As I was chatting to my accountant a big blue balloon blew into my garden. Somebody somewhere is having a party.

However, my two cats are now traumatized; one was in the garden and flew for her life and the big lad (scaredy cat) is staying firmly indoors with his glare fixed on said intruder.

I guess the message being one man’s party is another’s idea of hell.

To me it’s the symbol of happiness; and it’s Friday, it’s the weekend and time to have fun.

Off to the local watering hole to chew the cud early tonight!

Just re-watched the Jack Nicholson film ‘As good as it gets’ . I had to laugh when his character was asked by one of his literary fans how he managed to get the female characters so accurately? His reply:-

‘I think of a man then take away reason and accountability.’

Come on girls that cannot be true….

I have to confess whilst studying for my various counselling qualifications I often had a private giggle at some of the serious explanations of the differences between how men and women think!! Don’t tempt me.

Keep smiling and let’s keep them guessing we remain as much a mystery as the contents of our handbags. Not quite as bad as the ‘man drawer’ eh?

There is nothing better than keeping a few chickens aside of their lovely fresh eggs they really are quite entertaining. All children should have the opportunity to love and care for animals and not just those wanting a career in veterinary!

However, ensure you have plenty of space for them to roam free and preferably well away from your beloved plants as they will ruin anything and everything. What used to amaze me was the force they could summon up to dig for worms. I was constantly replacing all my garden soil and pebbles. In no time at all we didn’t have a lawn we just had mud!

Joking aside it was a great experience. My daughter and I hand-reared ours when they were just a few days old. The local vet said  ‘Daisy was the best behaved chicken she had encountered’. Right from the start she was well-loved and regularly handled by my daughter who used to sit with said chicken on her lap.

My own chicken Dolly used to sing very loudly and it sounded like the tune from Star Wars – my only regret being I never recorded her as nobody believes me! Or was that the Spring (old bird) madness??

Fellow pet lovers will fully understand how our animals are part of our family and as such we care about them and look after them when they are ill and often stay with them right until they pass away.

I remember fondly one cat, the runt of the litter lived to a ripe old age of 18.5 years against all odds. She was diagnosed with cancer and I could ease her pain and prevent any unnecessary suffering. 

As my local vet explained recently often our animals have clever ways of bringing to our attention that something is wrong by doing something out of character when they are unwell. My own cat did just that and quickly got my attention and giving me the opportunity to get her to the vet and be treated thankfully without a serious operation, but the first few days I was reminded just how special a place she has in our family unit.

I often accompany friends to the vets if they have to have a pet put to sleep. It’s a horrible thing to have to do but sometimes we have to make that choice when a pet is seriously ill and too old to carry on fighting.

As with humans I remind the owners to remember the joy the animal has brought and how well they looked after it giving it a wonderful loving home… and really that’s all of us can ask for.

What we mustn’t forget is that for some people living a lone their pet is also a real companion and the void left is huge.

In this day of emails and texts I was thrilled to receive a proper letter yesterday and one which contained good news…even better!

I have spent so many years in marketing and business development happily marketing clients’ services and goods, but as most writers will tell you the ‘door knocking’ at publishers with our beloved manuscripts is a painful and arduous task.

For fear of jinxing I won’t name said publisher but I really hope their team of editors like the full book as much as the sample chapters. ‘A Mother’s love’ has been a project of love for me and it’s not about the success of being published in this instance, it’s about sharing my own Mother’s wisdom.

Hard to type my blog with fingers crossed.

It’s always a great feeling when somebody likes what we do whatever our skills.

Keep writing and keep pitching…off to do a bit more of both.

We know once  Easter has passed we will be in the run up to election fever. For anybody living especially in a rural area please please consider voting for your local Independent Councillor.

Having spent many years dabbling in local politics and supporting those that do it never fails to amaze me how people confuse local and national politics! This ‘confusion’ often encourages people to vote for a political party member rather than consider the best man/woman for the job who may just happen to be Independent. Locally it is just as important to elect the person who will serve your community well.

The best thing about electing somebody Independent is they really do work in the best interest of their community and not just follow the party line! They are also more likely to keep the promises they make in the lead up to the election rather than the party candidates that make promises before an election and then conveniently forget after they are voted in!…If you think this sound familiar…it’s because it is!

For my local followers; you all know who works the hardest in our ward/village and now is the time to say thank you and show your appreciation for many years of dedicated time..with results.  Don’t waste your vote.

Only so much fun we can have at weekends and the chores beckon. A hater of ironing I set myself up and watch a film. This weekend have revisited ‘Pearl Harbour‘ an amazing war film I’ve only watched it about ten times!!

Just listened to the great speech given by Alec Baldwin to the aircraft pilots before their mission to Japan; ‘Victory belongs to those that believe the most’ and that can be applied to all areas of life.

He then goes on to speak to a fellow officer; ‘Nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer’ think last time I watched this film it inspired me to write about the benefits of volunteering.  Not forgetting the eye -candy girls of a young Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett eh?

My tips for ironing and paperwork are well-known within my circle of friends and include:

Shred the ironing and iron the paperwork.

Place the paperwork under the ironing and set fire to both.

Fill a charity bag with said ironing – it’s a no-brainer!