Wednesday Hodgepodge 29/7/15

Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at 

 From this side of the pond

Pop over there to see other posts and if you want to join in add your blog post to the Linky List at the end of Joyce's post.

Have fun!

1.  I recently read here about four secrets to happiness from around the world. They were-
Overcome your fears by facing them head on, allow yourself to relax and reset, work to live versus living to work, and find the good in life. Not sure if these are the actual secret to happiness, but which of the four do you struggle with most? Which one comes most easily to you?

Well until recently I was struggling with all of those apart from the last one.  However having made the difficult decision to quit my job I’m doing much better.  I’ve definitely done some relaxing and reset myself.  I’m not working at present and have decided that if I do look for work in the future I’ll be looking for something less stressful and shorter hours.  Being more relaxed means I don’t get wound up about things like I used to.  I have a longer fuse.  As for overcoming fears, that’s a work in progress.
 

2. How would you spend a found $20 bill today?

I’d probably donate it to charity.  I wouldn’t want to gain from someone else’s loss but if I won it on the lottery I’d treat myself, probably to chocolates and a bottle of wine.
 

3. Ego trip, power trip, guilt trip, round trip, trip the light fantastic, or trip over your own two feet...which 'trip' have you experienced or dealt with most recently? Explain.

Well I tripped over my own feet last week.  The bruises and scrapes are almost healed.
 

4. If you could master any physical skill in the world what would it be, and how would you use that skill? 

Hmm that’s a hard one.  Can I settle for having perfect vision again?  Glasses are a pain sometimes and I’ve never wanted to cope with contact lenses.  Or maybe I should just master contact lenses!
 

5. As July draws to a close, let's take inventory of our summer fun. Since the official first day of (North American) summer (June 20th) have you...been swimming? enjoyed an ice cream cone? seen a summer blockbuster? camped? eaten corn on the cob? gardened? deliberately unplugged? watched a ballgame? picked fruit off the vine? taken a road trip? read a book?  Are any of these activities on your must-do-before-summer-ends list?

Our summer break starts later in the UK as far as schools are concerned but I feel like I’ve been on holiday for a while now and I’ve done some gardening and read a few books and generally relaxed.  We’ll be taking part in an extended family holiday towards the end of August but this year we’re looking forward to taking a proper holiday in September when kids are back at school and prices will be cheaper as this is the first time we’ve been able to do that in a very long time.
 

6. The Republican Presidential candidates will debate on August 6th. What's your question?
Pass.  I’d struggle to work out a question for the prospective UK Labour Party Leader contenders let alone US politicians.
 

7. What's your most listened to song so far this summer?
I don’t actually listen to music that much so again it’s a pass.
 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I really should listen to more music!

Friday waffle. 24/7/15

Well the fall on Wednesday certainly left a few bruises.  I have a nice one on my hip bone where my phone was in my pocket.  I guess I was lucky that my phone didn't break but it was in a case.  My arm and shoulder have also been a bit tender and I took quite a chunk of skin off my right hand which is more awkward than painful and I've had to keep it covered to keep it clean until it heals. So I've had a quiet couple of days.

I did get out for a walk yesterday but today the weather is miserable.  It's been raining all morning and we've had weather warnings for torrential rain and high winds.  It will at least save me the job of watering the garden but it won't help with drying the washing.

My cat has found herself a new sleeping place.  She will not sleep in any of the beds that we have for her, preferring to find her own place.  For a long time she slept at the bottom of my bed but after a few times of being kicked off during the night she accepted a spot on the blanket box that's at the end of the bed.  That seemed fine for a while but now she has moved to a spot right outside the bathroom.  I think there might be water pipes under the floor there so it's probably warm.  At least she's not so likely to get trodden on there - she also slept on the stairs for a few nights!

I think she's been more active lately, spending more time in the garden during the day and even staying out there quite late in the evenings.  Or maybe she's always done that but I wasn't here to notice.  She doesn't seem to like using the cat flap if she can avoid it though and with the warm weather we've had that's been fine because we have french doors from the dining end of the kitchen that have been open a lot.  However once the doors are closed and locked for the night she has started to sit by them, crying to be let in.  I've let her in a couple of times but now I've developed the willpower to draw the curtains and ignore her.  She then has to use the cat flap which of course eventually she does.

Now if only I could apply that willpower to other things, like overeating!

The Good Samaritan 22/7/15

I had a really restful day yesterday.  I was wishing that it wasn’t the day when my cleaner comes as I just wanted to laze about doing nothing after the hectic days before when I received a text message asking if she could switch her day to Thursday due to car problems.It was an answer to a prayer.



Today I decided I needed to walk as I haven’t been doing any walking so I set off to collect some medication for the cat from the Vets.  It’s about a 3.5 mile return trip.  I was about half way there, and fortunately on a street, not in the wooded area, when I tripped and went flying.  I literally dived along the pavement ending up flat on my front.  I stayed put for a few moments to get my breath back and then I heard someone asking if I was ok.  A very kind lady helped me up and took me into her house to clean up.  Fortunately it was just a few scrapes and no doubt a few bruises but nothing serious.  But she found plasters and wipes and sorted me out.  It’s the sort of thing I’d do but some people would be wary of taking a stranger into their house.


Anyway I continued on my way, picked up the medication and did another couple of errands.  I then got the bus part of the way back.  It’s an awkward place to get to by public transport but I’m trying to walk or use public transport rather than the car when I can.  You can get a bus fairly close to the shops but then have a bit of walk at this end or walk from the shops for a bit to get a bus that stops closer to my house.


I’ve just had some lunch and now I’m going to sit for a while and catch up on the Hodgepodge posts – my knee is a bit sore.  Well that’s my excuse!

Wednesday Hodgepodge 22/7/15

Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at 

 From this side of the pond

Pop over there to see other posts and if you want to join in add your blog post to the Linky List at the end of Joyce's post.

Have fun and don't forget to visit the other participants if you can.

1. Is your home air conditioned? If it's not air conditioned, is that by choice? Did you grow up with air conditioning? If not how did you cope with the heat? Share about a time or place you remember as being too hot-the temperature kind of hot, lest anyone be confused.

We don’t really get long enough spells of heat in the UK to warrant having AC built into our homes – although there are a lot of portable units you can get if necessary.  Our home was built in 1890 so our air conditioning consists of opening the doors and windows!  I do remember the summer of 1976 being a really hot summer but I was still at school so I didn’t have too much to do so it was ok.  We holidayed in Turkey a few years back and that was a bit too hot for us and it was at the end of the summer season.  We definitely wouldn’t go there in the height of the summer – I would just be lazing by the pool or in an air conditioned hotel lounge!

2. What's something in your life right now that falls under the heading 'up in the air'?

I guess that would be my job situation.  I’m really enjoying being at home so it’s up in the air as to whether I look for another job at some point or not.
3. Your favourite light and airy dessert?

Tiramisu.  Enough said!
4. When did you last feel like you were 'floating on air'? 

Well I guess you mean the really happy type of floating on air. Probably my son’s wedding last year.  It’s a great moment when you really let your child go – they have someone else as their #1 priority in their lives, and you can stand and be proud of them.
5. Airport, airmail, airtight, airhead...which have you most recently encountered? Explain.

Well I haven’t been to an airport recently and no one sends me airmail.  I deal with airtight containers all the time.  But I did meet an airhead recently.  I had to have a colonoscopy done which requires quite a lot of prep (hopefully that’s enough information on that!)  Anyway I presented myself to the receptionist at the hospital.  She advised me that I didn’t seem to be on the list of appointments for that afternoon.  I said the appointment had been arranged by telephone.  She then asked if I’d done the prep?  Why would you go to an appointment that required extensive prep without having done it?!
6.  Have you ever been to the Alps? If so where did you go? If not, is this a destination on your must-see list? If you were headed that direction this summer, which of the following would be your preferred activity...a gentle walk, a serious walk, a bike ride, a boat ride around one of the lakes, or summer snow skiing?

We went to the Austrian Alps for our honeymoon and it was lovely.  We’ve also been on several skiing trips to mountain areas in Italy and Switzerland.  I’d go back but not in the winter.  My knees wouldn’t cope with skiing now but gentle walks in the summer would be lovely and a boat ride would be good.
7. What is one saying or phrase that was considered 'cool' when you were growing up?
I really can’t recall anything that stands out from that time.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I missed getting here last week as I was helping one of my relatives who’d just come home from hospital after major surgery.  It was rewarding but exhausting.  I think I had one or two airhead moments of my own as I was so tired!