does this saying best describe?   Lloyd lol - poor guy ;)  I think he WANTED to be conquered though hahahahaha ;)

3. If I peeked in on your day like a mischievous little leprechaun, at what time would I most likely find you blogging?  Either first thing in the morning sat in bed......early afternoon (which is when I have my lunch) or early evening.  Unless it's a day at home and then I will sit at my laptop beside the children while they are doing their homeschool work / crafts etc and it could be ay time of day.....

4. Re springing forward for Daylight Saving Time, is there anything you've ever been really early or really late for?  Years ago Laurence and Chris played soccer on Sunday mornings - when they were about 4 and 6 years old.  My Ex and I forgot to change the clocks and turned up at soccer just as it finished :(  I think we felt so bad that the boys had missed their class that we took them out to McD's or an indoor playground or the park somewhere instead!!!

5. What are you most looking forward to concerning Spring?  Wearing sandals instead of big boots, picnics, just playing outside so much more and knowing we don't need coats with us!!  Park playdates, the outdoor pools and sprayparks opening!!  Going geocaching!!

6. Shamrocks are the national flower of Ireland and are picked on St. Patrick's Day and worn on the lapel or shoulder. Do you wear green on St. Patty's Day? No but we do have special treats that we make for the children to share with their friends and we make special crafts!!

7. One of Caesar's assassins, Casca, said, "But, for my own part, it was Greek to me," which of course means he didn't understand something. Probably his own lines in the play. Anyway, what is something that is "Greek to you," something incomprehensible or indecipherable?   Highschool math!!  It's like nothing I ever saw in the UK!!  

8. Is March behaving more like a lion or a lamb where you live? March is acting like a lamb this year and I'm LOVING it :)  they keep saying it might change - and that wouldn't surprise me - and we do NEED more snow, but I am LOVING this weather :)  The snow is almost all gone!!!!  We're even having a thunderstorm right NOW - thunder and lightning!!!!

9. "An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later." -Winston Churchill. If you had one extra hour per day every day, what would you do with it?  More of the little flowers that Lucy posted on Attic 24 ;)

10. Legend says that every Leprechaun has a pot of gold hidden deep in the Irish countryside. Aside from real gold or money, what material item would be in your dream pot of gold?     nice pens and notebooks :)

11. "The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you." Robert Louis Stevenson. Look around you right now and tell us about something essential or beautiful very near you that you take for granted every day.      The sunrise

12. Just for a bit o' fun, click here(www.blogthings.com/irishnamegenerator/) and then report your Irish name. Mine is "Zoe O'Sullivan." I love it!   Aishling O'Mahony


Get your Random Dozen HERE

Cake time....

These are the best of the bunch - it's not easy getting this bunch of zoo animals to all look at the camera at the same time without blinking or grimacing ;)  

sigh ;)

My birthday boy :)

Another year older and still doesn't like having his picture taken ;)  

We had a stroll around Chapters, EB Games and then sat and chatted in Starbucks for a while.  Lloyd was telling me that downtown the other day the girl in Starbucks was making his drink and she turned and said that she had seen him and his Son a few weeks ago walking by her in Vancouver!!  hahahaha!  She had recognised him!!!  Too funny!

Library visit...

Another successful trip to the library.....and another full basket of books beside the comfy chair!

Go Canada!!!!!

Have you been watching any of the Paralympics from Vancouver????  What have you been enjoying???  I caught a rerun of the opening ceremony and OMG it was FABULOUS!!!!  I bawled through a lot of it - especially the TERRY FOX part at the end and when his parents walked out carrying the flame together!  

I really enjoy watching sledge hockey!!  That game is lethal!!  They practically stab each other - have you  seen their injuries????  OUCH!!

Don't forget you can follow the games HERE

Go Canada!!!

Go Athletes!!!

For Today…

From:  HERE

Outside my window... Laurence and Susannah are strolling down the driveway towards the bus stop.  I just waved them goodbye.  The driveway is completely clear of snow now although we do have some glorious puddles and I can't wait to get home this afternoon and go out and play with Sam in them!!  The weather is amazing at the moment - 13c this afternoon I think they are forecasting and  they almost always underestimate!  Every day the grassy patches grow bigger and dry out a little more....and the snow disappears a little more - we will probably get more snow before Summer arrives, but it will be wet snow and won't last long.  Spring officially arrives this week :)

I am thinking... of my Husband - it's his birthday today!!!  I hope he has a lovely day today.

I am thankful for... My DH and children being safe, healthy and happy right now - this weekend there seems to have been so much tragic news around here - avalanches, shootings, ski trip tragedies etc I feel very grateful for my family right now.  Laurences friend lost his Mom last week too :(

I am wearing... my nighty and duvet as I am in bed still ;)

I am going...  I have to take Abigail to her art class this morning and afterwards we have to go to the library to collect a book we ordered - if it's really nice we might take a walk around the lake before heading home.  Dinner at home tonight but afterwards Lloyd and I are going out for coffee together.  We're having dinner out with friends on Friday night instead of tonight.  

I am reading... I'm still reading 'Still Alice'.  I'm also going through all the back issues of Life Learning magazine since I subscribed recently

On my mind... making lists - all the things we need to book and plan for the next few months.  Summer plans.  Getting the house up to scratch.  Business plans and the excitement of getting ready to start building.  Wondering what the next couple of months will bring for Lloyd - decisions, decisions, decisions......

From the learning rooms… school choices for L and S are made for next year - yay!!  Abigail is taking part on the homeschool celebration in May which includes a talent show type thing and a display of childrens work from the year - the schoolboards and vendors take part there too....we're spending more time outdoors again which I always prefer.  We're too busy for my liking right now an dI can't WAIT for Thursday to have a day at home!!!

Pondering these words... HOMEschool - I like to spend time at home and we don't seem to e at home much lately - it's getting to our busy season.  Winter we are at home too much but often in the warmer months we are NEVER at home...I'd like to find a balance and be at home a little more this year...

From the kitchen… yesterday I cooked sausages in THE most INCREDIBLE sauce in the crockpot - it was just a gravy really but I added 3 different peppers and some tomatoes and onion and plenty of garlic.....carrots....and it just came out all spicy and tomatoey and it was amazing!!!  We had that with mashed potato and veg and it was wonderful!!!!  


The day before I cooked chicken in the crockpot....yep I am still loving my crockpot
Around the house... Lloyd is still working hard to get the house finished - just in case - just things like baseboards and crown moulding etc - we'll move on to the hallway next - just in case we have to sell and move away for work.  He's doing an amazing job.  Looks like he will have plenty of time in a few weeks but he does a little bit every night.

One of my favorite things: hearing the geese arrive back - a few more each day.  Seeing all the deer each morning - it seems they are everywhere at the moment.   Our yard has several each morning - and the occasional moose too.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Chris is at home most of this week.  We will be celebrating Lloyds birthday today and then date night with Lloyd tonight.  I also have to make the St Patricks Day snacks for tomorrow - the older kids like taking them to school!!
Going to Joannes to make paper bag albums and for a playdate tomorrow, A day at home on Thursday to catch up on chores, relax and catch up on homeschooly stuff!  Friday we have homeschool group where we are supposed to be meeting some friends and then in the evening Lloyd and I are meeting some friends for dinner.