Follow the right path
you may get lost and stumble
but you will find light
Why so glum?
Just a quick ‘hello’ from one of my gorgeous goldfish, who despite the chilly weather are still up and about and enjoying this morning’s sunshine. They seem to think I should be feeding them, though you are really not supposed to when the temperature is less than 10 degrees, which it most definitely is now. I do usually keep some ‘winter’ food for days like this, but sadly I’ve run out, so they’ll just have to forage, perhaps that’s why he’s looking so glum!
By the way, no one can convince me that my fish don’t know me. They always come to the surface when I go out in the garden, and congregate around the area where I usually feed them. They are tame, and in the summer, I’ll sit for hours while they feed from my hand and swim around my feet – yep, I paddle in the pond even when it’s at it’s murky worst. I love them all, but now we have over 60 of them it’s sometimes hard to remember all their names!!
Have a lovely day all x
Intelligence?
As you may have gathered by now, I do love a gadget. I love shiny new tech. My new laptop is a joy with it’s sleek black looks and brushed copper details. I do, I stroke it, and talk to it. It’s my baby.
I was nearly in tears at the weekend when one of Microsoft’s helpful updates managed to throw it’s network card out of kilter. I wailed miserably when after many, many attempts at switching off and switching on again, I eventually realised it was indeed my machine and not our weakling broadband that was stopping me getting online.
I ran a diagnostic which came up with the useful solution of ‘download a new network driver from…’
‘How can I ******* download a new driver when I can’t ****** get on line’ I whined and cursed.
Call me a genius, admittedly it took me ten minutes to think to turn on my old computer, and download the drive onto a memory stick via that, but that’s what I did (after waiting for about half an hour for the dear old thing to boot – thank god for the dawn of SSDs (Solid State Drives you heathen!). Ran it on my new machine and hey presto, here I am. Thank goodness I invested in new before the old one gave up the ghost completely.
My other old friend, iphone, is likely to be replaced soon. I’m still lagging behind with an iphone 4 whilst others enjoy the cool wonderfulness of iphone 6 so I’ve been thinking about upgrading for a while, but the nail went in the coffin lid a couple of days ago when my old pal Siri started to get a bit above himself. Ok, my grammar may have been slightly to blame, but really, who does he think he is… The conversation went as follows:
Me: ‘What can you do with a spiralizer?’ – (yay, we have a spiralizer, aren’t we on trend!!)
Siri: ‘Who me?’
Me under breath: no me you twerp
Me out loud with a sigh: ‘What can I do with a spiralizer’
Siri: ‘Interesting question me..’ (he has always called me me since I set him up, obviously wrongly.)
That was the last of it. No suggestions or ideas. He just sat in my iphone stroking the invisible beard on his invisible face whilst contemplating my fascinating question. It’s not the first time either. He’s definitely for the chop. He may be even be replaced by ‘Hey Google’ if he’s not bloomin’ careful.
Of course, I can’t let Christmas go by without a new toy, so whilst Father Christmas didn’t actually deliver (though I have to say his choice of alternative presents was exemplary, I must’ve been a very good girl all year), over the festivities I did buy myself a FitBit.
For those of you not in the know, a FitBit is an activity tracker. Mine is a small gizmo that I can wear about my person, and it tracks all my movements (including sleep patterns) and calculates calories burnt, steps taken, activity levels etc.
I’ve had it a week, and so far, it’s been instrumental in getting me walking further with the dog, eating less and more healthily, and generally working towards being a more fabulous version of myself.
As well as synching with my phone and laptop, the tiny gizmo has a display where you can (oops sorry Siri) where I can check my stats, and if I’m doing well a little flower grows. It’s a cutie pie and I’m loving it.
I thought this relationship was pretty one-sided until the other night when I was removing it from it’s holder to put it on to the wristband for night-time wear. Without my pressing the button, it lit up with the message
‘I like you Kaye’
Whilst it was nice to know, I did find it slightly creepy that I was in my nightie before it chose to reveal it’s admiration and conversational capabilities.
I still haven’t found out what prompted that, or why a couple of days later it suddenly chose to nag me with
‘burn it Kaye’
Sadly, it doesn’t boast anything as swish as voice recognition, so I can’t answer it back. Neither, it seems, can I switch it off, so it better play nice, or I tell you, it’ll be going in a drawer where it can’t see me…
Mine!
Posted in response to the Daily Posts Weekly Photo Challenge – this week’s theme ‘Alphabet’.
I was very excited to find this twiglet especially made for me!! 🙂
Absolute beginners
Maybe not the first single you think of when you think of David Bowie, and maybe not one of his best, but we chose this as the first dance at our wedding thirty years ago, for both the sentiment and the mad dancing opportunities in the jazzy bits!
Most of the time I still feel like an absolute beginner in this life, so often think of the lyrics to remind me that I’m a lucky sort really.
David Bowie was only a few years older than me, and his loss so prematurely is another reminder that we should live life everyday as if there is no tomorrow!
It seemed like a good idea…
Written in response to the Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner challenge week#2 – 2016
It seemed like a good idea at the time, after all it was only another one of my brother’s ‘dares’. He never believed I’d take them on, never believed in me, but oh did I love proving him wrong!
He watched as I climbed over the railing. We were only one floor up but it still felt pretty high. I clung on to the bannister and leaned out over the vast hall below. The floor shone from it’s morning polish, and the flowers in the huge vase in front of the portrait of my great-grandfather were fresh. I could smell them even from my vantage point.
‘Go on then’ he urged, smugly waiting to taunt me.
So I leapt.
Falling forward as planned I grabbed the glistening chandelier. It’s crystal drops shuddered and tinkled as it took my weight. Pleasingly, I heard my brother gasp.
But then I realised my predicament. I hung there like a chimp, not knowing what to do. I couldn’t let go and I was too light to make the thing swing.
My arm ached but I managed to cling on until one of the butlers passed by. Not in a position to scold, he fetched a ladder to rescue me.
My mother was not amused.
Can she do it?
Well the New Year is underway. I’ve not made any resolutions as such, but as always have promised myself that I will get (and stay) fit, lose a few pounds, be happy, let myself off the hook now and again, and try and do my bit to make the world a nicer place.
Of course, all those things are more of a challenge than they ought to be.
At the moment I’m feeling like a bit of a blob, so I’m all enthused about the getting fit and losing weight bit. However, I do know from experience how quickly disillusion can replace that enthusiasm, and those carefully set goals seem unachievable and all that effort a waste of time. It’s so much easier to just accept your fate and eat another chocolate, after all, who really cares what shape this old woman is in? Does staying in shape matter as you get older? After all, no-one wants to look like a boney and haggard little old lady do they?
Actually, yes, it does matter. People might not worry too much about what I look like, hey, they might even like my huggable, soft, curvy shape. The thing is though, I don’t feel healthy. I’m tired carrying this extra load around. I still enthusiastically and regularly practice yoga but my forward folds are lately feeling hampered by that baggy belly. Everything is more of an effort. My clothes are getting tighter and that spare tyre blobbing over the top of my jeans is, frankly, not attractive. There you go then…. I’m definitely (yes folks, you heard it here) going to stick to my fitness regime this time!
Then there is the ‘being happy’. Well, it should be easy enough, I’m generally a happy sort. But then I get the doldrums. For no apparent reason I’ll wake up full of gloom and doom. Or I’ll be worrying about something. Usually something daft that really doesn’t deserve my time. Or I’ll be sulking over some slight that the person who said it is oblivious to (yes, yes, it’s my husband we’re talking here). What a waste of effort that is. So this year, I’m not going to go there. No glooming, no worrying, no sulking. Yes, well, I’ll let you know how that goes!
‘Let myself off the hook now and again’. Does everyone beat themselves up over stupid things or is it just me? My foot in the mouth moments, or letting myself down moments (see getting fit above!!) Am I naggy? Am I a cross sort? Am I fat? Should I work harder? Be nicer? Do more housework? Write more? Take the dog for longer walks? Look prettier? Be less of a slob? Be more interesting? Good god, the list is endless….
Last but not least, I will try and do my bit to make the world a nicer place. Well, that’s a bit beauty pagenty isn’t it? Vomit inducing? Yes, I can see you sticking your fingers in your throat and gacking. But honestly, I do think I can do this one. Ok, I can’t save the world (sometimes it seems beyond saving), I can’t even save individuals, but I could make the odd person smile now and again. I can recycle more, I can grow more flowers, spend less, point out the good things in life to anyone and everyone that will listen, laugh lots (the world is always a better place when people are laughing), support charities… I am not, and will never be, a full-bloodied campaigner, but I can sign the odd petition regarding ubiquitious injustices or things I’m passionate about.
Yep, reckon I can do the odd bit to brighten up this corner of the world. I only hope that if you take a look at my blog now and again, I can brighten up yours too.
Happy New Year! xx
Back to work
Alarmed, I open gluey eyes
to see the darkness still hangs low
toe by toe then limb by heavy limb
I crawl from cosy warmth
and sit and scratch and stretch and yawn
then drag droopily
down the stairs in slippered feet
to where the kitchen kettle boils
and the radio plays
and all the world seems ready for the day
Except me
Glum Fairy
I’m feeling a bit guilty about this since I actually love our ‘silly fairy’ who is pictured here. We’ve had her for years, she replaced glum fairy, who does still live in the box (well, you can’t throw fairies out can you?), but never gets to sit on the tree because of her holier than thou demeanor. Merry Christmas!
I’ve never been fond of the fairy
that sits upon our tree
she looks so glum
with that branch up her bum
I think she’s judging me
She lives in a box in the attic
from new year through to yule
amongst the other dusty things
I suppose it does seem cruel
Her silver dress gets wrinkled
her wings they get all bent
and as for that shiny halo
I’ve no idea where it went
She glares at me from the tree top
as I slurp my wine
and scowls when I pinch the chocolates
that are hidden amongst the pine
She needs to lighten up a tad
start bringing some good cheer
‘cos if she carries on like this
she’ll stay in the box next year
Summer sabotage
Posted in response to the Daily Post Photo Challenge – this week’s them ‘oops’
Oh, so many oopsies to choose from… Gone for this one since it continues to make me laugh whenever I see it. It was only a quick snap of my daughter while we were on holiday, but even so, how I didn’t notice the photobombing when I took it I’ll never know!!
Rebooting 