Master Of Self Control.

I know, I know I shouldn't laugh, but oh Gosh this is brilliant.
This You Tube is amazing.
Up and down this country there are people living with nightmare neighbors or their feral-thug kids and as some of you know I have my very own bad neighbors.

This homeowner gives this little so and so a lesson he may not forget in a hurry.
Researching this a little more it looks like the homeowner might actually be a 1st Gulf War vet, he certainly controls himself and stands with a military stance.

If I ever met this man I would shake his hand and buy him a beer, as I know how darn hard it is to hold yourself in control while someone is completely in your face.
I would also like him to teach me how to do this, just because I'd love to see my neighbors face if I ever did it to him.

But having said that this is a masterpiece in self control.

Funny Signs

I went to visit my blog buddy Liz today, in fact if you are one of my blog buddies you already know that I try to visit with you all lots.

Anyway while visiting Liz, I read her post about funny Church signs and it reminded me of some I have seen and some other funny signs I have found.

So in the spirit of keeping my own spirits high, they do say laughter is the best medicine, there is some more for you all to enjoy.







Click here to visit Liz, she very warm and funny and her adventures with Harvey her mad cake eating dog will have you rolling up, especially if she has drawn one of her mad little cartoons to go along with the post.

Normal Service Is Resumed.

Am over my major rant now, not that I regret saying it, the families tend not to have a voice, as it's all about the poor poor pour them another drink alcoholic.

Normal service will now be restored.
Thought you might be in need of a laugh after my last post, I know I was.
So here's me with my usual irrelevant self.




And this one just 'cos it cracks me up.

WARNING ~MAJOR RANT~WARNING.

WARNING

SERIOUSLY DON'T READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE ME LOSE IT.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM ABOUT TO TYPE.
BUT IT WILL CONTAIN SWEAR WORDS.
LOTS OF THEM


So, I'm having a lay in this morning and watching the car crash T.V that is Jeremy Kyle, patron Saint of the council estate and all peoples stupid. When the phone rings.

"Lia, it's me"
"Who?"
"Me!"
"And, you are?"
"It's me, I know it's been a while, but"
"Who are you" starting to get annoyed now
"I can't believe you don't who it is"
"I will count to 3 and hang up if you don't tell me who you are"
"You still doing that old trick"
An alarm went off in my head
"1, 2"
"It's me your husband"

At this point I did in fact hang up, last time I spoke to him was in May 2006, when his father died and he phoned us (the kids and me) to tell US how much he loved us and how he was all alone in the World and how the kids should come and see him, now his Dad was dead, as he was suffering.
Yeah right, like we gave a shit, it had been 1996 since they had seen him last, or had a birthday card, Christmas card etc.
After 10 years he suddenly remembered he had 2 sons and a daughter.

I sat staring at the phone.
No, It was a dream.
He really hadn't just phoned me!

The phone ran again.
"Please don't hang up Lia, It's me Adrian"
"Are you joking me"
"No, Princess, it really is me"
"Are you sober"
"As sober as I can be"
"So, no change there then"
"Lia, don't"
"What tell you the fucking truth"

My hackles were up by this point, how dare he phone me and piss on my day, what the hell is it this time.

"I love you Lia, your still MY girl"
"So you have taken up drug taking as well as being a drunk"
"Well, it's ALL your fault I'm a drunk, you did this to me"

I hung up.


That selfish, small minded arrogant, fucking bastard is not about to blame me for his fucking failures in life.
He left us, he choose us over what ever it was he was chasing in the bottom of a fucking glass.

Do your self a favour at this point and go get a coffee as I am about to implode.

People will tell you that it is an "illness"......FUCK OFF.
They will tell you it is a disease.....FUCK OFF.
They will say that these people need help.....FUCK OFF.
They will say these people need understanding....FUCK OFF.

Am I angry, yes I bloody well am.
Not for myself, for those kids of mine who grew up without their Father.

Callum is 17 1/2 and has no real idea of who is Father is, he has spent his life without the single most important male in his life.
Callum is a wonderful young man, I get told it often enough, but in many ways he is the lest damaged by his Father's drinking.
I think that is because he was so young when his father left, coupled with the fact that the others have protected him from hearing the worst of it all.

Ashley was very close to his Father and was 10 when it all finally exploded and the gates of Hell were opened.
He has suffered greatly from the loss of his Father, a man he was immensely close to and looked up to. Ashley knew his Father well, both before he was a drunk and then after he became one.
There were times when that little lad had to get between his parents to stop the beatings that I took, for whatever drunken reason his father could come up with.
He'd known his Father as a big man to look up to, he was his hero.
The damage done to Ashley by the disintegration of his Father has been immense,
it has taken it's toll on a kind caring and very sensitive young man and
Ashley has without doubt in my mind suffered the most.
Ashley is the one who remembers the beating the most, he was the one who would grab the others and drag them out of the room, often out of the house and to the neighbors.
He was the one who called the Police, who hid under the bed, protecting his sister and baby brother.
He was the one who helped me put the house back together, when his Father had wrecked it.
He was the one who was silent for so many, many years, as he just didn't want to talk about what
he had seen. It was far too hard for him to deal with.
Ashley has suffered deep, deep depression for a long time and is only now starting to emerge
from the cocoon of silent dark misery that he had been in for so very long.
It's been a hard climb for a young man who witnessed so very much, who
has been afraid that he would turn into the monster that his Father became, that he
would be a drunk, in fact he did in his teens have a small problem with alcohol,
which took us a while to get under control.
Ashley is well now and like I said finally coming out of the cocoon he wrapped himself in.
I will be damned if I will have him slip back into that cocoon.

Then there is our Patricia.
Where to start with her, my little Daddies girl. She adored him and has told me that when I first
made their Father leave, that she hated me, blamed me for the loss of him.
Poor little thing, God she was mad at me and for years in fact.
Oh I knew she was mad at me and I knew why, but like Ashley, I just had to let her be that way with me. I knew one day she would realise that I had done it all for the love of them.
However that day was a long time coming.
Her Father was a God to her. No man was ever bigger in her eyes than him.
It's been very hard on her, her sense of abandonment has been one of the hardest things for her to get over. She has also felt huge guilt at her treatment of me, as I was the focus of her hatred and hurt. Things have been hard for her, her anger has been shocking at times and again she
struggled with alcohol and being able to control it.
She has pushed away people not wanting or trusting them to get close.
Her boyfriend of the passed year or so, has said it is like pushing water up hill trying to get close to her. He adores her and it has taken a lot for him to brake through the barriers to get to the heart of her, he's a brave man, kind and caring and finally he is getting there.
Patricia is at last starting to understand what true love for someone really means.
She is only now beginning to trust people.

So don't tell me about how it's so hard for the alcoholic, FUCK THEM, they leave a wake of destruction behind them that makes a Tsunami look like a gentle tide turning.
I will be bollocks-ed if I will let that man back into their lives.

What so he can FUCK them over again.
So they can relive a past they never deserved to live in the fucking first place, oh yes, lets open old wounds and while we are in there twisting the knife around lets get the salt out and fuck over these young people some more.

So suddenly he remembers that he fathered three kids and that they are out there some where, maybe he thought that we had put our lives on hold and were just sitting around waiting for him to get his shit together...some hope.
Maybe he thought that we would just want him to pop up and say hi , how are you all, look here
I am the returning hero.

Well, hero's don't come in the form of toxic bastards that beat and rape their wives in front of the
kids.
Who walk out 'cos the wife wants them to get help for their so called fucking illness, disease or whatever fucking thing do gooders want to call it nowadays.
He made the choice to drink, to pick alcohol over his family of 3 kids and a wife, who worshipped the ground he walked, adored him and wanted to spend their lives with him.
Who thought he was a hero, a God like man.
Who after all just loved him.

He choose his path in life.
When he stood at the cross roads and the signs said,
FAMILY
DRINK
He chose DRINK
He took the easy path and refused to do the hard work it would have taken to get his shit together.

There is no one on this planet that can tell me any different.
I was there
I know what was said
I know what was done
I know the pain I felt
and
I know the pain of my children.

He had a choice.
If he now knows he made the wrong one.
Oh well!

But since he left us in 1996,
Has he stopped drinking
NO

His choice.

I have protected, nurtured, raised, loved and taken the shit of bringing up our children alone.
I don't ever remember thinking that being a single Mum, with no support from their father was a fucking good idea.
It is not a path I chose, It was thrust upon me.
I have stood squarely by my children and done an amazing job.
Not because I wanted to, but because I am their mother and if it wasn't my choice,
it sure as FUCKING well wasn't their choice.
They deserved so much more.

I have no sympathy for a creature who put the bottle before their children.
Life's about choice, he chose his path.
HE FUCKING WELL CHOSE TO CARRY ON DRINKING.
HE COULD HAVE GONE AND GOT HELP AT ANY TIME SINCE 1996,
BUT HE'S STILL DRINKING
WHAT A FUCKING JERK.

I make no apologies for what I have said and my swearing.
This is my life,
My children,
My blog
AND
you were warned.

Barbra Streisand.

I have been a massive fan of Ms Streisand for years now,
I adore her music, but is it when she is in movies that I love her the most.

You see she reminds me of my own mother.
It starts with the glamour of her and those finger nails. My Mum had nails just like that, proof that you can have beautiful natural nails. Mind you I think you need a good housekeeper in order not to break them; and my Mum did have a cleaner.

Her eyes are the same colour as my Mums as well, but it is her facial expressions that get me the most.

I watched her on the BBC tonight and it was as if my Mum had jumped back into life.
Barbra has the same twinkle in her eyes and cheeky smile that mum had.
She is also a very elegant woman, again a trait of my Mums.

They aren't that far apart in age either as Barbra is 67 and Mum would now be 70.
Looking at her tonight was almost like getting a glimpse at Mum.

I guess what it is, is that they are both very glamours women, who are very elegant, charming and funny, but have a spark and twinkle about their eyes; and so wonderfully Jewish.
I still miss Mum.

Anyway, Barbra has a new album out after 4yrs and I can't wait to add it to my collection.
I have added a couple of You Tubes for you to enjoy, but you can also see the whole BBC interview.

Barbra is very funny in it and it's worth going to You Tube to see the whole interview, although I can't stand the interviewer, I find him irritating and sleazy, however he does behave himself this time.

Click here you'll find the whole interview on this channel

Here is her official web-site where you can get a little taster here of her new album.












Enjoy.

Boo!

I found this today thought it was funny and thought you would all like it too.
It's so cheeky.

Sea-glass Jealousy.

I thought I would share these photos with you all.
I can't honestly say exactly where this little village is, as I haven't been told exactly where it is.
If you have visited my web shop, you'll know that I work with sea-glass to make little lovelies; and that I have someone in Scotland who lives on the Moray Firth.
The sun set photo is the one I put on my web site and it is where he finds all the sea-glass, such as that lovely purple piece.

We have been chatting through emails for some time now and after a while he sent me an e-mail with the sunset photo in it and said I could use it if I wanted to on my site. Which I thought was really sweet of him.
To be honest, he has told me a lot more about where he finds the glass and how he goes about it, but asked me NOT to tell the World. I can't say I blame him, after all it is how he makes his money and therefore only fair that he protects it.

I don't mind not knowing exactly where it is, but oh boy am I jealous of where he lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One day I will get out of London, I blame Callum, for the misfortune of my being here.

You see we were all set to go back to Spain, and out of interest his step-dad who is a teacher decided to get him Mensa tested, blooming Callum turned out to be the child genius.
No really he did, I mean I always knew he was a smart arse, oops sorry! clever and bright, but his IQ is very high and in order for him to reach his full potential he was going to need to be stimulated and pointed in the right direction.

Now this isn't to say that the Spanish schools would not have been able to do this for him, they very much could, however we as a family would have to have paid for this special treatment in Spain, and at 45thousand pounds a year, where as over here in England it would be given to him by the education authority for free. It was a no brainer really and so we stayed. He is doing very very well for himself and I am fit to brust with pride for him.

But that boy of mine better do something blooming fantastic with his life, just to make it worth my time, or I might find that beach dig a big hole at the low tide mark and bury him in it up to his neck!!!!!!

ps child services...this is a joke; mind you he is 18 in March 2010, so maybe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shop Opened.

SHOP OPEN ENTER HERE

Well every one here it is, I thought it was time to get you lovely lot to take a look and give me your thoughts on the whole site.

I have learnt a fair amount about photography and how to use my camera. However I can clearly see the difference between the very first ones I did and the ones I did after learning a bit more, so I am going to retake a few photos.

Pay-pal has proved to be very hard to handle and while they say the process is easy.....they lie.
Mind you to be fair, I expect it's me, as I am nearly all computer-ed out and it has been one hell of a learning curve.
The wonderful Francis (with an i) is going to help me with the Pay-pal part of it all but right now is a bit busy, but it will get done.

In the meantime, I need to work on creating more stock, as I am almost out of it and I can't sell if I don't make. It's not just jewellery that I make and so at this moment in time I am holding back some pages, again 'cos of lack of stock.

Buddies, can you take a look a round and see what I have done and if you have time can you leave a comment in my guest book there, even if it is something that you feel isn't quite right, only I could do with feed back from people I trust and you are all on the trusted list.
You'll have to click the above, only at the moment it's not fully live, I need to publish it in search engines, but want to get it right.

Also can you oh so clever people check my spooling mistooks and punch-chew-a-ion lol.
We all know how bad I am at that. Sometimes I wonder how you lot manage to read my posts
I do believe that I am about halfway through this now. Just need to sort out a few of the photos and decide on prices, add Pay-pal buttons and make more stock....not much then ha ha .

Remember people that I am not about to fall apart if you all tell me it is total pants, I have asked for you opinions and I will value them.

In case you are wondering why the name Lilly-Lu, when I was growing up I had an obsession with Lulu, and this is actually my families nick name for me and the name I most of them call me by, but only family dare call me that. Now, as you know my father's family are Polish and my fathers mother spoke terrible English but she had used to words loo loo for when she needed the toilet, when Nana realised that they were calling me the name Lulu, she went mad, saying that she would never call her only beautiful grand-daughter after a toilet. So she named me Lilly after her favorite flowers and Lu, as I didn't answer the name, but my head would snap around at the word Lu and so over the years I ended up with her calling me Lilly-Lu.
As Nana was the person responsible for my love of crafting, taught me so much and gave the encouragement, I thought I would honor her by naming the shop Lilly-Lu, in actual fact I have been selling on and off under this name for years, so it seemed fitting to keep it.

I sold my first bracelet at 10, to my Nana's best friend and years later it came back to me, when her daughter died and left it too me.

Why Lia, 'cos my name is Julia and all the titles for my name were gone on blogger and they suggested Lia and the title of the blog, so that's how come.

EDIT:- sorry people, one last thing.

In order for me to enter it in to search engines I have to write a description for the web-site and I am totally stuck on this, so if you have any ideas I would be grateful, even if it's just a word or two. Thanks my lovelies.

Dalai Lama,Twitter & Me

I have a twitter account, well in fact I got it to promote my little business. A friend of mine has told me that her sales went through the roof when she got her twitter account. I do know this to be true as I spent the time at one point helping her to fill an order and was pretty impressed and fed up with it all. Impressed 'cos wow she got a large order through Twitter and fed up 'cos I was the one who had to help her fill the order, tinged with a little envy if I am being really honest. She isn't the only friend to have told me this, a few friends with their own businesses have told me the same.

I am a firm believer that if enough people you trust and respect are signing from the same hymn sheet and if you truly know that they have your best interest at heart you really should prick up your ears and listen to what they have to say.

So I got me a Twitter, once I had done that I thought I would look around and see who else is there. I discovered that His Holiness The Dalai Lama has a twitter page, so I sent a massage,and now I find that I am to be followed by him.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so when I told the boys they said "yeah right" and "You know full well it's not HIM, but one of his staff or some such". They are never-the-less pleased for me as they realise it's a big thing for me.

Well I get that he is a busy man, but what the hell, He has more followers than He follows, so in some way I have been picked to be followed.

Now, I really am going to have to behave myself and watch my manners.
So I best be on my very very bestest, watch my "P's & Q's", behaviour.

By the way, I have been a massive "fan"...if that's the right word, of the Dalai Lama for a very long time now. I have read all his books and follow his teachings about kindness and compassion.
Not sure I would ever be a Buddhist,I doubt I would have enough willpower, determination and dedication, but I do enjoy His teachings.

So for me this is a really big thing.

Last Weekends Events!

I don't know when I became the target of hate that I seem to be from the oh so wonderful next door neighbours, at #81.
I have lived here for 13yrs and at times it has been unbearable.
There is no end to the misery that this sorry excuse for a human wishes to inflict on me, my family, my friends and my neighbours.

The rest of us just live here very quietly, getting by and along with each other. I can't say that we are a close neighbourhood, my take on that it is because of the family at #81 that we are like that.

However he has made a big mistake this time. For years myself and family have been the main target of his...hatred, there's no other word for it and I could write a book on the abuse we have had to take. Don't think I haven't complained, about #81, trust me I have, but he always states that we are racists and the council say that black people can not be racist to white people, that racism only goes one way, So he shouts racist and the authorities back off.

Now this neighbourhood is a mixed one and we have mixed race families living here, all of whom we get on with. Last week he attacked 6 families on the street, when we all got together to sort out our cars and the damaged done we looked like an advert for the United Colours Of Benetton.
Everyone like me has never done this sorry excuse for a man any harm whatsoever.
Yet we find ourselves the target of his irrational behaviours. Our car was the worst hit, which to me proves how much he hates me and mine.

Here's what happened
On Friday we packed up our car and headed up north to Nutty's house for the weekend at about 4.30. The boys stayed at home. We took my car, as it is our nicest one and Francis (with an i) put his car in my normal parking spot. I must stress that there are no designated parking spots, most of us have worked out where we park and as the road is tiny (we have to park half on and half off the pavement or cars can't pass)
So to make space for the others we just move the cars depending on what one we are taking.
Obviously we came right home when we got the news.

What happens next is mind boggling..................here is an email I got from my neighbour.

Lia,

At 05.00 hrs I heard a scuffling of feet. I looked out the window a couple of times still saw nobody. Then about 05.08 I heard the sound of air coming from Francis tire. I rushed down with the dog. And found Donavan walking up ramp dressed in black holding a screw driver in hand. He started mumbling words at Me as I walked to green. Its obvious He let tire down. I went back upstairs, didn’t know what to do. Phoned Francis no answer. Had to come down and knock on door which I done several times. Donavan was standing at His door, He SAID “ I’M STILL GOING TO GET YOU, MY TIME IS COMING, REMEMBER I HAVE LIVED HERE A LONG TIME, AND LIVE HERE AND DOWN AT GRIFFIN ROAD. All the time I insisted I didn’t want to talk to Him. I didn’t know what to do. I came back upstairs, and knocked on your window with a stick.

His wife Linda was standing at the door, I DID’NT KNOW WHAT TO DO. WHETHER TO CALL THE POLICE OR NOT. HE TOLD ME MY CARDS ARE MARKED. I’M FRIGHTENED LIA. As he walked away he said don’t mess with the rasta, and through some drink over Francis's car. He then drove of slowly. After about five minutes his son got in the car and drove of very sheepishly.

I am seriously frightened living here now Lia, having been awake, sitting on My computer, by the window i expect he thought i was up.

Lia my cards are now marked forever living here, I’m now a witness, especially after my tires got slashed. It’s probably lucky i came down when i did or Francis would have had more than one tire slashed.

What do We do now, if He knows I have told You, which He must as I was banging on Your door really loud.

I’m scared Lia, can’t cope with this bad Karma..

Going to bed now, call Me when You get this message.

Shaun

Attached were these photos.

There are worse photo's but it is too upsetting to post them and keep looking at them.
The drink that he threw over the car was some sort of corrosive (my boys washed it off as they eventually woke up and went out to Shaun) and has, while not peeled the paint off left white marks all over the car. Which we can't get off or T cut out. He also tried to force the drivers side lock. And smashed a headlight.
All told we have £1200 worth of damage to the car.

It wasn't just our car, he came back after that and did another 5 cars on the street, we think this was to cover his tracks. We have another guy on the street who is also Rastafarian and he has had the finger pointed at him by the family at #81, this man has never bothered the neighbours and is a very nice man. In fact it was the first thing they said to anyone that Saturday morning.

The man at #81 has been arrested and is on bail, but part of his bail conditions are that he is not allowed on the street. This has been the quietest week I have ever spent here. (I bloody well hope it is for ever.)

I have to say that the Police have been great, but I don't hold out getting the council to deal with this family, while all the neighbours are now banded together and up in arms and firmly believing that this will be an end to it all now, I have had 13yrs of dealing with the council over this family and call me a cynic, but I very much doubt it.

There is a silver lining in all this, due to the amount of damage to so many cars there are now 4 cameras pointed at the street filming 24/7. Including ours, which we brought last Sunday. So now, the sorry pathetic excuse for a human and his rotten to the core family can't make a move on the street without being picked up by the cameras and we have made sure that they
all over lap, that way he would be picked up by at lest 2 at any given angle.
Oh boy do they not like it, the rest of us are very happy about it and the police have been seen what we have all done and approve of it all.

I couldn't care anyless about how the family at #81 feel about the cameras, as I feel it is their turn to be uncomfortable on the street, after all they have ruled the street for years and made life hard for us all, but especially me and mine.

It's called Karma and I'm loving it.

By the way if anyone wants an article on how to turn your web cam into a CCTV, go here.