Sunday 29 March 2009

27th, 28th, 29th & 30th March 1980

Thursday 27
Got up at 10.00
Me & Fi went into college at 11.00
Sat chatting with Bernie & Claire til 3.00
Stayed in all night
Bed at 10.30

Friday 28
Got up at 10.45
Met Fi.Stan & Chez in town
Went to the Scarisbrick for a bevy

Had a really good laugh
Sam arrived at 7.30
Went to the Railway in Formby
Had a god night had a natter with 'my now ex -husband'
Sam and him reminiscing over old times
Home at 11.30
Watched 'Outer Limits' (so loved Outer Limits)
Bed at 1.00


Saturday 29
GRAND NATIONAL
Work 9-6
Met Sam at 1.00
I was in both shops this morning = quite busy
Put 50p each way on RATHLEK but BEN NEVIS won
Only 4 horses finished
So much for 'my now ex husbands' "dead cert" MAN ALIVE
Went to the Art Centre & met Stan
Then went to the Snooty Fox & then a film (mmm I wonder what we saw??)
Home at 1.30

Sunday 30
Got up at 9.30
Went to Waterloo to Sam's Grans
It was a lovely day & we did her garden
Sam's grandad took us to Hillside & we went to Fi's
Came home at 5.30
Sam left at 7.30
I will so miss him
Watched Agatha Christies 'Why didn't they ask Evans?'


************************
So the weekend is over once again .. how quickly does it pass by?
Today I went to my cousins Ruby Wedding do along with his retirement bit. It was lovely to catch up with him and family.

So what have I missed in the 1980 as number one hits since 'Coward of the County'.. Kenny Rodgers

Blondie 'Atomic' 1st March for 2 weeks
Fern Kenny 'Together we are beautiful' March 15th for 1 week
&

The Jam 'Going Underground' March 22nd for 3 weeks

An interesting month that went from a mix girl/boy sound to a complete girlie sound to a complete boy sound............

Friday 27 March 2009

26th March 1980

Wednesday 26
8.00 am Cookery Practical Tech Dance - Floral Hall
Cookery went ok but so tiring (just watch Master Chef or Hell's Kitchen and you will get a feel for it!!)
Got home at 1.00
Ann B gave me a lift to the dentist at 3.30
Had 2 fillings
Went to meet Fi
Home at 4.45
Went to Fi's at 8.00
Phoned Sam before I went
Met Bernie & Claire at the Floral Hall
'Do' = ok but would have been boring if it weren't for us dossing about (mmm? I reckon we were being mischievous... so unlike me ;-) )
*****************************
I am in a race against time .. I have the family tree to put on a disc or 2 for my cousins retirement party on Sunday (can I find all the stuff on my computer ? Can I hell!)... Can I find the photo of my A'level Food and Nutrition piece? Can I hell! Can I find me naked on a beach? oh yes here it is



For t-shirt Friday for dear NM ... I haven't had a chance to take a photee so hope this will do?

A fancy dress party where the theme was Batman and Robin .. I was Robin of course....

Tuesday 24 March 2009

23rd, 24th & 25th March 1980

Sunday 23
Got up at 12.00
Had a bath
Mar = in a really bad mood
Sam has gone to Mallory Park
Phoned Fi
Baby sat 7.30 - 12.00
Phoned Sam but he was not in
Phoned again at 12.00 but no reply (I bet his parents were chuffed at me phoning at midnight)
Did cookery frieze all day

Monday 24
College at 9.00
Came home at 12.15
Went back for 2.00
In the evening got stuff ready for cookery practical exam on Wednesday
Phoned Sam, he seemed ok
When I mentioned about Saturday (ie us finishing) he said he had forgotten all about it ... but he hadn't!!
Fi rang
Bed at 11.00

Tuesday 25
Didn't wake up until 10.00 today
Got to college at 10.30 (how the hell did I manage that ? Get ready, out the door, 5 minute walk to station, 15 minute train journey, and 10 minute walk to college !!)
Took stuff in for cookery practical
Washed up for those cooking today
Home at 5.10
Phoned Sam at 6.30
He said he had just got in & he was off out to some Country Club??
Looks like the end this weekend (oh how dramatic!!)

*****************************
Well I have just finished the last 'sticking and gluing' or should I say Scrap booking class tonight. It has been great fun and the ladies who went were great company. I did some stamping with sponges and potatoes, marbling (which is great.. oil paints thinned down with turps.. placed in water and using wall lining paper you can get some great backing papers).

Unfortunately the 'teacher' is not repeating the sessions and is doing card making instead... I can do that already so may do yoga ... circuit training is on offer but I fear that would kill me on day 1 lol.


You may remember that I showed some of how the photo album looked before I started

Here are a few post class (I still have loads to do as I want to give it to my Mum for her birthday next month!)

This one is unfinished it needs some 'sea creature' embellishment!

I am so loving how plain old photos can come to life with some backing :-)

Monday 23 March 2009

A Pamper Interlude

Earlier this month those loverly people over at FuelmyBlog sent me another product to test.
I am really getting into this kinda treatment... it is great.

This time is wasn't something to consume but something to pamper myself with.... fantastic... hey we all need a bit of pampering :-)

The products were provided by Aveeno ~ 'Discover Nature's Secret for healthy, beautiful skin'.
I must say I have never heard of the company but they are part of Johnson & Johnson which is a household name ... so I knew I was in good hands.

The first product I tried was the Daily Moisturising Lotion with Colloidal Oatmeal, known for its soothing properties. It said on the tube that it 'moisturises dry skin for 24 hours.'
I have used oatmeal products before and I appreciate the magic it has.

Well I couldn't wait to try this. My hands aren't particularly dry but they do get a bit that way through the winter months (as I am terrible at remembering to wear gloves when it is sub zero!!) and when my hands are in and out of water during my domestic goddess moments (& terrible at remembering to wear gloves when using cleaning products).

Well I can tell you I was very impressed indeed as it quickly absorbed into my skin and left it feeling really soft. I applied it up my arms and around my elbows and yes it does what it says on the tube .... thoroughly recommended by 70s. I have taken this product into work to apply through the day after I have washed my hands

The next product was the Aveeno Cream

This product like the Daily Moisturising Lotion has oatmeal in it too. This cream has some texture to it ... you can feel a bit of grittiness from the oatmeal.
I used this product on my legs that have not seen day light since maybe September 08...

Being someone who likes to contast and compare I put the Aveeno Cream on my left leg and another moisturiser on the my right leg. All I can say is that the Aveeno 'leg' is far softer and smoother than the non Aveeno leg ... a great product I must say.

What struck me with both products was the fragrance free aspect. Far too often the products I have bought in the past have such a high fragrance thing going on ....which has my teen says 'oh you smell like Nana'... lovely in one respect but I don't want to smell like a 78 year old pensioner!!! Plus it clashes with any fragrance I wear.

The complete fragrance free effect along with its great moisturising properties also means that men should not be afraid to use it ... really there is no 'after draft' from it.

Now for the final testing product ... the bath powder.

I shower daily and rarely get a chance to 'lush' in a bathtub. This weekend I finally found the time to bathe. Well this was an experience indeed. I opened the packet and smelled porridge oats. It was a shock after the non fragrant products I had been testing.
I poured half of the powder in the bath under the running water .. and said 'oh!'
I am used to this when I bathe... loads of bubbles and pure indulgence.




But was met with this !! An oil slick that smelt like as I said ... porridge oats !!


Ok I stood there looking at the non inviting warm bath that was awaiting me .. and said to myself 'come on 70s you know you can do it, you are doing market research!!'

Although not inviting at all the smell when submerged was actually very relaxing ... and I am now a covert as my skin on exit from the bath felt smooth and had that protective layer feeling... it was actualy really good.

So the conclusion to this testing is .. the products from Aveeno are really good & would recommend you go out and buy them. In the UK they are available on the High Street and if not you can get them on line.

Have a go ... you know you want to ;-)

Friday 20 March 2009

20th, 21st & 22ndMarch 1980

Thursday 2o
Got up at 8.00
College at 9.00
Got our reports (mmm don't seem to have kept them... I wonder why? I probably burnt it before I got home as my attendance was shocking!!)
came home at 3.30
Sam rang in the evening = ok
Got applications for the Nat West and Yorkshire Banks (I never became a banker btw. I do however, have a soft spot for the Yprkshire Bank as they were the only bank in the 70s that would give my young widowed Mum a loan for central heating ... wtg YB)

Friday 21
Went to college at 12.00 for an hour (now that was not worth getting out of bed for)
It snowed = freezing
Got home at 3.00
Did cookery frieze all afternoon
Sam phoned me at 8.30 before he went out
Watched TV all night
Watched 'The Pit and the Pendulum'



Saturday 22
Work 9-6
Thick snow - hot in the afternoon
Had a very, very busy day
Sam is at Oulton Park
Home at 6.45
Sam phoned at 7.15
Washed my hair and went for a drink at the Railway in Formby
Sam phoned at 11.30
He was fed up and said we should finish cos we weren't getting anywhere because of the distance etc
I hope it doesn't come to that!!
*********************************

So in 1980 we had thick snow in 2009 we have had glorious Spring sunshine but I did wake up to frost and definite chill in the air all day today.

Today/tomorrow (depending on time zones ) is Mothers Day in the UK... so I wish all the Mothers out there a VERY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.. may you you put your feet up, have breakfast in bed and be appreciated for all that you do & smell the flowers :-)


Oh and Nurse Myra I almost forgot... I promised you a 70s carpeted bathroom .. shagpile rools lol !!

Thursday 19 March 2009

19th March 1980

Wednesday 19
Got up at 10.00 = knackered (ermm no wonder after being a 'groupie' (as DP puts it))
Got home at 2.00 pm (oh I must have shown my face at college then?)
Looked for dishes to serve my food on (I know I have a photo of my A'level presentation .. note to self to root it out!)
Sam phoned he's got 'flu
He went to see the Bank Manager today so he can get a loan for an enlarger (ok ok I know what you are thinking lol)
Had a bath & washed my hair
Our bathroom is finished apart from the carpet ...(It was avocado with a shag pile carpet when it was finished.. I bought a 70s book the other day which has fab 70s avocado images .. must bring it home.. it is on general circulation at work just now. It is amazing how many people ID with this style!! )

Sam phoned at 10.00 he sounded pretty ill (oh that sick I can't go into work voice)
Bed at 11.00

***********************
Just loving these images one of my bro's sent me today ... due to the fact I have had internet issues and have been conversing with many folk whose first language is not English and live 1000's of miles away

Wednesday 18 March 2009

18th March 1980

Tuesday 18
2.00 - Cookery Preparation paper
Got to college at 10.00
Came home at 11.30 cos I forgot my calculator (mmm I was a numpty then too!!)
Exam = ok
It was on the use of citrus fruits etc
I am making -
Orange & Date Tearing
Grapefruit and Orange cheesecake gateaux
Mackerel with lemon stuffing
Pissaladiere & tomato salad (anchovies where involved I do recall!)
(wowI could be on Master chef after all!!)
Got home at 5.45- no time to wash hair before I went out
Elvis Costello concert = ace
Chatted to Ben out of support group (Clive Langer and the Boxes) = nice
Went for a drink at the Snooty Fox with Chez and Ben
Got Elvis's autograph
It was his after show do there and he was staying there
Home at 12.00

(Yes I still have the ticket stub!! Wow I was no 16 issue, I realise that is a significant number for me... my ex was born on the 16th, as was my teen and I was married on the 16th too.. oh and 3 of my teens mates have birthdays on the 16th plus my god daughter was also born on the 16th .. spooky )
*****************************
I do recall this night. I had not washed my hair and was wearing my hand knitted jumper I made and wore on my 18th birthday .. Ben (from the support band who where Ben Benson & the Boxes I believe and Clive Langer was the producer) sidled up to me in the foyer (when I was waiting for Chez .. who was in the Ladies) and asked if I would accompany him to the private party that Elvis Costello was having where he was staying. It was one of those ...'is he asking ME??' moments!
We did go along and Chez and I sat in the side lines and where plied with drink .. I wandered up asked Elvis C for his autograph and we left ... in haste ... hey I was 18 and had a boyfriend and was no where near as confident as I am now!!. .

Love Elvis Costello even now
classic 1980




& one of my very favs (ignore the overlay dubbed Italian I think?.. just go 2 mins in )
a wonderful song

Tuesday 17 March 2009

17th March 1980

Sunday 17
Got up at 9.30
Feeling knackered
Chris gave us a lift home from Fi's at 11.00
Had dinner then Sam, my brother & I went to the Railway (pub) for 1/2 hour
It was a lovely day (as it was yesterday 29 years on)
Sam and I went for a walk
Sam left at 5.30
Had a bath & hair wash
Sam phoned at 9.30
He asked me to go on a barge trip in September = YES!!
Bed at 10.00 cos I am so tired
***************

Happy St. Patricks Day everyone

The Irish really know how to celebrate their saints day(unlike us English who whimper out when St. Georges Day appears in fear of being politically correct!! Thank goodness I have some Irish blood in my veins!) ...... the pubs in Manchester will be buzzing ... Mulligan's, O'Sheas etc with pints of Guinness with Shamrock heads ...

It is also my puppy's 2nd Birthday

Sunday 15 March 2009

16th March 1980

Sunday 16
Got up at 1 o'clock (gawd to sleep in until 1pm bliss!!)
Clocks went forward 1hr - British Summer Time begins (this year it is the 29th .. how do they work it out??)
Machined zip into jeans
Phoned Sam he was in quite a good mood!
Ann B phoned
Sorted out cookery recipe
Had a bath & hair wash
Sam phoned at 10.00
Wrote off to 5 jobs
Bed at 12 o'clock

************************
What a fabulously gorgeous weekend it has been. The sun has shone and I have felt like I have actually had a weekend as I have been out and about & done some Spring cleaning. I understand why we do Spring cleaning because when the sun eventually shines in after the winter you realise how 'minging' everywhere looks after the darkness of winter (you realise at this time of year how you have for the past 5 or so months have gone to work in the dark & returned in the dark and the weekends are dull and dreary).
This weekend I have done this ... yes I pegged washing out for the first time since September!

How wonderful it is to see your washing dry naturally outdoors (and heaving a hugh sigh of relief that your electric bill will go down as the dryer isn't on constantly)

I went walking in woodland with the pup ... enjoying the sights of Spring



I got a bit scared at one stage as I could hear something behind me... it is quite remote where I walked the pup ... I looked round and spotted a squirrel. When he saw me he picked something up and scooted up a tree. Intrigued I had to see what he had so I followed where he had gone ...

just fabulous he was chewing on a huge bar of chocolate

see even squirrels need chocolate

Saturday 14 March 2009

14th & 15th March 1980

Friday 14
College 12 - 3
Worked at the careers book in the library (I bet it had what I wanted to be but not what I ended up doing!! I try to advise my teen over such matters without bursting the 'hope' bubble)
Brought it home
Sam phoned at 7.30 ish (so glad I am now 'ish' the preciseness of times in my diary did worry me slightly lol)
I was fed up tonight so I went out with my brother and Mike to the Houghton & the 'Brick
Home at 11.15
Watched a film 'Dance of the Vampires ' = rubbish


Bed 1.30

Saturday 15 (2 years 3 months) (that is how long I had been dating Sam)

Worked 9 - 6 as usual
Freezing cold day = not busy at all
Phoned Sam in my lunch time - which was 3.15
He wasn't in as he was at Stoke v Norwich
He phoned at 6.30
Wasn't too chatty but what can one expect from him .. miracles ?? (Oh my word young 70s!)
Fi came round and stayed til 11.40
Bed at 11.50

England v Scotland in the 'Grand Slam' - rugby
England won !!!!
*******************
Now being a Mum (or Dad) comes without instructions. I think so far I have done a fairly good job (without paternal help).
I have a gorgeous Teen who is feisty, loving, individual, polite, cheeky at times but not in trouble with law, who doesn't smoke or drink & gets good grades at school.. so all in all I am thankful I have done the right thing in the past 16 years........ BUT can someone please pass me the Coping manual/instructions (there must be some) that helps me cope with her going to Rome on a plane (evil cigar tubes that defy the rules of gravity) without me in a few weeks time .................

Friday 13 March 2009

13th March 1980

Thursday 13
Started cooking at 8.30 am
Finished at 12.00
Went back to Fi's absolutely knackered (I think taking A'level Food and Nutrition taught me I really didn't want to be a Master Chef... cheffing is really tough!)
Decided to go to the Jumble Sale at St. Paul's Church
Bought a purple jumper for 10p, a beige jumper for 10p, a jacket for Sam 20p and a t-shirt for 10p
(what happened to church jumble sales where you would have tables full of clothes that wifeys would fight over and there was always that 'certain' smell about the place.. I suspect they have been taken over today by car boot sales, dinating to charity shops and E Bay!!)
Got home at 4.30
Stayed in all night
Sam phoned at 4.40 & 11.00
*******************

Today is another Friday the 13th also it is Red Nose Day.

I Love RND. (click here)
I have bought my T-shirt
. Got Michelle Keegan to sign my tag.

Unfortunately I am going to a 'stuffy' meeting so I will wear my pin badge instead
(some folk just don't have a sense of humour)
Teen has her t-shirt and is wearing it to school for a 50p donation

I have bought 4 noses ........ the dog ate one..... I have followed Chris Moyles and the other celebs climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money and have sent my support and money. What a brilliant achievement they all got to the top and raised almost £2 million..

Teen & I will be sat in front of the TV tonight laughing at the humour and crying at the pain of those far less fortunate than ourselves ......
Please if you can donate then do so ... just a £1
will make such a difference to someones life ...... & please pop along to the webpage and see just what it is all about

70s x

Wednesday 11 March 2009

9th, 10th, 11th & 12th March 1980

Gawd I typed out a post last night and the internet decided to go to sleep so all was lost ... doh! So again I think I will do a brief outline of the dairy entries

Sunday 9
I got up at 12.00 then in the evening we went to the Woolpack to play darts and skittles

Monday 10
Sam woke me up before he went to work... I messed about playing with his dog then met him for lunch.
He bought me a turquoise blouse from Dorothy Perkins and I caught the train home. When I got back to Liverpool the heel of my boot fell off... not just the heel tip but the whole heel... thank goodness for good old Wollies (aww poor Woolworths!!) it was stuck on again ... I do know the boots were never the same again as the heel just didn't sit righ ...I loved those grey boots.
Watched a new series called
'Fox' (don't remember this at all!)

Tuesday 11
Actually did a full day in college but it was 'quite boring really' Watched 'The Virgin & the Gypsy' for the 4th time

Wednesday 12
Went to college 11 -1 & bought Sad Cafe tickets for £2.25 ... how cheap were they?? Cooked a chicken for cookery the next day & weighed out all the ingredients from 6 - 8 .... god what was I making that took 2 hours to weigh out lol??
*********************************
When my computer is playing well I do Twitter and it has amazed me how many celebrities Twitter too.... most have 1000s of followers and some do follow us ordinary folk (not me though... )
I came across this paper that came free with the Manchester Evening News last week (I was putting the recycling out!)

It gives a big list of real celebs not the pretend ones .. so if you fancy stalking ooops following some here they are
Twitter.com/
Danny Wallace ..... is misterwallace
Russell Brand ... is rustyrockets
Demi Moore ... is mrskutcher
Alan Carr ..... is AlanCarr
Xzibit ... is mrxtothaz
Chris Moyles... is chrisdjmoyles
Britney Spears .... is britneyspears
Lily Allen ....... (just for you DP) lilyroseallen
MC Hammer ... is mchammer
Willaim Shatner ... is WilliamShatner
John Cleese.... is JohnCleese
Noel Edmonds .... is noel_edmonds
Bill Gates ..... is billgates
Richard Branson ... is richardbranson (I coul stalk him if the internet he provides me with worked better)
P Diddy .... is iamdiddy
Boris Johnson ... is MayorOfLondon
Tom Cruise ... is realtomcruise

& I am 70steen

Saturday 7 March 2009

3rd - 8th March 1980

Due to my absence I won't write all my dairy entries for the 6 days I will just snip out bits & give a brief outline

Monday 3
It seems I skived the morning off college as I over slept. Strolled in there at 2pm and came home at 4.45... what a stressless Monday!!

Tuesday 4
I had my interview at Marks & Spencer. The interview was 1 1/4 hours long the woman interviewing was' masculine & bullying in a way .. I don't really know if I want the job anyway' Just as well as I didn't get it!! Wrote to Rolls Royce and International Stores for jobs too

Wednesday 5
I had my interview at the Midland Bank ... now I hoped I got this post ... but alas no I didn't ! Made quiche lorraine for tea and tidied my bedroom

Thursday 6
Actually went to college on time on this day only to get the bad news I only got 33% for my mock Sociology (of course the real exams I thought I was taking were mocks doh!!) Made a time plan for Food and Nutrition and washed my clothes to go away

Friday 7
Managed to go to college for an hour and worked for 2 hours (Got £2... OMG £1 an hour!!). I went to Stafford and we went to see the 'Photos' at Stafford Polytechnic but they weren't on so saw the 'Electronics' instead and apparently they were 'crap!'

Saturday 8
Got up at 12.00 & went to Stafford shopping. In the evening we went to 'Cinderella, Rockerfellas' night club ... 'good but expensive'

***************************************
My how fast has my week off work gone... mind you I have been dashing around between the North West of England and Herefordshire... I have eaten out every day and not cooked a single meal .. so that is a result in itself.....

OK back to the 80s from Mode Avantgarde published in 1980 I found an article about shops in Manchester. I moved to Manchester C1985 and worked as a manager in a major department store at the time... sadly they don't have stores anymore.


The opening statement of the article says 'What Manchester does today, the rest of the country does tomorrow'
That quite surprised me as I never thought of Manchester being a fashion icon city then.. it certainly has that feel about it now though. The statement was qualified with the information that Manchester came up with the idea of free trade upon which Victorian prosperity was based... the city boasts the first canal, the firsy railway, the first civic aerodrome and the first computer.... Rutherford split the atom here and the first Rolls Royce was made!!



What a great menu ... apparently there is still a Beaujolais Restaurant in Manchester but it is now on Portland Street .. I must check it out

I have passed this salon many times ... pleased to see it survived into the 21st century

Lisa didn't survive, the property is now part of Habitat

Don't know where this boutique was located?

mmm there is still a mans shop on Old Bank Street....

This is not far from my office and is now a swish resturant called Luso

his interior designs have changed a bit !


what the man about town was wearing in 1980... nicely coiffured hair do!!