NEW DAWN , NEW DAY , FEELING GOOD !

Yo al. ..me old mucker
Tis a tad early for the combine yet
Crops ain't quite at that stage yet
Tis silage time down yer. ..so the forrage harvesters is about....so for you up country folk...looks about the same as a combine...well. ..they do to me anyway !. ...not that im a farming girl..lol....just like a nice 4x4 to poodle about in...but like deano yesterday !. .and how strange...the wurzels are playing just done the road fairly soon....I'll tape it for you....then you'll know all the words....to all the songs....that will make you an hounory Devonian...hhmm ...how bowt that lol
Any way on a serious note...lovely knowing your keeping watch on me....my very own 'cod father " !
He ha x

Afternoon squire. Yes, I heard that you'd been chasing a bird. Not a good idea with your dodgey hip...you don't want to dislodge any of that shrapnel.I'm suprised you let it go...you could have battered it and put it on the me and u.

Good to see you so chipper (geddit?...sorry, nearly as bad as one of your's). Our very own rainbow of positivity. Good on ya.

I'm off to get the girl from school. If you hear on the news about some mad woman going on the rampage at the dartford tunnel, that'll be me stuck in the traffic again!! Speak soon x

Hi alan i will be sticking around for a while as there is a person within myself who i no longer wish to carry around for 17 years i have done the betting shop and online mug punting i have achieved everythin there is to be done on the road to getting to where im at today it started with a footy acca then the horses a few lucky wins and there u have it u get hooked on living the dream around 4/5 times ive done my wages a few times over the years but thats been as far back as 10 -12 years ago then u reign urself in and start all over again over the last 7 years i started to look at the mechanics of the sport and betting markets from a different angle which has brought me to where im at now and the only thing i know for sure is at this time im ready to say goodbye to the mug punter who lives inside my head on the way home from work i pass three betting shops twice as i drop a mate home then come all the way back past them again normally i stop in one of them for an hour but this week i just kept on rolling on by as to be honest i love the national hunt racing and im not prepared to give up future days at the race track just because i couldnt control a mug inside of me and before anybody else jumps in with any old betting cliches dont bother ive been to the racing a number of times and never even had a bet i normally go and stand nearer to the fences to watch the connection between man and beast as the fly over the last at stratford horse racing after all is the sport of kings its only in our own head that we have to have a bet on it which of cause is not true at all thanks mate and kerp up the good work and good luck to everybody else in the forum to

ALAN 135 wrote:

So here we are dear diary , day 259 and another day another dollar as they say , only this time earning it for real instead of trying to kid myself about the elusive big win ! .

Strange morning so far , had my annual HBA1C blood tests this morning for my diabetes and will get the results to show if I've been a good boy in a couple of weeks , eye scan next week and hopefully thats it for another year , like gambling , it's all manageable providing I take a few precautions .

Came home after the blood test and walking the dog this morning and was greeted by a huge great Pigeon sat on the curtain pole in my lounge , my 11 year old jack russel cross patterdale saw it straight away and thought it would be great fun to show it every room in the house , a sort of guided tour that any estate agent would have been proud of but a tour that involved chasing rather than the usual guiding around and pointing out the great views or the closeness of the local schools that you would expect ! .

It's quite amazing how my dog seems to perk up when prey presents itself for the taking , being 11 yrs old she has really started to slow down now she tore a ligament in her back leg a couple of years ago and I think it gives her a bit of jip now and again and a walk that would of taken half a hour is now more of an hour long, but see a fox or a squirrel or a juicy fat pigeon andd it's like she just drank from the fountain of youth ! .

So feathers and fur were flying around , until the bird came to rest upon a window cill above three steps that connect my lounge to my dining room , I stood on a chair to catch the offender which didn't want to be caught , slipped and realised in a split second something I already knew from reading about it , Birds can fly but I can't ! , fell to the floor but with bird in hand :)))), I did contemplate ringing it's neck but hey I did leave the window open that allowed it to gain entry in the first place and although my dog was foaming at the mouth , it flew away to join it's folks once again .

1 hr and thirty mins later , I've just finished hoovering the feathers and washing twice the birds body weight in poooh which resembled an air traffic control flight plan from Gatwick to Italy and back from my new 3 piece, floors and curtains , and my dog is now fast asleep legs galloping along as she relives her latest adventure through her dreams . :))

I hope everyone has a less eventfull and gamble free day !

Alan x

Alan x

Thanks Alan, that made me smile. Keep recovery for ever close. Together tri

How's me favorite old cod fryer today ?
All good in chippy land I hope...
Hope the sun has reached you up country
And....very sorry wurzels are sold out....tis the high light of the year for us yokels...will pre order for next year ! Mwahhhh x

Just a thought....do you do pea fritters ?
Hubbies favorite....always thought they must be dam fiddly to make
...anyway....housework done...bar ready to open at six. ...loxxies of out for lunch with my babies...oh...best get dressed first !
Have a flipping good day...watch out for spitting fat. ..it bloody stings ...mwahhhhh x

Alan if ur run a chippy donor kebab with salad and lemon juice cone of chips and a can of vinto please!!!!!!!!!

Hi Al,

Thanks for popping by and offering your support. Always appreciated. I often worry if my posts come off stand offish. They are never meant to be. I'm not a real social butterfly in the 3rd so adding that to the oftentimes lack of tone that may come across "on-line" - I might come off a bit differently than how I really am. Whatever, I'm just waffling now.. Lol! When it comes to recovery, I've got the info and I've got the desire but I need to work on commitment. I see how committed you and many others are and I want that. I need that. So am gonna work harder at it! Take care Alan! -joanxx

Hey fishy man !
How be doing ?
I've been a busy maid this weekend so aint be on yer to much....hoping you had a good bank holiday weekend trade me booty....
Do you charge for your sqibbles !. ..random....but just a thought ...mwahhhh x

OK ,well a week since my last entry dear diary , so I thought I'd better give you my thoughts on life !

Big changes in the household this week , as I mentioned in an earlier post my partner wanted to get back into fostering , so gave up her teaching job about 2 months ago and since doing so has had a couple of children staying on different weekends but just for respite care .

This all changed in the middle of last week , when the Stork came to visit ( in the form of a social worker ) and with an hours notice presented us with not 1 , not 2 but 3 brothers aged 1 , 6 and 9 and a carrier bag with a couple of possesions and a few old ill fitting clothes in , my partner went on a huge shopping trip the following morning and kitted them out with everything they should need for a while , which included a new buggy for the youngest. There great kid's who have suffered from neglect and who's biggest issue seems to be about food , with the two eldest asking every day " are we going to eat today " there's also bed wetting which I suppose is to be expected and the eldest has to do some exercises as he has walking difficulties .

The thing I have noticed is with the dogs in our household ,they've taken to them and accepted them in a way I've not seen before, it's as if they know they need a bit of looking after , the baby's thiere best friend , especially at meal times when they've soon worked out there's a few morsals to be had from a child squealing with delight at feeding them his lunch !

So where did we take them on our first journey out ?, down by corf castle last weekend to watch my daughter and her soon to be hubby " Co steering " which is basicly throwing yourself off cliffs in a wet suit and swimming a bit .

We parked the car and then realised we had about a two mile hike across some pasture land on a farm and were then met by a steep climb down a hill and some rocks to negotiate before getting to the waters edge and all this with a 1yr old in a buggy and a child who wasn't keen on walking too far ! Oh and plus 3 dogs .( I then had the sudden realisation that I'm nearly 55 and the last time I'd done anything like this I was 34 ), Anyway we got there and had a great time , picnic on the beach and the weather was glorious , the boys had a swim in a rock pool in thiere pants and really didn't want to leave but that was prob more about realising they had to walk back the way they came ,we stopped for a meal on the way home by the castle and tucked into some huge well earn't Pizza's , what a great day and made even better for me when unprompted the eldest took hold of my hand as we walked back to the car and that's all about trust !.

I know this post isn't really about gambling but it sums up what stopping gambling has gifted me back , the ability to choose to make life different for myself ,my family and others all around .

Have a great day everyone xx

Good for you and your partner.

CW

That's a great post because it's so warm and life-affirming. I could almost smell the pizza's :0)

Ooh such a lovely story Alan...huge respect to you and your family for giving those dear little boys a hand to hold when they so desperately needed some saftey and security...i know you will care for them unconditionally. ...just like you do to all of us on here....3 very lucky boys....together as brother's. ..and now part of a loving and caring family...and when you said this post has nothing to do with gambling.....for once I'm going to say your wrong my love....it's everything about gambling....or rather ....everything about not gambling....I've always believed everything....even the bad things in life...happen for a reason....so maybe....just maybe....these dear little boys are your reason
Anyway...I know what I mean..lol
Bootifull post....but made me cry !
But I'll let you off this time mwahhh x

Great news Al I know it's been a long road like Deano said a second chance for the boys just like you. It won't by easy I have a friend who also does fostering and it can be quite challenging but show the same support and compassion as you do on here and it can only act as a positive influence on them.

KTF

Hi Guy's , thank you all for your lovely comment's but I really didn't want it to come across as a " look at me post " just more about sharing the changes in life we can have when were not in the crazy world of gambling weve all lived in .

To be honest , I'ts more about my wonderfull partner than me , she's the one who's always there dealing wth everything when I'm out at work and although I knew she was a great person , teacher and mother with her own kids , to witness the empathy and commpassion and her natural ability to deal with each situation that arises first hand , just fill's me with awe , Me ! I'm more the back room staff who steps in when needed but enjoying the experience just the same , so if you don't mind I'll just pass your best wishes forward .

At the moment it's looking as though we'll have the boys for 20 weeks or so , until the parents are re assesed to see if it's an option for them to be returned or not but I'm sure there'll be a few more stories of their adventures before then .

Thanks again and love to all xx