Jane's World

Martin in 2011

2011-01-17T18:00:00.005Z

Overall
First of all, looking at the pattern of the cards – 5/12 (almost half) are wands indicating a lot of energetic activity this coming year, probably to do with work or projects. No major cards at all, suggesting a year where you are very much in control and that you can shape and mould events yourself.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. 2 of Wands, Mars in Aries. The 1^st house is ruled by Aries too. Therefore a lot of Fire energy surrounding you and how you project yourself this year. The 2 of Wands suggests that you will be taking forward some ideas and projects, and these will very much be your projects. I wonder – will you be promoted at work, or perhaps move to a higher status job elsewhere?

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. 3 of Wands, the Sun in Aries. More Aries go-getting energy. Past work and activities begin to bear fruit; this builds on the previous card, not least because it’s consecutive as a tarot card, but it’s also in the following house. The energies of the 2 in the 1^st house will feed through to the 3 in the second. Feelings of achievement, not feeling perhaps as uncertain about your home / financial security as you might have in the past.

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. 9 of Wands. Although some things may feel like a bit of a slog and never-ending, you are almost there. One last push is needed to get something resolved to your satisfaction. Don’t give up now.

4^th House – family, home (physical) , roots and emotional security. 5 of Cups. A feeling of loss, inner turmoil, something upsetting family balance which can cause you to feel unhappy and depressed. I sense that this may be something unexpected.

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. 6 of Pentacles. Balance and stability, giving to and receiving from others Perhaps you will feel more settled than you have been in previous years. Possibly a feeling of better financial security than before.

6^th house – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), and possibly your health. 3 of Cups. Celebrations and good times. I wonder if this is related to 1^st and 2^nd house cards, which do seem to indicate a career upturn. I wonder if you are going to change jobs in some way (promotion or new employer) and move into something that you really love.

7^th house – long term relationships, romantic and/or business. This card can sometimes describe your ‘ideal partner’, someone who is complimentary to you because you are both so different. Princess of Swords. I think we have had this card before in a reading for you – but it was the disruptive person in your house. Is she your girlfriend now? Or perhaps you are jut growing to like each other more generally. If not the particular female in question, it seems that someone like her will feature positively for you in 2011. Magnetic.

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. 8 of Wands. This is interesting, an 8 in the 8^th House. I feel that this particularly underlines the sense of change, activity that 8s bring generally. 8 of Wands suggest lots of communication and activity. Again, I’m wondering whether this relates to the 1^st and 2^nd house, and possible new job prospects again.

9^th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can include your sense of adventure. 2 of Pentacles. Wondering what to do really. On the one hand you want to pursue something interesting, on the other….can you afford it. Decisions and trade-offs. Whether to travel or not might feature here.

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. 5 of Wands. Conflict and competition. Saturn in Leo – constraints on your leadership and ability to go forwards. Again, I wonder if this relates to the new possibilities in your work mentioned previously, and where you might perhaps find it a little difficult to adapt at first, particularly if the role involves taking on more responsibility than before.

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. 10 of Swords. Sorry! It looks like maybe some social groups that you belong to might come to an end, or perhaps a ‘cause’ that is important to you loses an important battle. But – the 10 of Swords means that the worst is over now, so whatever problems occur – the only way is up now. I also wonder whether this might mean that you may be making major changes to your social scene in some way.

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. What is hidden from you and what you might hide from others. Queen of Swords. Clever and in control. Intelligent and a good problem solver. Is this perhaps a side of you that you don’t always let shine? 2011 may seem to offer the opportunity for it to do so; again, this may be related to work changes.

Lena's Read for 2011

2010-12-21T19:12:00.002Z

Lena,
I have done a 2011 spread for you based on the 12 Astrological Houses. Above are the cards that you drew starting middle left with 4 of Wands in the 1st House, Aries position. So here is your read for 2011:

Overall
At the centre of the spread is the Knight of Cups, indicating a desire for love and romance in 2011. However, looking at the pattern of the cards, the draw is very mixed indicating no one issue will dominate in 2011, but rather a balance of various aspects in your life throughout the year. Interestingly no Swords in the spread. Swords correspond with rational thought and the higher number Swords about matters that cause anguish, and this particular read seems to be quite free of such matters, which is very cheery.

Three out of the 12 House spread cards are 4s, which are about consolidation of what you have built up, and another three are 7s which are about you taking control of the various aspects of your life to drive things forward. So it seems that in some aspects you are in the right place and where you need to be, but in others you still have further to go to get where you want to be.

Furthermore, four of the cards in the House spread are major arcana cards, indicating issues that are of significance to you. The major cards you have drawn are all very positive, ‘go-getting’ cards – self-actualising through your own efforts. Overall, there are no cards in your reading that I would associate particularly with heartbreak, sadness or painful change. 2011 would seem to be a year with lots to offer for you, but you have to be pro-active in grasping the opportunities and making things your own.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. 4 of Wands. Wands correspond with the element of Fire and are about energy, projects and ventures. 4s in tarot are about consolidation. The 4 of Wands is often associated with home and settling down, indicating that you are perhaps now ‘settled in your skin’ in where you live and how you live your life. The 1^st House is Aries, and the 4 of Wands is Venus in Aries – and co-incidentally, your birth sign is Aries indicating a very strong Aries influence about how you take things forward in the coming year and in particular the image that you project to others. Generally, a settled year in terms of how you feel about yourself and how you interact with others.

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that you value and that which make you feel safe and secure. Princess of Wands. Again, more Wands and more about energy, activity and projects. The Princess is a court card and this can represent people, their characteristics or the characteristics of the situation. Princesses represent very young energy, a bit unbridled and sometimes quite naïve. I sense that this card here is indicating some new opportunities in 2011 regarding projects that you are involved in, either an unusual opportunity at work or – or are you considering another crusade next year? Have you done one for a while? The Princess of Wands would tend to represent this sort of activity, disruptive but exciting. Maybe some sort of community project again.

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; how you use your mind, communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. The Princess of Cups. Another Princess court card, although this time in the suit of Cups which correspond with the element of Water and are associated with matters relating to emotions and relationships. The Princess of Cups is a bit of dreamer, a romantic, sensitive and a bit ‘head in the clouds’. Are you perhaps ‘wearing your heart on your sleeve’ a little too much? Also, are you being realistic about what is possible with, for example, family, social life and day-today activities? The message here is to be careful of walking around with your head in the clouds but rather be sure that you are grounded in your thinking. Make sure you can distinguish between dreams and reality.

4^th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. 4 of Cups. Another 4 card which is about consolidation, although this time with the suit of Cups which represents emotional and relationship matters. This card is the Moon in Cancer, matching the 4^th House well which is also ruled by Cancer astrologically. This card is about some discontent, a feeling of niggling dissatisfaction and in the 4^th House to do with home and roots. What used to feel comfortable might start to become feeling dull and boring and unsatisfying. This is the dark side of the Moon (insecurity, darkness) in Cancer (emotional being, home life). Generally a feeling of restlessness and disquiet here, and I feel that this might perhaps be to do with the overall theme of your year, especially as this strongly Cancer-oriented; a feeling that something is missing – maybe this is the need for a bit more love and romance.

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. The Emperor. An interesting card here, The Emperor not being particularly known as a ‘fun’ card. Another number 4 card, The Emperor is about leadership and taking control and is also ruled by Aries (your star sign). I think this might be suggesting that you are going to have a serious attitudes to things in 2011, and a feeling that you need to set an example and be ultra sensible (perhaps to your children?).

6^th house – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), how you get on with colleagues and possibly your health. The Purple Magus. A major card – this is a very powerful card, and indicates that you have everything at your disposal to be everything you want to be – you just have to have the confidence to go for it. You will be very much in charge in 2011 and will have a key role in determining what is done and how in your work. You should grasp every opportunity that comes your way.

7^th house – your attitude towards long term relationships, romantic and business. The Fool – I think this is you. Fools do sometimes rush in where angels fear to tread but sometimes you have to take a risk in order to get a reward – the higher the risk, the higher the reward. It’s ok to have your head in the clouds a bit and to venture into the unknown. Some unknown unknowns in the coming year relationship-wise, but it’s worth giving it a try – trying something (or someone) new and different.

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. 7 of Disks. This card is Saturn in Taurus and represents constraints (Saturn) surrounding what is comfortable (Taurus). 7s in tarot represent a need to take control, and disks are associated with money, material and practical matters. The 7 of Disks, I feel, is often a ‘shall I stay or shall I go’ card; it’s where you have gone so far in building something up and you wonder whether it’s worth pursuing any further, being patient waiting for the fruits of labour or forcing the issue. In 2011 you will be facing some choices, and you may need to decide whether to stay with what you have or move on to something different. You may feel that your personal growth is being constrained in some way, and may feel a need to break out and move on to new pastures.

9^th House – Higher learning / education and your belief systems. This can also stand for long distance travel. Queen of Wands, another Fire card and she also epitomises Aries. She is Aries in the ‘court’ cards. She is you. Established, in control and successful. If you are thinking of undertaking a course of study or learning in 2011, then this bodes very well as the Queen of Wands is a highly successful woman and high achiever. The 9^th House is ruled by Sagittarius which is also a Fire sign and is about seeing something you want and getting it. I feel that this is saying that 2011 will be a very successful year for you in terms of your personal and spiritual development.

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. 7 of Cups. Some difficult choices to be made career-wise. There may be lots of opportunities and offers coming your way, and they may all seem attractive and you won’t know which way to turn. There is a caution with the 7 of Cups, things aren’t always what they seem and the best option in the longer term isn’t necessarily immediately obvious, and some things may look more attractive than they really are. Take your time and think through carefully any career moves that you make in 2011.

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. The Chariot. Yet another card associated with the number 7 and the need to take control. The Chariot is about making sure that things go in the direction that you want them to. You need to keep hold of the reins and stay in charge, and don’t just fall into things because of the actions of others. In terms of socialising, you may have to proactively join some interest groups This card does seem to suggest some new opportunities, although you will have to literally take up the reins and go for it yourself, but the cards are suggesting that you should.

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. 10 of Disks. Wealth – are you going to win the lottery or come into some money in 2011 that you will keep a secret? The 10 of Disks represents material stability and security, and the desire for privacy aspect perhaps suggests that this is something that you have done for yourself and want to keep hold of. In 2011 it looks like you will have solid material security that you have ensured yourself, through your own personal efforts alone.

Overall, a year I would say that is characterised by work, career and social opportunities, and perhaps not so much the love and romantic side that you would like, and that you might really want to be the focus of the coming year. 2011 seems to be starred very positively and is your year for getting out there and doing what you want to do. Go for it. enjoy it and savour it! Happy 2011!

Roma's Read

2010-07-11T15:29:00.003+01:00

Overall

This was a very mixed read. Quite a few swords indicating some anguish, but also some very happy cards in terms of home life stability. A feeling of some restlessness here, and wanting to move forward and maybe do something a bit new, maybe work or hobby-wise. I get the feeling of a need to channel energy into something.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. The Ace of Swords. New beginnings in many ways – how you see things. Thinking about things differently.

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. King of Swords – the ultimate intellectual; This is either a facet of you coming out or could mean someone else in your life - a strong male influence taking control in a rational (not emotional) way. Maybe this card is signifying what you need at the moment.

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. 5 of Cups. This is a feeling of loss or sadness and sometimes not realising that Cups can be half full as well as half empty. A slight ‘down’ feeling at the moment – but 5 of Cups also has an upside in that 2 of the 5 Cups aren’t overturned and spilt – you just need to see the positives.

4^th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. 10 of Pentacles. Fantastic card. A lot of stability. You are pretty well where you want to be in terms of home and material security. Family and home stable and secure.

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. 3 of Wands. The Sun in Aries. I get a feeling of restlessness here. You may be looking out over what you have achieved so far and wondering what you can do next. A new project on the horizon perhaps?

6^th house – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), and possibly your health. The Hermit. A major arcana card, so this is important for you. A feeling of wanting to off on your own. And not minding that. Taking time out on your own and finding your own way. Perhaps not hugely participating in, for example, work-based social activities. Keeping yourself to yourself, but not in a bad way – just keeping your distance and not letting anyone close.

7^th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. Temperance. Another major card. A need for balance and moderation. Sometimes mixing things that don’t look like they work at face value but they actually do. Dealing with opposing factions sometimes. Keeping the peace. Keeping calm. Keeping one foot on the ground.

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. The Tower. Out with the old, in with the new in a sudden traumatic way. Big changes – not necessarily for the worst but may be jolting and unwelcome at the time.

9^th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can include your sense of adventure. 2 of Swords. This is a bit of a stalemate card. Is there something you fancy doing that you just can’t move forwards with? Or are you stuck in a bit of a rut in terms of your own self-advancement? Is there maybe something that you’d like to do but feel constrained? Break free and go for it!

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. 7 of Swords. This is often known as the ‘thief’ or deceit card. It is also about someone doing things that others can’t see. My take here would be that you are perhaps a bit of a ‘dark horse’ at work, and perhaps don’t always show all your talents. Perhaps sometimes you hide your light under a bushel too much?

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. The Wheel. Another major card. The good luck card. But the Wheel is mostly about serendipity rather than taking control. But it is a very lucky card. But do you need to take a bigger steer on things yourself sometimes?

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. 7 of Cups. The difficult choices card. Things don’t always appear as they seem, and what might seem to be the most attractive way forward isn’t. Too many options. This is also your desire for privacy – about your choices. That resonates.

Lena's Read

2010-03-26T12:22:00.015Z

Question: Will I find my true soul mate? Cards can't easily give Yes / No answers as such - so I have re-phrased your question to "What do I need to do to find my soul mate?"

I shuffled the cards and used the following spread:
Card 1: What you came with
Card 2: What needs to be developed
Card 3: What needs to be avoided
Card 4: The Outcome
Card 5: Wild card

Overall, the cards drawn point to a situation about love and romantic relationships. The presence of 3 major cards indicates an issue of great importance to you.
Card 1: What you came with. The Ace of Cups. This is the card signifying the beginning of a new relationship - this is exactly what you're looking for. I do get the feeling that a new romance isn't too far off.
Card 2: What needs to be developed. The King of Wands. This is a 'court card' which signifies a person, which can also include a facet of your own personality. In the context of this question, I feel that this is what you are seeking - a strong male partner, someone who can take control of things and isn't intimidated by your strong personality and indepndence; an intense sexual relationship.
Card 3: What needs to be avoided. Strength. This is a major card and therefore is significant to you. This card is about stregnth of will, mind over matter - your own independence and strong-willed nature. This may be suggesting that perhaps you need to temper this side of yourself sometimes, potential partners may find it intimidating and it might get in the way of a relationship developing. Don't be afraid of being vulnerable (and letting that show a bit).
Card 4: The Outcome. The Lovers. This is another major card and is therefore significant to you. It seems to suggest that there is a relationship out ther for you. Be patient - you will find it when you least expect it. This card to me looks like Bella and Jake from Twilight. True soul mates, although she doesn't realise it. I am drawn to this aspect of the card for you, feeling that perhaps your true soul mate won't be who you would expect.
Card 5: The Wild Card - what is influencing this spread? Justice. Another major card. This is the card of balance. It can also indicate the union of opposites. Balance of being independent and also needing someone. a soul mate who is perhaps very different from you - opposites attracting. Look at the wide beams of light coming from her eyes - she is looking quite far afield and not at what is immediately in front of her. Are you looking far enough afield for your soul mate? I think you need to look in places you hadn't considered.

Summary: the cards have got love and romance written all over them. Clearly an important issue for you, and they do bode psoitively although suggest that there is more you can do to find your perfect partner. Look further afield than your immediate circle / interests.

Martin in 2010

2010-01-23T16:51:00.002Z

Overall

No one particular type of card dominates, suggesting a fairly balanced read although there are fewer Wands suggesting that personal projects / energetic activity may not have too much of a high profile this year. More Swords than others, indicating greater mental / intellectual activity this year – and particularly in the Houses relating to home and work.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. 7 of Cups, indicating some choices to be made about you and where / what you want to be this year. Perhaps a time to invest in yourself, make some moves for the longer term.

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. 8 of Cups. This suggests the coming year may be about ‘out with the old’ – possibly relating to the previous card. Moving away from what wasn’t really working for you, familiar as it might be – but perhaps not where you really want to be. I wonder – are you thinking about a house move?

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. 9 of Cups. Material comfort. Indicates stability and security – interesting as this seems to be at odds with the previous two cards, or this may mean that you come into some money – but perhaps not a huge amount.

4^th House – family, home (physical) , roots and emotional security. Ace of swords, indicating new ideas and new ways of seeing things. This fits well with the 1^st and 2^nd Houses, indicating that you will be making some changes in your home life in 2010.

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. 3 of Swords. This may be related to changes that you make, and perhaps for a while it may be difficult to relax and enjoy life with your mind pre-occupied with other matters. Perhaps a short period of feeling down / depressed.

6^th house – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), and possibly your health. Prince of Swords. This may suggest that, at work you need to speak up for yourself more at work, be more questioning and say what you really mean. Sometimes things do have to be said.

7^th house – long term relationships, romantic and/or business. 8 of Pentacles. This looks like you will be investing a lot of time and effort in getting a relationship to work, recognising that it won’t be fruitful overnight and you will have to work at it over time.

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. The Empress. This is you again, being patient and nurturing and bringing new ideas to fruition. This house suggests that money / possessions may be involved – as I felt in the 1^st and 2^nd houses.

9^th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can include your sense of adventure. The Moon – may suggest changes in your beliefs and attitudes. This can be good thing, but I do feel there may be a sense of feeling ‘down’ for a period, as previously expressed in the 3 of Swords. The Moon also represents creativity and so may suggest that this side of you will be to the fore in matters of learning – trying out new and very different things.

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. Princess of Swords. Interesting – another court card related to work – this time your career / ambitions. The Princess can represent beginnings, things in their embryonic state, and this looks like you taking those first tentative steps to speak up and make yourself more noticed.

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. 10 of Wands, indicating that you may feel over-burdened in terms of pursuing your personal aspirations. Have you taken on too much? Perhaps friends are leaning on you too much, and you are too readily taking on the problems of others?

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. What is hidden from you and what you might hide from others. The Wheel of Fortune. A turn for the better, good luck. Something good that you’re not expecting will happen.

Sara in 2010

2010-01-07T19:51:00.002Z

Overall

This is a good year for you. It all feels very stable and the final tying up of loose ends. More Cup cards than anything, indicating that emotional issues are still very important to you – but no problems seen in this respect. Generally the cards show you moving forwards and getting somewhere. Wow! What a difference to the first time I read you about 9 months ago. Really pleased to see this.

1st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. The Emperor – in control and determining your own destiny. And that’s how it should be. Having said that, don’t lose that softness and natural vulnerability that is also part of your charm.

2nd House – this is about your money, assets and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. 7 of Wands. This is the adversity card, and shows that you can overcome the problems you encounter in this aspect – you do actually have the upper hand, even though it might not feel like it at times. The battle is almost won so don’t give up now – you will succeed.

3rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. The Hermit. Chilling out and going off on your own for some quiet reflection. This suggests a withdrawal from your normal day-to-day environment and routines, and taking some time out for you. Quiet time – and about finding yourself again rather than always worrying about others and the minute detail and tittle-tattle of everyday life.

4th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. 2 of Swords, suggesting an uncomfortable compromise / peace on a family issue – a sort of stalemate. But you can’t rock the boat otherwise everything falls over and collapses. It feels like it will be left to you to maintain this compromise, and sometimes it will feel a bit ‘heavy’. You are accepting and putting up with something that you’re not truly happy about in order to keep the peace. I suspect this might be Sam and her marriage maybe?

5th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. 9 of Cups. The ‘wish’ card. Lovely – everything you want in this respect. Good times leisure-wise, happiness and enjoyment. Fun and pleasure. Go and enjoy!

6th house – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), and possibly your health. King of Cups. There is a man influencing how you feel about this. Has someone at work ( a colleague / manager) made a pass at you? In terms of how you feel about your job, if the King of Cups is you it suggests someone who cares about how things turn out – sometimes perhaps too much. You won’t hear a word said against your employers, work. Very loyal.

7th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. 9 of Pentacles. How interesting; this card is about the achievement of material comfort and sometimes an inheritance. In this House I would say that material comfort in a relationship is important to you. You need to feel secure. This House can also refer to prior marriages, so this is perhaps you taking control of the assets for once and for all. (relates to your 2nd House).

8th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. 8 of Cups. I think this links to the 2nd and 7th Houses, where this indicates a separation from previous joint finances or assets – you walking away from those ties – severing them. Maybe 2010 is the year when you finally do this.

9th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can also stand for long distance travel. The Death card. But please don’t feel worried about this. This means transformation. You will let go of your previous views and beliefs of life. Out with the old and in with the new. The Death of your old self and the birth of the new you; I think this started a while ago, and it looks like it will be complete in 2010. This is a good card for you to pull for this House.

10th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. Princess of Cups. I think that this is the area of your life where you are still very uncertain about where you want to go. Lots of ideas, but they may not be very practical. Still a bit dreamy on this issue – it needs some more serious thought (and action).

11th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. Prince of Wands. You are perhaps still a little drawn to the wild and reckless in your social life. I wonder if you are still the ‘class clown’ a bit in your social circle – and is that where you really want to be longer term?

12th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. 4 of Pentacles. This is the ‘miser’ card – meaning jealously protecting and hanging on to what you’ve got (usually materially). Although naturally a very generous person, you are determined to protect the assets that you have; this probably relates to the 8th House and walking away from the relationship but securing the assets (which you deserve).

And finally, there is the card that I dropped while shuffling – and that’s always a significant card – and indeed it is. The 10 of Swords. Ruin. The most painful card in the pack – and this is showing that for you the worst is now over. I’ve put that in the centre of your read – that’s where you came from. The only way now is up. New dawns. Rebuilding. Not always easy – but the right way to go.

Linda in 2010

2010-01-07T17:10:00.003Z

Overall
Quite a few Cups and Swords indicating matters of the heart and the head are most prevalent in 2010. Not much about work or money, suggesting these won’t be hugely significant in 2010. Not many major cards, indicating that issues that arise in 2010 are within your own power to direct and control. You will be master of your own destiny this year.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. 5 of Cups. This card suggests giving off an air of pessimism at times, perhaps seeing the glass half full rather than half empty, and this can be picked up by others. The message here is perhaps try and see the brighter side of a situation more often.

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. 2 of Cups. Love, romance and friendship. I get the impression that you are not a particularly materialistic person, and gain your sense of well-being and security from loving and being loved, and like to be ‘wooed’ romantically. This may link to the 1^st House where the slight sense of frustration is when the romance bit isn’t necessarily always forthcoming from your partner.

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. The Priestess. Your intuition always serves you well, and you always succeed most when you go with your gut feel about something. Trust your instincts in 2010. Try and read between the lines in family communications, I think there is more than the meets the eye to a situation that arises in 2010.

4^th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. King of Cups. Again, your need for romance and to feel cared for. And here he is – a loving, caring, protective man. This sounds like your partner, and this is where your emotional security and home roots are.

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. 2 of Swords. This suggests a creative block of some sort, it’s the card of being stuck in a stalemate or uncomfortable compromise. I wondered – are you too busy with non-leisure projects to take time out for your creative and leisure interests? Perhaps you need to make more time for your own personal leisure interests.

6^th house – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), and possibly your health. 7 of Swords. This is the ‘thief’ card, and is usually indicative of an untrustworthy character or something going on behind your back. I wondered whether this could be to do with work you are having done on your new property (is it in Rhodes?). This might be a bit of a warning to watch out for who’s going to be working for you in 2010.

7^th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. Queen of Swords – I think this is you. Are you by any chance the brains of the business (household)? It sounds like you are. And it probably works well like this.

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. Prince of Pentacles. A young person, late teens twenty-ish. One of your sons perhaps. A bit worried about money / material matters – you may end up helping out here.

9^th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can also stand for long distance travel. Prince of Wands – may mean a young person, or also stands for travel, exciting and often to an exotic place. At its most basic, it could mean that one of your sons will be visiting in 2010. But I wondered – are you planning any interesting motor bike trips?

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. The Chariot. This is very straightforward – it’s saying that to achieve in work / your local community you will need to take control of the direction you’re going in. Don’t be guided by others – take the reins yourself. You will be rewarded for your efforts. The Chariot is also the Victory (success) card. All going well, as long as you are in the driving seat.

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. 9 of Swords. This card indicates some worry and some sleepless nights. Perhaps some worry about what the future holds, and also friendships. Is it about losing touch with old friends, or perhaps not really fitting into the social circles where you are now? Worries aren’t necessarily founded.

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. 6 of Pentacles. The 6 of Pentacles is the card of material success and charitable donations. I wonder if there is a quiet fear in the back of your mind about what you would do if you fell on hard times. This is the house of hopes and fears, and it looks as if material comfort might be an issue here.

Gina in 2010

2010-01-07T15:20:00.003Z

Overall

A lot of major cards, indicating aspects with an important impact for you this year. Also 3 out of the 4 available Princes. I don’t think they are necessarily 3 different people, but mostly different facets of you. It also indicates that travel may feature quite strongly in 2010. I think this is the year where you take stock and make a few decisions about where you’re going and why.

1st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. The Hanged Man. This is a card of quiet reflection and temporary inaction. I think that 2010 is the year in which you gain a whole new perspective on your life, and see things very differently from what you did in the past. This House is ruled by Aries, you are Aries plus the 1st House is about you – so I would say this is a particularly significant aspect for you.

2nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. 9 of Pentacles. Finally being able to build up some financial resources, and also be able to afford a few luxuries. Material aspects are well starred here. This card can also signify an inheritance or material gain of some sort.

3rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. Prince of Wands. Headstrong and a bit wild, perhaps you’re partying a little bit too much at times. Lots of unchanneled energy.

4th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. Temperance. Family life characterised by moderation and balance. Where there are differences, compatibility is still possible. I get the impression that you were brought up to ‘temper’ any excesses, and that’s certainly how you will approach this aspect of your life in 2010. Perhaps at times you are a bit of a mediator between various family members.

5th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. The Star – a very positive card. Light and hope. It indicates that your leisure activities and interests this year will be much more focused on your spiritual side, perhaps the Church or other similar organisations.

6th house – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), and possibly your health. The Lovers. You will discover something that you absolutely love (or love doing), and will be drawn to having regardless of consequences elsewhere. Trust your instincts on this, and go with what you feel. But it will mean some tough choices to be made.

7th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. Strength. This is about you being in control of the situation, through your willpower and inner strength. Brain rather than brawn. In relationships (romantic and business) this means that you will control not only the situation, but also yourself in terms of impulses, anger etc.

8th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. Prince of Pentacles. Perhaps an over-emphasis on material things. You work hard to get what you have, but be careful of being too focused on material accumulation at the expense of other aspects of your life.

9th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. 9 of Wands. A project near to fruition, something that you have been investing time and energy in. One more final push and you’ll be there. The 9th house is ruled by Sagittarius, and the 9 of Pentacles is the Moon in Sagittarius – thus emphasising the Sagittarian energy. There may also be some travel involved here.

10th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. The Universe. As one phase in your life comes to an end a new one begins. Successful completion. I would interpret the successful completion being your degree in 2009, and so onto career matters in 2010, and new beginnings there.

11th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. Princess of Swords. I wonder if perhaps you don’t always aim as high as you could. You have the intellect but perhaps at times lack confidence to go for the ‘big prize’. I think the princess here represents a quick but young intellect which perhaps needs to be focused and channelled a little more at times. Also, be careful of gossip in your social circle. Things aren’t always how people present them.

12th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. Prince of Cups. The romantic side of you – but perhaps a little too day-dreamy and wishful sometimes. Don’t let an overactive imagination get the better of you, a need to be more grounded in reality at times.

Mandy in 2010

2010-01-07T13:03:00.002Z

Overall

This was a really happy read to do. Lots of love, sunshine and people in your cards. Very you I suspect. 2010 looks like a continuation of all the good things you already have in your life. Positive and happy.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. The Empress. You are a motherly, nurturing person, and this is how others see you too. In 2010 this role will continue to be a key aspect of your life.

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. 3 of Cups – family and celebrations. A lovely card. This House is ruled by Taurus, which is also your Sun sign – and so indicates that this aspect of your life is very important to you – and for you, family and shared enjoyment with them are where you derive your sense of self worth and is the ‘money’ that you need.

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. Princess of Wands. This indicates communication and a lot of day-to-day activity associated with a young person and project(s) they will be undertaking. Probably one of your daughters – busy and energetic.

4^th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. 2 of Cups. The beginning of a blossoming romance or friendship. A new relationship in the family, a happy one. Again, I have a feeling it’s more likely to one of your daughters than you – as your sense of family is very much about the other family members, not yourself.

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. The Sun – lovely. Indicates lots of fun and good times in 2010. Much happiness and enjoyment in all your hobbies and interest, for example, great shows at the theatre and other forms of entertainment.

6^th house – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), and possibly your health. The Priestess. In 2010, you should rely on your own instincts and intuition regarding work activities, and not what others tell you, for example. Keep your own counsel.

7^th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. 4 of Cups. The energies of this card are quite passive, and this could perhaps be a warning not to take people and relationships for granted in 2010. Make sure others know that you appreciate them.

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. Prince of Wands. This has an air of recklessness about it – be careful of rushing in where angels fear to tread. It’s one thing to embrace change and new opportunities enthusiastically, but quite another to go rushing in with reckless abandon

9^th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can include your sense of adventure. Queen of Wands. This is you - the professional successful, social you. This card bodes well for whatever personal development you undertake in the coming year, particularly work-wise. Energy, enthusiasm and success.

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. 10 of Pentacles. Fulfilment and material success. The focus is about being comfortable and happy at home and with the family, and this is how you measure your success. If you haven’t already done so, you will achieve this in 2010, although I have a feeling that this is already in place and in 2010 this will continue.

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. 10 of Cups. Much happiness and emotional fulfilment with friends and family. Again, I have a feeling that this is how you measure success in terms of your personal goals and social groups – you are very much a people person. As for the 10^th House, achievement or continuation of existing success in 2010.

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. Judgement. This card is saying a need to let go of the past and move on to the future. No point regretting what can’t be changed. It is a card of letting go of the past and moving on. Are you privately still worrying about / regretting something that can’t be changed? A time for healing and moving on.

Lily in 2010

2010-01-07T11:23:00.006Z

Overall
A very balanced read. No particular type of card dominates, suggesting a good balance of intellectual, romantic, material and work pursuits. Some new beginnings, money and love, as well as some problems that you will need to tackle. But these don’t seem terribly major, and are issues that you should be able to take in your stride. 2010 is looking generally very positive for you.

1st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. 8 of Cups, indicating you leaving a situation that you are not completely happy about. This indicates a break with something (or someone) in 2010, perhaps an unsatisfactory relationship, work situation etc. And you will be proactive in making that break – rather than it being done to you.

2nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. Justice. The card of equity and balance. It may also indicate some legal activity to do with money or assets.

3rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. Ace of Cups – nice. The germ of a fruitful relationship – possibly romantic. But some communication / response is needed from you to take it forward.

4th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. 5 of Wands – this indicates others constraining you, and this may lead to conflict / disagreement. Perhaps your family have a different idea about which direction you / your life should be taking compared to you.

5th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. Prince of Pentacles. A studious and serious approach to life. This perhaps indicates that in 2010 you need to try and relax a little more – don’t work too hard at the expense of your hobbies and having fun.

6th house – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), and possibly your health. 5 Of Pentacles. This might indicate difficulties with employment, and perhaps some temporary money shortage. A bit of a barren time for a while.

7th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. The Devil. You feel chained to a situation, however you can actually break free of the cycle if you wish. This might relate to your 1st House, indicating that you pluck up the courage to leave a situation which you find unsatisfactory.

8th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. Prince of Swords, be careful about being too clever for your own good, and be sensitive to when it may not be appropriate to let others know what you think.

9th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can include your sense of adventure. 6 of Cups. Your past and old friends will very much influence your explorations and any higher learning in 2010. Try not to let this constrain your explorations too much in 2010.

10th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. The Lovers. A choice to be made regarding where you go next. Two paths you could take, both attractive – but which one is right for you? This won’t be an easy decision. It’s possible that paternal or other authority figures may be exerting an influence on your choice.

11th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. Ace of Pentacles – new beginnings in terms of material affairs. Good health. There will be opportunities for you to prosper, and you need to grasp them and take them forwards.

12th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. 9 of Swords. The ‘worry’ card. In the 12th House indicates problems and worries that you are keeping to yourself. Sleepless nights. Perhaps a need to open up to others a little more – a problem shared is a problem halved.

Inge in 2010

2010-01-06T15:50:00.005Z

Overall

A lot of swords, indicating mental turmoil. However, there is a strong sense of you feeling constrained and stuck coming through as opposed to active worry – although there is some of that. You feel unable to progress and move forwards in ways that you want to. Creative block generally.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. 6 of Cups. A tendency to live in the past and perhaps look back wards too much. Happy memories of good times becoming nostalgia.

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. Ouch! You have the 7 of Swords, the ‘thief’ card. It looks like this situation is still unresolved and will continue in 2010.

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. The Ace of Swords. New ideas, the start of intellectual activities. The 3^rd House has quite an emphasis on communication and is ruled by Mercury, the Ace of Swords may be indicative of scholarly communications.

4^th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. 7 of Pentacles. A family situation where you feel you should intervene. However, patience is required here. You can’t solve everything and sometimes you just have to let matters take their own course – sometimes things really are out of your control.

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. 5 of Pentacles. Writer’s block. Creative flow is impeded; the cupboard is bare. You will feel isolated and will appear to others to have isolated yourself from them.

6^th house – Work and health. Your attitude to work (as opposed to career), daily life. 4 of Wands, hard work will bring solid achievements. The 4 of Wands can sometimes signify a house move.

7^th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. The Devil. You feel chained to events, however you can actually break free of the cycle if you wish.

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. 9 of Swords. The ‘worry’ card. You will lose sleep over these issues, and this may also include family money, assets and tax bills.

9^th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can include your sense of adventure. 5 of Wands. You feel held back by others, and so can’t develop in ways that you would like to. This is not constrained in the sense of feeling trapped (as in the 7^th House) but more that others are suppressing you and your ability to express yourself.

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. 6 of Swords. A long journey over troubled waters – calmer seas are ahead. It has been a struggle but finally a feeling of getting there and that the grief has all been worth it. You’re not there yet, but you are on your way.

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. 2 of Swords. You feel in stalemate, again unable to move forwards. Constrained and stuck.

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. The Hanged Man – the solutions that you can’t yet see to the problems that you are worrying about. A time for meditation and reflection to discover yourself again and what you really want. Give up your opposition to things you don’t like, reflect without barriers and solutions will become more clear. No pain no gain.

Cheryl's Read

2010-01-06T14:58:00.003Z

Overall

Quite a few major cards, and they relate to work and personal development matters, indicating that these aspects will be particularly important to you in 2010. The Magician in your 1st House – indicating that everything is there for you to do anything you want to do, a very lucky omen.

1st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. The Magician – lovely! 2010 is your year – you can do or be anything you want to be. You have everything you need at your disposal. A very lucky year for you.

2nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. King of Pentacles; a man is key in providing your material security this year. He is comfortably off and is a good provider. Reliable.

3rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. King of Cups. A family man having great influence over your day to day. It’s another side of the provider in the 2nd house, this time the emotional caring side and feeling the need to protect you and defend you. You are being well looked after this year.

4th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. 7 of Pentacles. Patience is required when dealing with a family situation. You can’t solve everything and sometimes you just have to let matters take their own course – sometimes things really are out of your control.

5th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. Justice – a need to get a balance with all the interest you have in your life. Don’t neglect the more fun, carefree interests in favour of too many intellectual pursuits.

6th house – Work and health. Your attitude to work (as opposed to career), daily life. The Star – lovely. A very positive outlook, and optimism about the future. Good health in 2010.

7th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. 10 of Swords. If past times have been traumatic, particularly in the latter part of 2009, the worst is over now – although perhaps still feeling a little raw, you can now start building for the future again. You needed to make the break you did (with work perhaps?) so that you could move on to something that’s better for you.

8th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change; sexuality. Princess of Cups. Perhaps a tendency to daydream and take things to heart a little too much. Sometimes an over-active imagination and not always very grounded when dealing with change or crises. A need to be more pragmatic at times. I wonder – are you a bit of a shopaholic?

9th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can include your sense of adventure. The Empress. Personal development will be in fields where you can care for, look after, nurture or counsel others. You get the best sense of self actualisation when involved in this sort of way with others.

10th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. The Lovers – a choice to be made. Which direction to take now? Professional development or something more altruistic and personally satisfying? Your choice.

11th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. 5 of Cups, a slight sense of pessimism here, a tendency to see the cup as half empty rather than half full. A sense of regret about what can’t be changed – you need to move forward in 2010.

12th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. 5 of Pentacles. Fears about material comfort and security, although you probably keep this to yourself. Also, in 2010 you could perhaps work on developing your confidence in your tarot studies – you perhaps under-rate yourself sometimes.

Mary's Read

2010-01-06T13:53:00.005Z

Overall

Quite a few swords in this spread, although they seem to indicate mental activity and achievement rather than turmoil, that seems to be behind you now.. Also quite a few major arcana indicating aspects of your life that will be key to you this year.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. The 10 of Swords – this was your 2009. The worst is now behind you and the only way now is up. Others sympathise with you too and can see that you have been having quite a hard time.

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. The 2 of Pentacles. Juggling money and assets – this isn’t surprising as you are currently a broke student and are doing your teacher training to enhance your sense of personal achievement, but this may be financially challenging for a while.

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. Temperance. A need to do things in moderation and recognise what will and won’t work together. A need to tread carefully at times, perhaps in communications.

4^th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. The Empress – happy home life; caring family environment. Everything is settled. Perhaps a pregnancy in the family (but I don’t think you).

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. 6 of Swords. A long journey to get where you want to be, a bit of a slog but you are getting there. You are finally travelling in a direction where you really want to go, and getting a chance to express yourself and communicate creatively.

6^th house – Work and health. Your attitude to work (as opposed to career), daily life. Queen of Wands – a need for you to stay in the driving seat and continue your determination and self-reliance.

7^th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. 7 of Cups. Some tough choices to be made this year. Don’t judge books by their covers – what looks like the best bet may not be, but rather just a short term relief. Nice to have some choices though – but looks like it might be romantically complicated.

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change. Strength. Your own inner strength and will power gets you through times of change, and you don’t seem to have too much difficulty moving on and embracing the new horizons.

9^th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. This can include your sense of adventure. The Devil suggests a tendency to be a bit hidebound in this respect, perhaps not breaking free of the established order when perhaps you really want to. Comfort in the familiar. A need to be less constrained and reserved.

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. King of Swords. A highly intellectual male influence, probably a boss or someone in apposition of high authority that can have a strong bearing on your career progression. Keep him sweet.

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. Queen of Swords – indicates your desire to achieve intellectually and be seen to have done so. Gemini in the Aquarian house – strong emphasis on learning and the intellect.

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. 7 of Wands. Your hopes and fears are about your ability to keep going in the face of adversity. Perhaps you doubt your ability to overcome difficulties. And in 2010 not everyone will be supportive, and so you will have to draw on your inner resources (see Strength in your 8^th house) to keep going in the direction that you want to follow.

Daisy's read

2010-01-06T12:42:00.004Z

Overall
Quite a few major cards, and they tend to be indicating a need for you to be what you want to be – let the past go and be true to yourself. Minor cards are mostly wands and cups, indicating a focus on projects and romance. I get the feeling you are going to do something very adventurous this year project-wise, and perhaps a need to move things forwards a bit in your love life.

1st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. The Prince of Cups. Romantic, a bit of a dreamer – perhaps a little too much. A need to be more grounded in reality this year.

2nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. The Queen of Wands – this indicates developing your material independence and self-sufficiency through your own hard work. A need for continued self-reliance.

3rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. Justice – a need to ensure balance across all aspects of your day-to-day life. Perhaps a need to ensure that you give enough time to all the things in your life.

4th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. Strength – you might need some inner strength and willpower here to overcome obstacles presented by family members. Family may be a source of exasperation and frustration for you this year; stay clam and patient and work through it.

5th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. 5 of Cups. This suggests that you maybe won’t always appreciate the good things around you. A sense of pessimism and not relaxing and just enjoying things as they are.

6th house – Work and health. Your attitude to work (as opposed to career), daily life. The Priestess. Trust your own instincts here. Do what you think is right, which may not necessarily be what others tell you.

7th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. 6 of Cups. The past influencing your romantic future. This may not necessarily be a good thing. A need to avoid ‘if only’ and enjoy what you have. Possibly linked to 5th House, and the blockage there.

8th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change. Judgement. Again, possible difficulties with letting go of the past and moving on.

9th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. The King of Wands – may mean a male influence here, but perhaps more likely represents you and your adventurous qualities – perhaps you will be travelling further afield this year, or trying out something completely new and different.

10th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. Ace of Wands – trying out something new; a new project, cause or adventure of some sort. This could be what defines you.

11th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. 2 of Swords, uncomfortable compromise. ‘Keeping the peace’, in social groups but it’s not wholly satisfying. Perhaps a need to ‘rock the boat’ every now and then. You shouldn’t give up on what you want to do just to please others. And does it really matter what other people think?

12th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. The Fool. Yourself. This is the year for the real you – the one that is behind the public face you often show. There is more depth to you than others, except for those close to you, probably realise. 2010 is the year for the actualisation of you.

Wendy's Read

2010-01-06T11:29:00.005Z

Overall

A good sense of balance across the various areas of your life. Some new beginnings, but these are well starred and will lead to success. This is your year for taking this forward and for achieving things that you want to achieve. A focus on work and family.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. You have 10 of Wands here, which signifies someone who is over-burdened and takes on far too much, and this is how others see you too. Perhaps a need to not take on quite as much as you do.

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. The 2 of Swords, the card of uncomfortable compromise. Comfortably off, but a slight feeling of stalemate and being unable to move forwards and progress.

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. The Ace of Pentacles suggests the beginnings of something new, perhaps a new job or role at work. Positive, bodes well.

4^th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. The Fool. Don’t be offended by that – it is often a positive card. It suggests perhaps a desire (or need) to break away from the conventions of the family norms and habits, and try something new. Experimentation, stepping into the unknown; may be related to your 3^rd House where new beginnings are also indicated.

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. The Wheel of Fortune. A great card, some good luck comes your way. Gambles pay off. Good omens.

6^th house – Work and health. Your attitude to work, daily life. 6 of Wands. A great card – Victory and success. You will succeed and do well, possibly overcoming some adversity along the way. If there are new beginnings at work, then this indicates it will go well.

7^th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. The 2 of Wands – not sure which way to go. Successful so far, but where to take this all now? Wands suggest that the emphasis here is on business / work relationships (rather than emotional ones) – and could indicate new, and productive working relationships.

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology, attitude to change. The Hierophant. This indicates a preference for conformity and perhaps some resistance to change. Possibly some legal issues to do with finance / assets.

9^th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. The Emperor, this is you taking control of your own personal development and learning. Perhaps you can be quite single-minded in this respect, with a clear sense of what you want to do and how you are going to do it. Go for it.

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. The Princess of Wands is an interesting card – it suggests enthusiasm and commitment, but perhaps you haven’t quite grasped what’s really required. Lots of hard work and commitment, but some naivety.

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. King of Pentacles – this is you (Virgo), and a feeling of accomplishment and completion here. Well established and comfortable in your social circle. But I wonder – do you perhaps try and organise others a little too much sometimes, and bring ‘order’ as you see it.

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. The Queen of Pentacles. Interesting that you got the King and Queen together. The Queen is your soul-mate (your wife I would say). She is the power behind your throne, with her quiet strength and encouragement.

Interestingly, you have an additional card – the Prince of Pentacles which almost completes your Pentacles ‘family’. This is a young person in your life, someone studious and cautious. It may not necessarily be a family member in the literal sense but it is someone with whom you identify and get along well with. It may even be a younger work colleague or friend’s son / daughter. This person will figure in your life events in 2010.

Rita's Read

2010-01-05T22:40:00.003Z

Overall
Quite a lot of Cups and some Coins indicating emotional and material happiness and stability. Overall, a very positive 2010 with lots to look forward to. Not much disruption – but one major ‘big bang’ event for you – and a needed one. Things come to a head and so eventually get sorted. The air in your neighbourhood needs to be cleared in some way.

1st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. You have 10 pentacles – all is well on the home front. This is a very positive card. You are materially fulfilled. I’m not sure it is always as perfect as others might think it is, but that’s certainly how others see you.

2nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. You have 6 of Pentacles here, indicating material comfort and charitable giving. You are (or will be in 2010) comfortably well off, and you need to feel that for your own sense of well-being. You will do good work for charity (or donate generous sums).

3rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. The Tower card. Something dramatic will happen in 2010 to rock your routine boat. It will be surprising, probably not pleasant at the time, but perhaps needing to be done. Things will never be the same again – and though painful the change may be, it is needed. This card may also indicate lies / past cover-ups finally being exposed – and in a very dramatic way.

4th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. 4 of Pentacles. Hanging on to what you have – resisting change. This contradicts the energy of The Tower in the 3rd House and suggests they are in conflict. Are you perhaps hanging on to something that is out-dated and has had its day and moved on, but you haven’t? In which case The Tower will knock the playhouse down anyway.

5th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. The King of Cups. Love and romance sounds like your idea of fun, and it looks like you might get a lot of that in 2010. Lucky you!

6th house – Work and health. Attitude to work, daily life. King of Swords – indicating you will be receiving some sort of professional help in 2010 – either career or health guidance. I have a feeling it will be very minor – probably dentistry.

7th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. The Hierophant. I think this is more likely to signify some sort of legal, rather than romantic, relationship – unless you’re planning to get together with a teacher. I think you’re going to come across some sort of legal situation involving significant red tape in 2010.

8th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology and sexuality (woo! hoo!). 10 of Cups. Oh lucky you – that’s complete and utter emotional happiness and fulfilment. Lovely!

9th House – Higher learning and your belief systems. The High Priestess – she bodes well for personal fulfilment in this field, but indicates that you should rely on your own intuition and not the advice of others, nor what might appear to be the most rational suggestions. This may suggest self actualisation through religion, perhaps a new found faith. Getting closer to God.

10th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. Queen of Swords – if this is you it signifies you have to go for it and be more cut-throat in your work life (or your role in your local society). Take a few prisoners every now and then (although this probably doesn’t feel like you to you). Generally, you are too soft and perhaps need to toughen up a bit.

11th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. 2 of Cups – juggling money and other assets in order to go forwards to do what you want to do. You perhaps don’t really want to be bothered with mucking about with financial / material things – but someone has to take care of these things, don’t they?

12th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. The Star – wonderful. Hope and a way forward in the future. You are a very open person and don’t keep secrets from others. And – in return – nothing is hidden from you. A bright future, which can go exactly where you want to go – just steer it there.

Lesley's Read

2010-01-05T21:19:00.006Z

Overall

Mostly minor arcana cards, meaning that situations in the coming year are those that you can influence and affect. So don’t sit back and let life happen to you – make it happen for you. Quite a few cups and coins, indicating emotional and material issues are pre-dominant, but not in a negative way overall, although some situations will need some management by you. Self-actualisation in terms of creativity and learning – this has a real ‘feel good’ factor attached to it for you.

1^st House – this is about you, how you project yourself and how others see you. Here you have the Lovers card – indicating a relationship issue and some choices to be made. Gemini (the Twins) rules this card. Maybe this is about the ‘new’ and the ‘old’ you, perhaps a bit of a struggle going on here.

2^nd House – this is about your money and self worth, things that make you feel safe and secure. You have the 5 of Swords here, which indicates perhaps some dispute and a win / lose situation. Perhaps a family argument over money or similar. Basically, no-one is really going to win here, perhaps a compromise would be a good idea.

3^rd House – Your day-to-day environment; communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. 6 of Pentacles – generosity, charity, being kind to others and doing good. Perhaps work or fund-raising for a local charity, or a generous donation. Or something very altruistic. This is you – doing something positive and good for the charitable good locally.

4^th House – family, home, roots and emotional security. Prince of Cups – Fire of Water. A young man (or possibly girl) dominating this, their needs; a teen or twenties – and their needs are very emotional – they are perhaps dreaming a little too much romantically and not being practical. They will end up in a situation that will bring out the mothering in you. This situation will dominate your family life this year. A youngster’s love situation going wrong.

5^th House – Your self expression, creativity and everything that is fun for you. The Star card – fantastic – everything will be what you hope for in this respect and better. And it’s not short-lived, whatever you do in this aspect has a longer term future. Good for you – go for it!

6^th house – Work and health. Attitude to work, daily life. 5 of Coins – not so good I’m afraid. A bit of a rough patch, possible redundancy or temporary loss of income. I get the impression you may be supporting others in some way, and perhaps won’t be able to do so in the coming year very easily – or at least not as much as before.

7^th house – long term relationships, romantic and business. 7 of Swords. This can sometimes indicate deception, or things not being how they appear at face value. Not necessarily romantically, and I wonder here whether there’s something legal going on where you perhaps don’t yet have all the facts that you should. Or something might even be a little dishonest (or corrupt).

8^th House – joint finances and possessions, may also be about personal psychology and sexuality (woo! hoo!). Here you have the Queen of Pentacles – which is exactly where you would want to be. This is you – and you are in charge of this House and all its properties, in a loving, caring and also practical way. This is what you will be minding in the coming year.

9^th House – Higher learning and your belief systems – and you have another 9 here too – the 9 of Cups. This is a very lucky card, it’s the ‘wish’ card and signifies that you will achieve the self actualisation that you crave. Lovely!

10^th House – Career / profession, responsibilities, your reputation and standing. Interesting – here you have the 4 of Cups which is a card of dissatisfaction or boredom – perhaps signifying that you don’t feel that you have the recognition yet that you would like professionally or by reputation. I think this might come when you achieve what you desire in your 9^th House (higher learning).

11^th House – your aspirations and personal goals; social groups. King of Cups. A loving man in your life is key here. I don’t know if you have met him yet or not, but he is key to your feeling of overall fulfilment. Without him, you don’t quite feel whole.

12^th House – Privacy, secrets, karma. The Magician – this is a marvellous card. This is the card of going forwards with all the tools you need to do / be anything you want to be. I don’t know if you’re a bit shy and hide your light under a bushel – if so, no need – you’ve got everything you need to be the success you want to be. Go for it! And Happy New Year.

Rosie in 2010

2010-01-05T09:43:00.004Z

Overall
Quite a few Swords here – indicating some mental turmoil and worry, particularly on the home / material assets front. It looks like you shouldn’t accept things at face value – something might be going on behind your back to do with money, assets etc.. I’d say – watch your brother. New opportunities, success and happiness both at work and in your own personal development. Personal relationships going forward positively – a way to go yet, but improving nonetheless.

1st House – this is about you and how you come across to others; how you project yourself outwardly and how others see you. You have the 8 of Swords, which represents a sense of feeling restricted or trapped, although a way forward is possible you can’t see it. This card can suggest a need to break free of old habits. Also, don’t be seen as a ‘victim’.

2nd House – this is about money, material things and what makes you feel secure. In this House you have the ‘worry’ card – the 9 of Swords. Indicates worry about something to do with money / assets / personal possessions. Cards for 4th and 12th Houses also indicate possible worries on material matters.

3rd House – This is about local interactions – communication, neighbours, siblings, short journeys. 3 of Cups. Much happiness and fulfilment. Possibly a birth or an important birthday / anniversary. The 3rd House is ruled by Mercury and you have the Mercury in Cancer card here – so something nice on the emotional front (family, close friends) expected here.

4th House – Home and family; your roots and security. 7 of Swords – this is commonly known as the ‘thief’ card and frequently represents a deception / dishonesty of some sort. The Moon in Aquarius – can mean someone who knows something that you don’t. The Moon rules the 4th House, so rely on your own intuition and gut instinct here (as opposed to what others might tell you or how things might look at face value).

5th House – Anything that is fun to you, social scene, creativity, friendships etc. You have another Moon card, this time the major arcana Moon card. The Moon card can bode well for creative, artistic work. Enjoy! This feels like your bit of escapism, but don’t lose yourself to this at the expense of reality (don’t lose touch with what’s actually going on around you).

6th House – Your attitude to your work (as opposed to your career), and possibly your health. 10 of Cups. Lovely. Everything working out well and reaching a successful conclusion. Mars in Pisces. This represents strong energy to things that are dear to you, kindness, gentleness, helping others. Fulfilment and satisfaction.

7th House – Long term relationships, romantic and / or business. 6 of Swords. A long journey to a brighter future. You are getting there, you have to be patient and stick with it. You are leaving stormy waters and heading towards a calmer place.

8th House – Joint /shared finances/resources; also hidden taboo subjects, may also include sexuality. 4 of Wands – reaping and enjoying the rewards of efforts. This can be enjoying material success, maybe after doing work on the house. Venus in Aries – the planet of love combined with the sociability and fire of Aries, astrologically can bode well romantically (and sexually!).

9th House – Belief systems and higher learning – 9 of Cups, the ‘wish’ card. A very lucky card, indicating that you will achieve what you hope for. Perhaps gaining your PGCE in HE? It also encompasses what you hold dear to you – morals, principles etc. will bring enlightenment to you. Jupiter in Pisces – learning and development close to your heart. This House can also be about publishing – could be a good year to think about this.

10th House – Career / profession, how you project yourself at work and how others see you. The Fool (sorry – but that’s the card you pulled!). But this is not a bad card, it indicates starting out on a new journey, stepping out into uncharted waters, exploration - but it can also indicate naivety, leaping into the unknown. It can sometimes suggest a need to look before you leap. New opportunities beckon work-wise.

11th House – Aspirations & personal goals; [social] groups. Ace of Pentacles – the beginning of a new venture, either materially (in the home perhaps) or health-wise. I did wonder whether you’ve got some work planned / changes in the home planned this coming year, especially given 4 of Wands in your 8th House.

12th House – your soul (and its growth and undoing), privacy and secrets. King of Pentacles usually indicates a male influence. Is there someone (an older male, materialistic in some way) with a material interest / ambition that is hidden from you? This would seem to fit with the 7 of Swords in the 4th House, deception / dishonesty of some sort - relating to home / family. Someone might be up to something behind your back – to do with money / assets. Keep an eye on your brother.

Jane in 2010

2009-12-31T17:55:00.004Z

Here's my spread and prediction for my year in 2010:

Overall, a lot of major and court cards here, indicating a year involving events that are very important to me, and also a year where the actions and impact of other people will be key.

Mars in the 1st house. The Tower. This represents sudden change, decimation of an old order – violent, sudden; but this is something that does need to change. This sets the theme for me for the year – 2010 will be the year I will have to make needed changes, and some will be painful and not easy.

My second house – financial affairs and material possessions. The King of Swords (Air of Air) – Aquarius. This suggests a need to be rational and not do anything rash, for example, avoid rash, impulse buys (especially expensive ones). This might also indicate a legal situation to do with possessions – and the K of S is the arbiter (e.g. a judge or similar). Other cards in the spread indicate a positive, not negative, situation in material terms.

Venus in my 3rd house – my nearby environment, education, short journeys, siblings. The Empress. This suggests I will be looking after these aspects of my life, nurturing and patiently cultivating developments in these areas of my life. The ‘Earth Mother’ of the family. No change there then!

The Sun in my 4th house – home and family aspects, emotional security. This bodes well for this area of my life, indicating happiness and a feeling of well-being. Nice :)

Taurus in my 5th house – creativity and fun activities. The Hierophant. This indicates teaching and learning. Taurus suggests stability and calm, conservatism. This may be suggesting that I need to loosen up a bit in 2010, and make time for fun activities and not take everything so seriously (or perhaps stop working so hard).

Princess of Swords (Earth of Air) in my 6th house – my work life. This may – of course – also represent my students, they would be Princesses (Pages) of Swords – clever, bright but naïve. My work life continuing to revolve around the students (good!). I also get the feeling that everything at work may not always be as it seems at face value, and beware of gossip / inaccurate stories – don’t believe everything I hear.

At last – a minor arcana card! 9 of Pentacles in my 7th House. Venus in Virgo. Lovely – this is about the romantic / relationship area of my life. I need to relax more and stop worrying about how I look. Perhaps this is The Tower bit – managing to stick to the ww plan and lose some weight. Possibly an inheritance of some sort, material security and comfort.

8 of Pentacles in my 8th House. I’m sure that must be significant – 8 in the 8th. My sun in Virgo – interesting as I am a Virgo and so therefore, astrologically, my Sun is in Virgo. This card here is looking very significant indeed. 8th House is about secrets, interest in hidden / taboo subjects, including sexuality. 8 of Pentacles is the Apprentice card – so perhaps this means I’m going to start work on learning something more about my New Age interests – perhaps I’ll finally get down to learning more about astrology or the qabbalah. Can’t think it could mean anything else.

Pisces in my 9th House. The Chariot. This House is about expansion of my horizons through inner and outer journeys; higher education, perceptions, beliefs, morals and principles. The Chariot is also a ‘journey’ card, and this may be indicating a need for me to take control of my own horizons and go forwards in the direction that I want to, guided by my own feelings (Cancer) and my own instincts. This could well fit with the previous card, and new learning – in the direction I want to take it.

Queen of Wands in my 10th House. Water of Fire. The 10th House is about my career development and ambition, and how I project myself at work. The Queen of Wands represents (female) business success, and also sociability. A woman in charge. I thought this was already ‘me’ at work, perhaps I need to project the image a little more and be seen by others as such.

3 of Swords in my 11th house. Aquarius in Jupiter. The 11th House is about friends and the social scene. The 3 of Swords suggests perhaps a falling out with someone, which I will be sad and hurt about. A betrayal of some sort.

King of Wands in my 12th House. Air of Fire. Aries. The 12th House is about secret hopes and fears, private thoughts, my hidden self or things that are hidden from me. The King of Wands (and Aries) may indicate a rival at work, male and who can be quite powerful. I have a feeling I haven’t met this person yet but that I also know who it is; it is someone who will be joining my place of work, and won’t take to me. (ouch!)

Generally – I think this read means material security and general family happiness but perhaps some problems at work.

Inge's Read

2009-06-22T22:46:00.000+01:00

I suspect this is about work primarily, although maybe not wholly. You feel chained to events, but in fact you’re not in reality. You could walk away anytime you like – but you are choosing not to - somthing is holding you back. And this is preventing you from doing something that you really want to do and care about. Something new and different.

In the past you feel that you have always applied yourself well, although not always wholeheartedly – more a case of willpower keeping you going. However, that’s in the past – now you just feel trapped. The best possible outcome you can hope for is some revenge at some point in the future, probably intellectual – for example, taking all your IP away with you which would make life difficult for your successor. However, that would be a pyrrhic victory and wouldn’t actually give you any pleasure – even though you think it might.

Your current situation is because of choices you made in the past – you perhaps have had the opportunity to make a change and you didn’t take it – stability, especially steady income, won. Nonetheless there is an opportunity to start afresh if you so wish, but it doesn’t come without sacrifice. However, your response to your situation at the moment can be a bit emotional and almost childish at times. You perhaps need to temper this a bit.

You hope that tomorrow is going to be a sunnier day and yet fear that it won’t. Indeed – as it stands – you can only expect disappointment and disillusionment.

Generally you have a lot of major arcana card here, suggesting that the situation is largely out of your control, although you can control your attitude and how you respond to it – if you wish to.

You asked for two supplementary cards, so I drew these using the numbers you gave me. 5 of Coins and 9 of Swords. I do feel a great deal of unhappiness here, and you still have to work through these problems. A lot of active worrying here, not sleeping. It looks like you may have to endure a period of hardship, possibly materially, before the good times come back.

I need to do another spread for you – this isn’t the whole story – it feels like it’s almost ‘in limbo’. If that makes sense.

Rosie's Read

2009-04-19T18:19:00.005+01:00

You can click onto the pics for a clearer more close-up view of the cards

A new venture or opportunity is coming up – to do with something or someone that you care about or may be a family member. Perhaps a business opportunity of some sort.

Your usual inner strength, intuition and detached calm about what’s right in a situation will give way to sentimentality and over-romanticising about what might be possible. In other words, a bit of a ‘pipe dream’.

In the past, others have tended to see you as stable, settled, contented and very grounded (a bit of a doormat?). But material comforts aren’t everything – and not at any price; you need to become more assertive and take more control of your own situation. Indeed, this is at the root of much of what is here – a need to take more control and mould your situation in your own interests.

You see this new situation as major and life-changing, whereas others see it as just a case of you having to make the best of things and ‘do the right thing’. There is a real and fundamental difference in how you see this and its impact on you (very major) and how others see it in the context of you (fairly minor).

You fear that you are being / will be ripped off or taken advantage of and need to take control of the situation. You will probably need to be a bit more devious / political than you would usually be to do this. It looks as if you might be being a bit unrealistic though about what might be achievable, and you will recognise this ultimately. You will probably be better off by trusting your intuition, as you have in the past. Think before you act.

I can’t help but think that there is or is about to be a pregnancy in the family. Maybe an unexpected one?

What has the next 12 months got in store for you? Starting from May, here are the dominant themes for each month.

The whole theme of the coming year, as far as you’re concerned, is a time of major change. It is fairly quick, sudden and extremely disruptive to you. It shakes you to the core.

May: Moving on in life; may feel a bit despondent, but going in the right direction. Leaving past problems behind (eventually).
June: Beware of getting too obsessed with something; avoid temptation. Lust????
July: Home / domestic focus; material security; possibly a windfall of some sort.
August: Injustice, unfairness; a possible loss; may be legal problems.
September: You’ve got something now, and you’re holding on to it – not sharing it nor investing it in the future. Fear of loss.
October: Red tape and bureaucracy; processes and procedures, inflexibility (Big Time!).
November: A caring, calm and passionate man in your life (you lucky thing!).
December: Take some time out to reflect and think quietly about where you want to go / what you want to do next.
January: Conflict that will end up as a Win / Lose; sometimes it’s wiser not to argue.
February: Over-the-top behaviour; too driven; over-confident; over-estimates the support of others.
March: Working hard. It will pay off; keep at it and don’t give up.
April: Misleading advice; be careful who you confide in. Deceit; treachoury.

Saturday's Read

2009-04-19T10:32:00.009+01:00

This one' s not mine - the querent for this knows who they are. Overall, I get the impression of someone who is presenting a face to the outside world that is cheerier than the reality. This is to do with money / material things and I wonder if you have debts or money worries that you’re not letting on about. Generally, this spread has an aura of change and disruption about it, the practical / material aspects.

You are at a time of sudden change and concerns about money matters / material things. These are events that are out of your control. Be very cautious, especially if money is involved and avoid buying on credit or debts of any sort. By the same token, don’t lend either – you won’t get it back. Expectations that all will be rosy are unrealistic. It will be more a case of "the only way now is up".

I was so intrigued by this that I did a second spread to look at your past, present and future in more depth. The past seems to be very much about your separation / divorce – family break-up and you being on your own is here, along with concerns over the illegal activities of a younger person.

The present is very much about you beginning to embark on your ‘fate’ and a new beginning; again be wary of things not being what they seem. Generally a feeling of contentment and material comfort, although a job loss is indicated.

Your future is about people. Not all of them good. There’s a very untrustworthy man, violent and a double-dealer. Beware of him. A time of great change, especially on material matters. A lot of indecision. Troubles between a younger man and an older women - someone and his mother-in-law perhaps? But it ends up on a good omen, The Empress. Which is the card for domestic stability and fulfilment, and can also mean….you’ve guessed it….pregnancy.

Today's Tarot Reading

2009-04-15T10:03:00.007+01:00

Well this serves me right, doesn't it? I took the pic with my phone - clearly photography isn't me and as for the spread.....well that just about sums it up.

We have The Moon crossing VI Swords (reversed). Difficult circumstances, feeling stuck; postponment of plans / a journey (oops!). Feelings of self-doubt. Illusions.

Unrealistic in the past, but wiser (self) in the future. A dislike of / prefer to avoid conflicts.

My best possible outcome....The Empress....now there's a surprise, although VI Batons suggests delay and indecision. Further backed up by VIII Cups - not the right time for this at all. That doesn't surprise me either.

Well - I can see exactly what this is telling me, and I guess I knew this anyway.

Anyone else want a read?

Tarot Day

2009-04-15T09:06:00.001+01:00

Today is going to be a tarot day, I think. I'll do a little read and post it up later. Hmm....haven't done one of these for a long time.

So Simple....Even the Cat Can Use It

2008-04-07T22:29:00.009+01:00

Well that's the advertising message being delivered by Carphone Warehouse re: a Blackberry aimed at women....advert in Sunday Times Style section (6 April 2008).

Look at the features - esp the second one.....patronising or what??? Didn't know whether to cry or laugh:

PS: I laughed - fell off my Chair when I read it..... :-)

Click onto the picture right to enlarge and read the advertising text ...this had to have been written by a man.....Ladies - enjoy.....

Introducing...The Lesser Men

2008-02-09T13:03:00.000Z

Went to see Firstborn's band play a live gig last night and they were reeaaalllly great....check out The Lesser Men.

SuperJane Fights Back

2007-09-23T19:09:00.001+01:00

I've recently come back from a fabulous holiday in Barcelona, Spain.

Man and I were warned before we went that Barcelona is the pick-pocket city of the world, so when we got to the airport I purchased a little over-the-shoulder pouch bag for use there - intending to sort out my items to put in it once we'd arrived at our hotel.

But....you've guessed it - three very unsavoury types dipped their horrid little hands into my handbag...before we got to the hotel and before I could my bring my little pouch bag into use.....and they almost got away with it.

Here's what happened.

Man and I had just arrived and were changing trains from the main line (overhead) onto the Metro (tube) to go to our hotel when the bloke with all the tattoos all over his arms helped me on with my suitcase, which he passed back to Man (who was already in the train carriage), but he then stood in my way when I tried to get into the carriage fully to join Man - he was blocking my way so that I was stuck just inside the door.

Quick as a flash Man realised what was going on, grabbed my arm and pulled me into the carriage and then leapt after these three blokes shouting: "Hey....What are you doing...what's that in your hand?...."

and then my sunglasses fell onto the floor and the penny dropped...they had dipped my handbag....

They leapt off the train just as the doors were shutting, so Man and I held the doors open forcibly, and I started shouting very, very loudly and pointing at them....

"They picked my pocket....Help...Help...Go after them....Get the Police....Get the Police....they picked my pocket...Help...Robbers...." (and more words to this effect.....)

Man leapt out after them onto the platform and I was left holding the doors open on my own - but some passengers quickly came to my aid and helped me keep the doors open (the guard was still trying to close them). I continued shouting for Help and the Police while Man confronted them and started shouting at them in English very, very aggresively....

"What have you got there...You'd better give it back right now....Give it here...Now..." (and more words to this effect...expletives not included)

It's fair to say that Man in a bad temper is not to be messed with. He's about 6' 4" and built like a prop forward (he's size XXL). Although there were three of them, and pretty unsavoury they looked too - they clearly weren't going to take on Man in a temper (I don't blame them - neither would I!).

Well - they looked like rabbits caught in headlights - what with Man confronting them - right up close and personal in their faces and extremely aggresively - and me shouting for the Police and making the noisiest kerfuffle you could imagine from the train carriage doorway, and passengers helping me to hold the doors open - they then placed my Passport on the seat on the platform and went to walk away.

But Man wasn't having any of this. He pointed to the passport and made them pick it up and hand it over to him personally....and they did...

Man then shouted over to me to check my bag to see if I was missing anything else - I checked and I wasn't. So he leapt back into the train carriage. And the other passengers and I finally let the doors close.

I was, by now, shaking like a leaf - very upset. Penny dropped - how much worse it could have been if Man hadn't foiled them - I could have lost my credit cards, money, passport, etc...etc...also - then the realisation that we took them on also clicked in...how stupidly dangerous was that?....they could have had knives etc (a La London) and Man could have been seriously injured or worse.

The other passengers were marvellous. They said lots of very supportive things in Spanish (I could tell from the body language). I understood two questions, one was about whether they had got away with any money (dinero) - and I was able to say No, No dinero (I know what that word means) - she then clarified with Nada (nothing) - and I was able to say Si, Nada (They got nothing).

We only had two stops to go on the Metro and our hotel was very near the station. So we checked in, and then went out immediately and found a bar. By then, we were both pretty shaken up by what had happened and also our reaction - which was instinctive and angry - but not at all sensible!

Still - at least we take great pride in the fact that those three nasty little (er...quite big actually) scumbags picked on the wrong two!

Moral of the story:

"Don't mess with Man and SuperJane".

Tag-A-Bag

2007-09-17T16:21:00.000+01:00

Fed up with not being able to spot your own suitcase as it chunters round the luggage reclaim belt?

Fed up with having to put back someone else's suitcase when you realise the one you've pulled off the conveyer belt isn't yours?

You need.....Tag-A-Bag. The amazingly simple, knitted luggage identifier....and not by JML.

To make your Tag-A-Bag, you need a pair of knitting needles (I used 4.0mm) and a scrap of brightly coloured wool.

Cast on 30 stitches, knit two rows (garter stictch) and then cast off.

Thread the Tag through the bag zipper, tie a good, strong tight knot with the long cast on / cast off ends - trim the ends and voila! Your own personalised Tagged luggage.

The Gang of Five

2007-08-26T10:25:00.000+01:00

Here we are in 1992

And again in 2007....

There has to be a chick-lit book in here somewhere. 15 years and still all together. Although for many of us - our lives have taken a different turn from what we thought way back in 1992.

And finally - with two new members....Looking forward to the next photo-shoot in 2022.

The Entrepreneur

2007-08-19T11:12:00.001+01:00

It is Sunday morning. 11am. The doorbell goes. A very nice couple inform Man and I that they have purchased the chest of drawers in First Born's room on e-Bay and they had come to collect it.

First Born wasn't in - he'd gone away for the weekend - and his mobile was switched off. The nice couple assured us that First Born had said Sunday was fine.

Man and I knew nothing about this - that First Born was selling the furniture in his bedroom. He must be desperate for money! Until we found out what he sold it for - £1.71!!

First Born hadn't emptied the unit out or anything. So we invited the nice couple in while we emptied its contents and gave it a quick dust. Man helped the nice man carry it down to his car. The nice lady handed over £1.71 - and a very happy couple left.

I don't think a career in business is for First Born.

Locker Room Lottery

2007-07-05T23:18:00.001+01:00

My son - Firstborn took me swimming on Wednesday lunchtime this week. I haven't been swimming since he was about 5 years old (he's now 21!).

But I know I need to do more exercise - especially since my heart attack last year - so off we jolly well went.

Well the local leisure Centre has all been tarted up since the last time I went there - with men and women's changing rooms separated by just a corridor and a diagram (of men v women). I just followed my Firstborn's instructions diligently to make sure I didn't wander into the wrong changing area - it looked a bit like I was going to when I tried to find the swimming pool!

But with Firstborn's help I found the women's changing area. He had told me beforehand that I would need a £1 for the locker - so I made sure I had at least one (pound coin)

Well - of all the lockers in all the changing rooms of all the women's rooms in the world - guess who picked the one locker that didn't have a key init, and who inserted her £1 coin in that locker!!!!

Yep! You guessed it - it was me. So - it was like - err - I went to turn the key - and errr - there wasn't one. so £1 bites the dust!

So I then moved my bag of clothes into the locker next door ( it did have a key) and inserted my £1 coin, shut the door, turned the key and it jammed! I couldn't (initially) turn the key right, left or anything - let alone pull it out.

Eventually I turned it - so I opened the door (great sigh of relief) - but decided I wouldn't do these lockers any more. I had already spent £2 -I wasn't going to throw any more money away.

So- I left the locker door ajar, but pulled it to as much as I could. Sorry - but I really wasn't going to put another £1 in these horrid slot machines where you only lose money - can't even bet on winning any!!!

When I dove into the swimming pool like an Olympic Champion, swum 10,000 metres in 2 minutes and then told Firstborn that I'd left my stuff in a locker where I'd left the door open and the key in the lock - he was completely gobsmacked.

Why? Unless you're a desperate charity shop with no scruples - why on earth would you want anything from my locker? Which is precisely what I told Firstborn - and I was right.

But I must admit - and to paraphrase the gorgeous Oscar - to lose £1 is unfortunate - to lose £2 is carelessness......

The Wife With No Faith

2007-06-05T18:09:00.000+01:00

A few conversations in my household recently.

On Kitchen Appliances:

Man (to me): I'm just loading up and am going to run the dishwasher.

Me (Incredulous): You need to put a tab in it - they're in a box in the cupboard under the sink.

Man: I know....Actually I thought I'd economise and leave the tab out.

On borrowing items from my office at home:

Man (to me): Can I just borrow your scissors?

Me: Yes, but only as long as you bring them back.

Man: Well - no - frankly... I was just going to take them away and bury them in the garden when I'd finished with them.

Ski Dog

2007-05-20T18:55:00.000+01:00

I'd like to introduce you to our latest family member - Ski Dog - who resides in FirstBorn's room.

FirstBorn spent the Winter season in Serre Chevalier in France this last Winter Season. His ski-ing - is by all accounts - now very good indeed! (Stunning in fact!).

Man - who originally taught FirstBorn to ski when he was a complete new starter was hugely impressed by FirstBorn's ski-ing progress - but not surprised!

Yes - FirstBorn is home - although only temporarily - he's off soon to Julie Andrews climes - working in Austria on walking holidays and will soon be Lighting the Hills with the Sound of Music...Well...You know what I mean...

Who Let Her Loose With That Phone?

2007-05-08T17:46:00.000+01:00

My adventures with my new Nokia 6300 continue.

I have been having problems with my computer over the weekend, basically I think one of the fans has crapped out. My friend Jeremy built the computer for me and does the maintenance when it goes wrong.

I decided to send him a text to see if he was free in this coming week to fix the fan problem. The texts went like this....

From Jane to Jeremy: Can gen ga

I then realised predictive text wasn't working, tried to go backspace to fix the words and - unfortunately - pressed the wrong buttons and ended up just sending the text above as it was to Jeremy.

Jeremy to Jane [reply]: Predictive text perchance? Doesn't bleedin work!

Jane to Jeremy: Can you send back to owe what i sent Pg foot have a record but sin sure its funny

Jeremy to Jane [reply]: You need to disable the predictive text

Jane to Jeremy: Foot throw away the prevismus two messages id like to clog them

Jeremy to Jane [reply]: More Esperanto.....

Jane to Jeremy: Sorry I was trying to text you about my computer but hue grou this new shrone and its hard to use LJx

I didn't get any more replies! Do you balme him?

The Local Elections - YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!

2007-05-03T22:19:00.000+01:00

Tonight's the night. Go out there and vote. Your vote counts! Here are your choices!...

THE MUSIC PARTY

Led by Flash Green.

The player of the Pink Oboe.

OUR POLICIES:

International Relations:

We will declare war on countries that we don't like (and yes - France - you're next!)

Local Finances:

We will increase the retirement (pensionable) age to 110 to keep taxes down.

Housing:

We will build houses in people's back gardens, in order to preserve the Green Belt.

Environment:

We will ban Farting in order to reduce Greenhouse Gas.

Education:

We will introduce 'fees for schools' vouchers scheme, where everyone buying from Tesco gets discount vouchers towards the tuition fees of the local school of their choice.

THE PICTURE PARTY

Led by 'Call Me Dave' Photograph. The Right's Left-Hand Man.

OUR POLICIES:

International Relations:

We will support the Wars declared by the Music Party, because we wish we'd thought of it first

Local Finances:

We will cut services to those aged 110 or over - because they are a drain on our resources, and to keep the council tax down.

Housing:

We will build houses in the back gardens of people who live on Council Estates - because they are nowhere near a Green Belt.

Environment:

We will privatise Farting, and wardens will be appointed to preserve people's freedom to Fart in appointed areas between allotted hours.

Education:

We will introduce a 'fees for schools' scheme where everyone can pay for their children to be educated (isn't that what eveyone does anyway?.......)

THE CHINA PARTY

Led by Ming Vase, preserved for over 2,000 years.

OUR POLICIES:

International Relations:

We will stand outside Starbucks wearing sandwich boards to protest against the wars and America's presence in Eye-Raq.

Local Finances:

We will abolish council tax and - instead - introduce compulsory euthanasia for anyone over 110 years old, or who supports the Photograph Party. This is to prevent the elderly from being a drain on our constrained local resources.

Housing:

The Green Belt is a China Party achievement - And we intend to build on it!

Environment:

We don't Fart.

Education:

We will stand outside Starbucks wearing sandwich boards to protest for free Educashun for all.

The New Mobile Phone

2007-04-21T15:25:00.000+01:00

I have finally joined the 20th Century!

I have a mobile phone contract and a new mobile phone.

I went into the O2 shop and asked about upgrading my Pay & Go to a contract, and I asked if I could have the new contract on my existing phone, and the guy in the O2 shop said Yes.

So then I got out my faithful Nokia 1100, and asked about how (and when) we could put it on a contract. He looked pretty taken aback. I can’t for the life of me understand why – the Nokia 1100 is a fantastic phone – almost totally Jane-Proof!

He then told me I could (should) have a new phone, and showed me all these Sony and Motorola (too hard to use) phones.

He said they could put my new contract on my old Nokia mobile, but that I should take one of the newer phones anyway – just as a spare – because they came free with the contract – and, which one would I like?

Well – frankly – this was far too difficult a decision to make on the spot. I said as much and that I’d have to take advice and get back to him.

So – that evening at home – I asked Man. He went on the Internet and looked up the contract options. He told me that it really would be a good idea if I upgraded to a new phone – but that I could get another (just more modern) Nokia – so the core facilities would work in the same way as my existing phone.

I agreed. So Man placed the order for me, sorted it all out – all I had to was sign up to pay.

Within 3 days the phone arrived and my old number was subsequently transferred across, the contract started and my faithful old 1100 disconnected (Boo! Hoo!)

So now I have a new phone, the Nokia 6300. And very impressive it is too. It does everything – even cooks your tea for you if you ask it nicely! But I don’t how to use it…..

So far - I’ve managed to switch off the incoming text message alert, change the clock, mark my contacts (whatever that means!) and lose some text messages that I sent to my friends (or thought I had….I’ve actually got no idea whether they were sent or not).

I phoned Matt and left a message on his voicemail. I couldn’t figure out how to end the call, still….if in doubt….Power down. Matt tried to ring me back, and left a message on my voicemail. It took me a day to figure out how to retrieve it. But I’m getting there….

Balsamic Vinegar...What's it For?

2007-04-11T12:16:00.000+01:00

Ok - all you good cooks out there - what do you use balsamic vinegar for?

I bought a bottle because it has a Weight Watchers points value of zero - which means I can eat as much of it as I like. I tried shaking it over my salad yesterday as a salad dressing - and it was horrible. It ruined what was otherwise a perfectly good lettuce leaf.

So - what are you meant to do with this stuff? Low calories suggestions only please! (preferably with Weight Watchers points value of zero).

And It's Goodnight From A Great

2007-04-08T21:15:00.000+01:00

A sad day for British Tennis. Goodbye and the very best on your retirement! Love J :))

Ruzza Gregoria is retiring from competitive tennis after 13 years at the top of the Game.

Ruzza was born in Great Britain and then went to live in Wales as a child, and then returned to Great Britain to play under the national flag.

Many have criticised Ruzza for playing under the GB flag - and she has been accused of capitalising on GB's phenomenal success in World tennis. This hurt Ruzza deeply - she has always claimed that she only ever lived in Wales - but that she was - and always has been - British through and through.

Remember - When all our hearts went out to Ruzza when:

She was a finalist in the Canadian Open and wore a black armband to remind the Daily Express that Diana really had died.

She passed the drugs test - albeit a couple of years after she actually took it and the tennis and other related crazy communities sought to say she was doing drugs....our Ruzza - doin' drugs????

She set the record for the slowest serve at 10 miles per hour................'No M'lud I wasn't doing 149 miles per hour....No M'lud I don't possess a Jaguar car or even a fast tennis racket....M'Lud...please...I'm left-handed.....'

She swore at a line official on live BBC TV when a spectator called a shot 'In' when it was really 'Out'.

Ruzza is married to the ex US tennis superstar Andre Antoioniogassi, and plans to spend her retirement marketing L'Aureelee cosmetics.

In the longer term she has her eye on taking over the Jane Fondue slot on the L'Aureelee commercials.

The Dead Blog

2007-02-25T12:49:00.000Z

Student: Hello, I wish to register a complaint...hello? Miss? Hello - Jane2?

Lecturer: What do you mean, Miss? just call me Ms, or Wolfgang (on a bad day).

Student: I wish to make a complaint.

Lecturer: Sorry, we're closed for Reading Week.

Student: Never mind that. I wish to complain about this Marketing Madness Blog that has been up on-line since the beginning of last term.

Lecturer: What's wrong with it?

Student: I'll tell you what's wrong with it my good woman (?!). It's dead, that's what's wrong with it.

Lecturer: No, no, it's resting, look!

Student: Look my good woman (?!), I know a dead Blog when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.

Lecturer: No no, it's not dead, it's just resting.

Student: Alright then then, if it's resting, I'll wake it up! Hello Janey Waney! I've got a nice slug of red wine for you when you wake up - here Janey Waney!

Lecturer: Look - it moved.

Student: No it didn't. It fell over. That's why they call it the falling-down water - it was Jane2 falling down trying to reach the next glass of wine.

Lecturer: No it wasn't.

Student: Yes it was! (student tries to leave comment on Blog and gets moderator auto-response) Hello Janey Waney. Wake up, Janey Waney (student then hacks into Blog and tries to leave a rude comment and still gets moderator auto-response).Now that's what I call a dead Blog.

Lecturer: No, no. It's stunned.

Student: Look, I've had just about enough of this. That Blog is definitely deceased. and when I tried to use it, you assured me that its lack of response was due to it being tired and shagged out from multiple postings and incessant student comments.

Lecturer: It's probably pining for the fjords.

Student: Pining for the fjords, what kind of talk is that? Look - why did it fall flat on its back the moment we tried to use it?

Lecturer: The Janey Waney prefers kipping on her back. What a beautiful bird, lovely plumage!

Student: Look, I took the liberty of examining that Blog, and I discovered the only reason that it was still on-line was because it had been nailed there and linked to other course Blogs.

Lecturer: Well of course it had to be nailed there - otherwise it would have upped and gone off with Thierry and a Va Va Voom.

Student: Look matey - this Blog couldn't Va Va Voom if you put four thousand volts up its arse. It's bleedin' demised!

Lecturer: It's not, it's pining!

Student: It's not pining, it's passed on. This Blog is no more! It has ceased to be. It's expired and gone to meet its maker - the big Blogger in the Sky Movies. This is a late Blog, It's a stiff. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. if you hadn't tried to leave comments on it - it would be pushing up the daisies. It's rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This is an ex-Blog.

Lecturer: Oh Well - we'd better replace it then.

Student: If you want to get anything done in this place, you've got to complain until you're Blogged in the mouth.

Lecturer: Sorry - we haven't got any more Blogs for this course.

Student: I see. I see. I get the FlikR.

Lecturer: I got a slug. (of wine - That will keep Janey Waney quiet for a while).

Student: Does it talk?

Lecturer: Not really, No.

Postscript: With thanks to Wolfie for sending me this variation on the Dead Blog theme. Enjoy!

It's Restaurant Rip-Off Day Again

2007-02-14T16:38:00.000Z

Happy Restaurant Rip-Off Day!

It only comes once a year - so all those restaurants and their marketers rub their hands together with glee when they see you all coming for the twice the price romantic dinner, in the overbooked and over-crowded restaurant, along with the vendor of the single rose at an inflated price.

Why not try something new this year? I can recommend Law's Garden, my local Chinese take away in Harrow. and they do home delivery. This is good food, fairly priced and delivered when they say it will be (not the mini cab "it'll be 10 minutes Madam").

Law's also has a configuration management system for its menu items that will astound even the most hardened project manager. see an example from the menu below - look at the numbering of the dishes.

A prize to anyone who can explain the logic of that.

So - that's my dinner sorted for tonight.

Now onto a more serious matter.

Today is the day when our focus is on The Heart. Which is something very close to my own Heart. Please give generously to an organisation that does a lot to mend broken hearts, so that it can continue its excellent work.

If it wasn't for the work of this organisation and others like it, I might not have been around to enjoy my Restaurant Rip-Off Day this year. Please give generously.

What A Knit

2007-02-05T08:50:00.000Z

Due to my enforced rest last year, all my friends and family received hand knits this Christmas - scarves, hats, gloves and socks. Here are some friends modelling some of my creations. First we have Janette in fake fur hand-knitted scarf and gloves with matching trim. And Andrew wearing a highly stylised hat, purpose designed for the man with the outdoor job.

And here we have Mini wearing as many of her items as she could at the same time. A foxy fake fur trimmed bolero, knitted in aran, and a scarf and cloche hat ensemble.

One of my biggest achievements last year was learning how to knit socks on circular needles.

My order book for funky socks has been full ever since I started giving them out as Christmas gifts. My sitting room is beginning to look like a Socks R Us factory. Here are a few that are awaiting being posted off to the lucky recipients.

Photos courtesy of Iain's new camera. Thanks Matt for your help in selecting it.

Janey's Mince Pies

2006-12-22T10:53:00.000Z

These break all the rules of pastry making - but are absolutely wonderful - I promise. I cook them in a big batch because they are so popular - I make them for other people.

To make c. 70 - 80 mince pies (they won't last long - believe me), you will need:

A large jar (approx 800 gm) of the best quality mincemeat you can find. This is worth paying for - don't waste your money on the cheap and nasty stuff. This year I used Waitrose top of the range mincemeat - and it's lovely!

Small tub glace cherries.
Small pack flaked almonds.
Bottle brandy or cherry brandy or apricot brandy (a minature is about the right size - but if you prefer to buy a bigger bottle, you can always drink the rest!).

Pastry quantities are half fat to flour, half sugar to fat.
Fat = half margarine (block marg. e.g. Stork) + half vegetable shortening (e.g. Trex)

2lb SELF RAISING flour
1 lb fat (8oz Stork, 8oz Trex)
8 oz castor sugar

Sorry - I don't know what the pastry quantities are in metric - I'm an Imperial gal myself.

Water to mix

A little milk to glaze

I make these up in two batches of 1lb flour. Trying to make pastry with a quantity larger than this is pretty unmanageable.

Put the flour in a bowl (I don't bother with all that sieving nonsense that these celebrity cooks will have you do - these mince pies work perfectly well without mucking about doing that).

Cut up the fat into small pieces and rub into the flour. Once it resembles breadcrumbs, stir in the castor sugar. Then slowly add water and mix with a knife and then your hands until the mixture is a light dough. It should come clean away from the edges of the bowl but shouldn't be sticky (too wet) or crumbly (too dry).

Put the dough in a polythene bag (I split it into two and use two large sandwich bags) and chill in the fridge for about half an hour.

Put the oven on to heat up. Gas mark around 5-6, circotherm 170-180. (sorry - I don't know exactly what it is on a standard electric oven - around 400F, I think).

Meanwhile, put half of the jar of mincemeat into a bowl. Chop up glace cherries into quarters (as many as you think you'd like - I use around half a medium tub) and add to the mincemeat. Take a couple of handfuls of the flaked almonds and just crush in the palm of your hand until in fairly small-ish pieces. Stir these into the mincemeat. Then add around half a bottle (a minature!) of brandy. Mix it all together.

When the pastry has chilled (after about half an hour), roll it out on a floured work surface. You should roll out as thinly as you can - because the flour is self-raising, the pastry expands when it cooks anyway.

I work the pastry in two batches - otherwise it's a bit too big to be easily manageable.

Cut out rounds with pastry cutters (around 3" / 7 cms) and put in lightly greased patty / pie tins. This quantity should make around 36 (3 trays) of mince pies.

Put around 1 tspn of mincemeat in each pastry case, then cut out a round of pastry using a cutter the next size down (approx. 2.5" / 6cms) to make the lids. Brush the lids around the edge with a little water - which will seal the lid to the pie base - and press onto each pie.

Slit the top of each pie with a sharp knife - brush with a little milk to glaze and bake in the oven (circotherm around 170-180, Gas 5-6) for about 15 minutes.

When cooked, the lids will be slightly golden. Leave in the tins for about 1 minute when they come out of the oven (otherwise they will break up when you try to take them out) - then take out of the patty / pie tins and cool on a wire cooling rack.

Tip: To remove from patty / pie tins - ease a non-stick spatula under the base to loosen the mince pie slightly, and then just push it out. It should come clean out. I only get the odd one or two that stick or break on exit - and so - just eat those - they're the QA test samples.

Next - make the second batch with the next half of mincemeat and the next 1lb of flour in the same way.

Then, when you've finished - make a nice cup of tea, sit down and enjoy a warm, just out of the oven, mince pie (or three).

Happy Christmas!

Wolfgang Comes Out

2006-12-16T16:24:00.000Z

That famous vertically challenged star of page, spleen and the Former Day Church of the Six Week Morons finally comes out of the broom cupboard.

Wolfgang – or Wolfie as he’s known to his friends – shot to fame with his box office smash hit – Mission Exfoliation. After a series of unproductive relationships at work, Wolfie became box cutter poison for a while, but he’s now on the up and up again with the birth of his new purple lycra top, designed and made especially for him by Jane Bun the Second.

Bollywood rumours are that Jane Bun the Second is a good friend of Wolfie’s and shares his love of Battlestar Galactica. The couple are both denying any relationship, insisting that they have their own separate BitTorrents.

Ruth's Chestnut Stuffing

2006-12-06T02:06:00.000Z

This is the first in a series of recipes for the Christmas season that caters for both the cook and his / her guests.

I shall be entertaining this Christmas (am I ever anything else?....)

So I am starting off with Ruth's fantabulous home made chestnut stuffing.

Ruth is my late Mother and the inventor of this recipe. She died in the 1980s when still a young woman. Breast cancer. Here is a picture of Ruth and me (SJ) in 1973. Ruth is on your left and I am on your right. Spooky likeness, huh?

So - enjoy this recipe and - please - raise your glasses to Ruth when you make this, eat it or pass it on to a friend.

The recipe is in two parts, one part for the dish itself (which Ruth did) and one part for the cook (which I did - Mum, you'd be proud of me...XXX)

So....off we jolly well go...

Recipe for Chestnut Stuffing:

600 gm fresh chestnuts (Waitrose organic highly recommended)
3 quarters pint stock (vegetable or bouillon cube, only use beef if you absolutely have to).
4 ozs fresh brown breadcrumbs
Grated rind of half lemon
Squeeze lemon juice from the above half lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
2 ozs butter - preferably salted, not the unsalted, been invented by the Health Police variety and DEFINITELY NOT low fat / olive oil / low cholestrol / polyunsaturates (or anything else) spread
1 small onion, peeled & chopped
Milk to bind (any fat variety version ok)

Items for the cook:

1 bottle good, robust wine (Pinot Grigio tends to work well)
1 x i-Pod or MP3 player stacked up with loads of decent tunes
Nail clippers / nail file

Method:

Take a sharp knife and slit the chestnut skins. Cook the chestnuts in boiling water for 5 minutes.
Drain and peel the chestnuts.

This is where you need wine, music, sharp knife, decent nails and patience. The skins are damned hard and fixed on tight. When the chestnuts are warm it's not so bad. As they cool, the skins get tighter and much, much more of a bitch to remove.

I started off with I Feel Love (Donna Summer), moved on to Like a Virgin (Madonna), Sailing by Rod Stewart and then chose 19th Nervous Breakdown (Stones) and finally Hansel & Gretel's Cottage singing Billie Jean for my Chestnut finale.

After the chestnuts are peeled is when you need the nail clippers. By now any nails that you had will be trashed and broken, and possibly a bit sore. Clip and file your nails as necessary.

Now return the peeled chestnuts to the pan with the stock, simmer for about 30 minutes until tender.

In the meanwhile, drink another glass of Pinot Grigio and place the breadcrumbs, grated lemon and seasoning in a bowl.

The chestnuts tend to absorb the stock - which gives you a clue when the 30 minutes are up - it's once all the stock has gone and just before the saucepan starts burning.

Once the chestnuts are cooked - Ruth's recipe says to sieve or puree them. Can I just say - I remember watching my Mum (Ruth) doing this. Standing over a sieve for hours on end with these damn chestnuts. She used to make batches of this for people she knew - the stuffing was very popular, but very hard work for Ruth.

If you want to do it Ruth's way - the one bottle of Pinot Grigio really isn't enough. If you are truly going to sit (or stand or sway) and push these damned chestnuts through a sieve - then someone is going to have to buy you a serious drink, or employ someone to do this for you.

These days we have food processors and / or blenders. OK - but when you put the chestnuts in - the chestnut puree becomes very thick and the blades look in danger of sticking with the weight of the chestnuts, which aren't very - shall we say - very liquid. So - I popped in the juice of half of a lemon and a little water - just to get the chestnuts to move around a bit in the food processor. It worked!

Thinking about it - I could have given those chestnuts a drop of my Pinot Grigio.....no....that's far too generous.

In the meanwhile, melt the 2 0zs butter, add the chopped onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until soft.

Stir the onion & butter into the mixture. Mix well and bind together with milk as necessary.

Actually - the mixture is very thick and viscose - you need to be patient. but it does work if you keep at it.

I like to freeze the stuffing for future occasions. And - this is how you do it. Take a freezer-proof bowl / dish ( as many as you need). Line with foil, brush with melted butter from the pan used to fry the onion (use the residue) put in the chestnut stuffing. Cover with cling film and then foil and freeze until needed!

By now you should have finished the Pinot Grigio. If you haven't - you should be ashamed of yourself!

Man Goes Shopping

2006-11-19T23:55:00.000Z

I needed to pop out to my local Tesco today for a couple of bits - but unfortunately my Car broke down - so I couldn't go.

But Man's car was working - so he went - armed with shopping details from me.

I only wanted a few apples, pears, loaf of bread and fresh, cooked beetroot.

Man came back with pears as requested, several kilos of apples (they were on special offer), bread as he thought ok (it wasn't) , ten ton of spring onions (not needed, we already had some - but he bought them cos he said he liked them) and then...the 'coup de grace'...

"They didn't have any beetroot...so I bought you a cauliflower instead..."

Ermm.......

Of all the things you could have bought to replace beetroot...you bought cauliflower...???

I asked Man again and he said "You wanted a vegetable didn't you? They didn't have any beetroot so I got you a cauliflower instead...

Ok... so off we jolly well go I guess...

Erm...I really look forward to slicing up my cauli in my next salad, and making cauli borsht soup, and slicing it into a sandwich...caulis are just so up for this aren't they.....they are just so like beetroot...perfect substitute...

The Perfect Couple

2006-11-02T07:37:00.000Z

Tom and Jerry? Liz and Richard? Gin and Tonic?

What makes a perfect couple?

Prime Suspects

2006-10-16T22:50:00.000+01:00

Helen Mirren meets Catherine Zeta Jones

or is it Jane & Lindi....

Matt's i-Pod Sock

2006-07-22T13:24:00.000+01:00

I have taken up knitting again after a break of 30 years. I had forgotten how therapeutic knitting is – and what a good knitter I am.

Lots of unsuspecting family and friends are going to get something knitted for Christmas this year.

This is the i-Pod Sock, which I knitted on Thursday. Here it is being modelled by my U2 Special Edition pod.

The sock is personalised (yes Matt – MW means that I made this one for you), and includes a front pocket for earphone storage as can be seen in the close-up below.

With many thanks to Suw Charman’s mum who published her i-Pod Sock pattern on the Blog which was the inspiration for my design.

I agree with Suw – these hand-knits are much better than the plain, ordinary, mass-produced ones being peddled by Apple for about £20.

Matt - it will be in the post to you next week.

Here’s my adaptation of Suw’s mum’s pattern:

Materials:
Main colour wool (Double knitting, DK)
Contrast colour wool (Double knitting, DK)
3.25 mm needles
2.75 mm needles
Spare needle or stitch holder
Squared paper & pencil (to work out design for letters)

Abbreviations:
K = Knit
P = Purl
RS = Right side
WS = Wrong side

Pocket:
Using 3.25 mm kneedles and main colour wool cast on 16 stitches and work stocking stitch (1 row K, 1 row P) for 3 inches. Put stitches onto a spare needle.

Main sock:
Using 3.25mm needles and main colour wool, cast on 40 stitches and work in K2, P2 rib for 2 inches, ending with a wrong side row.

Change to stocking stitch for the 1st 20 stitches (front of the sock), starting with K row, and then continuing in K2, P2 rib for the remaining 20 stitches (back of the sock).

Work the pattern for the initials over 9 rows of the stocking stitch half of the sock. For M W, for example, the design (9 rows, 20 stitches) is as follows:

X represents the contrast wool to Knit (RS) or Purl (WS) to form the letters. If you get stuck trying to work out your letter pattern on your squared paper, let me know and I’ll try and work it out for you.

Note for less experienced knitters: When working in two colours, the yarn not being used at any given time has to be interwoven on the WS of the work at least every 2 stitches so that it’s in the right place when it’s due to be used. Loop it along using the yarn being knitted but don’t pull it up tight. The weaving must not change the tension of the work. For an excellent explanation of how to do this, including pictures, see the Knitting Fiend.

After the 9 rows of pattern have been completed, return to K2, P2 rib as follows.
Next row: Rib for 22 stitches, cast off 16 stitches in rib, P2.
Next row: K2, transfer 16 stitches from spare needle and rib across all stitches. Transfer pocket so that the RS of the pocket is against the WS of the front of the sock.

Continue K2, P2 rib until work measures 4 inches ending with WS.

Next row: RS of work facing, change to 2.75 mm needles and contrast wool and K one row.
Continue in Rib (K2, P2) for a further 2 inches. Cast off loosely in rib.

Making up:
Press stocking stitch on sock and pocket lightly if needed but do not press any of the ribbing.
With RS together, sew sides and bottom and edges around pocket to secure.
Turn to RS facing, and sew contrast rib edging, and fold over.

(Tell Me Why) I Don't Like Wednesdays..

2006-07-10T19:55:00.000+01:00

Had my heart bypass operation on the morning of Wednesday 14 June. Woke up that evening in ICU covered in iodine and heavily sedated and intubated (tube down throat – connected to breathing machine). My boys were there – holding my hand.

Almost immediately I demanded pen & paper so that I could communicate with the nurses, asking them to take the tube out. After several pleas (I was desperate – I needed to cough – and you can’t when you’re intubated) – the tube was pulled out and I was breathing on my own! Much relief from my boys (and me and my cough!)

That was a long night. I couldn’t sleep. Although dosed up to the max with morphine, I was too afraid to go back to sleep. Having woken up from heart surgery – I wanted to stay awake. And I did! Chatted to and pestered the nurses all night long.

I paid for it the next morning (Thursday). I was in terrible pain – partly because I hadn’t rested enough, and was awake when I should have been asleep. But I was still on the mend and so was transferred to a high dependency ward where people who were far more ill than me kept me awake all the next night. And they did - their bodily functions and consequent need for the nurses were relentless throughout the night and in the early hours of Friday morning.

Friday morning – today I am unhooked from all the tubes and monitors and – with the escort of a nurse – walk the 20 yards to the bathroom and back. I am now considered to be a mobile patient and am transferred back to the main ward. It’s more cheerful there – people have either just been admitted (awaiting their surgery) or are recovering and about to go home. This just makes me feel so much better. I finally get what resembles a night's sleep since the op.

Saturday morning – I have shown that I can eat, sleep, walk and get in and out of bed on my own – and all body parts seem to be working – so I am allowed home. Fantastic!

It is another two weeks before I can do much more than get up out of bed, make cups of tea, turn on the telly, eat a sandwich and go back to bed at the end of the day. The pain is much worse than I imagined it would be. Thank goodness for Big Pharma and its candy supplies.

Almost four weeks on now. In addition to the above, I can turn on my computer and sit at it for about an hour, two at most – discomfort is too great to do much more. I can walk to the paper shop and back. I can cook a simple meal. That’s about it - physically.

But Brain is working and I am doing little bits of work each day - even though I'm officially off sick, and will be for quite some time. There's only so many re-runs of old soap operas that a girl can watch - especially now that Wimbledon & the World Cup are over.

My next milestone - in the next couple of weeks or so - will be to walk to the high street shops and back home again. I haven't managed that yet.

See World Cup Matches Live

2006-06-06T09:15:00.000+01:00

Still wondering how to get time off work to watch some of those afternoon / early evening World Cup matches?

Here are some tried and tested excuses for your sick notes during the tournament.

Happy skiving!

How To Disappoint A Man

2006-05-26T23:09:00.000+01:00

It was a wet, rainy Wednesday evening in Suburbia.

Man is enjoying a couple of beers that he bought from the off-licence on his way home from work.

Man: “These beers are going down really well. I’m on my last one. The trouble with these Beck’s is that they’re smaller – and don’t last very long.”

Woman: “Why are they smaller? Are they World Cup specials or something?”

Man: (Groans inwardly): “No, this is nothing to do with the World
Cup – Beck’s are always smaller – only 275ml – decent beers have bigger bottles”.

Woman: “Don’t worry. I know you told me not to buy you beers when I went shopping because you wanted to cut down – but I ignored you anyway – and bought you some Beck’s from Sainsbury’s when I went shopping today.”

Man: (Hopefully): “Oh thanks. Where are they?”

Woman: (Helpfully): “I bought on-line. Sainsbury’s will be delivering them on Friday afternoon."

THE EPIBLOGUE

To finish the job off properly ... Sainsbury's delivered Beck's Alcohol Free beer ...

For Hospital Use Only

2006-05-22T22:54:00.000+01:00

Sorry about radio silence from me – I have been in hospital since just before Easter. I was admitted via A&E with angina.

The angina attacks came totally out of the blue – all on one day and without warning. I had no idea whatsoever that I had a heart condition.

God has given me a Yellow card. For too long I have been working too hard, playing too hard and not exercising enough (apparently watching sport doesn’t count).

My main artery to the heart (the LAD) has a blockage. I’m currently stable – thanks to drugs (ooohhhh…..candy!!!) – but need bypass surgery.

I have been allowed home temporarily while awaiting the heart surgery – I’m going to have a relatively new procedure, a bypass using robotic techniques to be done by Mr Roberto Casula, the pioneer of this operation in the UK, and I feel very privileged to have the UK’s expert on this technique doing my operation – and on the NHS! What a fantastic institution.

My operation was originally scheduled for this week but has now been deferred until mid-June as there are some patients more urgent than me that need to be done first – which is fair enough. So this means I get to watch Big Brother live on TV over the next few weeks – along with the delightful birdsong that replaces the dialogue - but will miss crucial World Cup matches and the Stella Artois tennis. God also has a sense of humour.

I shall be off work for the foreseeable future – probably until late Summer / early Autumn.

I did consider blogging the diary I kept during my hospital stay, detailing all my tests, injections, my fellow patients etc. – but changed my mind – a bit gruesome, especially the fellow patients stuff.

But - PJA from Mordor took a photo of a spectacular bruise on my arm from a Fragmin injection (it’s not meant to be given in the arm). It’s a bruise that Thrace would be proud of.

Have you still got the piccie PJA? What say you – shall we publish it?

The Problem Post Bag

2006-04-09T17:50:00.000+01:00

A problem shared is a problem broadcast.

Our resident Agony Uncle, Marionna Frostyupp, answers your problems of a personal, sexual and unacceptable nature.

This week’s letter comes from Brenda, from Windsor:

Dear Marionna,

One is obsessed with Tupperware. My husband and I have been married for over 50 years and one has managed to hide this from Phil until recently. It has got to a point where one’s castles are now over-flowing with Tupperware and Phil has found out. He says he feels betrayed because one has kept this secret from him. What can one do to save one’s marriage?

OUR READERS REPLY:

Feelicity said:

You need to involve your husband with your Tupperware more. Although it may seem a little uncomfortable for him at first, introduce him gently to the different types of boxes…start with the sandwich box (the smallest one first), and then progress to the freezer boxes and then the salad drainers. These things just take time. You need to be patient with his natural resistance to this challenge to his masculinity.

Zsa Zsa said:

You should divorce him. If he doesn’t understand a woman’s need for Tupperware, then he isn’t worth having.

Marionna says:

OK Brenda – so that’s told you.

And so onto next week’s Problem Post Bag.

Readers are invited to offer their advice to Dave, a post-graduate student, studying in Central London who writes:

Dear Marionna,

I am currently feeling very embarrassed because I don’t know how to ex-foliate, and everyone else in my class does. It got even worse when we had a guest speaker from L’Oreal who gave me free samples to try out, and I’ve tried this stuff on my stubble every morning and it doesn’t work. I’ve had to revert back to shaving. I daren’t tell my classmates I’ve done this – and I’m terrified that they’ll find out. Please advise me – what can I do?

A selection of Readers’ replies to Dave’s letter will be published in next week’s Problem Post Bag.

This Bud's Not For You

2006-04-07T17:14:00.000+01:00

According to an article in this week’s Marketing magazine, the Anheuser-Busch brewery will not be able to market its Budweiser brand at the football World Cup 2006 in Germany, even though it has paid $40m (£23m) to be one of the tournament’s sponsors.

The right to use the name ‘Budweiser’ in Germany is actually owned by the Czech brewer, Budweiser Budvar.

Germany doesn’t permit the use of the name ‘Bud’ on its own either, because of possible confusion with the Bit beer brand, brewed by the German brewer Bitburger.

The whole idea of sponsorship is to buy the rights to associate your brand with the event, invariably involving sole rights to advertise and distribute your product in and around event venues. Ambush marketing is where non-sponsoring companies try to get round these restrictions.

According to Marketing magazine, the American Budweiser will probably be marketed as Anheuser-Busch Bud during the tournament.

Now there’s a catchy brand name! Imagine trying to ask for that after a few pints.

“I’ll have an Anherrr...err, hic! Shorry I’ll try again”

“I’ll have an Amsherbrush…., no thash not it either, burp! Oopsh pardon me”

“Forget it – I’ll have a Becksh.”

Also, according to Marketing, Anheuser-Busch will probably permit Bitburger to sell its Bit brand of beer in the stadia, even though it’s not a sponsor of the tournament!

Now that’s what I call Am-Busch marketing.

Be The Face of McLitter

2006-04-05T21:26:00.000+01:00

McDonald’s has just announced an exciting new promotion. The company is going to print selected customers’ pictures and a short story about them on its packaging.

All you have to do is submit a photo to Ronald online along with a few words about yourself. 25 lucky finger-lickin’ winners will then be taken to London to be shot. For more details and how to apply see here.

Your face, along with details of your sexual deviances, fantasies and any other bad habits, can then be strewn over a million pavements and people’s front gardens world wide; be left on hundreds of park benches, bus seats and Silverlink trains.

Your face will be remembered as a sign of our times.

Go on – Be The Face of McLitter.

Because You’re Worth It.

Blogging For Beginners

2006-04-03T18:43:00.000+01:00

Here are some tried and tested techniques for those of you that are new to Blogging and not quite sure what to do:

You have just got your new Blog set up by a friend who knows how to do this (don’t try this yourself at home), and you are raring to put up your first Post.

Sign in to your Blog with your user ID and password.

Then go onto the Help section in Blogger and print out all the relevant pages on Profiles, Posting and Editing. You will need these instructions every time you use your Blog.

When you put in your profile information – complete every box – then follow the instructions from your Help printouts on how to publish it and There You Are.

Forget the photo bit – it’s too hard. Anyway – you want people to visit your Blog – you don’t want to frighten them off.

View your Complete Profile. You then see that your age is shown on your Blog - because you filled in your year of birth – it was optional – but the penny didn’t drop at the time.

Get out those Help printouts NOW!!! Go back in and edit your profile and republish your Blog to remove this incriminating information before anyone you know sees it.

Decide your topic for your first Post. Try to make it interesting. Be ambitious and include some links to websites and some pictures.

How to insert links and pictures:

First of all – remember – only 1 web site at a time can be accessed and viewed via the Internet – even if you have broadband.

Search Google for the type of items you’d like as your links. Once you’ve found one, get out pen and paper and write down the URL. Then close the page, go back to Google home page and put in your search criteria for your next link. Repeat the above process until you have a list on paper of all the URLs you want to link to. Don't forget to keep a note of what topic / keyword you want each to link to.

When you are ready to write your Post, follow the Help printout instructions for inserting links (it’s very easy). Get out your paper list of URLs and type them in very carefully in the appropriate places in your Post. The Internet is very unforgiving of typing mistakes.

To include pictures, graphic images etc. in your Post, first of all design your image free-hand in Powerpoint. Then save it as a .ppt (Powerpoint) file. You will find that Blogger doesn’t upload Powerpoint images, so you will need to print out your slide using your colour ink jet printer, then put it back into your computer using your scanner - which can save it as a jpeg. It will then be stored in Explorer for your easy retrieval.

Follow the Help instructions for uploading images. If, after uploading, you find that the image is too big, delete it from the Post in progress – go back to Explorer to find it again and then follow the Help instructions in MS Photo Editor on how to change the size (it takes a few goes to get the hang of this one). Re-upload / delete as many times as necessary until you get it right.

Once you have put in your text, your links and your pictures you are ready to Publish your Post. Follow the Help printouts – this is the easy bit.

Now sign out of your Blog and then exit Internet Explorer (or whatever browser you are using).

You should now be back on your desktop. Click back on to your browser, and access your Blog to check your Post. Check all the links – it is highly likely that some don’t work due to original transcription errors or typos when you were typing in the URLs.

Log back into Blogger to Edit the Post (see Help printouts). Once you are in Edit mode, save your Post as Draft (which is a new name). You can now delete the Post (before anyone sees it and what a mess you made of it) – and safely work on the Draft.

You will now find that you have lost the lot (including the Draft). You will have to start all over again and be more careful with your typing next time.

It will probably take you about 6 hours to do your Post. But don’t lose heart – you will soon get quicker at opening and closing websites, and more accurate at writing down the URLs and typing them in as links.

Blogging is a very rewarding hobby. Welcome to the online community.

Blogging is easy – if I can do it, anyone can!

Your Horror Scopes For April

2006-04-02T12:21:00.000+01:00

What does your star sign say about you?

Our resident astrologer, Nigelia Lawless Reveals All.

Capricorn
The Goat: You like grass (who doesn’t?). And you are the horny one. More about Capricorn.

Aquarius
The Water Bearer: It is really gin in your water pitcher. You are the drunk of the star signs. More about Aquarius.

Pisces
The Fish: Your future growth will come from online sources. A fan club has been formed. More about Pisces.

Aries
The Ram: You are not the Beast of the zodiac. You are a party animal. More about Aries.

Taurus
The Bull: You are full of BS – literally. But it is very decorative. More about Taurus.

Gemini
The Twins: You are two sides of the same coin. Your two halves rub along together well. More about Gemini.

Cancer
The Crab: You are Crabby, Grumpy and Stumpy. And you have cloth ears. More about Cancer.

Leo
The Lion: You are just a plaything. Are you really the 9 inches that you claim to be? More about Leo.

Virgo
The Virgin: Your trains suck, and so does your haircut. More about Virgo.

Libra
The Scales: Balance and Justice. You are Judge Dredd. And you will become him. More about Libra.

Scorpio
The Scorpion: A life of mortal combat. And you have bad dress sense. More about Scorpio.

Sagittarius
The Archer: There is no beginning to your talents. The penis mightier than the sword. More about Sagittarius.

PREDICTIGRAM - The Winner!!!

2006-03-31T15:23:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to retardo bot!

You have won this week's PREDICTIGRAM.

You correctly answered Rentokil.

Collect your prize here.

Introducing PREDICTIGRAM

2006-03-30T15:41:00.000+01:00

Forget SoD Uku - here's the latest brain-teaser craze. The New and Exciting PREDICTIGRAM.

Here's how to play:

Jane doesn't know how to use her mobile phone properly.

Her son set up the predictive text for her and he's now away at university and unable to help.

Jane had to send an important text to her friend Jeremy.

Predictive text thought it had recognised a word when it hadn't.

Jane couldn't figure out how to get it to "Spell" when it didn't want to.

So this is the text that Jane sent to Jeremy:

"Remunlgl has been. Let's speak later."

Help Jeremy to unravel the text.

What message did Jane mean to send?

The McMessenger

2006-03-28T00:52:00.000+01:00

Soon to be messenging a child near you. Check it out here.

Ronald has done a deal with Bill to brand the burger on the MSN Messenger.

Ronald claims that loadsa companies have these so-called 'theme packs' with Bill.

And so it's just not McDonald's trying to get round the inevitable TV advertising restrictions to kids, marketing to schools etc. and using the Internet instead to get to kids. Others are doing it as well - so that's all right then.

Who else might Bill have 'theme pack' deals with on Messenger?...Errr - who could it be ...Sony...Disney?....Nestle? Or perhaps some other great bastions of Corporate Social Responsibility?

Perhaps some tobacco companies? How about an oil company or ten? Or even a nuclear power plant?

Why stop at this? Hey - let's go all the way and have a few Colombian drug barons while we're at it?

Let's just SPIM all the kids with genuine marketing messages from disguised strangers.

Where does this end?

And so - who cries for the children? Mordor does.

And where are you Fastfoodcorp? A bit slow off the mark on this one - aren't you?

Super Jane Has Arrived

2006-03-26T12:48:00.000+01:00

Hurrah! I have finally got my Blog up and limping!

Welcome to Jane's World.

This is me, SuperJane, in battle with the McBeast.

Artwork courtesy of our infamous student, Glen, in 2004.

Peter - you can breathe out now.

First post

2005-11-14T12:54:00.000Z

This is my blog. Thanks Matt for setting me up!