LITTLE BADGES - RUN.....NEVER STOP RUNNING..RUN MORE

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Good luck to all those running the London Marathon this weekend. You mad fools.
Hopefully the weather will work out fine for you all. Not too hot, not too cold and hopefully no rain.

We have been to support the London Marathon a few times. We have a friend who has nothing better to do with his life, so he runs marathons, and has run the London Marathon a few times. The last time we went to support him, we stood near the tower of London heading towards Canary Wharf as he told us we would see him running both ways. It was raining all day, but we stood there with umbrellas waving and cheering everyone on. 5 hrs we stood in the rain and did not see him once. We did see an old College friend run passed but not our mate. He told us that he was running in a bright pink top, which his charity had supplied. It was not until we caught up with him for a meal afterward that we found out he was running in a fluorescent yellow top!!

Still it was a day out. He is running it again this year but I'm afraid apathy has crept in, and although it was exciting the first year we will think about him running from our nice warm bed this weekend.

However I am quite excited about it, as my hairdresser is running for the first time in the London Marathon. She was lucky enough to get a place and she has been telling me about her training. On my last visit to the hairdressers I think the realization of what she would be doing was sinking in. But she has put so much training into it, I am sure she will do well. Looking forward to seeing her medal next time I go in.

I myself do not do jogging. To be honest, I don't see the point in it. People that jog are obviously running away from something. It does freak me out when you are walking along a pavement in the morning, alone, and you can hear heavy footfalls coming from behind and a rhythmic snorting sound.

I am sure there will be the usual nutters out wearing full suits of armour, or very bad fancy dress decision outfits running this year, good luck to them, but please don't do yourself any injuries.

And of course, those so called 'Celebrities' will be out in force using another event to hog the limelight and shout look at me...look at me...oh I'm so caring... (who are we running for)..I'm not at all over exposed, it's just Heat magazine did not want to do a feature on my bathroom habits this week. Run as much as you like celebrities but the Tax man will catch you and take your un-hard earned cash in the form of 50p per pound! Well done Darling.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - We never knowingly put a healthy badge down

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

we never like to put an otherwise healthy badge down, and so save them from the big little waste paper basket in the sky. It has got to the point where we have hundreds of little badges recuperating in a drawer, their only crime in life.......Not being perfect!

As an imperfect human being myself, I cannot bring myself to just dump them, make them someone else's problem, when all they want to do in life is cheer up someone's old coat or bag.

Let's just get this straight, they have done nothing wrong, and in these Credit Crunch™ times (oh how I hate that trademark slogan) the most important thing is....they eat absolutely nothing. Nada, zilch. No need to set an extra place at the dining table as they are good to go. They survive on your love alone, and the cheeky chance they will catch the eye of another, or even meet another little badge out there with similar interests and a passion for fashion.

All that is wrong with these little badges is the following, and as we are very picky, it is normally very minor things that stop them going to their new homes:

A surface scratch on the mylar (plastic coating)
A tiny bit of fluff (or other dust particle) under the surface of the mylar
a raised bump
or...... and this is the most tragic..... being slightly off-centre! (well who isn't these days).

So I call on you good people to dig deep, deep deep within yourselves, and give these little badges the chance they deserve in life, a chance to shine on an otherwise un-sunny day. Free them from their lives inside a warm drawer unit and unleash them onto the capital, no... the world.

For today you could make a little badge stand that little bit taller.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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Little badges - Spring has sprung and somethings been spotted

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Spring has well and truly sprung in our garden, and all those dead looking plants in our garden have decided to give it one more go this year and have burst into life.

They have been moved around so much, I'm surprised they know what time of year it is, or which way up they are meant to be growing, but they have done us proud.

So far the only fatality is our Bottle brush, which decided one day to commit suicide, for no apparent reason apart from maybe the world economic thingy. One day healthy as anything, the next shriveled up and brown, with no vital signs showing. To my wife's annoyance, I have left it in the ground this year with a haircut and a hope that it will just buck it's darn ideas up.

The other fab thing, and I know that some think this is sad, but we have some new birds nesting in our garden. Not over the border, or next door, not in that nice thick tree over my neighbors back garden, not even in the alleyway. We have some very welcome guests who have decided that our eucalyptus tree is the perfect place to bring up young. Maybe it's due to the location, panoramic views across South London, maybe due to the jet stream (blimey it's a windy spot they have picked), which will help with fledging , as they can just hop from the nest and be blown to Crystal palace. Maybe it's due to the vast amount of birdfood that I put out, in the selfish hope of attracting birds into our little garden (buy in bulk.....repent at leisure)

Whatever reason it is we are over the moon at our new visitors. We have had Blackbirds nesting before, Sparrows nesting, and Blue tits and Great tits, but never before have we had our new additions.

Yes we have a beautiful pair of Gold finches taking up residence and yet paying no rent or food bills. They are fantastic little birds which, look like they should for no reason belong in this country as they are so showy and friendly. They have a lovely bubbly call, with a chatty kind of nature to them, and they flit and bob about the garden, but luckily keep coming back to their new nest, which they have handily built within perfect view of our top back bedroom.

Mind you, I think the woman over the back of us is becoming alarmed at the amount of times we are at the back window with a pair of binoculars. Maybe we can use this blog as evidence if we get accused of peeping.

We are hopeful they will have a full nest of youngsters and will do our best to keep them all well fed and watered. Which reminds me....... when does Spring watch start!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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Little badges - One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, wow that's a hell of a flock

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

I've just been reminiscing about a lovely little short break we took earlier in the year. The reason for this is I've just discovered the questionnaire that I was meant to fill in and send back.

We have a penchant for castles and decided we needed a break. We have stayed in Castles in, Scotland, and England, and got married in a castle, so our next adventure had to be in Wales.

We booked at the beginning of the season, and arrived in torrential rain. Even the taxi driver, from Wales said he had not seen rain like this for years! We pulled into this fantastic Gothic inspired castle in south wales near the Brecon Beacons and soon found out on our arrival, that one, major work was being carried out, as they had gone to remove some of the ceiling in one of the three bars and discovered that the entire ceiling joists were rotten! and two we were the only guests staying that week in the whole place.

Well because of this we got upgraded to a lovely room, overlooking the courtyard, and away from the building work. We settled ourselves in and then went to explore the place. Spooky and eerie and cold, it was a fabulous building. We soon found the bar that was open, being heated by the only fire going as we were the only guests and hey whats the point in warming rooms unnecessarily. We settled into the old chesterfield sofas in front of the fire gazing out the windows over the valley and watched the fire and the weather pass by. We stayed there till dinner.

Anyway to cut a long story short although we were the only guests the hotel staff could not have been better and looked after us well, even though we felt a little guilty.

The break did us the world of good, and the scenery and the walks around the castle were breath taking.....

But we could not help coming away with a stereotype view of wales that it is wet...... and full of sheep! You could not look at a view without a sheep popping up. Even as we watched clouds pass down the valley, a sheep would suddenly pop out from behind a bush at the top of the mountain..... followed by another.... then another.... oh yes and another.

Because of this constant sheep counting, we slept very well..... even in a haunted castle!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little badges - My, haven't you grown

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

So, yes.... a couple of days ago it was my birthday. The usual bunch of friends sent me cards, and the usual bunch of friends did not send me a card, even though we always send them cards! But I'm not bitter, I'm just glad to be another year older.

I won't embarrass you by revealing my age but let's just say, that coal is no longer considered one of your five a day vegetables hehe :)

I love birthdays, I start getting excited about a month before. And then as the days tick down I get even more excited. When people ask me what I want, I always suggest, cars, money etc.... but alas no one has been forth coming with the car.

People always tend to ask me if I have achieved what I wanted to in my years and my reply in my mind is always the same, I have achieved very little but I am happy.

I miss family based birthdays now, as we have all dispersed to different corners of England, and If I had my way would have dispersed further to Hawaii. When you were little you would meet up at Nan and Paps house to be spoiled rotten by them and then, as if by magic other members of the family would turn up, aunties, uncles, cousins etc, and make even more fuss over you.

And each one would come out with the classic line, "ooh haven't you grown"!

Well I think I have done all the growing I am going to do now, apart from growing outwards.

So thank you to all that celebrated my birthday, and roll on next year!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com