#Jusjojan -31/1/19

Your prompt for JusJoJan 2019, January 31st is “your favorite thing/part/blog post of last year or last month.” Talk about what you did or discovered that gave you happiness and/or success. Have fun!

Well I'm determined to post on this last day of the Just Jot it January challenge but I have the added challenge of trying to compose this on my mini IPad.  It won't be pretty!

I'm really pleased with my blogging over the last year.  It's been much more consistent and I created more posts per annum than in the past.  I still feel I rely too much on challenges like this to keep my level of posting up and really would like to be doing more original posts rather than just following a challenge or joining in with memes.

Of course Memes and challenges are a great way of keeping in touch with fellow bloggers and meeting new ones although I do feel guilty at times for not seeking out new blogs.

This was my 3rd Just Jot It challenge and I've now done 4 A - Z challenges and I'm really looking forward this April to join in again. Hopefully I'll have done a lot more posts in between.

Lastly thanks must go to Linda for hosting this challenge despite having her own personal challenges this month.  I'm not sure I would have had every day's prompt post up in the same circumstances so well done!

Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever by Marie Kondō
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Transform your home into a permanently clear and clutter-free space with the incredible KonMari Method. Japan's expert declutterer and professional cleaner Marie Kondo will help you tidy your rooms once and for all with her inspirational step-by-step method.

The key to successful tidying is to tackle your home in the correct order, to keep only the things you really love and to do it all at once – and quickly. After that for the rest of your life you only need to choose what to keep and what to discard.

The KonMari Method will not just transform your space. Once you have your house in order you will find that your whole life will change. You can feel more confident, you can become more successful, and you can have the energy and motivation to create the life you want. You will also have the courage to move on from the negative aspects of your life: you can recognise and finish a bad relationship; you can stop feeling anxious; you can finally lose weight.

Having watched the TV show recently I was intrigued enough by Marie Kondo to read her book, especially when my daughter had a copy to lend me. I expected it to be a glossy book with pictures, especially about her folding techniques etc. so I was surprised to find it just a small paperback.

It was an interesting read and while I found some of her ideas useful and I have already implemented some, I'm not going to be giving my house the full KonMari makeover.

View all my reviews

Review: The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man

The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


What's next for Allan Karlsson? Turns out this centenarian has a few more adventures in store . . .
It all begins with a hot air balloon trip and three bottles of champagne. Allan and Julius are ready for some spectacular views, but they’re not expecting to land in the sea and be rescued by a North Korean ship, and they could never have imagined that the captain of the ship would be harboring a suitcase full of contraband uranium, on a nuclear weapons mission for Kim Jong-un. Yikes!
Soon Allan and Julius are at the center of a complex diplomatic crisis involving world figures from the Swedish foreign minister to Angela Merkel and President Trump. Needless to say, things are about to get very, very complicated.
Another hilarious, witty, and entertaining novel from bestselling author Jonas Jonasson that will have readers howling out-loud at the escapades and misfortunes of its beloved hundred-year-old hero Allan Karlsson and his irresistible sidekick Julius.


I really enjoyed the first adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man and this sequel didn't disappoint. It's very topical concerning world affairs. Totally implausible but entertaining none the less.

View all my reviews

Wednesday Medley - 30/1/19

The Wednesday Medley is hosted by Terri.  Pop over to her site to see how it works and who's taking part.

 

 NATIONAL CROISSANT DAY – January 30

NATIONAL CROISSANT DAY

In the United States, National Croissant Day is observed each year on January 30th. Croissants are a buttery, crescent-shaped rolls that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  

The key to a perfect croissant is laminating the dough. Laminating the dough is a process by which butter is folded into the mixture creating multiple thin layers of butter and dough. The result is a mouth-watering flaky crust and airy body.

Legend surrounds this pastry, as is often the case with a popular, worldly treat. What is known, is that crescent-shaped breads have been found around the world for ages. One of these was the Kipferl which originated in Austria as far back as the 13th century. This nonlaminated bread is more like a roll.

Credit for the croissant we know today is given to an Austrian military officer, August Zang. In 1939 he opened a Viennese bakery in Paris introducing France to Viennese baking techniques.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Stop by the bakery for a fresh, warm croissant or try making your own using this recipe: Croissants recipe.

1.  Well, I do love croissants when they are fresh, but day-old croissants need to be turned into a donut.  I happen to really like the croissants that have a donut-like glaze on them!  Sugar overload but so good.  So... do you like croissants?  What is your favorite way to eat them?

I love croissants!  Especially freshly baked ones.  And if they have chocolate in them - even better!

2.  Speaking of food... How do you handle stress?

By eating too much!  Picking at all the wrong things.

3.  Out of the negative emotions of greed, anger, jealousy, and hate, which one would you say affects you the most?

Probably anger. I don't think I'm greedy and I don't tend to be jealous of too much.  Hate is such a negative thing that I don't give that space but I can definitely get angry from time to time.  Usually when I'm frustrated about something or someone!

4.  Out of the positive emotions of compassion, positivity, enthusiasm, and initiative, which one is your biggest strength?

Hard to choose between compassion and initiative.  Probably compassion because I show that more.  I'm not a natural leader but I can definitely take the initiative if no one else is prepared to.

5.  What do you get every time you go grocery shopping, other than the staples such as bread, milk, butter, flour, sugar...

Hmm probably chocolate.....in some form or another.

6.  Please tell us something random about your week so far.

My routine with Nathan got changed again this week as Mummy was on a training course.  This meant I looked after him on Monday and Tuesday and the days were longer than usual.  He is very entertaining but two days on the trot is tiring.  His love for me and his Grandpa makes up for all of that though.  He is always so pleased to see us and often cries when we go home.

Today was going to be a quiet day but I ended up cleaning my oven doors!  You know how you keep looking at things, thinking I must get around to cleaning that and then you get to the point where it has to be cleaned NOW!   Hard work but satisfying.

#Jusjojan / #One Liner Wednesday - 30/1/19

 Here's the reason for my missing blogs!

Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here. 

Today's prompt is linked to One Liner Wednesday which is also hosted by Linda.

#Jusjojan - 27/1/19 - Cathartic

Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here.

Your prompt for JusJoJan 2019, January 27th is brought to you by Enthralling Journey! Click here to find her last post and say hi while you’re there! Enthralling Journey’s word for our prompt today is “cathartic.” Use it anywhere in your post or make it the theme of your post. Have fun!

Well I knew things were going too well, posting nearly every day and then oops, a two day blank!  Including a Friday when I often post several meme type posts.  

My routine was different this week, looking after Grandson Nathan two days running on Wednesday and Thursday left me very tired on Friday so I opted for some retail therapy and a date night with Hubby.  I needed to pick up a few bits and pieces now that I'm having Grandchildren here regularly, including a travel cot.  We also needed a new kitchen bin as ours was falling apart and I managed to get most of what I needed.

For our "date" we went to a local bar that serves food so no cooking!  It also meant a bit of exercise as we walked there and back.  It was nice to get out but the food was a bit too spicy for my taste and I definitely didn't like the choice of music playing.  It was also a bit loud.  But we were out, together, so that's a win as far as I'm concerned.

Saturday we had Grandson Rory here for a few hours so the travel cot was christened.  He seemed to like it.  He's rolling around and nearly crawling so it will be handy to have somewhere safe to put him if I'm here on my own with him.  Our son had a meeting to attend and our DIL was at a baking course.  They both joined us here later and the bonus was that we all got to try the vegetable pie our DIL had made on the course which was delicious.

The rest of the weekend has been quiet.  Hubby was out with a friend to a music venue today so I put my time to good use.

I have tidied my clothes, shoes etc.  Oh yes I've been watching Marie Kondo on TV and my daughter had her original book.  I didn't follow her methods religiously though but I have tried to store things vertically or folded as she suggests which does make sense.  I certainly did not thank each item that I was throwing out or checking if things I kept were giving me joy.

Now I just have to get around to disposing of the things I'm not keeping but it was definitely cathartic doing the tidying!

No before and after pics though - I forgot to take the befores and I'm not going to parade my underwear on the internet!
 

#Jusjojan - 24/1/19 - Zoomie

Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here.

Your prompt for JusJoJan 2019, January 24th is brought to you by Bee! Click here to find her last post and say hi while you’re there! Bee’s word for our prompt today is “zoomie.” Interpret it any way you’d like, and use it anywhere in your post or make it the theme of your post. Have fun!

Well I think I need to be a Zoomie right now as the clock is ticking down on today and I've only just started this post.  I'm also conscious of not getting around to visiting other blogs, particularly those whose owners have kindly left me comments in the last few days.  It's been a busy couple of days as I've looked after Grandson Nathan 2 days running this week.  I usually have a day in between but not this week and it's tiring with no break.  

We were playing zoomies today - he has a new toy which sends cars zooming down a track with lots of sound effects.  He's not quite sure if he likes it yet although by the end of the day he was telling me "more" as in send more cars down and was moving closer to it.  He had quite a few nice things at Christmas so it's easy to keep him entertained even when the weather's cold and horrible like today and we can't get out.

Image nabbed from Fisher Price - hopefully free advertising will earn me a reprieve from any copyright issues!

 Now though I'm zooming off to bed!  Goodnight.

 

#Jusjojan / #1liner Wednesday - 23/1/19

Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here. 

Today's prompt is linked to One Liner Wednesday which is also hosted by Linda -

Help!  I've finished all my Christmas chocolates. What do I do now?

Wednesday Medley - 23/1/19

The Wednesday Medley is hosted by Terri.  Pop over to her site to see how it works and who's taking part. 
 

NATIONAL PIE DAY

National Pie Day is celebrated annually on January 23rd. (Not to be confused with March 14 which is PI π Day.) 

National Pie Day was created simply to celebrate the pie.  It is a day for all to bake or cook their favorite pies.  Even more importantly, it is a day set aside for all to enjoy eating pies!

The first pies appeared around 9500 BC in the Egyptian Neolithic period or New Stone Age.

1.  Okay, fess up.  Tell us your top three favorite pies, please.  Will you have some pie today?

No I did not have pie today but if I had I'd probably like a steak pie if it was for dinner or apple pie if we're talking dessert.  Lemon meringue would be my third choice.

2.  While we are talking about food... are you a picky eater or are you ready to try almost any new food?  What is the worst thing you have ever eaten?

My hubby would call me a picky eater but I don't think I am.  I grew up eating quite plain food but over the years I've become much more adventurous although I would probably steer clear of anything too exotic.  I think the worst thing I've ever eaten was pigs trotters which I wrote about here.

3.  Baking could be considered an art as could cooking.  How do you define art?

Art to me has to show a level of artistry so yes baking and cooking could easily be defined as art.  However there are many examples of modern art that I don't feel show any level of artistry despite being valued at ridiculous amounts of money and raved over by experts.

4.  Tell us a really stupid joke that made you laugh, please.

I am rubbish at remembering jokes.

5.  January 23rd is also National Handwriting Day. Do you have nice handwriting? Did cursive writing come naturally or did you practice in those double-lined practice books until your fingers hurt?

I think I have quite neat handwriting and have definitely mastered cursive writing.  My problem is that I don't always keep the same style.

6.  Tell us something random about your week.

I had an enjoyable day today - I was with Nathan which is not my usual routine.  I even took him to a Music & Movement session which was fun.

#Jusjojan - 21/1/19 - Echo

Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here.

Your prompt for JusJoJan 2019, January 21st is brought to you by Lady Lee! Click here to find her last Just Jot it January post and say hi while you’re there! Lady Lee’s word for our prompt today is “echo.” Use it anywhere in your post or make it the theme of your post. Have fun!

We were away at the weekend visiting our Grandson Noah and his parents.  It was lovely to catch up with him but it meant I missed doing a post yesterday and today I am tired and lacking inspiration.  Echo isn't really grabbing me.

Now tomorrow will probably be a different story.  I'll be with our oldest Grandson Nathan who is increasing his vocabulary all the time and often repeats himself or us.  One of his favourite words is "more" and that one is definitely echoed, a lot.

Another favourite word is Granga, he can't quite get Grandpa but he says it a lot as Granga is his favourite person, after his Mummies of course although sometimes that might be debateable! lol  He also loves his "Nana".  He hasn't got the hang of Nanny yet which was what I opted for when we were asked what we wanted to be known as but his "Nana" is quite cute so I think it might stick.  And that gets echoed a lot too.

#SoCS / #Jusjojan - 19/1/19 - Television

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “television.” Talk about your favorite show, past, present, or future, or about the apparatus itself. Enjoy!

Both challenges are hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you can find out more.  It's the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.
 

I could talk about television all day - I watch too much of it.  Well it feels like it to me probably because I definitely don't watch informative programmes.  I do watch the news most days but I watch a lot of UK dramas, quiz shows and American shows.  I don't actually watch daytime TV though and I don't watch Soaps.  If I added up the amount of hours I spend watching TV it probably wouldn't actually be that bad considering I'm retired and can spend my time pretty much as I please.

But I still feel it's a bit of a guilty pleasure so I try and combine it with doing something else - like doing the ironing or knitting, or even blogging if the programme isn't too taxing.  The trouble is I like many of the Scandinavian drama series that get shown here but of course they have subtitles.  Watching TV with subtitles and trying to knit anything complicated (or simple for that matter) do not go well together!  However if I'm in need of a total break from everything else watching something with subtitles is useful as it does focus the mind!

I tend to record a lot of programmes but I'm not convinced that I will ever get around to watching them and occasionally I have to purge the list because I've nearly filled up my recording space. 

As for the apparatus, we don't have a huge TV and it's not wall mounted either.  It works for me.  Unfortunately it doesn't always work for Hubby.  He struggles if he manages to accidentally change the source the TV is showing or for e.g. if I've been watching a DVD and then he wants to view television programmes he gets in such a muddle with the remotes.  And frustrated very quickly.  It's not so bad now that the remote control for our cable service can also be used to adjust the volume.  When you had to use the TV remote for that he found it very trying.

Fortunately we don't have the same taste in TV programmes so we don't often watch together.  Or perhaps it's unfortunate because if something does go wrong he will summon me from wherever I am in the house to sort it out.  And yes I have tried to explain it to him - many times!  Don't even get me started on what happens when the digital system needs retuning from time to time.

#Jusjojan - 18/1/19 - Companionship

Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here. 


Your prompt for JusJoJan 2019, January 18th is brought to you by Di! Click here to find her last post and say hi while you’re there! Di’s word for our prompt today is “companionship.” Use it anywhere in your post or make it the theme of your post. Have fun!

I have been lucky to have a great companion in my Hubby to go through life with me.  We've been married 34 years and I can't imagine anything but death parting us, and hopefully that won't be for some time yet.

I don't think I'd want to find a new companion if anything happened to him.  I'm happy with my own company but I do understand that some people find it harder to be on their own and need someone for companionship, even if it's only on a friendship basis.

I'd be much more likely to get a dog if I was the one left on their own.  Hubby wouldn't.  I'm sure he'd cope on an emotional level but I'm not sure how good he would be on the practical side of things.  Our kids insist that he has to go first (and as he's older than me it's statistically more likely) because they reckon he would drive them nuts with his inability to grasp new technology and often showing "grumpy old man" traits! lol

Hubby would probably cope though, he's much more sociable than me and I'm sure he would soon have women vying to be his companion.   He's been warned though that if ever he allowed that to happen while I'm still here he'd find the locks on the house changed and his belongings in the front garden.  I'm not into sharing!

Friday's Fave Five - 18/1/19

It's Friday again so it's time to think back on five good things over the last week.

This challenge is hosted by Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story. Pop over there to find out more and check out other participants.

1) A bright sunny day. The weather has been a bit mixed this week and we're having a cold spell now but yesterday it was really bright and sunny for part of the day so I was able to wrap Nathan up in his buggy and get out for some fresh air. He also fell asleep just before we got back and napped for two hours!

2) A catch up with Nathan and his Mummies on Sunday - they got back from their holiday on Saturday so we went over for lunch and also returned their cat. We got such a lovely welcome from Nathan which was great.

3) MacDonalds! I was home alone yesterday evening and having got back from a tiring day with Nathan I really didn't feel like cooking so I opted for fast food! Something I rarely have as hubby is not a fan. And no washing up! Bonus.

4) Catch-up TV. Some nights it's hard to find something I want to watch but I've always got lots of programmes taped that I can fall back on. Trouble is I'm not sure I'm ever going to catch up!

5) Coping with anxiety. My journey to my daughter's house can be a challenge. I have a train ride followed by a bus ride and it takes about an hour door to door. The bus is usually fine but the train is ALWAYS crowded. Mostly I can manage to move away from the doors and often get a seat for part of the journey but sometimes I get hemmed in near the doors and it's not a pleasant ride, especially coming home. There's usually an altercation or two when people are trying to get on and off the train and then the doors not closing because the train is so full. But, although a few years ago I found using public transport extremely difficult, I've managed to overcome that and I'm coping with this journey. It only lasts about 20 minutes (although it does feel a bit longer) and it probably helps that I'm greeted by this little one when I arrive.

Pretty much a routine week for me. Nathan 2 days, plus Rory 2 mornings and catching up on things at home in between.

We're off to see Noah tomorrow so our weekend will be good, hope yours is too.

#Jusjojan - 17/1/19 - Inch.

Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here. 


Your prompt for JusJoJan 2019, January 17th is brought to you by John Holton! Click here to find his last post and say hi while you’re there! John’s word for our prompt today is “inch.” Use it anywhere in your post or make it the theme of your post. Have fun!

I'm one of the generation that grew up with inches, feet, yards and miles not to mention pounds, shillings and pence but during my lifetime have had to get to grips with centimetres, metres and kilometres and just pounds and pence.  Thankfully we never had to convert our cash to Euros unless we were venturing abroad. 

Fortunately I've been happy to embrace change and sometimes, especially when taking part in a quiz, or a blog challenge it's been quite useful to know my inches from from my centimetres.

Of course many of our measurements are quite quirky.  An inch is based on the width of a thumb.  So why not call it a thumb?  After all we have a foot?  And what was using schemes that relied on knowing your 12 times table all about?

I'm glad we're now using a metric system but must admit that I'm still happier using miles - unless I'm having to walk them where you'll find me inching along!

Wednesday Medley - 16/1/19

The Wednesday Medley is hosted by Terri.  Pop over to her site to see how it works and who's taking part.
 
Wednesday, January 16th, is National Do Nothing Day!! National Nothing Day was proposed in 1972 by columnist Harold Pullman Coffin. This day has been observed annually since 1973. Of course, the way to celebrate it is to do nothing! 

1.  To commemorate Do Nothing Day in SOME way, tell us something about your life (or the life of someone close to you) in 1973!! I was 14 in 1973 and that was the year I had bunions on both feet corrected and was in plaster for about 8 weeks.

2.  Now that we are thinking back, please tell us what your favorite past time was as a child.

Reading.

3.  What is the best way to cheer you up on a bad day? 

Seeing my Grandchildren.

4.  How old were you when you first started dating? Do you remember your first date?

I was 16 and I'd rather forget my first date - it was a disaster lol

5.  Today is also National Fig Newton day.  Do you like figs/Fig Newtons?

Well I had to Google Fig Newtons - here in the UK they are called Fig Rolls and yes I do like them.  I also like figs but rarely eat them.

6.  Tell us something random about your week.

I might have to declare my home a Brexit free home.  I cannot believe what a mess this country is in at present.

 

 

#Jusjojan / #1 liner Wednesday - 16/1/19

 Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here. 

Today's prompt is linked to One Liner Wednesday which is also hosted by Linda -

 

I've done some ironing.  How many chocolates Have I earned?

Rhetorical question.  I've already eaten some!

#Jusjojan - 15/1/19 - Paris

Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here. 


Your prompt for JusJoJan 2019, January 15th is brought to you by Kelli! Click here to find her last post and say hi while you’re there! Kelli’s word for our prompt today is “Paris.” Use it anywhere in your post or make it the theme of your post. Have fun!

I've been to Paris a few times - I'm lucky enough to have a sister-in-law who is married to a French man and they lived in Paris for a while and we visited them.

The visit I most remember though was before that with one of my former boyfriends.  We did the usual touristy things and not being a particularly adventurous eater I'd managed to steer clear of frogs legs or snails.  I was quite pleased with myself on our final meal for ordering in French what I thought was a piece of pork.   Imagine my horror when I found out I actually ordered a pig's trotter.  I confused piece with pied!  It was one of the worst meals I've ever tried to eat and not a mistake I'm likely to repeat.

#Jusjojan - 14/1/19 - Reflection

Just Jot It January is hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you will find all the rules and the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.

The background to the challenge can be found here. 
 
Your prompt for JusJoJan 2019, January 14th is brought to you by Janet! Click here to find her last post and say hi while you’re there! Janet’s word for our prompt today is “reflection.” Use it anywhere in your post or make it the theme of your post. Have fun!

I missed yesterday as we were visiting our Grandson  Nathan who is just back from holiday.  He was really pleased to see us, especially his Granga.  

One of the things I've found with all my Grandsons is that they love looking at their reflection in mirrors.  It's a good way to distract them, especially if they're upset.  Personally I don't enjoy looking at my reflection, it never seems to look quite how I want it to.  The mirrors in my house must be faulty!

#SoCS / #Jusjojan - 12/1/19 - Art

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “art.” Talk about something that’s hanging on your wall. Add a picture, if you’d like. If you have no art on your walls, talk about something in a museum. Have fun!

Both challenges are hosted by Linda H Gill - here's the link to her site where you can find out more.  It's the place to leave your link to your own post if you decide to join in plus links to all the other participants.















Well I don't really have works of art on our walls.  We have a few prints here and there but nothing worthy of discussion.  But hey photography is art so I'm going to discuss this - a framed collage of photos that hangs in our kitchen and is often a conversation starter.

The photos are of my hubbies family - hubby is top left, his father is top right and his grandfather is the central photo.  The kids on the strange looking donkey are hubby and a few of his siblings plus his parents and there are various family photos of different generations.  

His family came over from Germany and the shop (below hubby) is near Victoria Park in London's East End.  It was run at the time by his Great Grandfather as a bakery.  It's still there and last time hubby went past it was back to being a cafe / cake shop.  It has also been an interiors shop at one time and Hubby's Grandfather ran it as a butchers.

Family members have traced the family tree back to relations in Germany and we have visited them and a few have been here.  It's good to know your roots.

Sadly this collage reminds me of how much I need to work on our photos.  I have lots of old black and white photos from my Mum and my Grandmother that need sorting and putting into albums.  The kids do love to look at them.  And now I have grandchildren I'm conscious of how many of our photos are just digital and although they could look at them on the computer when they are older, it would be so much nicer to have the real thing to look at.  It's a project on my objectives list (19 in 19) but on the back burner at the moment.  

Hubby used to take a more active interest in photography, belonging to a club at one point and in our first home having a dark room in the cellar.  Now it's too easy just to snap pictures on our phones.  Great to be able to create so many memories but I still prefer to see photos even if hubby's could be a little bit strange.  Of course he'd call them art!

Five Minute Friday - 11/1/19 - Better

Well I've cheated a bit here today because this is my second five minute stint.  The first one just seemed to be a rerun of my Friday's Fave Five post and I'm sure I can do better than that.

But there's the thing.  Why do we always feel we need to strive to do better when actually we're probably doing ok?  I'm often berating myself for not doing things or achieving  things but it's hard sometimes to work out what's really important.

Yes it's good to have a clean and tidy home and get through my to do list but it's also good to just do things I enjoy.  Like blogging, even though it can become very time consuming, especially when you start visiting other blogs, leaving comments etc and then find yourself completely down a rabbit hole and an hour (or more) has passed by.

Or just spending time with family and friends.  Just being still and enjoying the view.  Doing something that wasn't on the to do list but made you feel better.

Time's up.  I'd better get this posted!