31st December 2022
We're all glad to see the back of 2022 - we've had Gary very much in our thoughts and Christmas has been a low-key affair. Onward and upward now to 2023. The first hiccup has already transpired - Toni has broken her shoulder and has one arm strapped in a sling. Not ideal when having to chase a one year old who is quick on his feet, nor can she drive... proving another stumbling block when 4 little ones have to get to school, pre-school, and nursery. OK family, when you have a spare moment, a helping hand would be welcome. |
We'll be dishing out a boot
up the backside for 2022 tonight |
21st December 2022
The year's on the turn - it's the day of the winter solstice so here goes with a bit of planetary stuff. Astronomical winter begins today and ends on March 20th 2023, This date changes each year. Today we have the darkest and longest night of the year as the sun will be at its lowest point in the sky. The actual moment of the solstice takes place at 9.46pm GMT and according to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, we'll have 7 hours, 49 mins, 42 seconds of daylight. I wonder who calculates all this stuff? Glad its not my raison d'etre. Historically it's the time to celebrate hope, new beginnings, and light. Meteorological winter begins on December 1st and ends on the last day of February. I wonder who determined these parameters for winter in the first place - funny that the weather ignores them and continues to do it's own thing. Have a nice day. |
Following Gary's funeral I went down with some mysterious malady - I'm halfway through a course of antibiotics and just beginning to surface again. With a compromised immune system I'm a bit of a magnet for stray germs. But onwards and upwards as they say...
Good news: the donations made at the funeral raised in excess of £3,000 for Severn Hospice. |
11th December 2022
Bit of a shocker this morning when I crawled out of bed and looked outside. Snow! It's no longer on my list of favourites, but it does fit in with these pre-Christmas days and it'll keep the kids happy. Let's acknowledge it with a bit of greenery and obligatory bauble as I step down from my high horse and let in a bit of Christmas spirit. |
7th December 2022
It's official, I'm old. Yesterday I had a proper old lady's outing... I visited an NHS clinic to have my feet sorted out. It involved much poking, prodding, listening to my circulation with a gismo, prior to lethal snippers and a scalpel attacking the grisly bits, plus the removal of a nail. To my surprise it didn't hurt and for the first time in ages I have "happy feet". They also applied custom-cut felt cushions to the painful parts so now I'm dancing on air. Thank you NHS. |
1st December 2022
Oh, go on then... you can say it now... the old 'C' word. The radio was belting out carols this morning - please, not at breakfast time when it's all I can do to grapple with my granola... Then I had a job finding clipart to welcome our first December chat. I wanted something devoid of the Christmas hype i.e. no Santas, holly, etc. because it's still twenty-four days away and I'm only willing to put up with it for a few days. Sudden feeling of panic, I've not done a thing about it yet, other than an online order for cards. Now it's "wait and see" time. |
23rd November 2022
Apologies for my absence. The days haven't been quite the same since Gary left us. We're all in limbo right now until he's officially "at rest". The little men had many questions which had to be dealt with. Some of them ending in hilarious responses but I'll tell you all about those at a less sensitive time. |
We're all jabbed up again - we've recently had our fifth Covid and I've been for a flu one today. The rheumatologist told me not to have both on the same day as it might cause some extra achey bones. However, the achey bones arrived despite my doing it separately. Ouch! |
Five days ago, our beloved son-in-law, Gary, lost his battle against brutal and fast-moving pancreatic cancer. He spent his final days in Severn Hospice, Shrewsbury, with Carol, Ian, Andy and Jon keeping him company. Gary's sister Karen, Jay, Lesley, Zara, Jenny, Toni, and the rest of us did turns too. It's unbearably sad and also a relief to see that he's no longer suffering. Arsenal FC have lost their most loyal fan, so too has Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople rock band. Gary is also a legend in the local plumbing world i.e. pipes, boilers, and such stuff as he reigned el suprimo at the Wolverhampton branch of Bell Plumbing Ltd. Gary's most important role, which received his attention to the nth degree, was that of Gagga; named by Jai, the first of their six little grandsons.
|
12th November 2022
James (aka Jay) has had to miss the annual Remembrance parade at the London Cenotaph tomorrow. Circumstances decreed he relinquish his place this year. The medals and RAF Regiment insignia will have to wait until 2023 for a polish and a trip to the capital. We have a couple of Armistice Day birthdays: so, it's Happy birthday to my brother, and my good friend, Cora. Well done nephew Phil, he's on parade today with the Royal Marine Band at the Lord Mayor's do in London. It's turning out to be a quick-march flag waving weekend. Don't forget to wear your poppy. |
9th November 2022
At last, a rain-free day. We dried the washing and... get this... I ventured into the garden to plant some daffodil bulbs. Thought I'd better get a move on before it's too late to do them. It's been a pleasant day for November, but I've noticed the seat on our downstairs loo is getting a bit chilly, in fact, it's decidedly hostile. Already I'm thinking roll on spring. If time travel ever becomes a possibility, I shall bypass winter. In the meantime, it's the upstairs lavatory for me. Bonus: more exercise trekking upstairs every time the need arises. Which, incidentally, and I'm sure you don't really need to know, reminds me of that French artist who used to hang out at the Moulin Rouge theatre, Two-Loos le Trek. |
4th November 2022
Frosty! I had a 9am hospital visit to do so I didn't greet the morning with bon homie when having to venture out before the streets were aired. Must be an age thing, I'm easily disgruntled these days. However, the consultant was happy with my eye, it's just a matter of carry on applying the gunge until the stitches have dissolved. |
I've just been consulting my tome of useless information regarding past events which took place on November 4th. Today's the day (1922) when English Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the steps leading to the tomb of Tutankhamun. I'm always incensed when this little gem comes up - he was a bloody grave robber for goodness sake. How would we react if foreigners arrived here to dig up our grannies? |
1st November 2022
Permacrisis: a new word for us. Collins Dictionary has named it "word of the year". It describes the feeling when living through a period of war, inflation, political instability. That one is going to fit into our vocabulary from the word go considering the current state of affairs. I reckon it's not just our little island that's shambolic, the entire world is experiencing discontent, disagreement, and diasporas. A sorry state of global permacrisis. Depressing, isn't it? |
26th October 2022
The dastardly Covid strikes again - 5 family members are currently coughing for England following a positive test. The rest of us continue to keep out of the way with our fingers crossed. I hit 82 yesterday so it was "happy birthday to me"... Carol and Jay are both in the Covid Camp so Lesley acted as parcel deliverer, she insisted on a doorstep visit only in case she handed over an added extra. Despite the situation, I had a jolly day; my brother, sister-in-law, cousin Janet and friend Doreen all turned up. Thanks everyone. |
I'm a bit cheesed off with the current political situation. I've just watched the latest melee. Rather than discuss issues and talk constructively about fixing all that's wrong, they delight in bickering, point scoring, and generally acting like teenagers scrambling to be top dog. Right now, there's no indication of which party is on the right track. So come on you Wayward Westminster Wallies, sort yourselves out! |
22nd October 2022
If you happen to be an insomniac, you're in for a good time tonight. The Orionid Meteor Shower, which performs from 2nd October to 7th November, will be peaking tonight around midnight to mid-sunrise. We'll need a clear night and patience to get a good look but I'll not be climbing a mountain or shivering outside in the dark. I'll have a quick look through the window should I need a bathroom visit. The particles of space stuff - shooting stars - whatever they are, move at 41 miles per second so by the time my eyes have focussed I'll probably miss it anyway. |
The shower of shiny bits and pieces is made up of left-overs from Haleys Comet which was last seen from Earth in 1986 and it won't come our way again until 2061 so I'll most likely miss out on its next. The meteor shower continues to appear, reminding us that it's all still happening out there somewhere. Let's dig out a few adjectives for the Orionid: Magical, Mysterious, Magnificent from my viewpoint. If you're a scientist or serious stargazer I suppose it's a matter of fact.
|
20th October 2022
Hi everyone, just popped in to say I'm back in circulation following Tuesday's hospital trip. I had to be there by 8.30 which was a bit of an effort midst the rush-to-work traffic. Such days are long gone for us, we feel a bit affronted when everyone is aiming for the piece of road we happen to be using. Anyway, it's all done and dusted and I boast a neat row of stitches on my lower eyelid, lots of puffy bits and several bruises in various colours. The whole shebang has to be daubed with sticky gunk every four hours which inhibits clear vision giving me an excuse to avoid a few chores. To sum up, I look like I've been made up to represent a ghoulish Halloween being with an uncanny inclination to call out "Trick or Treat?" |
You know that feeling, when you're sitting in a waiting room twiddling your thumbs, wondering how to pass the time. I was doing just that first thing this morning. And as you do, I read every single notice on the wall. There was a poster listing "interesting facts about eyes". I thought one little snippet was worth a mention, in case you're interested: "It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open." I shall definitely be trying to sneeze with my eyes open. Ugh! Second thoughts, will my eyeballs pop out? |
11th October 2022
Just in case, like me, you're a little moon-struck, here's the lowdown on what the night planet is up to. Did you spot the shiny Hunter's Moon that's been lighting up the night this week? It's the first full moon after the Harvest Moon. On a clear night, also visible during October the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn. They appear in the Southeast and travel Westwards throughout the night. The next full moon will be Beaver's Moon (15th November), followed by the final full moon of the year, Cold Moon (7th December). There's endless Folklore relating to the moon - I remember my mother saying that it's bad luck if your first sight of the new moon is through glass. I have been known to heed her words and step outside for my first glimpse, but it didn't occur to me to remove my specs. Now what? This subject matter does have certain connotations which I'm reluctant to mention. Take the word lunar (Latin Luna) see where I'm going? Hmm... It might apply to me and my mad ideas so I'm opting out right now before you get the gist. |
10th October 2022
Another lovely day... the bright sunshine revealed things I hadn't done so I felt obliged to spend a few reckless moments reluctantly flapping about with a duster. It didn't take me long to lose interest; but it was a case of "needs must" as they say. While I was at it, I did a bit of reshuffling in order to access plugs and switches easily. We have so many gadgets, gismos and chargers gobbling electricity I've heeded the "save-money" experts who say it's better to switch things off at source rather than leave them plugged in and waiting on standby. Oh crikey... I'd best shut up, how boring was that little missive, abject apologies. Just proves how cutting edge our social whirl has become (not!). We'll be escaping the mundane tomorrow as I have a pre-op appointment at the hospital. Now what shall I wear? I think I'll go and plug the piano in and waste the bit of electricity I saved in this morning's "power down." Don't worry, I'll have my headphones on to save Bern the agony. |
3rd October 2022
Techno-wise all's quiet on the Western Front (aka my cluttered workspace, desk, and laptop.) The website is comfily settled on our new platform having made the transition into the realms of Square.com with Weebly sitting on the side-line so all's well with our virtual world. The Codsall Writers' website is happy too. Maybe I had the wrong specs on, and problems appeared larger than they really were. You can get into both sites via the original route. It's only me, as editor, who has to navigate my way in via Square.com and wipe my feet on the doormat. |
Our witch-hazel (hamamelis) is brightening up the garden at the moment. The leaves will soon be gone, then it will take a nap until late winter / early spring before putting on another show of bright yellow crinkly blooms.
|
1st October 2022
Autumn has definitely moved in with the new month. Time to brace ourselves for the long haul and the chilly days as we head towards baubles, holly and all things to do with "C". Let's put it to one side for now. We had a lovely visit from Carol, Gary and Jonathon yesterday. As it was such a gloomy, wet afternoon we settled for tea and cake round the fire. We get lots of pics of the little chaps sailing through cyberspace and landing on our devices. This one of Finley had us laughing. What did Daddy say to get this reaction? Poor Finley looks like Dad has caused him a moment of disquiet; "what the hell are you banging on about Dad?" Or maybe he saying, "please don't make wear an Arsenal strip!" |
25th September 2022
I'm verging on hopping mad and don't know what to do about it. I'm in the middle of a guilt trip caused by trying to do planet friendly online shopping. I used a UK company to order sheet music. They advertise as a second-hand book seller and tell me the book I had chosen would be sourced from a shop in Derby. Great I thought, no air miles, and it's second-hand, thumbs up to my carbon footprint. I've now been waiting over a month for the book to arrive. An e-mail said it was despatched three weeks ago. Hm... something funny is going on here. I went through the tracking process and finally discovered that the item is coming from Illinois USA. |
24th September 2022
Well, here we are on the downhill run to winter having shuffled our way through yesterday's autumnal equinox. I just love all this stuff, don't you? Yesterday had equal daylight and darkness and now we've moved to the dark side the daylight hours will reduce until we arrive at what my mother called, "the dark days before C*******s. I just can't say that word yet, we haven't done Halloween. I see the Stone Henge crowd were round the stones to mark the day. I would like to be there, but it looked a bit too cool and draughty for me and my Raynaud's, and gawd only knows what time I'd have to get up, so I didn't bother. |
21st September 2022
We have a bit of a dilemma looming. I've received e-mails from a company called Square.com who tell me they've taken over Weebly.com, the platform for this blog and the Writers' Group' website - our cosy chatting places for the past few years. Now they're yelling complicated techno stuff at me.. I need to link Weebly to Square i.e., Square will be the boss and we can only access Weebly via Square's front door. I have until the 29th to sort it all out. To date, I've lost my rag several times, stamped around, had a hissy fit and churned out invective the likes of which would shock the devil. It's a matter of wait and see if I can, understand their instructions... grrr! |
Carol's just sent us a pic of her morning's labours. Rhubarb and ginger jam, damson jam, and I'm told the next task is pear chutney. Damsons and rhubarb from Jay and Lesley's garden and the pears are from Carol and Gary's tree. Now that's the way to do it, as Mr Punch would say, and especially so in these times of rising prices. Talking about rising prices, When I scaled up this pic to read the labels, I noticed a little jar sitting aloft second on the right. It's only a jar of Fortnum and Mason pickle! How posh! Do you think it's disgruntled to be rubbing shoulders with Midlands' homemade? Well done Carol - a good morning's work.
|
10th September 2022
Little Pidge popped in again this morning. We didn't feed him this time hoping he might return to his owner. He's buzzed off again now so maybe he's winging his way back to Wakefield. |
I've just seen an item on Facepook which may of interest to some. It's an item which appears on a TV programme called Huge Homes (presenter Hugh Dennis on More 4 - he visits Chillington Hall. The stately pile of the Gifford family on land bordering Codsall Wood and Brewood. Screened on 8th September.
|
9th September 2022
We can't let this day go by without saying, "rest in peace your Majesty," there'll be sad days ahead. She's done a good job, a little girl who grew up without a notion of becoming Queen. When history changed course, she accepted the responsibility and has never faltered. We can no longer consider ourselves Elizabethans - thing is, I don't know what we are now. The powers that be, whoever they are, have much to think about. We'll need new coins, notes, and stamps and all the official stuff relating to the Monarchy. Will serving military personnel have to go through another official attestation declaring their allegiance to the new King? Maybe their original vow is carried over to the new epoch. I don't know why I worry about all this stuff; I'm sure someone will sort it out. |
8th September 2022
The tale of the lone pigeon continues. He spent a quiet night under our laundry basket. It's of a lattice design, enabling him to see and breathe whilst remaining safe from marauding cats. Bern's washed the patio to erase the collection of little white thank you notes he's scattered around the place. Thank you Pidge! We've telephoned his folks - no one in, but we left a message. As yet they've not responded. Here's little Pidge, he wandered off to peer through the back gate. |
Can you believe it?! I just went down to grab a cup of coffee - this beady-eyed bundle of feathers was watching my every move. And yes, he's deposited plenty of pigeon-output onto the outside windowsill. Maybe that'll be another job for Bern, On the right you see Pidge's night-time shelter. It's our laundry basked turned upside down.
|
Wow, pigeons know how to get organised don't they? Bern left a message, so we await a call. As yet he's made no attempt to fly away. It looks as if we may have to put him up for the night, I'd hate neighbouring cats to find him. Just think, he might be the pigeon equivalent of Red Rum or Shergar. I found this pic on the internet, it's a spitting image of our pigeon right down to the red thingy on his leg.
|
2nd September 2022
I had to pop in this morning to pass on a message from Cora. She says she's taken on board our "don't utter the C word until December" rule. Then she played her trump card without mention of the dreaded word. She quietly announced that today she had eaten mince pies, not any old mince pies, but ones with delicious buttery pastry. Mince pies indeed, that's as good as saying the C word by implication! Nice one Cora! I hear your triumphant cry of "touché". I'm way off track now - we'd better change the subject before we all start scrambling into the loft to dig out the decorations. No... please... not yet... |
1st September 2022 - happy new month
We've arrived at the meteorological start to autumn, so said the TV weather girl. I wonder why we need a predetermined date for the leaves to fall, nuts to ripen and all the usual autumnal happenings. I reckon the trees know the right time to strip off and bare their all, just as squirrels know when it's time to hide their nuts without officialdom sticking an ore in. I'm hoping the sunshine fairy will send a bit more our way before we change the clocks and settle down to shorter days. Better watch out, any day soon they'll be parading those green things (eyes right) along with and all the C stuff. Don't forget the big C word isn't spoken here until December. I'll try to banish my cynicism for the time being but watch out as big C looms nearer. |
While we're talking bad happenings, I'll mention a massive volcanic eruption which happened on today's date back in 1883 on the Indonesian island of Krakatoa. The sound was heard over a 3,000 mile radius. Ash was propelled for 50 miles into the air causing total darkness in the region and huge tidal waves struck Java and Sumatra, killing 36,000 people.
In 1968 a film was made about this awful disaster. The film is remembered for the inaccuracy of its title, Krakatoa, East of Java. I guess they considered it a great title until someone pointed out that Krakatoa actually lies to the west of Java. I wonder who spotted the geographical cock up, and whose knuckles were rapped? |
26th August 2022 Do you like these smiley faces? I planted the seeds a few weeks ago then, miracles happened. They're looking very comfy in a large terracotta pot. I've forgotten the name of the particular variety, but they only grow to a height of 18 inches or so. The bees seem to love them as much as I do. |
18th August 2022
Can't stay long this morning - I'm off to see Dr Tan the Kidney Man. I could do with staying home this morning as I'm in the middle of a technological tussle. E-mail app on my phone seems to be bunging up the works. That's my excuse for the trouble, but it's more likely caused by my ineptitude. I have different e-mail addresses for doing certain things and I've managed to tangle them up. My aged brain is making matters worse - some time soon I'm going to have to get to grips with my muddle and persuade them to play together nicely, Must dash now... have a good day everyone. |
9th August 2022
The heat wave is back then, all together now... "phew!" We've just done an early-ish stint in the garden. I tried to hoe the parched earth and deadhead a few frazzled blooms but it's still looking forlorn. Bern filled the bird baths and served up their breakfast of sunflower hearts and mealworms. In the interest of saving water he decided not to get the hosepipe out to wash pigeon poo off the patio - we'll just have to live with it until rain arrives. It's looking like a farmyard but, when a bird's got to go, duck! |
Just thought I'd say Happy Birthday to a local celeb, born in Stafford on this day in 1593. Izaak Walton was a writer and biographer and is mostly remembered for his book, The Compleat Angler. I've always been puzzled by the spelling he used - Google tells me it's just an earlier form of the version we use today i.e. complete. Walton continued to add to it for a quarter of a century so several versions were issued. It is a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse. Paperback editions of the book have been produced in recent years so I presume it's still being read to this day.
|
"No life my honest scholar, no life so happy and so pleasant as the life of a well-governed angler, for when the lawyer is swallowed up with business, and the statesman is preventing or contriving plots, then we sit on cowslip-banks, hear the birds sing, and possess ourselves in as much quietness as these silver streams, which we now see glide so quietly by us.
Izaak Walton, The Compleat Angler (1653) |
1st August 2022
Crikey, summer is galloping by and all I seem to be achieving is getting older and dafter. Jay sent a text yesterday to say he's incredibly busy - I'm unsure what he actually has to do - I would think the volunteers are shuffling people and pointing them in the right direction, whilst keeping an eye out for bother. |
30th July 2022
Morning all... did you watch Thursday's Commonwealth Games opening "do"? I was wowed by the 10 metre high bull made from scrap metal. A triumph! Well done to its creator. I started the collage I mentioned the other day - although unfinished I could see it was doomed and now it's dumped. Time for a rethink. |
30th July 1966 - the day England last won the World Cup. "The referee looks at his watch... some people are on the pitch... they think it's all over... it is now. Ten seconds to go. Hurst has got a hat trick. It is all over, England are the world champions, and Bobby Moore comes up to receive the Jules Rimet trophy for England." Kenneth Wolstenholme, commentary: World Cup final 30th July 1966.
|
28th July 2022
I'm not union-minded and consider the current situation involving the transport unions to be appalling. The fact they chose to demonstrate at the very moment the Commonwealth games get going is spiteful and malicious, an absolute killjoy for thousands of people. There's plenty more dates in the year they could have used to impose disruption and misery on others. I've no sympathy for their bleating about pay either, so many people are in the same boat at this difficult time of economic mayhem. Get a grip, I say, sit it out, things will get better one day. (Fingers crossed). |
Today's date is one of those dates when stuff seems to happen.
(1520) Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. I will confess - he's a bloke who gets up my nose. (circa 1560) Thomas Harriot introduced spuds to Europe. Some historians say it was Francis Drake who brought them to England. I wondered who first decided to make them into chips? Googled, and found there's long standing controversy between the French and Belgians about who made the first frites as they call them. The Brits love eating chips rather than arguing about them. Chuck in a battered fish and they'll insist it's a culinary delight unique to their homeland. (1821) The USA tidied up the 14th amendment and granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the US. I was horrified to read that the act excluded certain indigenous peoples. In June 1924 American Indians Became U.S. Citizens under the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. About time too! (1933) The BBC got off its high horse and allowed the first ever woman announcer to have a job. Misogyny prevailed even then. (1959) Postcodes were introduced in the UK. |
26th July 2022
The Commonwealth Games: Jay, along with many other volunteers, has jumped in at the deep end to offer his services. They all have to turn up tomorrow to be allocated their task. Sounds like it will be one big sort out ready for the kick off on Thursday 28th. Good luck with that one Jay. Hope the base ball cap and t-shirt they've promised you is to your liking. |
At the moment I'm contemplating ideas for a collage. I have a large square format blank canvas, as yet unused, so I've decided it's time to do something with it. I've settled on a theme but still need to collect odds and sods of suitable paper etc. to form the collage. These things take thinking time - it's not yet a work in progress, more a ponder and perusal re paper but I'm busy mulling despite appearing to be doing damn all.
|
20th July 2022
Whew... cooler air today, Yesterday I found the missing fan - it certainly came in handy. Maggie popped in to to say she's been making use of her pretty fan too. Looks like we're both fan fans. Anyone else been fan fluttering in an effort to keep cool? |
Carol has book recommendations - psychological thrillers. She's just read both, her verdict, "brilliant". I find the pink one's title is a little unsettling! Carol assured me it's a good read with lots of laughs.
|
18th July 2022
Wow! What a scorcher! We're feeling pretty useless today - the most strenuous thing we've tackled is filling a glass with water at regular intervals. This morning we lingered in the shade of the holly tree for a few minutes and then hastily retreated indoors to flop about and do nothing much. I think it's time to blow the dust off our old electric fan. |
open fan - cute or what?
|
folded fan - odd looking contraption
|
15th July 2022
Hello, hope everyone is tickety-boo and coping with the weather - looks like we'll need to hibernate during the scorcher that's promised, it's going to be too hot to sit outside to watch the garden frazzle. Don't forget your factor fifty and to keep hydrated, we don't want anyone to disappear along with their lawn. |
I went for my regular blood test yesterday. This morning a Rheumatology Nurse from New Cross rang me and asked if I was all right. I I told her I was OK. Then she asked if I was still refraining from taking the particular drug they told me stop back in February. I confirmed that I'm still not taking it. And that was it. It's funny how suspicions creep into one's head, does she know something I don't?
|
It's Orangemen's Day today. Irish Protestants in Northern Ireland and elsewhere march with their banners and regalia to celebrate the defeat of (catholic) James 11 by his (protestant) son-in-law William III (known as William of Orange). It all happened in July 1690 - a major squabble between Catholics and Protestants. I find such events so tiresome - why don't they leave the past where it belongs and why would anyone wish to celebrate an ancient dispute? Energy would be better spent on making the future a peaceful place?
|
William III was born on 4th November 1650. A Dutchman by birth, part of the House of Orange, he would later reign as King of England, Scotland and Ireland until his death in 1702.
|
James I (1603–25) James VI, king of Scotland (1567–1625), was the most experienced monarch to accede to the English throne since William the Conqueror, as well as one of the greatest of all Scottish kings.
|
9th July 2022
Following yesterday's chat, would you believe more irritations turned up and continued until bedtime. Scenario: I was busy typing, i.e. chatting to you doing yesterday's post. To the left of my desk alongside the printer sits a very tall cactus. I acquired it some 4 -5 years ago, it was just a little itty-bitty green thing, gherkin-ish with spikes back then. I suspect it was related to Jack's beanstalk because it grew and grew and to date it was about 3 feet tall and viciously prickly. I wish I'd photographed it before the next move happened so you could see what I was up against. It had developed lots of "branches" (is that what you call them on cacti?) all reaching for the sky. It was big and heavy and suddenly decided to topple over, crashing down onto my printer, scattering the dusty gravelly stuff in which cacti wallow all over the place. I tried to grab it but the spikes were lethal. I wrapped a large towel round to act as prickle a protector and tried to and put it back on its feet. It promptly toppled over and hit the deck again. |
This morning, eyes feeling much better, I was concerned about cactus contamination, so I dived into the shower at the crack of dawn before the window cleaner arrived. I didn't want him to catch me in the altogether. In my haste I grabbed the shampoo which failed to burst into bubbles so I tipped on a load more which still didn't turn all foamy. No specs on I'd picked up conditioner - twice! No wonder I never manage to make the shampoo and conditioner run out at the same time. This time I can blame the cactus.
|
8th July 2022
What a week! It's hardly worth writing about is it? Covid numbers are galloping and now reaching over 2,000,000, the Prime Minister is ousted and the rest of his cohorts are squabbling over who gets the best jobs. Also, our little box hedge has developed box blight so I guess that will be going in the same direction as Boris some time soon, and the local cats have been performing in our garden... the stink is abominable and the flipping blue bottles are dancing round it in delight. Other than delivering it to the appropriate letterbox where does one fling cat sh** (sorry, but the word poo is too polite for the awful stuff). One more moan - Sainsbury delivery arrived this morning and they didn't have the sausages I ordered. Rant over. |
21st June 2022
Welcome summer - time to wish you Happy Solstice - or Litha as Pagans call it. The Northern Hemisphere will have the longest day of the year today, and conversely, the Southern Hemisphere will have the shortest day of the year. We didn't rush off to Stonehenge to watch the sunrise but I quite fancy the idea. According to the Time and Date website, today the sun will rise at 4.43 am and set at 9.21pm (London) which means there will be a total of 16 hours, 38 minutes and 22 seconds of daylight in the capital. Times vary depending where you're located - moving northward timings are incrementally later. Now that's a load of info we didn't need to know unless we're feeling geeky. |
14th June 2022
Good news at the New Cross cancer clinic this morning; my tumour appears to have shrunk. I'm to get scanned again at the end of this month to confirm the findings. |
Maggie is currently reading "The Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman. She says... despite people being bumped off left right and centre, it's a funny read. |
12th June 2022
All the family are back under their respective roofs again after their trip to Majorca - the little ones are fine but the adults have lumps and bumps courtesy of mosquitoes despite desperate efforts to spray this, squirt that, rub something on and light a citronella candle etc. |
I had one of my habitual little mishaps yesterday; well not so much me but my scarf. Because of what I call my turkey wattle neck I like to hide it with a flimsy scarf. I was pruning a prickly pyracantha shrub, the wind blew, my scarf wafted and hooked onto the shrub just as I squeezed the secateurs my scarf got in on the action and now boasts a big hole. Further evidence that the aging process is challenging.
Note: a wattle is a fleshy caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds and mammals. Nobody warned me I'd grow one of these monsters. Glad I'm not the Queen my profile would look rubbish on a stamp. Caruncle? Strange word that. |
6th June 2022
D-Day today - I've just been wondering if there are any D-Day Veterans still living to remember those who took part in 1944. Quick Google result: it is estimated that there are fewer than 500 UK Vets still with us. Hope everyone enjoyed all the Jubilee stuff on the telly - my favourite bit was Her Maj and Padding sharing a few moments with cups of tea and marmalade sandwiches. No dainty triangles, I wonder if the Queen eats her crusts? |
29th May 2022
We've had a quiet-ish week, our only outing was to New Cross to visit the Gastroenterologist. Our excitement knows no bounds. But he's a very nice chap and discussed my ailing liver at length. Looks like there'll be further scans, plus an MRI and possibly a liver biopsy which he warned me, is not a particularly fun experience and would only be done if I was up for it. I agreed to do it but at this stage it's not set in stone. Before I left he sent me for a blood test - another fun moment as they filled 6 of those little phials. |
I'm amazed that scleroderma can cause to so many problems. When I was first diagnosed I thought it was just a skin thing. However, mine is systemic and eats away at everything, upsetting internal organs and generally being a nuisance. Did you see that chap on the telly this week? He has received a hand transplant - his hands were amputated because of the pain caused by scleroderma. It looked somewhat Frankenstein-esque but he's just started to get his new hands moving. I hope mine don't get that bad especially as I've just spent a pile of dosh on a new piano. I'm trusting keyboard practise will help to keep mine working. A few weeks ago painful hands caused me to drop a tray full of glasses and all were smashed. Solution, we now use plastic beakers! |
23rd May 2022
I've just been reading about International Tea Day which took place on 21st May. I consulted Google when I heard the Classic FM presenter mention it at breakfast time on the 21st. I don't recall hearing about it in previous years. Who knows what the next new celebratory day will be? Would you like a cup or a mug? |
16th May 2022
I remembered to look at the super blood moon that's promised to appear tonight. What a flipping let down. Forever a martyr to my cause, (time for the violins), I wrenched myself out of bed just before dawn (more violins), opened the window and peered at the heavens. Too wet and cloudy - not a blood(y) moon in sight! I'm going to have a good sulk or maybe a cup of tea. |
Carol nipped over to Rotterdam on Saturday morning to see Jon and Zara. A long way to go for a spin on their scooter and to check if her youngest is eating his greens.
|
15th May 2022
Oops! Didn't mean to stay away so long, I've been slaughtering the major scales and feel aghast to discover that I've forgotten loads of music theory stuff. It looks like it's going to be hard work moving onwards and upwards, but hey-ho let's battle on. Congratulation Ukraine on winning the Euro Song Contest - great news for your people and well deserved too. An "up yours" to Mr Putin who retaliated with a petulant missile. Can you believe they allow someone with such a mentality to be in charge of a nation? |
5th May 2022
Re. that which I mentioned on 29th April... well, it's arrived, it turned up yesterday morning and sent the neighbours into a flurry as the vehicle it arrived in was the size of a double-deck bus, bright red, and with a huge baby grand painted on the side. It was embarrassingly big, in fact a behemoth which blocked the street. I didn't dare go out to take a pic. We felt a stiff breeze coming from the twitching curtains. It was disguised by a cardboard casing and two chaps wheeled it on a trolley to the back door, so I'm not sure who got a proper butchers. And, thankfully, due to the fact that it's a digital piano complete with headphones, they'll not hear me murdering a few scales as I try to get to grips with things. This option was more for Bern's sanity but it'll come in useful while I'm lurking in a learning curve. I've dug out all my old sheet music which I've kept for 40 years since my old piano died just in case it came in useful, and now it has. |
1st May 2022
I wish you all a Happy May Day and all the usual New Month guff. Have you done a turn round the maypole and/or washed your face in the May Day early morning dew? Rituals of the past involved some weird and wonderful goings on. I love to see the early May blossom in the hedgerows at this time of year. |
30th April 2022
There's some fun going on in the sky at the mo. Look to the east and you'll see Venus cuddling up to Jupiter. The two brightest planets are in conjunction at the moment (29th-30th April) and look as if they are about to collide. They are actually millions of miles apart but this is how they appear if you are star gazing from Planet Earth. This event happens annually but this year they appear much closer than usual. This view won't happen again until 2039 so get a butchers now in case we're not around next time. |
29th April 2022
We had another jab yesterday, our fourth It was the Moderna one, a change from our previous Pfizer. The menu was table d'hote rather than a la carte, so we crossed our fingers and went with the flow. |
I've bought something that's so thrilling it reaches the realms of knicker-wettingly exciting. When it arrives I'll show you a pic. It was a rash decision and a bucket-list buy.
|
23rd April 2022
Have you ever wondered why the English celebrate St George? He was born in Cappadocia, Turkey, around 270 AD and never actually set foot in England. In the distant past we adopted him as our patron saint and marked the date of his death, April 23rd, as a day of celebration. Personally, I don't get it, even if he did slay a mythical dragon. However, today's the day to shout "hooray for St George" and "boo!" to the dragon." |
OK so we've done St George we'd better offer birthday wishes to Will. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, in April 1564. The exact date of his birth is not recorded, but it is most often celebrated around the world on 23 April. Shakespeare's baptism is recorded in the Parish Register at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon on Wednesday 26 April 1564. Hm... that reminds me, I have a particularly nice copy of Shakespeare's sonnets. It has explanatory notes on every page to aid understanding. I'll dig it out and pay homage. |
22nd April 2022
Earth Day is here again - with the planet in crisis I guess we're teetering on the brink of "now or never". No point me banging on about it, we all know what we have to do. Thank goodness we have David Attenborough to bring us to task - a valiant eco hero. I've just phoned the hospital to see what's happened to the appointments I'm expecting. They said there's one in the pipeline for early May at 10.45 pm. Hope I can stay awake! I can accurately predict that Bern will be snoring his head off in the waiting area - we both veer towards sleepily unsociable come 10 pm. |
20th April 2022
The sunshine is lovely this morning but it's still a bit brrr don't you think? Steve, (electrician) has been this morning to fix our security lights. They had a bit of a tantrum following a power cut a couple of months ago but things are up and running again now. It's particularly dark out there at night since Bilbrook House (care home) has gone. We still don't know what's going to replace it - the site is cleared and ready for re-use - all we can do is speculate and "watch this space". |
Anyone posted a card to Her Maj? It's the real birthday tomorrow, she'll be 96. The pretend birthday comes later and is always scheduled for a Saturday in June. I assumed the business of two birthdays for the Monarch has been going for ever, but I found it's not so: the Queen's father, King George VI, started this tradition. Anyway, Happy Birthday wishes for tomorrow Ma'am. I've looked up the Ma'am thing, this is how it's spelled but you have to pronounce it to rhyme with jam. Sticky ground really, one has to get these protocols correct or it might be a matter of "orf with one's head." |
There's lots more elements on it i.e. spiders, Miso the dog, trees, a flamingo, and the other four boys and their names, Jai, Josh, Rory and Ralfie, trees, flowers, several birds, snail, caterpillar, dummy etc etc. Truly daft but it amused the kids and me.
Josh wanted to know why I'd put a spider on it and I couldn't think of a reasonable answer. Maybe he doesn't like them. |
17th April 2022
Happy Easter all - and if you're wolfing down chocolate, enjoy it. You can worry about your waistline later. What a lovely spring day. The cheery cherry blossom is out and looking all pink and frothy. I'd love to say, "all's well with the world" but there's no chance while wicked old Putin is calling the tune and circulating his lies. I despair. |
Do you ever have a muddled moment? I mean a moment when you try to say something and it comes out all mixed up. Yesterday I was trying to ask Bern if he fancied something simple for tea, I suggested cheans and bees with packet jotato. I was stunned and took a moment to work out what I'd heard myself say. If that isn't a spot on serious Spoonerism then I don't know what is! Inevitably it set me wondering about the famous Mr Spooner - did he exist or is he just a myth? I'm off to Google to find out.
William Archibald Spooner
I think he looks an amiable chap |
Yes he was real. The Reverand William Archibald Spooner 1844-1930.
He was warden at New College Oxford and was notorious for his utterance of such mistakes. So famous in fact, the word Spoonerism was well established in the British vocabulary by 1921. [not to be confused with Malapropism - but that's another story and it's all about Mrs Malaprop. I find Malapropisms amusing too.] One of the best Malapropisms I've heard was coined by Bern's Mum years ago. She was telling us a tale about when Bern was a boy wheeling his younger sister, Joyce, in her pushchair, and he let go of the handle. The push-chair, with Joyce in it, meandered on alone. I quote, "it didn't stop until it hit the bollo**s. " (You need to add a ck in there but she thought she'd said bollards.) Bern's Mum didn't allow "rude". The urge to laugh was unbearable so we had to silently choke. Mrs Malaprop isn't a real person - she is a character in a play, an aunt who gets mixed up in other people's schemes and dreams and often chooses the wrong words with humorous effect. Mrs Malaprop has been around for years - the play in which she features was written in 1775. Richard Brinsley Sheridan's comedy-of-manners - The Rivals |
28th March 2022
Brace yourselves, it's a boring one today. Did you remember to change your clocks at the weekend? The idea is to make better use of the daylight available between the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October, i.e an hour of daylight is borrowed from the morning and added to the end of the day. Where's the flipping sense in that? We'll not be getting extra daylight, it's just being displaced. During the summers of 1941-1945 the clocks were moved 2 hours ahead of GMT (British Double Summer Time). The clocks were not put back by an hour at the end of summer in 1940 (BST having started early, on 25 February 1940). In subsequent years, clocks continued to be advanced by one hour each spring (to BDST) and put back by an hour each autumn (to BST). On 15 July 1945, the clocks were put back by an hour, so BDST reverted to BST; the clocks were put back by an additional hour on 7 October 1945, so BST reverted to GMT for the winter of 1945. |
In 1946, BST operated as normal (from April to October) but in 1947, for a single year, BDST was re-introduced with effect from 13 April (BST having started on 16 March). After four months of BDST the clocks were put back by an hour on 10 August (to BST) and by another hour on 2 November (to GMT). An inquiry during the winter of 1959–60, in which 180 national organisations were consulted, revealed a slight preference for a change to all-year GMT+1, but instead the length of summer time was extended as a trial. During 1966–1967 Britain remained on GMT+1 throughout the year between 27 October 1968 and 31 October 1971 when they changed back to the previous arrangement... how many idiots wasted their days sitting at their desks working that lot out. Whatever time they make the clock say, we don't get any more nor any less daylight.
Oh crikey... I give up... does anyone really know what the correct time it is? I reckon we've all lost track of time. |
25th March 2022
Hallelujah! I tested clear on Monday and Bern's test was clear today. Thank goodness we can abandon the down-your-throat and up-your-nose stick thing, not very enjoyable is it? That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that following my blood test taken on Tuesday the hospital rang the next day as they didn't like the result. In February they wrote to my GP asking him to arrange an appointment with a liver consultant and a gastroenterologist. Hospital asked if the appointments had transpired yet. I had to tell them, no. The Rheumatology Nurse then told me to ring the surgery to ascertain if the GP had requested the appointments. I was horrified to find they'd filed the letters but no one had responded to them. What a dilemma. I feel like I'm having to be the peace-keeper between hospital and GP. I now have to phone my Rheumatology consultant to tell him the GP has messed up and I'm worried the GP will think I'm shopping him. Any ideas for a resolution? And while they're all squabbling I'd like to be treated for whatever it is they're panicking about... I do wish they'd tell me what's wrong. |
In the meantime I've been carrying on with my embroidery project and I'm tickled pink with how it's turning out - I hasten to add not because of the quality of the work, it's my daft (very daft) design that has me laughing. |
22nd March 2022
Hi again everyone. We got the test kits out a couple of days ago and we both continue to be Covid contaminated. I had to cancel a hospital appointment so everything's out of step - I guess we just have to sit it out and wait for the 'all clear'. Ooh! I hate germs. Get well soon Lesley and Audrey who have also been visited by the Covid monster. |
17th March 2022
At last, it's feeling spring-like; time to dig out the mower, gardening gloves and wellies. Despite the sunshine, I'll probably be staying this side of the back door for now, I found the breeze has a knife edge when I went to peg my sewing project on the line. It's not finished yet but I wanted to see if the Sticky Fabri Solvy stuff dissipates easily when wetted. And yes, it works a treat. (see 8th March) Sorry, I've been remiss - I forgot to remind us all of the Ides of March - whatever they are we've missed 'em. Another of those ancient mysteries - however, I do know that they always fall on the 15th March and that Shakespeare banged on about it big time when he said, "...beware the Ides of March..." |
St. Patrick was born in Britain, of a Romanized family. When aged 16 he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and carried into slavery in Ireland. I've read differing accounts of what happened next. One says he went to France to become a monk, another says he returned to his family in Britain. Wherever he went, it looks like he landed back in Ireland at some stage during the fourth century and he managed to clear the country of snakes. To this day there are no snakes in Ireland which means the little leprechauns can travel safely. A leprechaun is a fairy-like creature in Irish mythology. They're mischievous creatures who make shoes or hide their coins in hidden pots of gold at the end of rainbows. Leprechauns may grant wishes to humans who capture them. Happy St. Patrick's Day.
|
8th March 2022
I had another blood test on Monday. On Tuesday the hospital rang to say stop taking the Mycophenolate (immunosuppressant) and have another blood test in two weeks time. Looks like they're still flapping about my blood. I anticipate a long process of eliminating this and that to find out what's causing the problem. Here we go again... perhaps that's why I've been feeling pretty useless of late - no energy to do anything despite being bored rigid. I've given up on serious reading as the old Sjogrens Syndrome shovels sand into my eyes and then the eye drops make them blurry. I've given up on knitting and crochet - hands too painful. Endless woe, time for pastures new; I've decided to try embroidery, though hardly a riotous activity. No twee flowers or dainty doilies for me. I've dug out an old denim shirt and I'm going to design something silly and do stuff all over it so I can pose as a mad old hippy. I've not done embroidery since I was at school, so the usual research tactics were called for: Internet, Google, etc. Wow! it's a whole new ball game these days, more tech than twee. I've ordered something called... wait for it... Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy Printable Pack. I can't decide whether the person who named the product is a marketing genius or not, imagine going into a shop and trying to roll that off your tongue. An impossible task without laughing. Conversely, it's certainly memorable Glad I ordered mine online. Draw your design and get it onto your computer. Then you can print it onto a sheet of Sulky Sticky Stuff. Then you peel off a backing layer and position it on your fabric and stitch directly onto the printed Sulky Whatsit Stuff. It stabilises the fabric making it easier to work. The magic bit is when you've completed your embroidery work you swish the fabric about in water and the Sulky Sticky Stuff vanishes. You can also draw on Sulky Sticky Stufff, thus negating computer involvement. The printable option is useful if you want to download an image, design, or lettering from the Internet to create your design. I'm sitting waiting for the postman to bring my Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy Printable - can't wait to get going, providing I can stay awake, I get a bit sleepy these days. I bet you're feeling sleepy too if you've just ploughed through my drivel. 😊 |
Argan trees are short with a wide spreading canopy of small, oval, leathery leaves. It has a twisted trunk and the branches are thorny. The flowers are small and yellow-green. The fruits have a thick peel and soft pulp containing a hard nut which produces an oil rich in natural vitamins, essential fats and antioxidants. The oil is beneficial for moisturising and strengthening hair and skin.
|
4th March 2022
I accept that I'm a bit weird and read too much boring stuff. Today's little read reminded me of a current situation which is the subject of world attention: on this date in 1681, an Englishman, William Penn, the chap in charge of English Quakers, was given a piece of land in North America. The offering was made by England's King Charles II to settle a debt. Mr Penn named his land Pennsylvania. How and why can an English king dole out land belonging to another country just to get a creditor off his back? I've not looked into the politics, but to me it sounds somewhat Putin-esque. Acquire some land, then give it to your mate despite the fact it's in someone else's country. I'm puzzled. BUT, when you look back through the centuries, much of the world has been pinching land and artefacts from other countries and refusing to return them to their rightful owners. Eons of progress and yet primeval instincts prevail. |
William Penn
(14 October 1644 – 30 July 1718) Born in Bristol, English writer and religious thinker and leader of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) |
I'm flying the flag for the Ukraine today
|
28th February 2022
What a nightmare the Ukrainians are going through. The Russian monster is another Hitler, another Mugabe - a power crazed psychopath. Why does the world stand by and watch someone like this gain power? With all this political and military conflict going on I was reminded that it's 31 years today since the Gulf War came to an end. An omnipotent dictator was at the root of that war. And now, 31 years on, after all the slaughter, suffering, and heartbreak on both sides, that area of the Middle East is back to square one and the dreaded Taliban rule. I hate to think which way today's dispute will unfold. I hope someone will see sense and allow Eastern Europeans to live in peace. |
27th February 2022
I had a letter the other day asking if I would participate in a research study to help scientists assess the effectiveness of the third Covid-19 vaccination among immunosuppressed people. The research is to ascertain if, or how many, immunosuppressed people have developed antibodies that may provide protection against Covid-19. Names are chosen from a list of people in England with a rare autoimmune disease. I've volunteered and submitted my details and wait to hear if I've been selected to take part. Another thought, I didn't know I was on such a list - hey ho... Big Brother is watching us. I find it a little unnerving now that people with or without Covid are allowed to abandon cautionary measures as it's not yet known if the vaccine has worked for people like me. Sadly, a friend of ours died from scleroderma in January. We last saw him a couple of days before Christmas when he came to deliver a Christmas card. RIP Roy Sainsbury. |
An estimated 12,000 of this figure have scleroderma but only 1% of UK population know what the condition is.
|
23rd February 2022
At long last, we have a dry day. Sun is shining, washing machine's busy, and we've spotted birds gathering nest building stuff, all seems well on the home front. I've sung the praises of this little plant several times over the years - what a trooper - it's been with us for 20 years. I took it from my mother's sitting room window sill when she moved in with us, prior to her care home days. Last year it looked ready to breathe it's last. Just before Christmas 2021 it rallied and has been in flower since December - I took the pic this morning. I've no idea of its true age as mother had it for some time before it took up residence in our back porch, It's happy in this cool spot which doesn't get sun until evening. |
18th February 2022
Good morning all. I have a Facebook find to show you - it's one for family members to see how Daniel's been getting on with his music studies. Hi there Daniel - Drummer Extraordinaire - looks like you have a cool bit of kit there. Dan, a passionate drummer, is currently at Grade 7 and has taken part in a wide range of performances, including National Concert Band Festivals in Kerkrade (Netherlands). He's also received special recognition from Trinity College of Music (London). On completion of his current course he plans to continue studying to achieve HNC level which he hopes will lead to a degree course to enable him to become a qualified tutor in his subject. Well done Daniel - keep us informed of your progress - best wishes from all your family fans. |
not
particularly endearing is it? |
12th February 2022
Saturday afternoon saw us trekking to the hospital again for an ultra sound scan on my liver. I don't like seeing my own entrails on the screen but I risked a quick glance. I was surprised to find that livers are an odd shape and quite large. The bulk of it hangs around on the right while the rest of it flops its way across the chest cavity. The wide bit sits near to your right kidney and stomach. The very notion of liver has me thinking... and onions! Ugh! How offal! I asked the all important question but they wouldn't give any indication of their findings - it's a matter of waiting for the report to go to my consultant. On our return I asked Google about it, and I found that only 10% of scleroderma patients develop liver issues. I thought liver problems belonged to alcohol users. If something is wrong, it'll mean I've drawn another short straw - I'm allergic to alcohol and therefore a lifelong non-boozer - no justice is there? I've always carried one of those little NHS cards giving permission for anyone in need to use my organs when I've finished with them. Trouble is, the useful ones are getting clapped out and I'm beginning to doubt they'll be of help to anyone second time around. |
9th February 2022
A notable date back in 1942 during WW11. This is the day soap rationing began and each person was allowed 3 oz (75 g) of soap per week. Restrictions lasted until 1950. Oh crikey, I hope I wasn't a grubby kid, and no wonder our mother complained when we came home with muddy knees. Soap manufacturers lost out because all oils and fats were required for food production. That little gem unnerves me - does it mean we were eating stuff that goes into soap? |
3rd February 2022
I'm always a little irritated when the rich and famous are allowed their own way while the rest of us have to toe the line. Despite much controversy, the world's richest man, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has obtained permission to partly dismantle an historical national monument in Rotterdam, the Koningshaven Bridge. He's having a yacht built by a Dutch company and his vessel can't escape to the open sea because it's too tall to pass under the bridge, the only route to the ocean. OK so he's footing the bill and the bridge will be reinstated. I reckon he should have his knuckles rapped for lack of planning, lack of foresight, and possessing an ego too big for his boats! |
I wonder if the Amazon chap could advise Jay and Lesley how to persuade our local authority to allow them some leeway. They've recently approached the powers that be about street lighting.
|
T hey live on the corner of a cul-de-sac and have 4 tall street lights beaming down on their property, floodlighting their garden and glaring into all three bedrooms impeding their sleep. Distance between the lamp posts is less than regulations stipulate but those responsible are refusing to budge or to discuss the matter further. Advice for a way out of this impasse most welcome.
|
A few days ago I hinted that I was in the middle of a codging something together. My project came about because I happened across a website advertising fat quarters. This posed a question, what the hell is a fat quarter? I galloped to Google and found that a fat quarter is a piece of fabric one-fourth of a yard cut to a size of 18 inches x 22 inches. The target market for fat quarters is quilters. I'm no quilter, more of a wilter these days, and quilting is much too tedious a task for me. The said fat quarters I saw were temptingly pretty and come in packs of 6 colour-coordinated pieces of cotton fabric. I succumbed and as soon as they arrived I chopped them into smaller pieces. The thing is, I then machined them back together again but mixed up the colours. I had to ask myself, is this a futile task? But I liked the splash of random colour and I thought this cheery little tablecloth will wake us up as we munch our morning cereal.
|
27th January 2022
I've done two hospital visits this week, Monday Eye Infirmary and Wednesday heart ultrasound scan. Sjogren's Syndrome causes my eyes feel like there's a shovel full of sand under my eyelids. They've prescribed two types of stuff to dispel the discomfort - artificial tears and some gungy stuff to use at night. Thank you NHS. It also affects the mouth and I'm drinking water through the night to stop the inside of my mouth sticking to my teeth, the inevitable follow on from all the water is frequent trips across the landing. I wonder what it's like to sleep through the night. |
It's unforgiveable that such atrocities are still happening around the world when we have days like today reminding us of past acts of inhumanity and war. World leaders are allowing it to happen right under our noses. I reckon it'll become a matter of which crumbles first: the human race or our planet.
|
17th January 2022
Morning all… we’ve had a busy one. Firstly, we dashed off to Brewer’s on the Dudley Road to dump my sewing machine for a service. Then we hot-footed back home to part with an armful of blood at GP’s surgery for hospital consultants to share – liver and haematology chaps this time. Earlier, whilst gobbling my gluten-free cornflakes, I listened to a load of twaddle on the radio. Something about Blue Monday being the unhappiest day of the year. |
It was the word Neuro that grabbed me because yesterday I was reading about Neurographic Art. I looked into the thinking behind it, how it will detract your thoughts from your worries and ideas of that ilk. There are a few rules to observe: no loose ends, no sharp angles, organic shapes, work intuitively, etc. So, I gave it a go. Now I’m wondering, are we too keen on this cure-all Neuro stuff just because it sounds scientific and clever? After completing my first Neurographic work I decided that it looks like a doodle, and I’ve been doing those since childhood. Mind you, I did search YouTube and found some wonderfully creative doodles, much better than mine. Oops! Sorry, I mean Neurographic Art. It’s quite absorbing though, My first effort is done with a ballpoint pen and coloured pencils. Maybe Blue Mondays and Doodling should do some joined up thinking: i.e. should you be suffering from a touch of the Blue Monday Myth, do some Doodling and all will be well. Not that I’m a cynic or anything… just saying… after all, Blue Monday was an idea planted in our heads by a commercial enterprise, not by Neuroscience. I can go with the doodling but holiday companies are NOT going to mess with my head. Let's have less of the Neuro-babble and aim for January smiles, after all, the snowdrops are out and we're heading towards Spring. Blue Mondays are banished but feel free to doodle your cares away, it's cheaper than a posh holiday.
|
January 13th 2022
Hi everyone. This morning, I had a sudden whim and to do a bit of sewing. I ended up getting ratty with the sewing machine. I was happily chugging away until the machine decided to have a tantrum. It chewed up all the thread into a big bunch and dumped it around the needle area. Everything was jammed. Patiently(ish) I disentangled things and tried to get it going again. |
January 10th 2022
I find January is a rather boring month - a sort of post-Chrimbo dolldrums. Jay and Les had the best idea and zoomed off to a remote spot in Scotland the minute they stepped into the new year. Toni and Andy had a little gathering on Saturday for Andy's birthday. We got to see a few family members and four of our little guys. The boys were in pirate mode. They jumped ship and abandoned eye-patches when it was time to attack a pizza. |
It drives me mad that since the calendar began it has been tampered with numerous times over the centuries. My latest discovery is that in 1752 they ditched 11 days of January. Back in the day, someone in the Scottish village of Burghead in Scotland realised that the 11th would have been the "Old New Year's Eve".
|
To commemorate this deed they hold an annual festival called Burning of the Clavie - a barrel of fire attached to a pole. It is paraded by the Clavie King. It's fuelled with tar and creosote. When it's burned out everyone charges about collecting the "lucky" embers which are scattered on the hillside. I wonder... had the calendar never been disrupted since it began, I wonder what today's day and date would have been.
|
January 1st 2022
Good morning all, here we are with our feet over the threshold of a new year. Yesterday's drivel is still around - mouse over the menu at Betty Blogs 15, and you'll find previous stuff. We managed to stay awake to see fireworks in the night sky to the accompaniment of Jools Holland doing his annual Hootenanny thing. A weird word isn't it? I looked it up and it means, an informal gathering with folk music. |
We did it this morning - put Christmas back in its box and stuffed it in a cupboard until next time. Duster in hand and vacuum on the go we've erased all trace. I've gathered up the cards but won't part with them yet as I like to re-read them before they're sent for recycling. I also like to touch base (stupid metaphor, I mean send an e-mail) to those who've shared a snippet of gossip. I have writers' group homework to do, the brief is to write a piece inspired by a Christmas card you've received, focus on the person who has sent it or the illustration. Oh crikey, a tough one.
|