MEME/ 100th POST /GURU

This is my 100th post I have just become a Guru on Blotanical, all it took was lots of pleasure in looking at so many wonderful garden blogs around the World. Many thanks to Stuart at Blotanical for providing this opportunity.

I decided for this post to do a Meme. I have been tagged by Missy M of Missy Wayne's Backyard, Happy Mouffetard of The Inelegant Gardener, VP from Veg Plotting, Maureen from Allotment Heaven and Bangchick of My Little Vegetable Garden during the last few months and just haven't got round to taking up their tags so here goes.

Seven things about me, it was fun looking through photo albums for old photos.


1. The above photo of me as a child must be where my love of gardening was born. My maternal Grandfather was a photographer for the local paper in his spare time. This was his early attempts with colour photography in about 1953.

2. Here I am with my two elder brothers at Bolton Sailing club where my parents spent most Sundays racing, while we ran wild in the woods. As children we didn't get much opportunity to actually sail but in my early 20's whilst living in Torquay I joined a sailing club. I went with some friends in a yacht and entered the Tobermorray Race from the Clyde a three day race to the Isle of Arran and also with a group from work we hired a yacht and sailed from Teignmouth across to Aldernay, Guernsey and then back into Dartmouth both were memorable trips.

3. This Standard Little Nine dated 1932 was my first car it was such fun to drive around Wimbledon where I was working in the 1970's.

My first husband was keen on old cars and this Wolseley Hornet, Eustace Watkins Special 1935 was stripped completely and rebuilt by him with dogsbody getting the menial jobs. Although I dismantled the upholstery and re upholstered the interior. Quite a good job if I might say myself.

Eventually I also had a stab at the tonneau and hood which were particularly challenging without old ones to take a pattern from.

This MG PA 1934 was my last car I had whilst married to my first husband sadly after we split up it was not practical for me to hang onto the lovely car.

3. Some years later I met and married Mike and have been so lucky to be married to such a lovely man. These are our two daughters now grown up and nearly 30, where have all those years gone. I am not allowed to put family photos on my blog but hope they don't mind me using this one. They are both lovely girls and I am proud of them. Both have continued in their individual ways with my love of gardening as seen in an earlier post Nature or Nurture.

4. Being a none working mum with time and shortage of money I started to make soft toys, although it didn't provide me with an income because selling is not me, it was fun and provided presents and raffle prizes for schools and charities.

These Hippos were so the children could sit astride, my favourite toys were lions large enough to sit on and I am sorry I never took a photo of them.

5. When the children started school I took on an allotment but when I returned to work part time it was easier to grow vegetables in the garden and give up the allotment. A much younger and thinner me without the grey hair.

My success with the car upholstery led me to try my hand at furniture re upholstery and this is a chair I recovered, with Beth as a puppy misbehaving as only Springer Spaniels know how.

Another of my projects was this Victorian Day bed. not an easy task it had 94 buttons to sew in.

A lot of thought has gone into who to pass the meme onto so I do hope you pop over and look at their blogs. There are so many I could have chosen not just the many on my blog roll but so many more on Blotanical.

Firstly I nominate Kiki Awake with Charm and Spirit because I found her photography outstanding and her poems/prose lovely. I found a kindred spirit in her love of trees.

Secondly I nominate Rob of Our French Garden in the beautiful Dordogne because I love following his garden.

Thirdly I nominate Rosthchild Orchid Wisteria and Cow Parsley I am so enjoying her blog and look forward to seeing her develop her rambling and overgrown small holding. Her words not mine.

Fourthly Charlotte of The Galloping Gardener which I love to follow but because of her work in India with The Raven Foundation.

Esther of Esther's Boring Garden blog recently did a meme and chose blogs that were not gardening blogs so thanks to her for her idea which I will copy and have therefore chosen.

Fifthly Renee of Renee's Reflections Her and her husband struggle with chronic ill health because of Lyme Disease and the medical system.

Sixthly Laurel from Dreams at Stake for her courage at fighting her many chronic health problems including Lyme and ME/CFS. Her efforts recently in producing a video testimony are to be commended and I hope you take time to watch her video.

Last but not least number seven I choose Jo of Jo Blogs struggling with ME/CFS lets hope the recent news over XMRV retrovirus helps so many such chronically ill people.

This last one is not a tag because I do not think it quite appropriate but I would like you to pause and look at Lewis Jeynes struggles over the last nearly four years. He has finally been diagnosed with a cause for his deteriorating chronic ill health, Lyme Disease and is being treated privately on oral antibiotics he is improving and has gained some control of his head . Still the NHS shake their heads and will not treat him on the stronger antibiotics he needs because they follow the IDSA discredited Guidelines.

Next time you meet someone who dismisses Lyme and/or ME/CFS as rare and easy to cure please remember that for many of us that is not the case.