#SoCS / JJJ - 31/1/26 - Scratch an Itch

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 31st and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “scratch an itch.” Use it any way you’d like. To join in the fun click HERE.

I was thinking about taking this prompt literally and wondering out loud how I would cope with scratching an itch if Hubby wasn't around.  You know the one, that point on your back that you just can't quite reach no matter how much you contort yourself. 

But of course scratching an itch is also about satisfying a craving.  I've been good this week and not given in to the temptation of chocolate that's in the house.  Mainly because I've started taking a collagen supplement that is chocolate flavoured and I'm mixing it with warm milk.  It actually tastes really nice but I'm just a bit wary of having a migraine induced chocolate overload so I haven't scratched that itch.

I also went to the library to return a book, one that I hadn't even read, and came away with no new books despite browsing the "New In" book shelf where several books caught my eye.  But I have enough books on my TBR pile to probably last me a year so I really don't need to scratch that itch either.

So now, is it just me, or does writing about this topic create an itch in that impossible to reach place?  Thankfully Hubby is in the house so I will get my itch scratched!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend all.

Fridays Fave Five - 30/1/26 (And JJJ - Cinnamon)

It's Friday and time to look back on the week and find the blessings.  Susanne keeps us on our toes and you can find her blog and all the details here.

It's been a fairly uneventful week here but there are always good things going on

1)  It's been incredibly wet over the month of January but I did manage a walk around the lake on Monday despite it being incredibly muddy so thankful for my wellies.

2)  Tuesday I did my keep fit class and then had coffee (well tea for me) with friends who also attend the class.  Always good to have a catch up.

3)  We spent time with grandchildren Nathan and Ella on Sunday.  Ella who is only 5 is getting much better at playing games but we also had a long spell playing with the Playdoh. (And the colours didn't get mixed!)

4)  Yesterday was Foodbank day and as always it was very busy.  We had two visits from schools.  The first one was a group of older students who are studying Charity and Money Management as part of their course so they were very interested to hear how the Foodbank operates etc.  Some of them brought donations and several wanted to know how they could volunteer.  We often have students who are doing their Duke of Edinburgh awards spending time at the Hub so there are opportunities for them.

The second visit was from a primary school group of Year 6 pupils who had done a week of collecting for the Foodbank and they brought in a huge donation of canned and dried goods which we're always grateful for.

We also had an unannounced visit from the Hygiene team from the local council and we retained our 5 star rating!  

It was such a busy morning that Sally (who usually works with me in the stockroom) and I didn't even have time for a cup of tea or in my case a chocolate croissant or in Sally's case a cinnamon pastry.

(Just slipping in today's Just Jot it January prompt there lol.)

5)  I've decided to give a collagen supplement a go.  The order was delivered earlier this week and thankfully the chocolate flavour I ordered is delicious.  So I'm thankful that it shouldn't be too difficult to fit it into the daily routine and that I didn't have to think about the cost either.

I also got a delivery of garden bird and swan/duck food this week.  Again I'm thankful that we're in a position to be able to do these things now that we're retired.

Now I'm off to try and get a walk in before the rain returns.

Have a good weekend all.

(The Just Jot it January prompt was from Tessa K who blogs  HERE.  The Just Jot it challenge is hosted by Linda HERE.)

JJJ - 29/1/26 - Prompt

Today is the 29th, and our prompt is brought to us by Cheryl. Thank you, Cheryl! You can find her blog HERE.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 29th, 2026 is “prompt.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

When I started this challenge I was trying to get my posts done promptly but, as has often been the case, I'm looking at the clock thinking I should be getting ready for bed, and cobbling together a post that follows the prompt albeit a bit loosely.

There.  I've managed to get the prompt in a couple of times so that will suffice for today.  Phew, only 2 more days to go.  But thankfully the challenge has seemed to make January go quicker.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 28/1/26

Wednesday means Hodgepodge time - thanks as always to Joyce for providing the questions.  We join in HERE.

1. I live in the south so we're pretty much only talking about the weather right now. Give us a weather report from where you live. Does the kind of weather you're having today affect your mood in some way?

Rain, rain and lots of mud where I walk so yes it does affect my mood if I can't get out as much.

2. Avocados, kale, cauliflower and cottage cheese have all had their time to shine. 2026 brings us the year of the cabbage. Is this a vegetable you like? If so, what are some of your favourite dishes that call for cabbage?

I do like cabbage.  I wouldn't say I love it though.  We don't have a specific regular dish that calls for cabbage but we will have it as a side vegetable with lots of things.

3. Was a Cabbage Patch Doll a part of your childhood? Or maybe your children's childhood? What's a toy trend from your childhood you remember wanting for your own?

Well I had to check out the dates for this and they came out several years before our daughter was born so they sort of passed us by a bit.

Toys from my childhood?  That's stretching the memory lol. Barbie and Sindy dolls.

4. Something you've spent a lot of time doing lately?

Blogging!  I've almost completed the Just Jot it January challenge so I've managed to blog every day so far this month.

5. Somehow it's the last week of January...sum up your month in just three sentences.

Rain, more rain.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Of course there was more than rain happening but the month does seem to have flown by.

JJJ - 27/1/26 - Labyrinth

Today’s prompt is courtesy of Cale. Thank you, Cale! You can find her blog HERE to read her posts and say hello. 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 27th, 2026 is “labyrinth.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Just a jot tonight as it's getting late.  I sometimes feel that navigating life is like navigating a labyrinth.  So many dead ends and ways to get lost.

Start here

JJJ - 26/1/26 - Eavesdropper

Today’s prompt is brought to us by Angela. Thank you, Angela! You can find her blog HERE.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 26th, 2026 is “eavesdropper.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!  For all the info on the challenge go HERE.

I don't consider myself to be an eavesdropper but I do like to know what's going on and there's often a case of FOMO when I'm out with a group of people trying to keep up with all the various conversations.

I used to be better at that - marrying into a large family meant there was always more than one conversation going on around the dining table for example and I could keep track of the main parts of each one. Now I find it quite hard to listen to multiple conversations and keep track of them. Must be getting old.

Weekly Photos 18th -24th January 2026 (And JJJ - transmission.)

Starting from top left to right:

My purchase at the yarn sale - I spent Sunday checking out tapestry crochet on YouTube.

My current read

My clean kitchen floor - a job that was long overdue!

Bottom left to right:

Some of the games played when we had the grandkids here on Wednesday

Beds finally remade after our Christmas visitors in the spare room

Breakfast in bed on Friday

It's a WIP!  It's hard going because it's done on a 2.5 mm hook and it's taken me a while to get used to the "tapestry" technique.  Nowhere near perfect but I'm sure Ella will love it. 🤞 

Had to be a bit creative with the photos this week - I haven't quite got into the habit of taking one each day!

This transmission is brought to you courtesy of blogger and fulfils the Just Jot it January prompt of the day provided by Dar who blogs HERE 

#SoCS & JJJ - 24/1/26 - Take another look!

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 24th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “take another look.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!  (Go HERE for all the details.)

Right have you got yourself a cup of tea or coffee?  Then settle in to a comfy chair because I know I can waffle on about this prompt for a while.

I am good at finding things.  I am methodical in my searching.  (Must be my logical brain.)  And I'm persistent.  If I'm looking for something that I know HAS to be in my house I will keep looking until I find it.  Missing socks? Paperwork?  Keys?  I'm your person.

Hubby is not so great.  He will say he's looked when of course he hasn't really looked.

Case in point, on Thursday he was getting ready to go out for the evening and couldn't find his house keys.  He claimed to have looked everywhere to which my response was "You can't have looked everywhere because if you had you would have found them."

He muttered something about hoping he hadn't left them in the cafe he'd been to earlier but I was quick to point out that he'd let himself in when he got back so he must have had the keys then.  Had he checked he hadn't left them in the door?  Yes that has happened on more than one occasion but not this time.

I began to search but by this time he was getting into a panic.  He was going to miss his bus.  We live right opposite the bus stop and the wonderful TFL app lets us know when a bus will turn up.  Or not.  It sometimes has a blip but generally it's pretty good.  Now bearing in mind that we live in London and the bus service is fairly regular there would be another bus.  It wasn't going to be the last bus of the day like in country places where they only come once an hour and stop as soon as it gets dark!

Daughter who was here managed to convince him to take the spare key so he could leave.

I stopped searching.  I knew they'd turn up somewhere.  Probably in one of his pockets.  He does like clothes that have lots of pockets - great for losing your phone!  The other day he was searching for his phone and he had on a cycling top that had a pocket on the back.  Perfect size for a phone.  Even when I was ringing his phone he didn't realise where it was at first.  He blamed that on not have his hearing aids in at the time.

Yes that's another thing I have to contend with.   If I'm not telling him to take another look I'm telling him to "put your ears in".   I wrote earlier in the week about having more patience since I've got older but dealing with Hubby sometimes requires the patience of a saint.

Of course I love him to bits and I did find his keys eventually - on our bed.  He'd napped earlier in the day and obviously put his keys down at some point and then covered them with the top sheet.  But of course he'd looked there.  Good thing I took another look!

The missing article.  Not that small a thing!

Friday's Fave Five - 23/1/26 (and JJJ - Altruism)

It's Friday so time to look back on the week to find the good things and then share them HERE on Susanne's blog.  Thanks for the weekly reminder Susanne.

1.  Well firstly I'm thankful that we don't have winter weather like Susanne has - lots of snow and cold temperatures.  It's been a very wet week here but temperatures have been okay.  Quite chilly, but hey it's still winter and we have warm clothes, can afford to keep the heating on so we're ok.

2.  YouTube!  I posted earlier in the week about getting this kit at the yarn sale I went to last week.

This was beyond my crochet expertise - I've done lots of Granny Squares and lacy doilies but I've never done tapestry crochet.  Thankfully I found a great tutorial on YouTube and I've made a start and it seems to be going ok so far.

3.  Hubby had a follow up appointment this week for his eyes and he's been discharged from the hospital.  They advised having an annual check up at his optician (who spotted the problem in the first instance) but no more visits to the hospital/clinic required.

4.  Thankful that my daughter and her family are close to us so that when help is needed we can be there for them.  Our DIL wasn't feeling great on Wednesday so I was able to collect Nathan and Ella from school and have them here until after they'd eaten.  I'm also thankful that both my sons have good in-laws nearby too.  

5.  Fitting in my Just Jot it January challenge word of the day here which is "Altruism".  I'm glad that I can help out at the Foodbank each week and that so many other volunteers do too.  It's hard work sometime, particularly on the Thursday sessions - I get home and often just sit (might even catch a nap lol) but knowing we're helping so many people is very satisfying.

And a bonus mention for my library!  One of the prompts for the reading challenge I'm doing is a book which uses "Deus ex Machina" which, for those of you like me had no clue is:

a plot device in which a seemingly unsolvable problem is abruptly solved by an unexpected and unlikely event.

Thankfully the challenge has a great guide on what the prompts mean and also a list of books which work for a particular prompt.  Apparently this book works for Deus ex Machina

and it was shown as available at my library so I went and checked it out today.  I can't start it yet as I have this one to finish first:

Have a good weekend all.

JJJ - 22/1/26 - Impatience

Today’s prompt is brought to us by Dharkanein. Thank you, Dharkanein! You can find Dharkanein's blog HERE 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 22nd, 2026 is “impatience.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

To visit our Just Jot it January's host Linda go HERE.

Well I hope that as I've got older I've learned to curb my impatience.

I'm not holding my breath though.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 21/1/26

Joyce provides the questions, we provide the answers and the link up is here. Thanks Joyce.

1. Ice skating, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, playing in the snow, or a snowy walk...which winter activity do you choose? Have you done any of these activities so far this winter?  

Well my knees wouldn't cope with skating or skiing, I'm not a fan of sledding and I don't possess snow shoes so that really only leaves a snowy walk which I have done recently when we had a dusting of snow.  Thankfully it didn't last as the UK tends to grind to a halt when it snows.  Although the cold spell has contributed to a lot of burst water pipes locally and the repair works for those has caused total chaos and lots of bus diversions.

Of course my grandsons are loving the snow which is a good thing as they have snow for a long time up in Vermont.  My son's not loving it as much lol.

2. Everyone is posting pictures from ten years ago on their social media sites so let's jump on the bandwagon too. Share one photo and one thought to go with said photo from the year 2016. And maybe everyone isn't doing this, but many are and we're going to be part of the fun. 

Celebrating our eldest son's wedding.  

3. What's a trend you hope disappears in this new year?

I'm drawing a blank on this one.  Maybe the trend that to be successful you have to be an influencer?

4. 'They' say there's a day for everything and January 21st proves it. National Granola Bar Day. Do you like granola bars? How about just regular granola? Do you like bars of other kinds? 

I'm not a lover of granola bars but I will eat them, but not regular granola thank you.  Chocolate bars.  Any kind of chocolate bars but no nuts thank you.

5.  A frozen lake, a trickling stream, a raging river, or a deep well...which one describes something about your life right now? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

I think I'm a trickling stream at the moment.  I'm getting on with things, slowly.  I could do with the power of a raging river from time to time lol.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our knitting group did a yarn sale last weekend and I couldn't resist picking this up:

It's a kit to make a crochet bag depicting a cow.  It will be a challenge as I've never done tapestry crochet before but I'm sure granddaughter Ella will love it.

JJJ 20/1/26 - Unspoken

Today’s prompt is brought to us by Maggie. Thank you, Maggie! You can find her blog HERE.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 20th, 2026 is “unspoken.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

And if you want to find out more about this challenge and see who else is taking part, our host the lovely Linda can be found HERE.

Well I'm using this post to jump on the bandwagon of looking back on where I was 10 years ago, i.e. 2016.

2015 hadn't been a great year.  It was the year I left my job and lots of things were left unspoken with regard to that.  But I was looking forward to 2016.  Turning over a new page etc.....

It seems a long time ago now but thankfully my blog helped me fill in some blanks.

We didn't have a great start to the year as my MIL fell while staying with us and broke her hip.  A hip replacement operation was done and although initially she seemed ok, unfortunately while in hospital she began to decline and unfortunately passed away on 22nd January at the age of 87.  It was a very sad time for the whole extended family.

We also had 2 new babies in the extended family by that time but one of them, Poppy, became very ill.  It was a worrying time but eventually she was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition and gradually began to improve.  10 years on and most people wouldn't realise she has this lifelong condition although it does still affect what she can and can't eat but she is such a lovely bubbly girl.  A joy to be around.

In April I had what was defined as a minor surgical procedure but the recovery was a very painful few weeks. Thankfully by then I was doing a lot of blogging.  I'd signed up for the annual A-Z challenge which involved visiting lots of London stations.  I'd also started joining in with Susanne's Fridays Fave Five and I was blogging regularly about the weekly news.  Now I don't even want to watch the news!

Our youngest son and his wife moved in with us so that they could save for their own place.  I think they'd planned for a year but we had them for about 18 months in the end but they were easy to have around the house.

Hubby went from full time work to part time (3 days per week).  Having him around for an extra couple of days took some getting used to! (Not really, well maybe a little.)

Our daughter turned 30 in May and we celebrated with all of us going away for a weekend together which was lovely.  We had a chef come one evening to cook a meal for us and we tried out clay pigeon shooting which was actually fun.

Then in June the unthinkable happened - the UK voted to leave the European Union.  That was definitely a tricky time and we're still getting over the fallout from that decision.  Yes I voted to remain.

There were a couple of funerals during the year.  One was a long time friend who died at the age of 50 following a heart attack. That was a bit of a reminder of how life can be short and we have to make the most of it.  (And yet still my cup is usually half empty.)

Things looked up by the end of the year though - our eldest son got married in the August, meaning all 3 of our children were married and by Christmas we knew we were going to be grandparents in 2017.

We saw all of the kids on Christmas Day and we were definitely looking forward to 2017.

JJJ - 19/1/26 - Consistency

Our prompt today is courtesy of running enthusiast Warren. Thank you, Warren! You can find his blog HERE and our host Linda's blog HERE.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 19th, 2026 is “consistency.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Well that's an appropriate word for me because I am definitely trying to find some consistency in my blogging and of course the Just Jot it January challenge is great for kicking off the year to a good start.

Trouble is I probably say something along those lines every year and then things start to slip.  Well I guess that's consistency.

Looking at my stats I did post more in 2025 than in previous years but not as much as my best year which was 2020 with a total of 245 posts.  Hmm I wonder why that year was so good.  Oh yes, we stayed home, a lot! 

JJJ - 18/1/26 - Organ

Our prompt for January 18th is brought to us by the lovely Kaye. Thank you, Kaye! You can find her blog HERE.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 18th, 2026 is “organ.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Well I'm just doing a jot today.  My first thought when I saw the prompt was musical instrument so I'm going to link you to Liverpool Cathedral's website here where you can find out about the biggest organ in the UK.

There's even a link where you can hear it.  Enjoy.

Weekly Photos - 11th - 17th January 2026

Sunday we had dinner at my daughter's and enjoyed the company of the grandkids. I did try to join in with this video game but was quickly
exhausted! (It involves copying the dance moves of the characters on the screen.)

Monday I made a banana loaf - a big chunk got sent round to the Grandkids - they love it.

This was a freebie from the Foodbank - it arrived on Monday but it was use by Monday so we couldn't give it out at the Tuesday session and it didn't freeze so Hubby and I risked it on our fish for dinner on Tuesday and it was yummy!

Wednesday involved a trip back to our old borough of Newham to meet up with former work colleagues.  This is the view as you come out from the station and head towards the original shopping centre.

Thursday was another busy day at the Foodbank.

Another freebie from the Foodbank on the left - highly inedible but Granddaughter Ella will enjoy this next Christmas!

On the right is the map showing where I went for lunch on Friday - Cafe Casa in Chingford which was really nice.  I went with the Highams Park lunch group which I'm enjoying being part of but I'll be taking Hubby there at some point.

And this was yesterday - our knitting group did a sale at a local library.
We had a lot more yarn when we started but the first hour (11-12) was really busy.  There wasn't much left at the end and we raised £600 for charity. (MacMillan and the Foodbank.)

And finally, this was also yesterday. (Saturday) It will be 10 years since my MIL passed away on the 22nd of this month so some of us got together yesterday at the social club we're members of to raise a toast to her.  It was mainly Hubby's siblings and partners but there were a few nieces and nephews there too and a great niece.  It was nice to be able to catch up with everyone.

#SoCS & JJJ - 17/1/26 - Favourite Saying

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 17th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “favourite saying.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Soooo SoCS posts are supposed to be done without planning or forward thinking.  It's almost 10.30 pm as I'm starting this and I'm not sure my brain is even capable of thinking right now.  I've made myself a cup of tea which I may live to regret later (although it is decaf) and I'm trying to think of a favourite phrase.

Hmmmmm not coming up with much.  It's been a busy day, well a busy week right now and I think I'm all talked out.  Today I helped out at a yarn sale organised by the knitting group I attend.  We made about £600 which is being split between two good causes, one of which is the foodbank I volunteer at so that was good.

After that I had a brief bit of time at home when I managed to finish one of my book clubs read "Five Quarters of the Orange" by Joanne Harris.  (She of Chocolat fame.)  Pondering over how to review that one.

But then we were off to a get together with most of Hubby's siblings to raise a glass to his Mum who died 10 years ago at the end of the month.  That was a nice event.  It also coincided with one of his sister's birthdays (on Monday) so we had something nice to celebrate too.

But still not coming up with a favourite saying.  Although I do seem to remember that "time for bed" was a favourite when the kids were young and I was looking forward to sitting down and relaxing after a day of parenting.  And now it's "time for bed" for me.  

#SoCS and Just Jot it January are hosted by Linda HERE.

Check out her blog for all the details etc.

Friday's Fave Five - 16/1/26

It's Friday so time to look back on the blessings of the week and blog about them here and then share with other like minded bloggers on our host Susanne's site HERE.

1. Another sociable week.  On Sunday our daughter and daughter-in-law invited us to dinner so it was nice to catch up with them and the Grandkids.  I tried this but after a couple of songs I was worn out lol.

Image of grandchildren playing a video game

2. Tuesday I got back to my keep fit class and had coffee with friends afterwards. It was good to be doing some exercise after the Christmas break.

3.  Wednesday I caught up with a couple of friends I used to work with.  One of them has not long completed treatment for cancer and she's looking well.

4.  Today the local lunch group met up here for lunch.

It's a really nice cafe in Chingford and judging by how busy it was it's clearly popular and doing well.  Thankfully we had booked in advance as they were turning people away.

5.  Some admin tasks dealt with - the boiler was serviced on Wednesday and the car passed its annual MOT test today.

So a busy week, with a couple of Foodbank sessions in there too but I've also managed to keep up with blogging and did some knitting and reading and I made a Banana Loaf which the grandkids love.

I'd like to say I can spend the weekend catching up on chores and laundry but the weekend's looking pretty busy too.  Housework is so overrated lol.

Have a good weekend all.

JJJ - 16/1/26 - Philosophy

It’s January 16th, and time for the 16th daily prompt for Just Jot it January 2026. Our prompt today is brought to us by the spectacular Sadje. Thank you, Sadje! You can find her blog HERE. As always to find out more about the challenge visit our lovely host Linda's blog HERE.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 16th, 2026 is “philosophy.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

I feel like I should be writing a deep and meaningful post for this prompt but my philosophy for this evening is to kick off my shoes, snuggle down on the sofa with a glass of wine and the latest episode of The Traitors.

JJJ - 15/1/26 - Symbiotic

Time for the the daily prompt for Just Jot it January 2026. Our 15th prompt is brought to us by Sally. Thank you, Sally! You can find her blog  HERE.  To find out more about Just Jot it January hosted by the lovely Linda go HERE.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 15th, 2026 is “symbiotic.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Well I was pretty sure I knew what symbiotic means but just to be on the safe side I checked:

1. involving interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association.

   "the fungi form symbiotic associations with the roots of plant species"

   • denoting a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups.

     "the reader can have a symbiotic relationship with the writer"
2. 
   

Well I think I have a symbiotic relationship with my husband.  We are definitely two different organisms.  He's an extrovert, I'm an introvert.  He loves music.  I like to be in the house on my own with no noise at all.  There must be something mutually beneficial going on though as we've been married for nearly 42 years.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 14/1/26

Joyce provides the questions, we provide the answers and then we link up here to share.  Thanks Joyce.

1. What kind of winter person are you-snow lover, fireplace snuggler, winter adventurer, or indoor hibernator? Elaborate. 

Well I'm more of an indoor hibernator than anything else.  We don't have an open fireplace so no snuggling there for me.  I'll be snuggling under a blanket if it's really cold.  Which it has been.  I do like to get out for a walk when I can though but I'm not that adventurous and I do not love snow!  It's ok walking around the lake if there's been snow but in the UK just an inch or two of snow and everything grinds to a halt.

2. The Pantone color of the year is cloud dancer, described as a gentle, billowy off white shade. The color symbolizes 'peace, clarity, quiet reflection, renewal, and a soft reset'. Of the terms just listed which do you need most in your life this winter? 

Probably a soft reset.  The Christmas period was busy and routines went out of the window and I'm struggling a bit to get back into my normal routines.  And I'm also struggling to understand why we need so many shades of white lol.

3. Every cloud has a silver lining, on cloud nine, head in the clouds, storm clouds gathering, or cloud of suspicion...which 'cloud' idiom do you most relate to currently? Explain. 

Probably head in the clouds.  I do tend to hibernate a little bit in the winter.

4. coconut, cauliflower, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, onions, ranch dressing...of the white foods listed, which would be the hardest for you to give up? Do you like all or any of the foods on the list? 

onions - we put them in so many things but mayonnaise would be hard too.  Coconut and cottage cheese would be the easiest to give up as I don't eat them to start with.

5. Thomas Wentworth Higginson is credited with this quote-

"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year." 

Agree or disagree? Tell us why. 

I agree.  There are definitely some beautiful things to be seen in winter but sometimes when a winter is really hard you need the faith that spring will come.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Note to self - check the decking outside the back door isn't icy before stepping out on it when it's frosty!  

Yep I nearly fell over this morning.  Fortunately no harm done.  It was wet yesterday but overnight the temperature really dropped so the water on the decking had turned to a sheet of ice which I wasn't prepared for.