Friends & Family - Antony Simpson - Author, Blogger, Nurse & Witch.

The Spring Clean and A Touch Of Green

By AntonyAmazon, Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, Home, LifeNo Comments

Hello all,

Well what a week its been. I’ve been off on annual leave for a week. In the true spirit of Imbolc, I’ve spent the week at home undertaking a Spring clean. I’ve chucked out more than ten bin bags of clutter. There’s still some more sorting and cleaning to be done, but I’ve made a good start. It feels good for things to have their places again.

I’ve always loved plants, even if at times I’ve killed them with over love. But the problem is my two bengal cats. Cats are known to love to chew/destroy house plants. But then I discovered this indoor greenhouse at Ikea (see photo below). Steve and I were going to Ikea anyway, so I decided to pick it up along with an Aloe Vera plant.

Indoor Greenhouse from Ikea.

B52 Venus Flytrap from Little Shop of Horrors.

I’ve always loved Venus Flytraps and because I had the space in the greenhouse, I decided to order a Flytrap online (see photo above).

I’ve named the Aloe Vera plant, Alan. I originally called it Dave, but couldn’t remember its name. I’ve named the Flytrap Edward, but watched Little Shop of Horrors (film) for the first time this week, so am thinking of renaming it to Audrey. I loved Little Shop of Horrors film. Feed me. Feed me. FEED ME!

The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted that I’ve padlocked the greenhouse handles. This is just to ensure the cats don’t get at the plants. Bengal cats are known for being intelligent. They’ve already scratched at the plastic windows, but failed to gain access to or munch on the plants. This is good, especially as Aloe Vera is apparently toxic to cats.

Write soon,

Antony

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Friday 2 February 2018

Leeds Last Weekend

By AntonyFriends & Family, Happiness & Joy, LifeNo Comments

Left to Right: Me, Robert & Neha.

Last weekend I went to Leeds to visit Robert & Neha. I attended their wedding in India a couple of years ago, see My India Adventure (Part 2) – The Wedding.

Robert & Neha are two of the most gorgeous, kind and wonderful people that I know. I am so lucky to have them both in my life.

I arrived in Leeds on Friday night. We talked, catching up on the last few years, drank wine and had the most awesome handmade pizzas by Robert.

On the Saturday we had a mooch around town, visited the oldest pub in Leeds (well it would be rude not to!) and had a game of Monopoly.

Monopoly!

I was the first out of the game, Neha had Lady Luck on her side, but in the end Robert won. We watched some of the wedding video, some Netflix and ultimately chilled.

This is what life is all about, I thought to myself on more than one occasion throughout the weekend. Spending time with people you love and care about. Having the time to converse and connect. To share good times with one another.

We’ve promised each other to do this more often. So Robert & Neha, if you’re reading this, my turn to host next time. I doubt I’ll be able to top the superb job you did. But I look forward to giving it a try and having another fantastic time.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Tuesday 16 January 2018

The Fantastic Peter Pan’s Musical Adventure at Blackpool Winter Gardens

By AntonyFriends & Family, Gigs & Shows, Life, Shopping8 Comments

Some days are special. Some days are when memories are made. Today was one of those days.

Blackpool Tower

My mum, my brother, his girlfriend and my nephew went to to see Peter Pan’s Musical Adventure at Winter Gardens in Blackpool. We got into town early and headed to the amusements.

My mum and nephew took to the 2p machines with eagerness. They took their tubes of 2ps to the machines, started to feed them and collect tickets (that would be later exchanged for toy prizes).

Mum quickly got hooked and was like a crack addict getting their fix (joke!). At one point mum and I were looking for the others, she saw a 2p machine and made a be-line for it. Mum’s face, full of concentration and determination (to get more tickets), made me smile and chuckle no end.

The 2p Machines.

Mum feeding the 2p machines and feeding her habit at the same time.

Peter Pan was fantastic! Modern music, enthusiastic cast, lots of adult humour and plenty of flying. Children and adults alike throughly enjoyed the show from start to finish.

Peter Pan Poster at Winter Gardens, Blackpool.	Peter Pan the set (1).
Peter Pan the set (2).

Next year’s performance will be The Wizard of Oz. Are you a friend of Dorothy’s?

Spending the quality time with family today made me feel really blessed. I am greatful to have such close relationships with my wonderful, awesome and fabulous family.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Saturday 6 January 2018

My November

By AntonyAmazon, Friends & Family, Health, Life, Pets, TV, Online Streaming & FilmsNo Comments

A lot happened in November. Some of it was good and some of it was bad. Here were the key events:

4th November 17 – I went Smoke-Free, Day 1. Smoke-Free Logo	5th November 17 – I was given the cold shoulder by Dylan. He just walked away from attention to sit with his back towards me. I called him by his name and was ignored. Blanked by Dylan.
6th November 17 – My week made with the arrival of my pre-orders from Amazon. My Pre-orders: Despicable Me 3 and Monster by Michael Grant.	11th November 17 – I tried on silly Christmas hats! Silly Christmas Hats!
12th November 17 – My lovely Grandma passed away. I am sure she is missed dearly by all who knew her. I am also very lucky to have some wonderful memories with her. My Lovely Grandma.	14th November 17 – I went to the GP about an abscess in my groin. I was given oral antibiotics and told if it gets any bigger I must go to A&E to see a Surgeon.
15th November 17 – The abscess had doubled in size. So went to A&E, was given a dose of IV antibiotics and eventually saw a Surgeon. They decided to operate first thing the following morning. I had been Nil By Mouth since arriving in A&E at around 1PM and had not eaten since breakfast. They let me go home well after 9pm to eat, rest and with instructions to fast from 3am and be back at the hospital for 8am. Oh pink…just my colour.	16th November 17 – The day of the surgery. All of the NHS staff were kind, compassionate and understanding. But communication could have been better. I arrived on the ward at 07:50am and was instructed by a Nurse on the night shift to wait in the waiting room, while the early staff had handover. The night shift Nurse didn’t tell the day staff that I had arrived and meant I ended up waiting over an hour. Apparently staff had been looking for me everywhere. After the surgery, I didn’t know whether my open wound had been packed or not, because it wasn’t documented in my notes. It has been uncomfortable, a bit tender and at times painful. I have thanked my family and Steve who have been amazing in supporting me pre and post surgery. The surgery and waiting for the open to heal has been very frustrating for me. Everything has had to be put on hold. I’ve had to rest and haven’t been able to do very much apart from watching Netflix, reading and napping. A huge positive is that I have remained Smoke-Free throughout.
17th November 17 – I became super excited after watching a video clip that revealed the title of the new Fantastic Beasts (Harry Potter) film: The Crimes of Grindelwald on Twitter @BeastsMovieUK. The film will be released on 16.11.18.	22nd November 17 – The day of Grandma’s funeral, which was really a celebration of her life. The service was touching and well attended. Grandma’s family and friends came together afterwards to share memories and the many things they will miss about her.
25th November 17 – Day 21 of being Smoke-Free. Smoke-Free Logo	29th November 17 – Last day working at my old job. I will miss the people and liked the work, but am excited to start my new job.