stop feeling guilty, small rant (BENCHLAND)

[JCJ]

Actually, you can't see the picture very well as an avatar so I'll revert to previous and you can see the picture by making me a friend and it'll be there in my images.  

Going to need a few hours to find my way around on here but it seems to be working better than the last new forum.

Three cheers for the techies! You can come out from under the stairs now - be careful the bright daylight doesn't hurt your unaccustomed eyes! 🙂

[JCJ]

Helloooo! I've found it!   Been out for the day and sooo glad to have Benchland back. I've been in withdrawal, and it's only been 3 days! 

We were at a local (ish) Severn Trent Water reservoir and there was a leaflet with this on (let's see if we can still put pictures in!):

Ah it appears not "message cannot exceed 20,000 characters" It was a camel wearing a turtle neck jumper and a cardigan!! Lol I'll change my avatar so you can see it.

Made me think of you lot, especially Ali.  I know what my next knitting project will be: camel jumpers! 🙂 

Is it Hump practising for his very important role at the wedding??

[katytc]

found it  xx

[katytc]

Oh me, oh my, am soooooooooooooo excited Chief Bridesmaid, yahoo be dooby/booby!!! 

It's going to be glorious xx

How do you insert smiley faces??? xx

[Guest user]

Delia says to thank you for your help with wedding arrangements!

Katy is Chief Bridesmaid & Dink is also a bridesmaid. Hump will be the  Ringbearer.      

[RevCat]

There are all sorts of preferences you can set from the profile editting thingy.

Like your sphinx btw 😉

[Ali_H]

Thank you, will try that. Can I also set it so that when I click on a thread on the main board page it takes me to the latest reply not page 1? Bet I can somewhere 🙂

[RevCat]

Ali - if you go to 'thread options' you can choose which way up the post appear... well newest at the top or the bottom, not rakish angles, obviously.  Have a play with the settings.

[Ali_H]

Oooh I'm confused....new posts at the top of the page not the bottom, page 1 is newest posts...however I will get the hang of it, I've missed Benchland so thank you hard working techies for getting my lifeline back, I really do appreciate your hard work and now I will settle in nicely with the new look site 🙂
Ps, please can Dink be a bridesmaid? And Hump rather fancies being a ring bearer.....

[GIJaneH]

WOo Hoo!  We're back!  Thanks Tech Team... Glitterbury juice to go with the calorie free cakes....

A wedding for RevCat and I to share!  Such bliss! (theirs or ours?!)

Not had time to look properly at the new site, but I found Benchland in the search, so that's great, and I've managed to read the latest posts, to that's great....  and I;ve had a large glass of wine, on not a lot of sleep this week, which may NOT be great... especially as I'm going to Pilates in a mo...  oh dear... the class is on the ball...  I might NOT be on the ball!

Is there a spell check somewhere?

Hic

[HelenL_BCC]

Hi again all, 

Apologies for the temporary disruption - I hope you've found your way back to BENCHLAND safe and sound!

Thanks for your patience while we work through these glitches - calorie-free treats are most welcome 🙂

[RevCat]

Thank you Techie people for transmatting us to the correct board and then sorting out the time warp!  Lots of calorie free goodies in the tardis fridge for you and the mods.  Really hope you are all going out for a nice celebration after all the hard work.

Hope all Benchies are well and find their way back along diverse paths.

[katytc]

Had to pop out for a short while, came back and lost Benchland, had to start all over again, have bookmarked so all should be ok now!!

Oh Revcat, perhaps you should give them a phone and explain the circumstances, nullgravy and all that so that you can have a the option of a general. Fingers crossed, ouchy ouch!!

Wedding is official, invitations out woo hoo!!

Can I please, please, please be a bridesmaid???? Failing that a flowergirl???

Crinoline, knee highs, tiaras and bobble hats what do you think??

Or something different all together xx

[RevCat]

Thank you Helen, you are a star!

[HelenL_BCC]

Hi all, 

We're delighted you've found us. Unfortunately, we've just spotted that there are two 'Living with' boards, so we're going to merge them both.

The new merged board will sit in the correct location: Living With and Beyond Breast Cancer. 

Apologies for the inconvenience, we'll have this moved in a jiffy!

[Guest user]

Phew!  Finally found Benchland!  I don't fancy the idea of local anaesthetic, Revcat!  

The honour of your noble presence is requested

at the marriage of Delia, fair daughter of Cath & Guy Sparkle
to her betrothed Milton, son of Ethel & Quentin De Witt
at the Luxury Wedding Marquee (near The Lost Plottery Shed)
in the Shire of Benchland, on the 24th day of August,
in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Thirteen
and afterward, for MUCH feasting and merriment down at The Lagoon (watch out for alligators!)

Yea/Nay? Yes/No?
RSVP: Delia's Mum, somewhere in the Shire of Benchland.

Revcat & GIJane to officiate.

Songs, jokes, poems appreciated ....    SOooo much to organize!!  M.

[RevCat]

Found you! 

Thank you Techies - you have worked very, very hard and I think it looks pretty good so far.

So everyone has morphed into a van by default!  Don't seem to be able to upload a photo for my avatar as yet, but will wait and see how things go - mods and techies have better things to worry about just now.

Do have a play with your personal settings - I think they will make life easier once you have them to your liking.

For any Benchies not in the know, I have an urgent referral to a 'one stop' gynae clinic for next Wednesday (28th) which claims that you leave with a diagnosis/treatment plan.  In the stuff about hysteroscopy it says "Local anaesthetic is given into the neck of the womb, just like at the dentist." Not sure I want to go THAT dentist.... open wide takes on a whole new meaning!!  Eyes water.

[katytc]

Hello ben, think it will take a while to get used to................at least we found Benchland woo hoo !! xx

[benedictus]

Hi Katy. Yes, trying to find my way around, but not immediately user friendly is it?

[katytc]

Benchlanders is anyone there???? xx

[Ali_H]

Ps yes, breathe in...relax...breathe out, relax... Xx

[Ali_H]

Thank you, yes I will ring bcn or the breast care unit this morning (not sure if I can find contact details for my bcn!)
And an award for Archie, and one for the camels, gosh! I'd like to thank the academy, the voting public, my family, the zoo keepers..... 😉

[katytc]

Def Ali, phone BCN you will be fast tracked.
Well that performance was wonderful, loved the impromtu singing at the end, a melody of Benchland Songs!
Glitterberry juice seemed to be on tap in the green room.................
A Benchland wedding, when is it??
Are we all bridesmaids??
What are we wearing??
My massive suck up obviously didn't work really wanted that award as a bathroom decoration xx

[supertrouper]

Ali - if this was me - I would ring my BCN first thing in the morning - she would fast track me to being checked out. Try and remember to breathe in and out and repeat. It is so easy to begin to panic when we feel something suspicious. Please keep us posted! xx

[GIJaneH]

I used to have loads of cysts... and they all felt like lumps, and came up fairly quickly.... and the drill was that I rang the unit straight away and spoke to BCN who got me an appointment to have them checked. For 15 years, they were nothing..... drained and that was that... then one time it was different. Get it checked.... you had a mammo so recently, it'll probably be fine, but best to be sure Ali... I think once you're in the system as we are, most places would be happy to see you without a GP referral.... keep us posted...

[Ali_H]

Ok thanks JCJ 🙂

[JCJ]

I'd try to contact BCN as they're more specialised and less likely to fob you off, knowing your history. I do believe cysts CAN be felt as lumps, because I've heard of several ladies who thought they may have BC when they found a lump but it turned out to be cysts!

Get it checked and (well meaning but impossible pieceof advice coming....) try not to worry.

[Ali_H]

Advice please....have found a lump/something in my other breast. Do I ask for an emergency appointment at my doctors or try to get hold of my bcn??? My mammo was only what, six weeks ago, onc check up and examination about a month ago....surely nothing could have appeared in that time???? MRI last year showed cysts, is it possible to feel those??

[Guest user]

Thankyou Dame Grumpy for the Happy Wealthy Couple Award! Glitterberry juice all round!

[GIJaneH]

Thank you Dame G.... *curtseys*. I rather hoped you'd like the agonising death.....

didn't we do well? Costumes were amazing. Most of us remembered our lines. Millie sliding off Dink at that crucial moment was a stroke of genius....glitterbury juice all round

retiring to the couch exhausted now....

just thought we ought to put up a Techie Bench for the techies during the switch to new forum. And a calm bench for the mods ...

night dahlings.

jane xx

[Tuppence]

Well done Grumpy x Really enjoyed reading the mystery play. Sorry I didn't contribute much. Had son and family over for weekend and had great time with them so was difficult to sneak off to computer. Hope there are many more flights into total make believe play acting.
Tup

[grumpy]

Ladies - you have been superb!!!! (wipes sweat off brow and trembles a bit)
Awards as follows -
Archie for Most Devious Character (can I have a ride in that car?)
Edwin and Flora for The Almost Most Happy Couple
FF as Minnie, Claud, Olive for Multiple Character Award and Not Getting Lines Muddled Up
GI Jane for the Most Acceptable Bribes Award AND the Best Prop Vomit Pirize (what happened to Pukey Cat?)
Milton and Delia for the Happy Wealthy Couple Award - hmmmm......
Camels and Millie Dog for Being Decorative. If you find the tiara, could you please return it to Millie pronto as she is crying in her basket at the moment. I told her not to drink glitterberry juice when you have to ride a camel.
And everyone else - the Best Trooper Awards for not breaking a leg.
Dame Helen gets the Stuck up Mean Person Award for NOT loaning me a dress.
Aren't we clever????
Now retiring to the sofa with all the cake, chocolates and flowers to have a little 'rest'............... Grouse was on special at Spar (other supermarkets blah blah)
Love to you all, my daaahlings.
Hic!
Grumpy

[JCJ]

I have my thinking cap on........ Must have some special toons for the big day. I've got a few days, while the techies are beavering away in their cupboard ubder the stairs, to come up with something. Watch this space.......(or it's replacement!) 🙂

[Guest user]

Miss Sparkle, please do me the honour - oh, she already has!! I am a changed man

I thought love was only true in fairytales la,la,la,la....

Love was out to get me la,la,la,la...

[JCJ]

Congratulations to Milton and whatever your name is. A Benchland wedding how exciting! Extra special tiaras and super spangly knee-highs required for that?! 🙂

I'm home now. Car unpacked and 2nd load of washing on - 1st already on the line outside. When I get around to uploading my photos, I'll put the one I took in Morecambe last night so you can see what it normally looks like and realise how lucky we were!

[foxyferret]

Shopping for my wedding outfit now.

[supertrouper]

OH MY - Milton has proposed marriage to me.
YES YES YES and YES AGAIN.
How exciting. You are all invited!

[foxyferret]

Act 1 went well. The audience seem to be appreciative of our efforts. Costumes are amazing, probably would have been been better if Kay had done them but having a totally fantabulous birthday does take precedence. I have a feeling that my birthday which ends in an 0 next year will pass in a blaze of obscurity. In fact, I hope so, as I don't want to be reminded of how old I am as I only feel about 30.

Ready for Acts 2 and 3 now. Feel that the reviews should be pretty good, after all we're an established rep company now. Please stop all the sucking up to the director, Dame Grumpy is far too astute to fall for it. (Psst. The very expensive chocolates are behind the bar, just say Benchland and they will pass them over.)

[GIJaneH]

Just signing in Dame Grumpy - very early and keen.....

We were AMAZINGLY lucky with the weather an Narcambe, sorry, Morecambe

Huge bouquet hidden for the Dame.... overtures and beginners ready too....

[katytc]

How lovely a marriage in the cast, woo hoo!!
Audience seem to be arriving early which is fab, they must have all heard about our previous productions.
Am soooooooooooo excited, may win an award tonight!! Have stashed strawberry meringue with toffee sauce under THAT chair and a bottle of something kinda special!
Trying to get off the "CBA" bench...........foot is still very swollen and I now fit NO shoes, have found an old pair of birkies, loosened them all off and will try to go to the supermarket with them on! Such a drag, literally xx
Golly superly gosh weren't we so lucky with our MMU weather xx

[Guest user]

I, Milton, am in love!! Never thought it could happen to me. She is a super-duper sleuthing, cider-drinking lady - Miss Delia Sparkle, will you marry me???

[JCJ]

Isn't Grumpy simply MARVELLOUS the way she directs so professionally and supports us struggling amateurs so sympathetically. She is amazingly patient; NEVER shouts at us when we forget our lines, lose the plot, or trip over our knee-highs! I'm recommending her (again) for the New Year's Honours list! 😛 *whispers aside* that wasn't too obvious grovelling was it?

Today, ladies, in Morecambe, it is STILL pi**ing down, and I have a choice between wet jeans and soggy (not waterproof any more 😞 ) trainers or shorts and suede sandals. Everything else is packed underneath 3 weeks worth of camping/hotel/cottage stuff. Can't try and root for anything or EVERYTHING else will get wet too. Ah well, at least we didn't have to take the tent down in this!

Not on new forum yet, ST, - I've still got my (right way up) profile pic! Can't be dealing with adding/changing pics on this phone - even with free wireless (or ' screwless' as that was auto-corrected to yep, I' ve got a few of those loose!!) 🙂

[millymolly_m]

Ha! Ha! Jane! It took me 3 attempts! Had to choose a different pic in the end. Even then I think it was more good luck than anything else. Forure rebuild gremlins perhaps? More Mars Bars ( other chocolate etc.......) needed for for the techies under the stairs!
x

[grumpy]

Memo to cast and crew:

Tonight's the night - THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR MURDER MYSTERY.
It must be perfect (I live in hope rather than expectation...) and everyone must be in the Green Room one whole hour before curtain up. Only ONE glitterberry juice permitted beforehand, you can have as much as you like afterwards.
Oh heck, has someone sorted out comestibles and beverages for the interval, for humans and participating companion animals???? Millie Dog is partial to a bit of chicken skin off the roast.
I am still confused - if it is the camels what dun it, why aren't there any hoof prints in the sand outside the Madland Hotel? I am only asking.......
Very Important Director Type Person's chair has been dragged out of the loft and cleaned up.
Still awaiting frock delivery from Helen.
Break a leg (no pleeeese don't)
a very nervous Grumpy

[GIJaneH]

have you noticed, my picture is upside down? wasn't when I selected it!!! Maybye that's our new adventure - coping with life whilst standing on our heads.... oh, but MMM you seem to be the right way up!

May I say, Dame G, that you're acute observation of our "skills" during rehearsals was (a) accurate and (B) very funny?

[millymolly_m]

Well, that was a jolly jape chaps. What's next? .........
xx

[supertrouper]

Oh what jolly fun. The new forum still duplicates posts! Are we on the new forum? Or have I had too many pints of Magners (other ciders work too)

[supertrouper]

Great fun indeed - I am off to change into my normal clothes.....

[GIJaneH]

Thank you Katy for your thot, which plickened, and for unravelling the mystery! Great fun... Won't life be dull?

[JCJ]

So the camels did it then? As I suspected. 🙂