When Jilly Met....
Having so many friends to chat to online, it's only natural that at some point we would choose to meet up in person! Some I met individually and some I met at arranged meet ups - up and down the country! All the people I have met have been wonderful and I am still in contact with the majority of them. This section will take you through (in no particular order) some of the special friends I have made and how we met.
When Jilly met Big Shaz
My friend Shaz is not big in the sense you would automatically assume - in that she is just a slip of a thing but rather tall! We first met at a Scottish meet in early 2005, when she travelled up from Northamptonshire to come to the first meet that I had arranged. There weren't many of us there but it was a nice cosy atmosphere at the King Malcolm Hotel in Dunfermline and we had a really good time! We started the meet at around 1pm and drank right through until basically we were thrown out at closing time! We played pool with Marie's husband, and had our lunch and dinner there, and really just all got to know each other a little better.
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Originally from Scotland, Shaz moved down south with her children but
comes home to visit her mum sometimes. In October 2007, she was up
visiting them and came over to see me and the kids at my house. This
was the first time I'd met her other half and three of her children.
We had a brilliant time catching up with each other again and meeting
each other's kids - McProper and one of Shaz's daughters are about the
same age and really hit it off well! McTart was very taken with Shaz's
youngest daughter and McLaddo was great with Shaz's wee boy. We went
out for a walk along the coastal path to the beach and McTart went in
the sea! In October!!! It was freezing but she fair enjoyed herself!
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Shaz has since visited again this year and we went to Register House in Edinburgh to do some family history research. Once we were finished there she came back to my house again, where her other half joined us with another 2 of her children!! That leaves one son still to meet!! The girls put on a show of singing and dancing and even Shaz's wee boy stood up and sang to us all! He was wonderful!!
Hopefully they will all be back to visit again very soon!
When Jilly met McAnne
My darling friend Anne is as stupid as I am! She was once known as Anne with no Man, and although she remains manless at the moment, she was renamed after finding a Scottish ancestor in her family tree and is now McAnne!
When Anne was due to come up to visit the first time we discussed how I would know her at the airport then I went to pick her up. She told me that she'd have blue jeans on and a red holdall!! Well!! How many people in an airport may have had the very same thing!!! Thankfully there was just the one of her though! We went out to pay the parking ticket machine on the way back to the car but we didn't have any change, so had to use a note. Popping the card into the machine, we put the note in to pay and then the machine made a racket pouring out the change. Anne and I thought the same thing - jackpot!!! God only knows what people around us must have thought when we were delighted to have "won" money on the parking ticket machine! Still on a high from our win, we gets to the car and on rolling down the window, Anne broke a fingernail! Not only was this a great start to the trip so far, she did exactly the same thing with both the ticket machine and the nail on her second visit up here and it was the same fingernail!!! Plus the plane was late both times too! That's Easyjet for you!!
Heading off into Edinburgh on the train one day we went to Mary King's Close - an old street below the Royal Mile which has been made into a tourist attraction now. The guide taking us round was dressed in period costume and obviously had a wee spiel to stick to. Anne and I started heckling him almost immediately and fully expected to be turfed out. But no! He thought he was well in there with two women who would get right into it with him and proceeded to single us out at every opportunity to join him in his show! After our tour around the close we went in search of a family crest shop. Anne managed to get a print out of her family's crest and shield but unfortumately I didn't. At the station we sat people watching whilst waiting for our train home and boy did we see some pretty odd sights there!!
Back home and I made my speciality of the day - Spaghetti Bolognaise - while Anne acquainted herself with my kids, playing Junior Triv with them. Anne doesn't do kids, so I was well impressed with her skills!! I couldn't beleive that in the evening Anne nabbed my PC to do some family tree stuff!! I played barmaid topping up our drinks, except Anne was drinking coke with bacardi in it - in a can!! Normal people would drink out a glass but not our Anne!!
Anne visited me in Scotland twice and both times there was a Scottish meet organised while she was staying. The first one was a small gathering and the second one was just before I went into hospital for my operation.
In April 2008 I was down in Ipswich visiting my brother and as Anne lives in Kent she came up for the day to see us all. It was great seeing her again and we went for a lovely lunch in Snape Maltings, where Anne got chatting to a man and his dog at the bar!!!
Roll on the next visit!!!!
My darling friend Anne is as stupid as I am! She was once known as Anne with no Man, and although she remains manless at the moment, she was renamed after finding a Scottish ancestor in her family tree and is now McAnne!
When Anne was due to come up to visit the first time we discussed how I would know her at the airport then I went to pick her up. She told me that she'd have blue jeans on and a red holdall!! Well!! How many people in an airport may have had the very same thing!!! Thankfully there was just the one of her though! We went out to pay the parking ticket machine on the way back to the car but we didn't have any change, so had to use a note. Popping the card into the machine, we put the note in to pay and then the machine made a racket pouring out the change. Anne and I thought the same thing - jackpot!!! God only knows what people around us must have thought when we were delighted to have "won" money on the parking ticket machine! Still on a high from our win, we gets to the car and on rolling down the window, Anne broke a fingernail! Not only was this a great start to the trip so far, she did exactly the same thing with both the ticket machine and the nail on her second visit up here and it was the same fingernail!!! Plus the plane was late both times too! That's Easyjet for you!!
Heading off into Edinburgh on the train one day we went to Mary King's Close - an old street below the Royal Mile which has been made into a tourist attraction now. The guide taking us round was dressed in period costume and obviously had a wee spiel to stick to. Anne and I started heckling him almost immediately and fully expected to be turfed out. But no! He thought he was well in there with two women who would get right into it with him and proceeded to single us out at every opportunity to join him in his show! After our tour around the close we went in search of a family crest shop. Anne managed to get a print out of her family's crest and shield but unfortumately I didn't. At the station we sat people watching whilst waiting for our train home and boy did we see some pretty odd sights there!!
Back home and I made my speciality of the day - Spaghetti Bolognaise - while Anne acquainted herself with my kids, playing Junior Triv with them. Anne doesn't do kids, so I was well impressed with her skills!! I couldn't beleive that in the evening Anne nabbed my PC to do some family tree stuff!! I played barmaid topping up our drinks, except Anne was drinking coke with bacardi in it - in a can!! Normal people would drink out a glass but not our Anne!!
Anne visited me in Scotland twice and both times there was a Scottish meet organised while she was staying. The first one was a small gathering and the second one was just before I went into hospital for my operation.
In April 2008 I was down in Ipswich visiting my brother and as Anne lives in Kent she came up for the day to see us all. It was great seeing her again and we went for a lovely lunch in Snape Maltings, where Anne got chatting to a man and his dog at the bar!!!
Roll on the next visit!!!!
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When Jilly met Jupee
I first met Jupee when I went down to Liverpool for Easter in 2006 for a long weekend with her. We were still using the Genes site then and on one of the nights I was there we were just up to total mischief on the General Board. We had found a way of both being able to sign in on the same computer at the same time and renamed ourselves - The Takeover Twins 1 and 2. It was very late at night but we decided to fill as many pages as we could with just our own posts and comments. It was then that we got to know Zippy in Canada!! She joined in with us having a right carry on! Surprisingly there was one complaint our shenanigans but hey ho! Stelly came round to Jupee's for a drink and a karaoke night which was hysterical! I don't think any one of us was able to sing a single note in key that night! Jupee's drink pouring skills consist of 1/3 mixer to 2/3 alcohol - and no ice!!! She also had a few cats, to which I am allergic! So her daughter had to come and rescue me from one of the cats as it was underneath my bed and I couldn't get to sleep with a cat in the room!!
The next time I met Jupee was at the Chester meet in July 2006. There is more on the Chester meet up in the When Jilly Went section.
In August 2006, Jupee came up to Scotland for a Scottie Meet. Each time I arranged a Scottish meet up I offered people to stay with me at my house. It became a bit of a joke about how many beds I had in my home and Jupee would say that she would sleep in my bath! So for her visit I arranged a bed in my bath and put up notices to say "Jupee's Room"!
Whenever there is mischief to be had you can guarantee that Jupee will be about to join in!!
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When Jilly met Kaz
Kaz and I had spoken many, many times on Skype - which we call skippy - and we first met at the Chester meet up in July 2006. We got on like a house on fire and used to have a right carry on on skippy singing our wee hearts out with our very own version of karaoke! When we knew we were going to the Chester meet we intended on finding a real karaoke pub and letting a very unsuspecting City have the pleasure of our singing talents for the evening! And we so did too!
When I was having my treatment for Breast Cancer, Kaz and Babs came up to visit for the weekend in October 2006. She brought me a couple of hats and we all had a right laugh trying on my wigs and taking silly photos.
Kaz was also at the Matlock meet in January 2007 where I met her again. After being on holiday at my brother's house near Ipswich, in April 2008, me and the kids stopped off for a night with Kaz and her family on our way home. We had a great night with them and that was the first time I'd met her husband and her 3 boys and also the first time all our children had met. They got on brilliantly! After a few or so drinks after dinner we had our own little show. The girls got up and did their very own rendition of Dancing on Ice (using props) around Kaz's dining room, McLaddo told some jokes and made some weird and very strange cow noises, which Kaz's boys thought was hysterical!! Then Kaz and I got up to do our showstopping version of the song Goodnight Sweetheart. Our special skippy karaoke song! My girls and Kaz's youngest son did a wonderful make over on Kaz while we were there. Coco the Clown eat your heart out!!
In summer 2008, me and the kids set off on a McMad Tour around a few friends down south and Kaz was one of our stops. We stayed with her and her family for 3 nights and had an absolute blast with them! When I asked her recently when we were doing it all again, she said 2012!! I think it may take her that long to recover!!
Kaz and I had spoken many, many times on Skype - which we call skippy - and we first met at the Chester meet up in July 2006. We got on like a house on fire and used to have a right carry on on skippy singing our wee hearts out with our very own version of karaoke! When we knew we were going to the Chester meet we intended on finding a real karaoke pub and letting a very unsuspecting City have the pleasure of our singing talents for the evening! And we so did too!
When I was having my treatment for Breast Cancer, Kaz and Babs came up to visit for the weekend in October 2006. She brought me a couple of hats and we all had a right laugh trying on my wigs and taking silly photos.
Kaz was also at the Matlock meet in January 2007 where I met her again. After being on holiday at my brother's house near Ipswich, in April 2008, me and the kids stopped off for a night with Kaz and her family on our way home. We had a great night with them and that was the first time I'd met her husband and her 3 boys and also the first time all our children had met. They got on brilliantly! After a few or so drinks after dinner we had our own little show. The girls got up and did their very own rendition of Dancing on Ice (using props) around Kaz's dining room, McLaddo told some jokes and made some weird and very strange cow noises, which Kaz's boys thought was hysterical!! Then Kaz and I got up to do our showstopping version of the song Goodnight Sweetheart. Our special skippy karaoke song! My girls and Kaz's youngest son did a wonderful make over on Kaz while we were there. Coco the Clown eat your heart out!!
In summer 2008, me and the kids set off on a McMad Tour around a few friends down south and Kaz was one of our stops. We stayed with her and her family for 3 nights and had an absolute blast with them! When I asked her recently when we were doing it all again, she said 2012!! I think it may take her that long to recover!!
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When Jilly met Chewy
I've now met Chewy twice, as well as spending many a time on the phone with her putting the world to rights! The first time was at the Boro Meet where she gained her special nickname that I have for her (Chewy) and the second time was at the Matlock Meet. Both of these are discussed more in the When Jilly Went section.
Chewy is very tall - all 10 foot of her!!! And a little camera shy - not that I'll be paying any heed to that when I post her picture below! She is a very honest and forthright person, who has been there for me 100% when I've needed someone to talk to. She is under the impression that she looks like Jessica Rabbit, and like Jupee she is always around somewhere or other when there is mischief to be had!!
