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July 12 How long is it since I blogged !!!! I can't believe it is so long since I updated this site ! Isaac , our'new baby'.is now an active 6 month old with a smile that would melt any heart .He is very mobile and loves being on his feet he also spends a lot of time chattering away to himself.Isaac is a real thumb sucker now and settles himself to sleep cuddling to his face a muslin along with his thumb. As they live only a few minutes walk away we see him often ...which makes me realise how much we miss out on Williams'progress..... William , 17 month old ,is a very handsome toddler who seems to grow taller by the week ,he is always happy to stay and play at our house when they visit and never fusses when left for a few hours in our care .They do visit a lot but being a couple of hours journey away is certainly not local :-( Fergus .who will be 4 in September , enjoys life to the full ! After starting pre school at Easter he has grown up into a well balanced little man who loves learning new things .We are often surprised at the questions he asks in his conversations ,usually at mealtimes when he has a captive audience .An example of a Fergus question :- one teatime between fork fulls of pasta Fergus asks "Grandma is collaborate a real word " surprised at the correct pronunciation I stall for thinking time and ask where he heard the word.He answers ,"it was on c beebies ,what does it mean ?"so I told him it meant planning and working together ( and then went in search of a dictionary to make sure I had explained it correctly ... I now keep said dictionary handy ...you may laugh but you try explaining word meanings to a not quite 4 year old .Anyway ,Fergus obviously understood my explanation as a few days later when I asked what he had been doing at school he said"I was a good boy grandma, at hometime I helped pack all the toys away and when my teacher asked who had done such a good job I told her that Thomas and James and me had collaborated "...of course I asked what the teacher had said ...his reply "nothing really ,but she smiled and laughed ". "Why did she laugh grandma,was it funny ?" now tell me honestly ,could you keep a straight face ...lol It reminded me of the funny things children said to me when I was working in school and playgroup years ago :-)...I have the note books somewhere that I kept ,maybe I will get them out for a read next time I need cheering up . anyway,that's about it ...not a lot after all this time but I will add some photos to the albums ...just in case anyone still comes around here . love and blessings to all who do ,sandra January 01 our new baby grandson   I am pleased and proud to announce the safe arrival of our 3rd grandchild .......born 2 weeks early ! Isaac James Maxwell Barker
was born at 9.49 am
on 30th December 2008
weighing 7lbs 11.05 ozs .
baby Isaac & new parents Gavin and Sonia are all doing well . December 12 A busy Fergus and my mistake !    Well ,it seems my venture back on here has backfired already ... due to the changes I have deleted a lot of my contacts by mistake ! so sorry about that folks :-(
I have no idea how to get back the deleted names ,so if you read this please invite me back onto your contacts &I hope all will be well.
Maybe it was bad timing for me to start blogging just after 'improvements ' had been made ,what with one thing and another I never seem to have time get online ...and I still need a new PC .
Procrastination and sewing seem to be my hobbies just now ..lol
We have another grandchild due in a few weeks so I have been busy sewing for the nursery & I made William more new bibs and he needed a larger playmat as he outgrew the smaller ones a while back etc etc ...all good excuses
Fergus is growing up very fast ,he informed me today that ,& I quote , "the Father Christmas (at the playgroup party )was probably like the Mickey mouse that came last time ..just someone dressed up ,because Father Christmas is far too busy just now." but he did believe that he left the sleigh on a rooftop !
Fergus is certainly the brightest button around here :-) He has an amazing vocabulary and knows all the letter sounds and most of the names too .As I read to him he follows the words and knows if I miss any ...can't get away with skipping a word ,never mind a page .As Fergus' was born in september he will be five years old when he starts school.
By then he will probably be reading and writing quite well .His drawings are improving every week & he loves painting....especially with a small bucket of water and a real paint brush .I let him 'paint' the glass on the patio doors ,he spends ages doing each pane & spreads a towel out before he starts to catch any drips .
As you can see ,he is the light in my life and a real grandma's treasure .
March 24 Grandma's no 1 treasureFergus coloured in a picture for a competition and won 3rd prize in the under 3 group.
I should have taken a pic of the colouring before sending it as it was very colourful.Fergus is so happy to have a'letter' & even posed for the photo ! Fergus' chicken pox have almost gone now and I am hoping to get photos of both our grandsons together this weekend .Sorry not to have been around ,my computer is so slow and I am seriously considering a new one .....until then ,thanks for recent visits & I will catch up eventually ...I must just make it clear that the page Fergus is holding is the certificate he was sent & NOT his own colouring :-) March 11 FERGUS HAS CHICKEN POXI took a photo of Fergus showing his spots , but they don't show up too well .Thankfully he has not been troubled too much by them & as they came out over 4 or 5 days he got used to it gradually .The ones on his head kept him awake one night but apart from that & the runny nose he had for three weeks before all is well with him .
The timing was bad as our other baby grandson & family were visiting at the weekend and I wanted to get photos of them together ....maybe next time all will go to plan .Fergus was sad not to be able to " play with William" but he did see him & said " baby William is beautiful grandma " January 30 Baby ...another grandson to treasure :-) William John Ellerington Barker
weight 8lbs 9ozs
was born on the 29th January 2008
to proud parents Wayne and Liz ...
announced by a very proud grandma :-) January 22 children's questionsWhat is the difference between luck and a blessing?
Webster’s dictionary defines luck as the “force that brings good or bad”. The ancient Greeks and Romans used to worship luck in the form of the goddess Fortuna. Her name even became another word for luck, ‘fortune’. A blessing is defined as “to invoke Divine Care”. The source of blessings is God Himself! Luck is a pagan, non-Christian concept that views good or bad fortune — and success — as a tangible thing unto itself. Certain items, like rabbits’ feet, four-leaf clovers, and other “good luck” charms” are said to “bring luck”. Certain days, and even people, are considered “lucky”. Seeking “luck” is closely connected with superstition, which in turn connected to magic. According to this world view, humans are at the mercy of unseen powerful and uncertain forces that may help or hurt us. A blessing is very different from the idea of luck. God is Lord of the world. A blessing asks for His Divine Protection and help. Whereas luck can be good or bad, a blessing is always good. God’s care for us and the world is called Divine Providence. This concern for us is grounded in love, and is personal and real. By extension the symbols of God, such as the Cross, religious medals, or phylacta (little bags of earth from holy places), are powerful when they are used not as “lucky charms”, but as signs that we believe in God’s power and protection. They are not sources of power themselves but only point back to God. Those who do not know God are trapped in a world that is full of fears and evil forces that they try to manipulate with magic and superstition. Christians can look on life and not be afraid, for Christ has destroyed the power of evil. If we trust in Him and follow His ways, nothing can really harm us. Christians reject the very existence of the idea of “luck”. Attracting “luck” with a charm, a special day according to the zodiac, or other such things, is nonsense! To quote Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, “God bless us, everyone!” Thanks to V.Rev.Fr. Nicholas Hughes, proistamenos of SS. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Mansfield, OH, for filling Father’s cassock for this issue!
January 20 Talking about have you found Grandma ???just for fun ....thanks to Patty :-)
January 09 2008 No promises or resolutions ! 2008 has got off to a good start around here ,I enjoyed my stay with Wayne and Liz and am back home and minding Fergus today. He is such fun to be with and there is never a dull moment .Listening to him as he plays and talks reminds me of when our three sons were small .This morning he asked for his car from the patio, and then enjoyed cleaning it before riding around the house in it . Next thing I heard him say "I made a banjo grandma " as I turned to look he laughed & added "no silly me ,not a banjo, a barrier " and he had laid a long handled broom across the kitchen doorway.What an imagination :-)
Since my last blog I have closed my facebook site ,most of the contacts I have on there are also on live spaces and I do find this easier to use ..excuses over ...lol
The truth is I can't keep up with all the stuff on there .
I will keep my 'multiply' site ,though I haven't added anything for ages, as I do like to keep in touch with the 'cyber church' site ....no promises to add regular posts on here ,but I will add monthly albums and get around to visit your spaces as and when I have time .
*blessings*
sandra
basil looking cute in his hat and jumper & ben looking black and sleek
The Humberbridge ,through the train window.
December 31 Happy New YearDecember 11 Grandma's little puzzlerIt is so long since I updated on here ...so here goes .
Fergus will be 27 months old ,to the minute,by the time I have written this !He is turning into a puzzler .Not surprising when we are a family who enjoy jigsaws and puzzles .I bought a new 15 piece jigsaw ,thinking it would take a while to work out .We did it together once and after mixing up the pieces I went to put the kettle on .Then a little voice said "it's finished grandma"....and there was the 'peppa pig 'puzzle completed !
So I got the camera out for the next time.Since then we have upgraded to some more challenging stuff ,but nothing seems to put Fergus off and he soon works out the easiest way ,usually starting with a face or some easily recognised part .
We have both had a cold and cough virus that seems to be taking an age to clear ,the postman told me there seems to be half the town ill ..he looked healthy enough ,maybe we need to get out in the cold air more .brr !
I spent an enjoyable day in the Hull museum area last month.An elderly uncle made it even more interesting and enjoyable by recounting his wartime memories as he showed me around the streets leading to the Streetlife museum .He makes 'memory tapes' for several of us as presents each Christmas .He has an amazing recall of events and remembers past business premises with clarity ....and has a store of memories well worth listening to which give a good history of Hull too:-)
October 24 softly and tenderly Jesus is calling
Colossians 3:16 |
Back to normal....
NOT 'live writer' ...
my new camera
I got a new camera :-) I chose it then consulted Gavin ,to make sure it was a decent buy,and then ordered it online to pick up from 'Comet 'at the Kingswood retail park .
this is what I bought :-
FUJIFILM FINEPIX A 825 :-
- Megapixels: 8
- LCD screen: 2.5"
- Optical zoom: 4x
- Digital zoom: 7x
- Memory card type: SD card
I have not had much chance to use it yet but it seems just as 'user friendly 'than my last one ....and cheaper too as prices for digital cameras has dropped considerably since I purchased the last one .
Now to get the photos into this'live writer' blog :-)
Well,I got the photos onto the blog but could not get it to publish until I removed them !
any ideas on what I am doing wrong ?
.
trying out windows live writer
As this is my first time of using this method of posting I thought that 'red for danger' would be a good colour for the font .I am not a happy bunny just now because ,as some of you already know, my digital camera is broken 
It has had a good life and taken more than 10,000 photos .Fergus wonders why I am not carrying the camera everywhere we go 
Today I used Jeff's camera again , only at home though as I find it heavy and cumbersome after being used to my own lighter weight smaller one ,I have to admit it takes a much better photo than mine does/did .So I am trying to decide on a replacement ..something that is light and small but takes a good photo .I have in mind to maybe buy a digital video camera . decisions decisions 
Well I managed to get this to publish ,not sure if I will bother to use it again though as I have no idea what it can do .grrrr ,can't remember how to get photos into the blog ....I think that I need lessons from that friendly little blue fairy
*blessings*
sandra
Well,I got a new camera and blogged on 'live writer'about it and even added some photos ...BUT
i cannot get it to post :-( I will try again later .
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