Wednesday Hodgepodge - 12/826

It's Wednesday so it's the Hodgepodge.  Questions are provided by Joyce at From this side of the pond.  Thank you Joyce.  We prepare our answers and then the link up is here.  Why not join in the fun?

1. I saw a meme on Instagram that went like this-'The movie Dirty Dancing came out in 1987 and was set in 1963, so if remade in 2026 it would be set in 2002. Now I need a little lie down in a dark room for a while." 

Time is crazy isn't it? So...what were you up to in the year 2002? 

Ha initially I was going to say I was chasing around after a 6 year old, a 4 year old and a 2 year old then I redid the maths and realised the kids would have been 16, 14 and 12 so I was still probably chasing around after then with my Mum cab.  I was also back working full time so life was busy.

2. "Me? I'm scared of everything..." What's something that scares you that you'd like to try anyway? 

If something is scary I'm probably walking away lol.

3. Watermelon-yay or nay? Which melon is your favourite-watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew. Of the watermelon food/beverages listed which would you say yes to...

watermelon salsa~watermelon feta salad~watermelon sorbet~

a watermelon Jolly Rancher~a watermelon margarita 

My favourite would be cantaloupe.  I'm not a great fan of watermelon but it is refreshing, especially in this hot summer we're having.  We tend not to do anything fancy with it other than work out the best way to cut and serve it.

4. August 12th is National Middle Child Day. Are you a middle child? If not, where do you fall in the birth order in your family of origin? Do you think this has influenced your personality? Elaborate. 

I am the youngest of 3 (2 older brothers) but there are big age gaps between us so I grew up feeling more like an only child.  I think this left me quiet and introverted.

5. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time, or have a significant conversation with two people? Explain. 

Do I have to do either lol.  (See above.)  Crowded parties are often not the best place for conversations so probably I'd just chat to people for a short time and then move on.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The heat wave continues.  I feel like I'm melting most of the time.

Friday's Fave Five - 7/8/26

Well it is still just about Friday here in the UK so I'm trying to type fast to get this post done on before the stroke of midnight.

Yes I'm up late.  It's been a busy week so even more important to stop and remember the good things.  Thankfully our host Susanne reminds us each week and we link up here.

1) My knees seem to be improving.  I've had problems with them in the past and I've found going up and down stairs can aggravate them.  This week however I've been at the Foodbank several times and the back entrance which we use for bringing in deliveries is down a flight of 6 steps.  Twice this week I've had to shift the empty food crates from outside the back door, i.e. at the bottom of the steps, up to the gate for the delivery van to collect them.  That's involved going up and down the steps quite a few times and I noticed that my knees were not protesting at all.  I'm assuming this has been helped by the collagen supplement I've been taking.  

2)  An abundance of food again at the Foodbank.  We've even been able to bring pizzas home as volunteers this week.  We had so many and no freezer space for them which was lucky on Thursday as Hubby had texted me to say he hadn't got anything out of the freezer for dinner. I was able to tell him dinner was sorted.

3)  A Hubby that cooks.  Even in the heat we've been having he's still just got on and cooked dinner every day.  Of course I get all the clearing up but I've been leaving that until it's started to cool down a bit in the evening.

4)  An active local community.  There are plans being put forward to develop the area right by our station.  The developers are proposing 5 blocks of studio apartments that will be 6-7 storeys high and will be for rental.  This will house about 360 single people.  There was a consultation meeting at the library last Saturday and there was a good turn out from local people.  It was clear that most people do not want this sort of development as it will really change the area.  I'm sure when the formal planning application is submitted there are going to be a lot of objections.

5)  A cooler day today but still warm enough to dry all the washing outside!

Have a good weekend all.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 5/8/26

Joyce provides the questions and we share our answers here.   Why not join in the fun?

1. What's something on your August calendar you're looking forward to? Or dreading if that's easier to answer. 

Our annual family get together at the end of the month.  Definitely something to look forward to but I do dread organising the shopping lists!

2. August 5th is National Oyster Day...do you partake? How do you feel about pearls? 

I do not partake of oysters.   Never have.  I'm not sure about a pearl necklace - something I associate with an older generation, even though I'm probably that generation now lol.  I do like pearl earrings though.

3. Tell us about a time when you felt like 'the world was your oyster'. 

Probably since we've both been retired, although we're not exactly world travellers.  Prior to that there was always some sort of commitment, e.g. work, kids, elderly parents etc that meant we couldn't be totally carefree.

4. Trip Advisor lists seven islands in the US that require no passport (for US citizens). If you're answering today from outside the US you'll still need to produce yours. An-y-way, have you been to any of the seven? Let's pretend you get an all expense paid trip to one this month...which one do you choose and why? 

Catalina Island California~Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts~Mackinac Island Michigan~Key West Florida~South Padre Island Texas~or Kauai Hawaii

I have no idea which of these I'd prefer.  I've never been to any of them.

5. Sylvia Plath is credited with the following- 

"August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time."

Agree or disagree? In other words, how do you feel about this month? 

I think I disagree.  August still feels very much like summer, especially here in the UK where the kids do not go back to school until September.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The temperature has been a comfortable 24-25 C today.  So much nicer than the high temps we've had.  No sign of any rain though. We're now subject to a hose pipe ban.

Weekly Photos - In need of improvement! 2/8/26

Well I did say "cheese" this week as we had our photo taken at The Hub on Thursday

We were saying goodbye to Tia (in the lemon dress) who has been volunteering with us for a little while but she's starting a new job next week and will no longer be able to juggle her work and volunteering.  She will be missed as she was always a ray of sunshine at our sessions.  To the left of Tia is Sharon the Hub Manager and I am second from the right.  It looks like I've cut my hair short but it's just pinned back.  It's been so hot I haven't worn it down in weeks.

As for taking pictures this week well it's a FAIL!

I did take some pictures of the swans and their cygnets last Sunday which I posted here but the only other photo I took was this one:

Yes it's my shopping list, complete with shadow lol.  We keep the whiteboard on the fridge and then I just take a photo of it before doing the shopping rather than write it out on a piece of paper that I usually can't find once I get to the supermarket.  Of course I have left my phone behind on occasions so then I've had to try and do the shopping from memory.  Never a good idea.  This list isn't too bad but sometimes Hubby decides to be creative about how he puts an item on there and then I need translation assistance.

Thankfully my DIL Amy is much better at taking photos and she took loads during their recent visit to Vermont and she posted them all on her Instagram stories so we could all follow along.  It was lovely to see the cousins having a great time together.  Can't wait for Christmas when we'll all be together again.