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Welcome!
Congratulations! You have found the Habershons.com family website, started in December 2001. All Habershons and non-Habershons are welcome to wander around. Stick a pin in the Guest Map; leave a message in the Message Book; and if you're a Habershon, please let us know you were here so we can list you in our Branch Office. And if you are looking for stuff on Bikram Yoga or Mini Coopers, click on the pictures in the left-hand column.
We also encourage you to register. This takes less than a minute and will allow you to view and leave comments, chat in the chat box at left, and look at the photograph albums. And if you're logged in you'll never see this annoying message again.
Thank you for coming by!
Catherine Athearn (née Habershon)
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I was chuckling down memory lane the other day as I read Ricky's comment about Dates in Frome. They never had anything you were looking for. It was always "coming in on Thursday." And the employees were terrible. Once I went in there to ask for some batteries for my radio. The man behind the counter grimly responded: "We only have Ever Ready." Well, DUH?!
Forty years later I find that I'm just as rotten when it comes to sales. A yoga student decided this morning that she'd like to buy a new Breathe Mat. They were right behind me, and I told her that we only had black or purple. Why did I say that? Why not, "Of course. Would you like black or purple?" She didn't buy one. Decided she'd stick with her old, frayed one.
Both colours are really nice, too. I love the purple.
John sometimes calls me his "little ray of sunshine."
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| Thursday, March 04, 2010 |
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Happy birthday, Will!
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| Wednesday, March 03, 2010 |
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I really have to comment on the great service John and I have been experiencing lately. It started with John's car. We dropped it at Tommy Vaughn Ford late on the Saturday morning and it was ready on Monday morning (they close at 1 p.m. on Saturday and reopen on Monday). Cyril had a broken fuel clip. The dealership sent a shuttle to pick John up, and Cyril was home by lunch time. No charge, and they even gave him a bath. (Cyril, that is)
Then our dryer started to make strange crunching noises and started to eat our clothes. We called All Brand Appliance (I can't find their website) and they came the same day, gave a diagnosis, ordered a part, and installed it the next day. When the dryer continued to make crunching noises, they ordered another part (overnighted and no charge as they got it wrong the first time) and installed it the next day. They had to come back twice more after that, but always as soon as we called them. The dryer is now working fine.
And then our washing machine started leaking. Once again, the plumber (Leader Plumbing) was out the same day and snaked the line. When it leaked again he came back and snaked the line again. And he then spent a good half-hour with us giving us options on what we were going to have to do to fix the problem.
And Wendy went in for her two-year service a couple of weeks ago. The Mini dealership picked me up from work when she was ready.
Are you experiencing such good service over there in England?
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| Monday, February 22, 2010 |
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 Today I am starting the 60-day Bikram Yoga Challenge.
60 classes in 60 days. Well, 60 classes in 57 days as I'll be leaving on vacation before it's over.
Class No. 1 coming up right now.
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| Monday, February 15, 2010 |
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 Some days don't always turn out according to plan. John and I had signed up to walk three miles in the Run Away with my Heart race in Spring. We were very organized and left home at 7 a.m., giving us plenty of time at the other end. Then, about half a mile from our destination we smelled petrol fumes. Two ladies then flagged us down and told us we were leaking gas.
Fortunately John was completely organized and had all his paperwork in the glove compartment in case of emergency. He pulled into the side of the road, put on the flashers, and made a Roadside Assistance call. A tow truck arrived within 15 minutes, and we returned to Houston with Cyril on the back. The photograph is a little hazy; I took it with my cell phone.
So we never made it to the race.
The truck dropped the three of us at Tommie Vaughn Ford, who now have Cyril. And John and I walked home. 3.7 miles. More than planned!
This is the first problem Cyril has ever had, and he's almost four years old. We'll get the verdict on Monday.
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| Saturday, February 13, 2010 |
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 A young couple took my 8 o'clock class this morning. It was their first time so they had to fill out the new student form. Under "emergency contact" he wrote her name. And under "relationship" he wrote "The love of my life."
I like that! Wonder if I dare write that after John's name in my shiny new passport?
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| Friday, February 05, 2010 |
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 On weekdays I either teach or take the 6 a.m. Bikram Yoga class. If I'm not teaching it I help out behind the desk until class starts and stay behind to lock the front door when the teacher goes into the room. Without a doubt, the Saturday 8 a.m. class is always my favourite of the week, and I always come out of it feeling like £620,501. A combination of factors:
- sleeping in for two hours
- going straight from car to the yoga room without helping out at the front desk
- twice as many students creating an extra charge of energy in the room
- the boss teaching
- anticipation of the weekend -- two days off
Have I ever talked about the wonders and benefits of Bikram Yoga? If you haven't tried it you're missing out!
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| Saturday, January 23, 2010 |
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John found a website last week that uploads a photograph of the Houston skyline every fifteen minutes.
Or so it said.
Turns out that it hasn't changed once. And unfortunately John, in his excitement, set it to download onto our TV screen with our webcams at regular intervals and then forgot to switch it off when it failed to change. As a result, we've almost reached our monthly allotment of downloads from Comcast. 250 GB, I think.
So until the end of January . . . I'm not allowed to watch any YouTube videos or download anything, and the webcams will not be updated. Hope you don't miss the Houston Habs too much.
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| Thursday, January 21, 2010 |
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If you live in Massachusetts and would like John to have a really really happy birthday, please vote for Scott Brown!
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| Tuesday, January 19, 2010 |
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Helen was Phil Hammond's guest on his Virtual Dinner Party show on Radio Bristol on Saturday. Click this link to listen.
As an experienced daily online Radio 2 listener, I think these audios only stay online for seven days. So listen now just in case!
And if you don't want to listen to the whole programme, slide the bar along to 16 minutes 14 seconds. She leaves at at the 57th minute.
If you haven't yet bought a copy of Helen's Found in the Rain CD you're missing some very beautiful music. Mine has been in Wendy's CD player for six months now. And I hear that there's another coming out soon. Any estimate on that, Helen?
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| Monday, January 18, 2010 |
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The Chevron Houston Marathon circles our house. We watched the start at 7 a.m. on television while lying in bed. At 7:40 ish we went outside and cheered on the runners as they passed our local Thai Restaurant on Montrose Blvd. (Mile 7). At 7:55 we went home and brewed a thermos of coffee. At 8:30 we rode our bicycles to the Allen Parkway and watched the leaders as they passed the 23-mile point. The first six were all Ethiopian, I think. First in was Teshome Galana who set a course record of 2:07:52. The seventh was an American, Brett Gotcher, who ran the fastest time ever by an American on the Houston course: 2:10:35. First female was Teyba Erkesso, who also won it last year. Her husband ran all the way with her.
So there's one way to watch it. We were home by 9:30 a.m.
Congratulations to everyone who ran (or is still running).
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| Sunday, January 17, 2010 |
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I'm listening to Chris Evans' first morning show on Radio Two. He's started out with a couple of Beatles songs, but . . .
Isn't he a bit loud for 7:30 in the morning?
And annoying?
Or am I just getting old?
Miss ya, Terry.
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| Monday, January 11, 2010 |
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. . . since the last cat picture?
Look left and click.
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| Friday, January 08, 2010 |
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From David:I may be “teaching Granny to suck eggs” but now we’re all electronic and doing everything online, I’ve found that switching house insurance policies (buildings & contents) every year produces huge savings. I’ve just binned Saga Insurance at £759.60 renewal premium and moved to Prudential – same cover for £270.90. Amazing saving which I guess could apply equally to car or travel insurance. It seems there’s no such thing as company loyalty anymore. Tip: Establish exactly what cover you need and visit Confused.com – well worth the time and hassle.
Second tip: Don’t regularly dial expensive 0845 or 0870 prefix numbers until you’ve visited SAYNOTO0870.com. There’s almost certainly an ordinary BT number prefix 01. For Saga I even found there was a freephone 0800 number which worked fine – but they don’t tell you about it.
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| Monday, January 04, 2010 |
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 This is interesting. David has rented an allotment from the Havant Council. £30 a year. It backs on to the railway behind Emsworth Station. A two-minute bike ride from his house through the park. Since this picture was taken he's almost dug it over and put up a shed at the end, between the two left-hand sheds. He's planted shallots and garlic, and ordered potatoes which will be planted in the spring. He'll also be growing beans and cabbage, and Libby is thinking of planting some fruit bushes: red currants, goosegogs, etc. They're also thinking of planting the Christmas tree there each year to save buying one.
I'd only ever seen these in Holland when living there in 1980. I used to see men sitting next to their sheds smoking and drinking beer while they watched the vegetables grow and used to think they were getting away from their wives. I can also remember Dad at Coleford taking an interest in growing asparagus at the top of the orchard. Whenever I went up there to see how it was going, he'd be sitting in a chair and smoking a cigar. I was always sworn to secrecy. David, however, assures me that there is no electricity in the shed and he won't be keeping beer there.
And more on allotment history, from David:Allotments have an interesting history. Goes back to Enclosures in the 17th/18th centuries when landowners gained more control over fields and crops, and labourers lost a range of common rights. Social unrest and philanthropy led to initiatives to allow the poor people to rent their own small piece of land to produce their own vegetables. The Allotment Acts of 1887, 1890, 1907 and 1908 made urban allotments available. It became a new craze for the respectable classes at the beginning of the 20th century, with increased use of course during the two world wars when the country was nearly starved of food by the German U Boat campaign - "Dig for Victory" and all that. Popularity waned in the '50s and '60s when food prices dropped. Now back in fashion with the green movement. The allotment size is standard - designed to feed a family of 4. The previous tenant of my plot had six other plots too.
Council tenancy rules are precise - 26p per sq metre per year. Not allowed to sell the produce. Must mow the grass border. Bonfires allowed but not allowed to smoke out the neighbours... Keep us posted, David, and send pictures. Habershons.com has some readers who I know will be interested in this, especially a couple in Oklahoma!
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| Sunday, January 03, 2010 |
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| Friday, January 01, 2010 |
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 In 2009 I took 276 Bikram Yoga classes. Lifetime total: 1760 (first class was March 21st, 2003).
In 2009 I taught 227 Bikram Yoga classes. Lifetime total: 423 (first class was December 28th, 2007)
More teaching and less taking than in 2008. And the bottom line? I feel healthy and limber and nothing creaks or hurts. Bikram Yoga is the answer. If you haven't tried it, it's time!
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| Friday, January 01, 2010 |
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 Congratulations to the Stables Habs on winning the Habershons.com Christmas Quiz for the second year in a row. There was a very poor turnout this year -- only three entries. Here are the results:Stables Habs (12 participants) 45.5 points, minus 8 = 37.5
Emsworth Habs (12 participants) 41.5 points, minus 8 = 33.5 (correction: 10 participants, so 35.5)
Houston Habs (4 participants) 24.5 points A £10 Amazon gift certificate is on its way to The Stables.
Ricky advises that two of The Stables participants fell asleep halfway through the quiz. And once again Adrian answered 80 percent of the questions. I think we'll have to make Adrian set next year's quiz so we all have a chance. As for the Houston participants, two of them disappeared halfway throught the quiz to go next door to fetch the dessert and feed the dog. They did come back, however, to make it through the final fifty questions. And I thought that our answer to Question 69 of "voting" was a lot better than "chickens." Chickens? There was no entry from any of the Bedford Habs. I understand that Paul was out of town, though, on a Bridge holiday. Nick? Clare? The New Zealand Habs did apologize for not entering as they had too much wine and completely forgot.
A final thank you goes to Gina for setting this year's quiz. We had a lot of fun.
Here are the answers.
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| Friday, January 01, 2010 |
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David sends a link to a BBC video. If you watch carefully you'll see Ed enjoying Christmas on Bondi beach.
Glad you got your priorities right, Ed, and watched the Queen's speech first.
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| Wednesday, December 30, 2009 |
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Sorry, don't have them yet. If I get tomorrow off work (looking hopeful right now) I'll be spending the day grading them and will publish the results. Unfortunately there weren't many entries this year. The Bedford Habs are noticeably missing.
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| Wednesday, December 30, 2009 |
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We've been watching a series called "Telford's Change." Does anyone remember it? A drama from 1979, ten episodes, starring Peter Barkworth and Hannah Gordon. Peter Barkworth plays the part of an international banker who gets burnt out and takes a manager's job at a bank in Dover. Hannah Gordon plays his wife who doesn't want to leave London. Dad videotaped each episode and mailed it to me in Saudi Arabia. I really enjoyed it and looked forward to each package.
Sadly, episodes 9 and 10 never arrived and I never got to see how it turned out. Then, thirty years later, John found me a copy. We started all over again and reached Episode 9 last night. Now I know why the tape never made it through. There's a bedroom scene!
Glad I wasn't carted off to jail when Saudi customs played that one.
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| Wednesday, December 30, 2009 |
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Coach Trip is such a hoot. John and I will be watching avidly. It starts in Portsmouth this time.
Any other Habs want to follow it with us?
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| Saturday, December 26, 2009 |
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Good morning, Habershons. And a Merry Christmas to all of you. Where are you all today? John and I are in Houston. I'm teaching the noon Bikram Yoga class (there were 74 students last year) and then our neighbours are coming over for turkey and hopefully will help us solve the Sixth Annual Habershons.com Christmas Quiz. She is a Continental Airlines pilot and he is an engineer, so hopefully we'll have some more brainpower this year.
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| Friday, December 25, 2009 |
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Remember the first place I did Bikram Yoga? It was a fancy place, within walking distance, overlooking the Allen Parkway. Remember how it closed down and took our money? The building was empty for a long time, and then the Laff Stop moved there.
Now the Laff Stop has closed down.
I can only imagine that the high rent had something to do with it.
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| Thursday, December 24, 2009 |
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For the last couple of years the Habershons.com Annual Christmas Quiz has been compiled by last year's winner. You may remember that the Stables Habs won last year. Fortunately one member of that team came forward and volunteered to set this year's. Thank you, Gina!
Here are the rules:
This quiz is open to any household that contains a Habershon, a née Habershon, a Habershons.com commenter, or anyone who resides on the Branch Office page.
One point will be awarded for each correct answer. One point will be deducted/added for each household with more than/fewer than four participants. For example, if there are ten participants, six points will be deducted. And if there are only two participants, two points will be added.
The team with the highest score will receive a £10 (or equivalent currency) Amazon gift voucher. If there are more than eight entries a second prize will be awarded. Correct answers and the team results will be published on the website as soon as possible after the closing date.
No looking up answers on the internet or in reference books. All answers must come straight from your heads. Submit your answers to the Webmistress (cjathearn @ gmail.com) no later than 11pm GMT on December 28th.
As usual, no correspondence will be entered into, and the Quizmaster's decision is final. Only one entry per household.
HERE'S THE QUIZ! Remember to print it before you head to your Christmas celebrations. It's in .pdf format and is seven pages long. The first and last pages have been left intentionally blank to prevent anyone from seeing a question in advance.
Good luck!
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| Thursday, December 24, 2009 |
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So here I am sitting at work listening to the UK weather reports on the Radio Two Breakfast Show (starring Johnnie Walker who is sitting in for Chris Evans who is replacing Terry Wogan), and into my e-mail box comes a live bulletin from the Emsworth Habs. Apparently Jim is going into hospital tomorrow for an operation with full anaesthetic. He fell on ice and broke his cheek. He'll be home on Christmas Day, hopefully in time to participate in the Sixth Annual Habershons.com Christmas Quiz.
Poor Jim. I'm sure all Habs are sending you sympathy and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
David comments . . . Moral: Don't get off a bus with your hands in your pockets.
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| Wednesday, December 23, 2009 |
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I'm going to miss Terry Wogan on Radio 2. This is the last week of his morning show. I first listened to him when living in Holland in 1980 and used to send messages to Mum and Dad via postcards to the show. One morning they were lying in bed with the radio on, and Wogan asked Mr. Habershon if he'd made the tea for Margaret yet. It gave them quite a shock!
After Holland I never heard him again until recently, when the BBC started archiving the show on the internet. Since then I've been listening to him faithfully here in Houston every morning at work.
Someone called Chris Evans is taking over. Is he any good?
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| Wednesday, December 16, 2009 |
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It's very difficult to go for a week without practicing if you're a Bikram Yoga addict. Fortunately there were several studios within 30 miles of John's brother's house and I was able to sneak out to three of them before anyone woke up. If you're not a Bikram Yoga addict you can stop reading now as you'll be bored to tears. Habershons, you can study the family tree.
The closest studio (in Los Gatos) was not "pure" Bikram. The schedule offered different kinds of yoga, but as they had an early Bikram class I decided to try it. The differences were immediately noticable.
1. They rented me a GREEN mat.
2. People were talking in the yoga room before class started.
3. There were peace signs covering all the walls that didn't have mirrors.
4. The floor was hardwood.
5. The instructor walked in and told us to get into Mountain Pose.
6. The room was only about 100 degrees.
7. Before Half Moon, instead of going right and left right and left, we were told to go forwards and backwards as well.
8. They started playing music beginning with Awkward pose and right through to the end.
9. In Eagle we had to point our toes out to the side before wrapping our legs.
10. We turned sideways for the three poses after Balancing Stick.
11. We did the same 26 poses and two breathing exercises, but with the exception of the mention of a Japanese Ham Sandwich there was very little Bikram dialogue.
12. The instructor touched me twice. The second time was in the final savasanah. My eyes were closed. I jumped out of my skin. And I think she rubbed some eucalyptus into my shoulders.
There were a lot of other differences, but it's been a while now since the class and I can't remember everything. I should point out, however, that I felt great once class was over.
Two more studios to follow.
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| Monday, December 14, 2009 |
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Yes. We have a new mayor in Houston.
Annise Parker, 53, currently city controller, beat fellow Democrat Gene Locke, in a closely-fought and sometimes ugly run-off battle. She will now run the city of 2.2 million people, the fourth largest in the United States after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. And why would this news appear on Habershons.com? Well, you're probably going to be reading all about her. She's gay.
I like the lady. And I voted for her in both elections.
Congratulations, and good luck, Mayor Parker!
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| Sunday, December 13, 2009 |
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John and I will have to visit Farringdon on the underground when we next go to England. What great comments from the platform announcer!:
For those eastbound passengers who are frustrated . . . and let’s be honest passengers, who wouldn’t be?
You’ve got two options – apart from shooting yourself, and who could blame you?
Is this what having a nervous breakdown feels like?
Let's see, shall we put money on it, I am going to put money on a Circle being your first train in . . .
Hilarious!
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| Friday, December 11, 2009 |
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| News Archive |
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- Friday, December 11
- Sharpen your pencils (0)
- California Thanksgiving (0)
- Friday, December 04
- Snow? (1)
- Saturday, November 21
- Celebration at Emsworth (4)
- Friday, November 06
- Our neighbour's recumbent bike (3)
- Sunday, October 11
- Habershon golf outing (8)
- Thursday, October 08
- Habershons.com visitors (1)
- Wednesday, October 07
- "Found in the Rain" news (1)
- Sunday, September 13
- Chocolate Day (3)
- Friday, September 11
- 8 years ago (0)
- Thursday, September 10
- Party time! (1)
- Tuesday, September 08
- Cooking failure (0)
- Monday, September 07
- Six days until Chocolate Day (5)
- Labor Day (0)
- Friday, September 04
- Party in Emsworth (0)
- Thursday, September 03
- Tara Moore's story (0)
- Saturday, August 29
- Happy birthday, dear Emma (0)
- Thursday, August 13
- 26 today (0)
- Sunday, August 02
- An engagement (2)
- Thursday, July 30
- Chess in Torquay (6)
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