A secret meeting with a GoY Friend :o)

Fantastic Sandra - what a great surprise!

Thank you Sheila,it's lovely to meet friends from GoY, We were so happy to receive the lovely gifts from Amy..:o)
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Thanks Sue,just a shame we didn't get to meet you,when you were in our area..trust it to be when we were away..you certainly tried hard enough to find us..maybe one day :o)

Thanks Sandra for putting this blog on it was such a lovely suprise for me and how I managed to keep the tears back I'll never know!
It was fantastic meeting up with Amy something I have always wanted to do, so your planning together made our holiday even more special and didnt our husbands all get on well together!. so many thanks to you both for arranging this very special treat and many thanks to you Amy for your lovely gifts ;0))xx

You will notice I didn't mention you filling up,Carole .. I knew you would be a bit emotional.:o)I forgot to mention all the seeds we were given too..we should have a great looking garden next year..all being well ! We had been looking forward to it too..and you know now we can keep a secret..It's a wonder you didn't ask why I kept looking at my watch ! Lol xxx

How wonderful for you all. You all look great :). I would have felt emotional too x

Aw! That is absolutely lovely! Well done Bloomer! :))))))

So pleased that it all went to plan ,had been waiting to see who would blog it.

Wonderful Bloomer so pleased it all worked like clockwork for you and you all had such a super evening together :o)

What a lovely story . Glad to hear that you all had a wonderful time. Well done Bloomer.

Ohh........how lovely......what a great suprise, and generous gifts
thanks for sharing Bloomer xxx

Thanks everyone,and I have to say,it was Amy who suggested it in the first place,so I was just a willing Accomplice :o).Glad you all enjoyed the blog and photo's..I'm just glad the plan worked..I had a few wobbly moments,wondering if Amy and Tony would be there at the magic hour,but their timing was perfect :o) x

Hi Sandra , we arrived home last night didn't it work out well thanks for your help and yes you can keep a secret Lol ... it was a brilliant evening and so lovely to meet both you Carole and your husbands Russell and Harry , it felt that we had always known you after emailing for so many years and sharing your family photos ,I knew you as soon as you walked into the bar :o)) and that look on Carole's face Lol I'll never forget that ... we must do it again some time ...
Its back to normal today washing, ironing, cooking etc , I want to go away again !! :o)) Xxx

What a brilliant job you did there Sandra...Matahari has nothing on you. How lovely for all three of you to get together and I would have loved to have seen Carole's face. Well done :-)

Hi Amy,I agree,we had a lovely evening together,I hope we can do it again sometime too..Your gifted plants are looking good,and the Silybum has grown another leaf already ! It was so thoughtful of you to do that for Carole and I..Russell went to town this morning to get some clear varnish for the Gourd..Wilkinson's was the cheapest ,so one half is done,and the other half will be finished tomorrow..to stand proudly on display,:o) By the way,you will be pleased to know I didn't take that cushion home,that you said matched the design on my top ! lol..
I'm glad you enjoyed the rest of your holiday,we had a great week too...Ah,well,as you say,back to reality..:o(
Emails will be on their way again soon..tell Tony some will be for him ! :o) xxx

I'm glad you met Amy. She's lovely isn't she ... and so kind :o)

Thanks Val,It was done with military precision , Lol..We women know how to be devious when need be,don't we ? I'm glad you approve, :o)

I'm glad we did too,Hywel..so nice to meet friends from GoY..who would have thought so many friendships would have blossomed for some of us..:o) x

Hi Sandra that Silybum will crowd you out before you know it Lol ... I should Have brought you another couple of Gourds each to make a dish display I wasn't sure you would want them . I'm very disappointed at you for not swiping that cushion it was so you and would have made a pair of matching gloves to go with your top :o) Tony enjoyed the company of both your husbands which made it even better for us all .. he is intrigued by the email bit are you sending him mucky poems ...LOL...
Hywel you say the nicest things you were my first GOY person to meet and are always remembered fondly for your kindness and lovely nature , love to Beryl x

Three true friends in such lovely photos!

You look as if you are so comfortable and happy with each other.

It is nice when things work out so well.

Thank you Amy :) Beryl often asks if I've heard from you x

When I heard about this meeting (Bloomer told me about it when we met for lunch today) I felt quite jealous, I would have loved to have been there. Seriously, Bloomer I'm so glad it all went well. I know how special our GoY friendships are, even though many of us never meet our online friends, but to meet up is extra special. Oliveoil please take note lol!

Oh dear,Amy..I should have phrased that better,about Emails to Tony ! I meant to you,but Tony is allowed to look :o) Mucky poems? how very dare you indeed..I'm shocked ! .Pan calling Kettle ?? Lol.Russell and Harry enjoyed meeting you both too..:o)
I am going to keep your plants in the Conservatory over the winter..I've just googled three of them,so I now know what conditions they prefer..would the Silybum be ok in a pot,or in a border please?
As for the cushion,I will see what I can do,if we ever go again :o)...they will probably have changed the decor by then ! Lol.x

Thank you Chris..wouldn't it be great if more of us were nearer to each other ? Still,you never know what's around the corner sometime in the future :o) x

Thanks Julia,and also for our nice lunch and a catch up today..I really enjoyed going to a different venue for a change..:o) Was Richard drooling at the thought of the Sausage and onion toasted Baguette you had ? lol..xx

It was nice wasn't it? I didn't tell Richard what I'd had...didn't want to rub it in too much lol! Bad enough I was at the pub while he was childminding lol!!

Ha Ha,how times have changed! Role reversal at it's best..:o) Russell was out shopping,getting ingredients for a stew I'm going to make tomorrow..and a small tin of Clear Varnish for Amy's Gourd (Wilko's.£ 3 ) but to be fair,we did get some Currant teacakes,Coleslaw and cream,didn't we ? Lol .I hope Richard and Freya had a good playtime together :o) x

Good to hear they have varnish at Wilko's Sandra you beat me to it, but we are going shopping tomorrow, so my Gourd wont be far behind yours! look forward to seeing you both Saturday;0)

Amy I am giong to make a little display in a basket, fir cones and seed pods so your Gourd will have company in the conservatory [ dont know what Robin will make of it, he will probably think its edible] lol xx

What a lovely "happening"!
Well planned and executed , Bloomer and Amy . What a wonderful surprise , Pp.
The menfolk getting along so well was an added bonus .

Sandra plant the Silybum ( I love that name ) in your border it will eventually grow quite big up to 2ft across also last year I had one that grew almost 3ft in height with a wonderful arrangement of purple thistle flower heads .. Good luck with varnishing the gourd don't get to sticky and Carole thats a nice idea to display yours with cones etc at least it is edible if Robin does get his hands on it , not so sure about the varnish though ... Lol you are both making me feel guilty I shall have to get some varnish for mine :o)) It was a lovely meeting Julia it made my week away well worth while , you should let me know when they have one of those street plant days in Beccles I've been to a couple and love it !

That sounds a good idea,Carole..what kind of seed pods will you use? I might just use some Christmassy things around mine,till I decide on a more permanent display..I hope you are going to distract Robin with more wine ! lol..see you on Saturday :o) x
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Thank you Julia..you will see from the above comment,it doesn't stop at just meeting for Holidays,with Carole and Harry..Amy and Tony will just have to move house ! :o)

Thanks Amy,I have been rearranging one of my borders,so the Silybum(I love the name too :o) will fill a gap nicely,and I think the Anacyclus will go next to it..I presume that has white flowers,according to Google?

I had to go back to look at the pictures again (after reading all the comments) and yes, that pillow behind you Bloomer should be yours. :-)

Lol,Klahanie..We have a saying here ,about all things old and familiar being part of the Furniture ! I will check the accessories next time,before I choose what to wear :o)))

Lol don't do that Sandra you will take the fun out of it ! Mmm did someone mention wine on Saturday :o))

Lol.ok,as long as I don't have to wear a Cushion :o) Wine will be on the Agenda on Sunday,when Robin visits,and we are meeting up on Saturday for lunch ,as Carole and Harry are coming over here.no doubt they will crack another bottle open over the weekend :o)

Didn't you know cushions are all the rage this year Sandra ... Lovely have glass for me on Sunday that is if you can get at it before Robin Lol ... I love to see his smile :o))

They are good for hiding behind when there's something scary on TV too :o) .We aren't going on Sunday,Amy,it's Robins weekend to visit them..but we will say cheers to you and Tony at the pub on Saturday Lol x

You guessed right Sandra, a bottle is definately on the menu this weekend! how come you know so much about me lol, maybe we will have a glass on Saturday too :0)

Amy you and Tony are both very welcome if you are over our way, think I better order some more wine from Tesco's lol xx

I will probably pass on the wine,Carole..there will be more for you ! Lol..maybe I'll throw caution to the wind,and have an extra slice of lemon in my Tonic water .. I know how surprised you were to see me having a dry Martini and lemonade on holiday! Party animal eh? :o))

Sandra we've just had a friend round for coffee who's wife makes cushions and stuff for craft fairs it was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if she could make one to match by blouse LOL ... Thanks Carole that would be lovely I'm afraid we'll have to give it a miss this weekend Elaine & family are coming over, I would still order extra wine from Tesco if I were you for Robins visit .. :o))

Sandra: I enjoyed reading your blog very much as I'm sure it's very nice to meet other GoY members but in such a carefully and thoughtfully sorted out manner makes it even more special. The look on Carol's face must have been priceless!

Good planning Sandra ... well done :o)

Thank you Paul,I don't think we will ever forget it,it was a special moment :o)

Thanks Terra..all Amy's idea,but I'm glad she suggested it :o)

:o) x

You were the king -pin Sandra allowing me to know your movements ,do you think we are good enough for the SAS yet Lol ...

We trained the SAS ,didn't we Amy ? of course we are good enough..!! I was already wearing my camouflage top to blend in with the cushion ! Lol xx

Lovely to see you all having such a lovely time, no wonder you've got that cheeky grin on your face. Don't worry about me with a Nasty virus, well, on my computer. I've had to buy a tablet,not as easy to use as a PC, but I'll get used to it soon I suppose:-)

Hi Ba,lovely to hear from you again,and thank you..sorry to hear about your PC..I'm sure you will get the hang of your tablet soon..I don't have one,and would be lost without my laptop..old habits die hard !

I'm here at last Sandra ... thanks for telling me about this in your PM (soon to be replied to) ... what a pair of 'Secret Squirrels' you and Amy were! I love the photos you have put on and so pleased you all had a lovely time together. :o)

Glad you enjoyed seeing the Motley crew,Shirley :o) It's just great when you seem to 'gel' with certain people,isn't it? We couldn't believe the evening went so quickly,and it was time for Amy and Tony to leave..never mind,we might be able to meet again sometime :o)

That would be great to meet up again one day Sandra. Just sent you a PM :o)

Indeed,Shirley..:o) Thanks for your PM,just getting tarted up to meet Carole and Harry ! Lol Doesn't take long :o)) x

Yes I know we trained the SAS Sandra but thought it was a secret under the 'official secrets act' now you've blown our cover , the blouse / camouflage business was only the beginning of our talents Lol enjoy your meal with Carole & Harry ,give them hugs from us ... Xx

This is a smashing blog, it sounds a very special time was had by all of you and judging by the happy smiles a lot of happy memories taken away with you as well as gifts.
I had to pop back up to check out the cushion and the top, lol.....Have you checked out the decor of tonights venue Sandra?????

I suppose you are right,Amy,but as they pensioned us off early in disgrace, because they wouldn't let us take our handbags on missions,I think we are in the clear..:o)..I passed on your hugs and good wishes today,to Carole and Harry..we had a lovely lunch..and a visit to a nice cafe afterwards for coffee and scones :o)..We sat in a line on the back seat on the bus home ,to distribute the weight ! Lol....

Thanks Sue..we had a very memorable holiday together..as usual :o) We don't go out in the evenings,as we prefer lunchtimes,so we can go elsewhere afterwards..and the decor isn't very inspiring,so I stayed neutral..so as not to clash ! Lol xx

Wonderful Sandra! Three lovely gardening girls together and hubbies of course....:)). Isn't it exciting to meet up after all this time and all these comments and messages....a really special time to cherish together. Here's wishing for many more to come XX

Thanks Janey..I'm amazed at how many lovely comments this has had..and it was just the best night, being together :o) I don't think any site could be as friendly as GoY,and so many of us have made special friends..we even manage to fit gardening topics in and among ! Lol..I'm sure there will be many more in the future..:o)) XX

Another missed blog........still better late!! what a wonderful idea, well done Sandra for dreaming up the idea. Such a great feeling when it all goes to plan, and it obviously did........You must do it again.

Thanks Angela..I can't take the credit for the surprise,it was Amy's devious idea :o) but it was such a special moment,when we all met for the first time..and just as though we had always known each other..you can't get better than that,can you? I hope we can do it again sometime too :o)

Yes, you really must......

I'm sure we will meet up again girls wouldn't it be lovely if all GOY members could meet up ,it would be like an old pals reunion , sorry I don't mean as in 'Old ' I mean that we have known each other on here for a long time ;o)) Janey, Angela it really was as though we had always known each other , A fabulous evening it went far to quickly . ...... Sandra the SAS were very unfair about our Handbags we couldn't have survived all those assignations without the James Bond style secret contents , we taught them so much ! they would never have thought about the cushion camouflage making it so easy to disappear into the background that was all down to you :o)) x

Very happy to see this photos, that was so special Sandra, You are so wonderful, you always make things wonderful, and that's why you are so beloved and will never be forgotten, Love you so much my friends :-)))xxxxxxx