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Thanks to my Mum, I can get out and about fairly independently on her mobility scooter. It's quite a sight and I do get some double takes as I'm not your average mobility scooter operator! 

Today I went out and passed the local infant school where there were two teachers and ten children lined up. One of the children shouted "I know her!" As I crossed the zebra crossing. I asked if they were doing a traffic survey and they said yes. So I asked if I counted and they said 'oh yes! We've taken your picture!'

That made me smile all the way to the shops and back. 

Other smiles included people jumping out of my way in case I ran them over, a lady putting my shopping on the belt for me in Aldi, sitting in the sunshine eating lunch and finishing a good book. 

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Inspired by the lovely Fátima, I made cupcakes or buns as my Mum would call them. Coffee with chocolate chip on the left (for the boys) and plain with raisin and cranberry on the right (for the adults)

Smiles all around. 

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https://twitter.com/johnjs8400/status/460462702142705665

It amuses me that John had to wait until we moved back from Switzerland to get his Nespresso machine. He managed to 'break' the (not Nespresso) coffee machine I bought him . Mmm! 

Still it is a thing of beauty so I bought him a pod holder to go with it. 

Had to smile today when Runkeeper sent me an email saying 

"It's been a while since we last saw you...Let's get you back out there!"

Yes, well. I would if I could!

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I am a smiley person, it's true. But I can be a grumpy person too sometimes and this morning I was feeling very grumpy. And cross. And fed up. 

And things didn't improve much when Liverpool were beaten, Johnny Brownlee was beaten and Dan Martin fell with 100m to go in Liege-Baston-Liege. 

What made me smile again? 

We sang "Crown him with many crowns" at church, we sang the proper words and we sang my favourite verse about God being creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime. Anyone who knows me well knows that this is very important to me. And that includes our minister Donald who commented in it as I left church. 

Secondly I discovered the picture at the top in a post about iPad apps, made especially for me. Thanks Erzsi! Sorry it took me so long to see it!

Then I couldn't fail to smile at the prize Mark Cavendish received for wining the stage in the Tour of Turkey. He'll get very bunged up if he eats all of those...

And then there was this picture someone tweeted earlier. 

Most of all though it was realising, prompted by some tweets, that I have two lovely sons and a wonderful husband, and that means I'm very lucky. 

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John is home! :0)

And he bought me some beautiful flowers. They smell delightful too. 

Funny comments of the day:

"You can switch to HD if you want, Jude, but it won't improve the quality of the acts!" 

"I've never heard the word 'deluge' before"

The long running saga of the glass. 

And I smiled broadly at the reaction of the Norwich fans who, in response to chants of "you're going down" from MUFC fans, shouted "Liverpool!" and sang "You'll never walk alone". Class!

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I'm Honkers McBlubberbuns. Tumtums and Shrimpy are in bed and Shrimpy Sr. is somewhere in Canadian airspace. 

What about you? 

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(Photo by Isaac) 

Bluebells (and a yellow weed I think!) by my swinging bench. Too dangerous to approach on crutches if I value my other foot so I'll wait until I can weight bear before having a closer look. 

Lovely tulips that I can see as John put them in front of the window! 

And finally John sent morning greetings from Mexico.

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Today is St George's Day, and in Catalunya it's San Jordi when women are given red roses and men, a book. I love roses but I'd rather have a book. Or perhaps both?

Anyway, I bought the boys a book each and they were happy!

Things that made me smile today -

I survived another day without going mad!

I finished a piece of work for BBC - I've been singing about being loco ever since!

The boys and their antics made me guffaw at points today - they certainly have great senses of humour.

The bluebells are out in the garden. Didn't get out to take a picture though as my back was too sore from crutches. perhaps tomorrow!

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So, The Sound of Music is called Smiles and Tears in Spanish. Interesting!

John went to Canada - that didn't really make me smile, and nor did the doctor telling me that my ear (now blocked and deaf for a month) will get better by itself and to be patient. Humph! And, now I think about it, the ending of Endeavour was certainly not smile inducing.

However, this is a blog about smiles and today I smiled for the following reasons:
the boys looked so uncomfortable walking with me as I drove my Mum's electric wheelchair.
I went to the library and found/borrowed some good books
I managed to cook dinner standing on one leg
Jude and I found that we hadn't finished his huge pink meringue from Saturday and enjoyed it with raspberries and ice-cream.

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Thanks to Kathy for this card sent via FB.  It made me smile! 

As did sushi for tea (although the 'walk' on crutches nearly did me in!) It wasn't the hopping leg; it's carrying the injured foot as that airboot weighs a tonne! Still, it'll keep my thigh toned even if my calf wastes away. 

An Isaac comment about duffle bags, thieves and Paddington Bear amused me  this evening, and I enjoyed Only Connect, especially as I knew that Lisa was an early Apple computer!

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Thank you to my little sister who came today armed with nail varnish to paint my toenails red to match my cast. Very pretty they are too - and the other foot matches!

Family lunch and time listening to Bob saying Hello and oooooo! repeatedly made me smile. In fact Bob could make me smile just by being him!

Enjoying the programme about BBC2 - lots of memories!

And Liverpool won! #WeGoAgain

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Today I discovered that, as comfortable as a wheelchair may be, I hate being pushed around. And, if momentarily vacated by the injured party, said wheelchair makes a great gaming chair fora  tired 12 year old!
A churros stand in Solihull made me smile - I'll be back next time there's a market for more! As did Jude's face as he tasted his 'ginger latte' - so ginger that it burnt the back of your mouth.  We'll stick to your juices next time, Joe!
Sunderland's win made me smile broadly as did Jose Mourinho's post match interview as he is something else!

And this time last year...

I miss Zumba - and 'the girls!'

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Huge smile as I went to the hairdressers and I have clean, cut, coloured hair. Hurrah! Thank you Simon!
Jude finally surfaced around 11am loping bleary eyed; the boy likes his sleep and getting to bed at 1.30am thanks to Eurostar didn't go down well! Good to have him back and give him a cuddle though.
More sunshine and reading in the garden, and some tidying too; the dining room needs reclaiming from under piles of school stuff. A slow process as I can't carry much (even in a shoulder bag/rucksack) without over balancing but it'll get done eventually.

PS fancy a 'Happy' challenge?

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"Never stop smiling even when you're sad as you never know who might fall in love with your smile." Gabriel García Márquez

An airboot rather than a plaster cast. 

A trip to the garden centre. 

And my little boy is coming home (although Eurostar nearly cocked up that one!)

:0)

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A lovely sunny day reading in the garden - except when I had to come indoors to avoid burning!

John came home from Switzerland and promptly starting destroying things. 

And I found a new use for my massage roller.

Fracture clinic tomorrow...

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A beautiful moon - sadly the picture doesn't do it justice! 

A sunny day. 

Several things on my to do list achieved. 

Stayed upright on my crutches. 

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Smile 1 - I slept last night.
Smile 2 - Jude has arrived safely in Belgium.
Smile 3 - I haven't fallen over (yet) on my crutches.
Smile 4 - I've done lots of blogging and not been too bored today.
Smile 5 - flowers from John.
Smile 6 - lovely messages on Twitter and Facebook about my predicament.
Smile 7 - a parcel with new things including unifix cubes

Smile 8 - a new series of Only Connect

Smile 9 - a small monkey in a tabard keeping me company

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A good sleep, a sunny day and lawn mowing are all things that made me smile today.

The smile was wiped off my face by a tree root and my foot having an altercation which resulted in a cracked ankle and I'm back in plaster again :(

Still, it could be far worse: I didn't need an operation to reset it, I will walk again eventually and it is far from life threatening. So I'm smiling still. 

Although that could be the painkillers... ;)

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Lots of jobs done today. New blinds and curtains for Jude, tidy drawers and 'too small' clothes discarded, emergency new undies, and a new pillow for John.

Maurice has arrived home safely and sent a lovely message - as has his Mum. 

And ponies in the park. I saw them yesterday but forgot the picture in my post-Maurice moroseness.

Curry and Prosecco for tea. 

The boys only threatened to have me put away once today. Which is an improvement. 

And the sun shone. 

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I am currently sad as we've just said goodbye to Maurice after a lovely week. However, memories of the week make me smile -
tales of sheep in battle formation and chucking stones into streams
Yorkshire puddings
chats after school with "Austauschmutti"
Banoffee Pie that wasn't eaten as we were always too full
stories of Drayton Manor and the 'Schwingding'
and mostly, a lovely polite young man who I hope will visit again soon.

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Jude had another concert tonight. Absolutely brilliant!

A nice meal by the canal in Birmingham. And I've broken up for Easter. Yippee!!!!!!

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No post last night as I got 'The Call' from Welford at lunchtime yesterday informing me that Ofsted were coming tomorrow (today). That did not make me smile.

However, my part of it is over so I'm smiling again.

I had a lovely chat with Maurice about languages, teaching, school, England and various other things.

And I had a well deserved glass of Prosecco to celebrate.

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Back to work - still deaf in one ear but getting there. Lots of smiles today as I had to keep telling children to stand the other side of me as I couldn't hear them. They found this very amusing! I told them I'd need an ear trumpet next - and had to explain what  I meant!

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A busy day involving coffee in the park, roast lunch to cook and eat, delivering Jude to Birmingham, coming home with shopping on the way back, a quick cuppa and back to Birmingham for Jude's concert this evening. They were brilliant - and Jude had a solo that he hadn't told us about!

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Arrived home to meet Maurice, Isaac's German exchange friend. He's lovely. Looks like 'the boys' have had a great time in my absence and everyone is getting on very well.
And I have a present to unwrap too.

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No Smiles for a few days as I have been too ill to get up let alone do anything else. However, feeling a little better today so I'm back!
I'm in Lancaster with lots of friends old and new. Hurrah!