Z is for Zapper (A-Z Challenge 2020)

In January of this year my hubby and I decided that it was time to move on to the next stage of our lives and move house.  I deliberated long and hard about whether it was a good move to take part in the A-Z Challenge this year (pun intended) given that we could be very busy, but decided on balance that having something to focus on might not be a bad idea.  Of course the decision on a theme was much easier to make – Moving House!  

Then Covid-19 put a stop to any ideas of moving so I’ve had to regroup and rethink my posts.  Which means I’m not as prepared as I’d liked to have been but here goes:

Z is for Zapper

(informal term for a remote control)

Ok yes I admit it, I trolled the dictionary for my X Y & Z words to come up with ones I could relate to moving.

But keeping control of your zappers when you move is very important.  Nothing worse than getting in, deciding to flop down in front of the TV with a take away after the stresses and strains of moving day and then not being able to find the zapper!

Come on, how many of you would be able to control your TV without it?

Especially when you’re so exhausted you feel like a zombie.

I wrote this before we’d even got to the stage of packing but it made me aware I’d need to know where the zappers went although hopefully our removal men would be as careful as those my daughter used recently – they bubbled wrapped things like the TV having first attached and secured the remotes to the TV.   

Note to self.  Keep an eye on the removal staff.

Actually at the moment (early April) all I'm keeping an eye on is the TV and social media.  That's keeping me busy and there won't be any removal men coming into the house anytime soon!

 

Review - Stolen Child - Laura Elliot

Stolen Child by Laura Elliot

My rating: 3 of 5 stars




View all my reviews


It's every mother's worst nightmare.  Carla Kelly wakes to find her two-day-old baby daughter's cot empty.  Isobel has been taken.

Susanne Dowling has been keeping a terrible secret following her fifth agonising miscarriage. But when at last she welcomes her new baby daughter into her life nothing else matters. They will both be safe as long as Susanne keeps her daughter close and confesses her lie to no one. Ever.

Carla, a top model, launches a fierce national campaign to find her child – but the trail is cold. She receives threats and recriminations from strangers – she flaunted her pregnancy in the media, she cashed in on it, she deserves everything she gets – and, encouraged by well-meaning loved ones to move on, she begins to fall apart.

But one letter Carla receives stands out from the rest. It offers support from a surprising quarter. And it sets in to motion a chain of events that opens wounds and exposes shocking secrets from Carla’s past that suggest what happened to her daughter was revenge a long time planned.

And it will bring Carla unknowingly close to the stolen daughter she has sworn she will do anything to get back …

I enjoyed this book but some of it didn't seem credible to me. The time line was also a bit confusing at first until I got the hang of it. I did feel it explored the complex feelings and reactions of those involved particularly towards the end.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 29/4/20

Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at
From this side of the pond 

If you want to take part or just see what others have posted pop over to Joyce's page - the Linky List is at the end of Joyce's post and don’t forget to visit at least your neighbours on the list.

(If you've landed here expecting an A-Z post you'll find it here.)

1. Expect the unexpected on From This Side of the Pond. Here's my x-ray question...when was the last time you felt like Superman? What's your superpower? Explain. 
I don't think I've ever felt like Superman but I like to think I can keep calm in a crisis and prioritise what needs to be done first. 

2. Are you a fan of the 'superhero' type movies? If so what's your favorite? 
Only if I can count James Bond under that heading, especially Daniel Craig's version of him.
 

3. Have you postponed or cancelled a trip to the dentist in recent weeks, and if so when do you think you'll feel comfortable going back? How about other routine medical procedures? 
Well I'm never comfortable with going to the dentist but I guess I'll be guided by the medical advice and then wait a few more months ;)  I need to get my eyes tested - was long overdue for that before we got locked down but again I won't be rushing back.
 

4. What's something that makes you feel youthful? Something that makes you feel 'not so youthful'? Tell us why.
Dancing makes me feel youthful - I did a lot of it in my youth but now it also makes me feel not so youthful thanks to the aches and pains afterwards. 

5. I feel compelled to include some sort of corona related question in the HP these days. What's the strangest thing you've seen in relation to the virus? Something that really struck you as odd, made you stop and think, 'Dorothy we're not in Kansas anymore?'
Not particularly a strange thing but when they started building a temporary morgue at the other end of our road it really brought it home just how bad it was getting.
 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 
Lockdown, unsurprisingly, seems to get harder the longer it goes on and, despite having all this time on our hands, it's hard to be particularly productive.  The next review here in the UK is due on 7th May but I don't expect there to be any sweeping changes.  I just hope we might be able to visit family members.

Still, I'm thankful that we can get out for a walk each day.  Some countries even banned that so things could be worse.  We even went out in the rain yesterday and I think we'll be doing that again today.  No sunshine this week.

Y is for Yak (A-Z Challenge 2020)

In January of this year my hubby and I decided that it was time to move on to the next stage of our lives and move house.  I deliberated long and hard about whether it was a good move to take part in the A-Z Challenge this year (pun intended) given that we could be very busy, but decided on balance that having something to focus on might not be a bad idea.  Of course the decision on a theme was much easier to make – Moving House!  

Then Covid-19 put a stop to any ideas of moving so I’ve had to regroup and rethink my posts.  Which means I’m not as prepared as I’d liked to have been but here goes:

Y is for Yak

No I’m not talking about a domesticated (?) ox of Tibet but the art of yakking!  As in talking persistently, usually trivially and irritatingly.  I’m an expert at it.  I found myself doing a lot of it during the moving process, particularly when we had viewers in the house.

If I told the story of how we ended up moving to our house once, I must have told it to nearly every person who viewed our house and probably to many of the estate agents we had to deal with.

And of course I’m going to tell it again now.

By early 1993 we had been married and living together in our first home for 10 years and had 3 children.  They were 3, 5 & 7 but the house we were living in was perfectly adequate for our family.  We hadn’t even discussed moving although I suppose it was something we’d thought about as we were beginning to feel a bit cramped.

Anyway one morning an acquaintance of mine, who I knew through the playgroup both our youngest children attended, arrived at the group looking rather down.  We got into conversation and it turned out that her family were set to move but the buyer had just pulled out.  Upon further discussion (her describing her house, me not getting the layout) she extended an invitation for a coffee.  I was intrigued so I accepted.

I went to the house and fell in love with it.  The rest is history.  Although there was of course the slight hurdle of persuading my hubby that yes we did need to move and yes it had to be this house!  Sensibly he did make me go and view other houses in the area but eventually he had to admit this house was the one.

At the time of writing this post (early April) we're at a standstill with the moving process and, thanks to Lockdown, I'm not doing as much yakking.  Probably a double bonus for hubby!

X is for Xerophytes (A-Z Challenge 2020)

In January of this year my hubby and I decided that it was time to move on to the next stage of our lives and move house.  I deliberated long and hard about whether it was a good move to take part in the A-Z Challenge this year (pun intended) given that we could be very busy, but decided on balance that having something to focus on might not be a bad idea.  Of course the decision on a theme was much easier to make – Moving House!  

Then Covid-19 put a stop to any ideas of moving so I’ve had to regroup and rethink my posts.  Which means I’m not as prepared as I’d liked to have been but here goes:

X is for Xerophytes

a plant e.g. a cactus, structurally adapted for life and growth with a limited water supply.

Yes I know this is a stretch for my theme but actually these are the sort of plants I need.  I am rubbish at keeping house plants alive.  The only plants in my house that seem to survive (and actually multiply) are spider plants.  I do remember to water them occasionally and I have managed to successfully plant their “babies” so I now have quite a few around the house.

This was useful when it came to showing the house to prospective buyers.  You know the drill: the house needs to be clean & tidy, looking its best.  Smelling nice helps too (where’s the coffee?) and of course fresh flowers add a nice touch.  I spent quite a bit over the few weeks we were “showing” our house.  Fortunately it was daffodil time, which are cheap but look good, but I also bought a few others.  That’s the problem with having a big house with lots of rooms, you need more than one vase of flowers.  And keeping them looking fresh is another chore to fit into the day. 

I’ve decided, if anyone asks me about a house warming gift I will reply with buy me a xerophyte!

(Actually I’ll probably be in more need of red wine and chocolates, just so you know.)

This post was prepared pre Covid-19 and now I'm definitely in need of red wine and chocolates, not to mention a haircut!

W is for Windows (A-Z Challenge 2020)

In January of this year my hubby and I decided that it was time to move on to the next stage of our lives and move house.  I deliberated long and hard about whether it was a good move to take part in the A-Z Challenge this year (pun intended) given that we could be very busy, but decided on balance that having something to focus on might not be a bad idea.  Of course the decision on a theme was much easier to make – Moving House!  

Then Covid-19 put a stop to any ideas of moving so I’ve had to regroup and rethink my posts.  Which means I’m not as prepared as I’d liked to have been but here goes:

W is for Windows

When I drafted my list of posts for this challenge this was going to be a post about all the different types of windows you find in houses.  That was of course pre Coronavirus and pre lockdown.

Now we just look longingly from our windows, wishing we could go outside safely.  People put rainbows on them and messages for all our key workers who are keeping the vital services going and, of course, saving lives.

Now it's warmer we can start flinging the windows open, letting in the sun and warm air, but hopefully not this dreaded virus.

I count myself lucky in so many ways right now.  The views from our windows are lovely.  To the front we have a vast open space, to the rear we have a nice garden.  We are not stuck in a housing development where the windows might give a great view but feel just as enclosing as prison bars would do. Our window cleaner even came recently and cleaned the front windows as usual.  Social distancing was of course observed - payment was put down for her to pick up.  No physical contact occurred.

I seem to spend a lot of time looking out the window.