WHOEVER HEARD OF A HEFFALUMP LIKING HONEY?

Today I was bowled over by a critique and high praise for a photo I submitted to the International iPhone Photography Academy (IPA).I have been taking courses with The Academy. The comments were from someone who began learning on the first course about the same time as me. We are both pretty good at being honest in the nicest possible way so the comments mean a lot to me. This is the photo.…

A real knock back. There is a fierce gale force wind, it can’t be far off storm level and I have my arms loaded with the wet laundry in a basket plus pegs, of course. It was a real battle to keep the whirly washing line still. But then it was only doing what it is meant to do. Once back in the safety of the house, I felt how hard my body’s muscles had been working to keep me stable and…

I am entering a kingdom of old blogs, with wide open spaces for new ones. The prompts have led me here again. Their purpose to do what, other than think my thoughts and write them. My keyboard is objecting. People i have known here on WP are the mainstay of my thoughts. I make moves to find them. Two recent emails updating some activities are proving difficult to attach to their writers with…

Our kitchen is being revamped. What an upheaval!  Packing up the old one was worse than moving home. Thirty-five years of accumulated clutter. I sorted out the many drawers some weeks ago. The crockery, utensils and cutlery-cooking cutlery and those for eating with- and the larder took a whole week of packing.  Thank heavens for  the daily unwanted stock boxes from the local grocery store. One…

The default is, do not publish it.

I have  toddled through Wordle and Dordle every day, since April. If you don’t know these games, they are word games. Brain experts  reckon that working with words, reading, crosswords, and now Wordle et al, are exceptionally useful for keeping the brain agile. Woe betide the imposition of an American spelling. Yet, American vocabulary not in use here in the U.K  raises  grumbles, but not half as…

Comprehensively Spattered

So, when exactly did it start to rain?  It is easier to remember when the rain stopped, if you don’t count the brief  breaks between showers and the downpours. Saturday 21st May, (this year) The Meteorological Office local weather forecast  assured us there would be about three consecutive hours during the day when it would be dry and breezy. Determined to avoid using electricity to dry my…

TIME FLIES

On Monday evening I glanced at my wrist watch. Everything was running to good time; I was even ahead of myself. I finished off what I was doing then tucked myself into a chair to wind down and watch whatever there was on television that might take my fancy…………time for the late evening news.  No, that can’t be right. 🤨 I checked my watch again. Double checked the time again. I was still operating…

You know that feeling when you think someone has committed what could be thought of as a cardinal sin of communication, well, I think I have just done it. Do I feel really bothered by it, yes I do. I was so excited to see The Scottish Government’s paper last weekend on assisting the Ukrainian refugees, especially the first three paragraphs of it on how to make applications direct to Scotland and…

Life is too short to stuff mushrooms

I am sitting here at my computer waiting for a person, any real person, to actually answer my call with a utility company. Pandora’s Box “All Our agents are busy right now. We have to make you aware that there is at least a twenty minutes wait for calls to answered”  Twenty-seven minutes into my wait…..I am still determined to sit it out, listening unfortunately to where I can find their Apps,…

The once a year penning of personal salutations.

The last card has been written. Why do I feel a weight has been lifted, when the once a year contact and greetings to friends gathered over the years is meant to be good. If the letters or cards were spread out over the year it may feel much more lightsome. We received one card today, which had the spouse’s name penned out on the return address sticker. It clouded my already pensive mood. It was…

Permit me to procrastinate.

Procrastination has beaten me! I have given in. Having been up to my eyeballs in festive packing, wrapping and posting, and still there’s more to be done,  I am giving me permission to think about something else. Storm Arwen has passed, the snow has melted and it does feel as if the temperatures are rising again. We were lucky.  As violent as Arwen was, we did not lose any power sources, nor did…

Before You Ask; No I did not.

Shorter days mean that various festivities are approaching. I don’t sense a festive spirit.  Is it too soon?  It is only November 22nd. This afternoon I tackled a batch of gifts.  By tackling, I really mean sorting who has what and wrapping some of the ‘whats’. There was the usual sticky tape disappearing act only to reappear stuck to something it shouldn’t have been. Oh, and where are those gift…

More, Yet More Complications.

Word Press have kindly sent out an email about 2FA.  If I hadn’t read the email I would be mystified for more than one reason  about this announcement.  2FA is Two Factor authentication.  Do I hear a mass groan or two. I had to make a major effort to concentrate on the information; my mind can wander off to other other subjects- amenable ones-very easily. I don’t know if I am really any the wiser…

SURFING DebACLEs WIND AND SEA

I could have been caught up this time in the major debacle of the many fuel companies that ceased to trade in the last fortnight. Sadly, I can only put my good timing to move on, down to experience and the dates of my potential contract renewals. I missed this upheaval by a whisker. One of the previous suppliers, (about eighteen months ago) I was very relieved to see disappear. I had good…

We Said Goodbye…

We said goodbye to a baby more than twenty months ago.  We were reunited in August this year, with an independent-minded confident toddler.   We had maintained  remote contact with video calling, I even amused  wee sprig for two-and -half hour periods with many types of imaginative play.  I encouraged sprig to initiate a theme and it all developed from there.   The parents thought me occupying…

Your hands are always cold!

Our Sunday walk took us to a harbour. It was the most sensible place to head for. Although there was a nor’ easterly wind blowing, suppressing the temperatures a bit, nevertheless, it was very hot. My shorts, tee-shirt and sandals kept me temperate. Looking at hubs in dark blue cotton trousers, socks and shoes and sporting a short sleeve black tee-shirt announcing he was a Cezanne fan, made me…