#JusJoJan - 31/1/25 - Fini

Well hello there! It’s time for our final prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Today’s prompt is more of a SoCS-style prompt in that it’s not an entire word. But don’t feel obligated to write a stream of consciousness/no editing allowed post. Plan away!

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 31st, 2025 is “fini.” Find a word that has “fini” in it and use that as your prompt word. Have fun!

Phew this will be my final post of the Just Jot it January challenge that's organised by the lovely Linda.  You can find her blog here.

I first did the challenge back in 2017 and it certainly gets my blogging year off to a good start.  Unfortunately I never seem to be able to keep up the consistency throughout the year.  My best blogging year for the quantity of posts (245) was 2020 which isn't that surprising given that it was the year we all stayed home due to the pandemic.  But I was already an at home person so it shouldn't have made too much of a difference.

Since then I've averaged about 126 posts a year so about 2 a week.  I definitely want to keep that up this year which shouldn't be too hard though of course taking part in the A-Z challenge in April tends to bump April's figures up and there are some months when blog posts are few and far between so I need to try harder.

And I need to concentrate more - I thought I was being clever putting final in my opening sentence and then realised it didn't actually have "fini" in it. Note to self: "Read the question, and then read it again before putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard!"

#JusJoJan - 30/1/25 - Hesitation

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 30th, 2025 is “hesitation.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

You can find out all there is to know about the challenge at our host Linda's blog here. 

Woo hoo this is my prompt suggestion today.  And it's my second one of the challenge.

I was hesitant about whether I'd commit to the challenge this year as my blogging has been quite erratic but doing a challenge is always a good way to get back on track.

And I've managed so far and only 1 day to go!  There were a couple of posts that technically didn't quite make the midnight deadline but we won't worry about that. I will have done at least 31 posts by tomorrow - good enough for me.

I'm often hesitant about a lot of things and I'm guilty of over-thinking things way too much.  Living with anxiety isn't easy.  But whereas at one point I wouldn't even consider some activities now I try to take the approach of "How can I do that?"  

There are still some things I'd never do particularly more adventurous things like bungee jumping, sky diving etc - though I think most sane people would avoid those.

However there was one suggestion that I didn't hesitate very much over - our daughter and her wife invited us to join them and their young son (8 months old) on a trip to Australia back in 2017.  I just thought why not and said yes.  My Husband was like "Quick, book the flights before she changes her mind!"  We went and we had a great time.

Right my timer is just about to go off - I'm due at the food bank this morning but I wanted to get this posted so it was there for challenge participants to see.  I didn't hesitate when it came to doing this post.

Thanks to Linda for keeping this challenge going again this year.  It's a lot of work and time consuming.

#JusJoJan - 28/1/25 - Confusion

Today, our prompt is courtesy of Dan. Thank you, Dan! This is the link to Dan’s blog.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 28th, 2025 is “confusion.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

You can find out more over at our host Linda's blog here.

Well thankfully I don't think I've suffered any confusion today.  Having watched my Mother succumb to Alzheimer's it's only natural that I find myself watching out for signs of that dreaded disease.  Although if I was showing any signs I probably wouldn't notice them myself.

Anyway if you want confusion you only have to study the English language.  So many words that sound the same but are spelt differently and then mean completely different things.  Even words that look exactly the same but are pronounced differently and mean totally unrelated things.

Of course growing up in the East End of London there was also cockney rhyming slang to contend with too.  And that got further incomprehensible when many people only used one half of the rhyme. 

It's important to say exactly what you mean to avoid any confusion especially when talking to children.  We have so many ways of saying that a person has died, without actually saying that they're dead it's no wonder they find the whole concept confusing!

To avoid any confusion I'm definitely alive and I think I'm in full possession of my marbles.  But of course I could be wrong.

#JusJoJan - 27/1/31 - Glamourous

Welcome! I’m here with our twenty-seventh prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Our prompt today comes to us from the sensational Sadje. Thank you, Sadje! You can find her blog HERE.  To find out more about the challenge and see who else is taking part go HERE to the lovely Linda's blog.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 27th, 2025 is “glamorous.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Well, having checked out the full definition of glamourous I don't think I've ever truly deserved that description.

I like to dress for comfort.  Currently it's early(ish) morning and I'm still wrapped in my comfy dressing gown.  I like coming down first in the morning and having some quiet time away from Hubby's snoring lol.

But my outfit for the day will, no doubt, consist of either comfy jogging style bottoms or jeans with a comfy top.  So different from when I was working and had, as a School Business Manager, to look smart.  Hmm yes smart, but not glamourous.

My go to shoes will be trainers or, in the winter, boots.  I have 2 pairs of boots that I wear a lot.  A warm comfy pair and a smarter pair if I'm going out but both are flats.  I do own an even smarter pair with a low heel but I'd only wear those if going somewhere that required little walking.

I stick to safe clothing although I have, twice, done one of those personal shopper appointments at a department store and bought a few things that I would never have looked at if on my own.

I think the best lesson I learned from one of those was that if an item has a belt, e.g. a long top, to tie it at the back rather than wrap it around and tie at the front.  Such a simple thing which many of you are probably shouting at your screens saying "of course - didn't you know that?" well no I didn't!  But it does create a much better look.

Left to my own devices my entire wardrobe would probably consist of blue.  Different shades maybe but blue although there is a fair amount of pink in there too.

I'm not sure what possessed me to buy a green dress for the wedding we went to in Spain a couple of years ago.  I did know I'd be photographed with my sister-in-laws some of whom can definitely do glamour better than I ever could.

But even for a wedding I still went comfy and although the sandals are quite sparkly, they're still flat!

Of course for my own wedding I went fairy tale wedding dress style:

For our younger son's wedding I toned it down a bit.

I tried for glamour at our other son's wedding.

I made the mistake of going for a pair of shoes that definitely looked good but were almost impossible to walk in and have only been worn for that occasion.  They're still sitting in the wardrobe though, I really should donate them to a charity shop!

For our daughter's wedding I went the full Mother of the Bride outfit - the most expensive outfit I've ever bought!  Another worn once outfit still sitting in my wardrobe that I should part with.

But today it looks like I might be able to get out for a walk - it's been quite windy and rainy the last few days so I'll be needing these:

Good old reliable wellies.  They might not be glamourous but hey - they are purple! (And muddy.)

#JusJoJan 26/1/25 - Jubilee

Hey! I’m back with our twenty-sixth prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Our prompt today is courtesy of Liz. Thank you, Liz! Click here for Liz’s blog.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 26th, 2025 is “jubilee.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

These prompts are organised by Linda who blogs here.

Having done some googling it seems Jubilee has its roots in the Bible but is now more usually known as an anniversary of a particular event, for example our former Queen celebrated 3 major Jubilees during her reign, Silver, Gold and Platinum being 25 year, 50 year and 75 year anniversaries of her coronation.

Lots of events were organised each time on a grand scale but local areas did their own thing too - there were a lot of street parties etc. For the Silver and Golden Jubilees an extra bank holiday was given and, although only one day was given for the Platinum Jubilee, it was combined with the late May bank holiday giving us a 4 day weekend when the main celebrations were held.

It wasn't just about celebrating though, one of the initiatives set up during the Jubilee year was The Queen's Green Canopy which aimed to encourage people to "plant a tree for the Jubilee".

Sadly, having come to the throne aged 73, it's unlikely (although possible) that the present King will reign long enough to celebrate even a Silver Jubilee.

#SoCS / #JusJoJan 25/1/25

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 25th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “in line.” Use it any way you’d like! Enjoy!  These are provided by Linda and you can find out all the details on how to join in here.

I am currently waiting in line for 5 books at the library.  I love my library.  I use it a lot and I love being able to order books in, especially when I'm working on a challenge and need something specific.

I'm working on a 52 book challenge that has prompts ranging from easy ones such as a "Book starting with the letter M" to ones that are more complex such as "Non-human antagonist".  (Although thanks to my DIL I have that one sorted.)

Yesterday I laid out all my TBR books in line on my bed and tried to match them to the lists of prompts where I could and I probably have about 24 that work.  After that I worked out a few more that would work and ordered them from the library.  For all of them I'm first in line but they're coming from various libraries so hopefully they won't all arrive at once!

I'm currently 4 down, 48 to go.  

#JusJoJan - 23/1/25 - Emphasis.

Today, our prompt is courtesy of Dar. Thank you, Dar! Here's the link to Dar’s blog.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 23rd, 2025 is “emphasis.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

And here we go with another late evening post.  I really should put more emphasis on getting my blog posts done earlier in the day.  

#JusJoJan 2025 - 21/1/25 - Content

Our prompt today is courtesy of the lovely J-Dub. Thank you, J-Dub! Her blog can be found here J-Dub’s blog .

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 21st, 2025 is “content.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Well it's late evening again so there's not going to be much content here.  Just a jot.

Goodnight!

#JusJoJan 2025 - 20/1/25 - Antipodean

Hi! It’s time for our twentieth prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Today, we have a prompt gifted to us by the incomparable Kim. Thank you, Kim! You can visit her here Kim’s blog and say hello.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 20th, 2025 is “antipodean.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Well a quick post is called for as it's really bedtime here.  Of course antipodeans from here in London will be up and about and already on day 21 of 2025!  

We British tend to lump Australia and New Zealand together as the Antipodes from here although the actual antipodean point would be in the Pacific Ocean with Waitangi in New Zealand being the closest city.

We made it to Australia in 2017 with my daughter, her wife and our then 8 month old Grandson Nathan.  I blogged about it here. We had a great time.  I'd quite like to visit New Zealand but now that one of our sons     and his family are in the US I don't think we'll be making that trip anytime soon.

#JusJoJan - 19/1/25 - Why?

This is the nineteenth prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Today, our prompt comes to us from the wonderful Willow. Thank you, Willow! You can visit her here Willow’s blog and say hello. 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 19th, 2025 is “why.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Here is my "Why?" child.

Matthew is my middle child.  When he was young he went through a stage of really pushing my buttons by constantly asking "Why?"  I always tried to give an answer as best I could but then he would question that answer with another "Why?" and so on and on and on..... I'm sure you get the picture.

Matthew, pictured just after becoming a Dad.

He would really try my patience.  I always tried to answer his questions without resorting to "Because I said so!" although I did often end up saying "because it just is" for example.  I think we're alike in a lot of ways, both stubborn but we can also persevere with things.

His saving grace was that, although during the day he would push me to the limits of my patience he was the best sleeper of my 3.  He went to bed, he went to sleep, he stayed asleep.

He might have driven me to distraction but he's grown into a man and now father that I'm proud of and, before I get protests from my other two children I'm actually proud of how they've all turned out.  I can take some credit for that but my Hubby and I worked as a team and we had a great family network that all contributed and thankfully my kids also made good life choices, particularly with their partners and friends.

And actually, it's good to ask "Why?"

#SoCS & #JusJoJan 18/1/25

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 18th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “pack/peck/pick/pock/puck.” Use one or use ’em all for bonus points—it’s up to you! Enjoy!

For more info on how these work pop over to host Linda's blog here.

It seems longer than 2 weeks since we were packing up all the things stored in the units that were in our living room, plus all the stuff on shelves, walls etc in there and in the hall in preparation for them to be decorated.

One of our spare bedrooms was packed to the rafters with everything we emptied out.

The decorators finished on Thursday this week and now we have to pick a carpenter to build new storage cupboard/display units for the living room.  The old units were from IKEA and we gained them with the house.  They had served their time.  Hopefully they will serve someone else in the future as they were donated to the British Heart Foundation which has charity shops that are specifically for furniture items.

We could probably manage without moving any of the stuff back down until the units have been made and fitted, except the children's toys.  Especially when you have an unplanned visit from two of your grandchildren who need to be entertained.  

They were here for a short time on Friday and couldn't believe there were no toys in the living room.  None at all.  They were also not impressed with the small bedroom TV that we have in there temporarily while we wait for a new stand for our living room TV.

We had them again today so we started the day by unpacking the toys/games etc from the bedroom with a 4 and 7 year old "helping"!  That was fun.

So we've unpacked and today we picked games to play and watched the birds peck at the food in the feeders.  Thankfully nothing seems to be pocked and Puck belongs in Shakespeare although ice hockey players would disagree.

#JusJoJan - 16/1/25 - Decorating done!

Well I'm not following a prompt today but I still wanted to do a post - we're halfway through the month and I think I've managed to post every day.

Anyway the decorating is complete.

Now we have to finalise a carpenter to build in some cupboards/display units for us.  We also want to change the sofas, add curtains and rugs etc and of course move all the stuff back in that we moved upstairs while the painting was being done.

The walls are mainly in the stone colour (Skimming Stone) that's also in the hallway and the chimney breast is Green Smoke.  I'd love to know who thinks up all these weird and wonderful names for paint colours.  

Oh and the standard lamp will have to go.  Definitely not in keeping with the room now.  It never was really but it came with us when we moved and this is the first time we've done any work in the living room.

We decided against putting the TV back on the wall.  It will stand on top of the new cupboards when they're built but for now it will stand on the old base cupboard that was rejected by the British Heart Foundation when they came to take the other units earlier this week.  A blessing in disguise that it didn't go.  It has meant ordering a new stand for the TV though.  I really don't remember getting rid of the original stand when we had the TV mounted on the wall, but I have searched everywhere I can think of in the house without finding it.  Of course once the new stand is here I will probably locate the old one.  Just another example of one thing leading to another......

#JusJoJan - 14/1/25 - Initiative

Today, our prompt is courtesy of the fantastic Fandango. Thank you, Fandango! You can visit his blog here.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 14th, 2025 is “initiative.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Our host Linda's blog can be found here.

Well I'm so glad that Linda took the initiative and started this challenge way back in 2014.  This is its eleventh year!  I didn't join in until 2017 but I've taken part ever since, although some years have been better than others.  This year is going well so far.

It's easy to see from my stats that it definitely boosts my posting in January, as does the A-Z challenge in April.  Sadly, particularly last year, my posting levels drop dramatically in other months.

Maybe this is the year when the initiative will keep me blogging more throughout the year.  Time will tell.

#JusJoJan 13/1/25 - Embrace

Welcome to our thirteenth prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Today, the prompt is brought to us by the lovely Laura. Thank you, Laura! You can visit her blog HERE to read her post and say hello. 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 13th, 2025 is “embrace.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

And here's the link to Linda's blog to see who else is taking part.

Well I am definitely embracing this challenge. But the best embrace has to last about 20 seconds to have a good effect on us.  20 seconds is quite a long time but trust me, it's worth it.  It's all about the oxytocin.

There just a jot today.

Still got decorators in but the hall is done.

And British Heart Foundation came and took our old display units away today.  Now we just need to organise new ones for the living room.  Plus new sofas, rugs, curtains.........not sure Hubby realised how one thing leads to another lol.

#JusJoJan 2025 - 12/1/25 - Notifications

Today, our prompt is courtesy of the spectacular Sadje. Thank you, Sadje! Here;s the link to her blog: Sadje’s blog where you can read her posts and say hello. 

And you can link here to our host Linda's blog to see who else is joining in.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 12th, 2025 is “notifications.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

In a world full of smart phones, tablets, laptops etc it seems that there is no end to the possibility of notifications.  Of course some of them are useful, like when to tax the car, when your hospital appointment is and so on.  

I also have a lot of reminders set up to make sure I get things done, like remembering to put the bins out (including which ones) book a shopping slot, pick the grandkids up from school.

I even have a reminder about an ideal time to go to bed.  That one's already gone off today so I'd better stop jotting!

#Socs and #JusJoJan - 11/1/25 - It's the Little Things!

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 11th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “it’s the little things.” Take whatever the phrase “it’s the little things” brings to mind and use it in your post. Have fun!

For more details on the Just Jot it January challenge and Stream of Consciousness Saturday go here to our host Linda's blog.

Well this is a perfect prompt for me today.  This afternoon we decided that, as we didn't need too many things at the supermarket, Hubby and I would walk down to it.  All good - we needed to wrap up as it was still very cold but bright and sunny.

Now my Husband uses the letters KPMG (one of the big accountancy firms here) to remind him of what he needs to have with him when he leaves the house - Keys, Phone, Money and Glasses.

I of course need no such reminder as I never forget anything.  Well not as often as he does.

So we're halfway down the road that leads to the town centre where the supermarket is and I suddenly remember to check with him that he has some change in his pocket because, although we don't want a lot of shopping, we'll still need a small trolley (cart) for the list of things we need and the trolleys require a £1 coin to release them.

Well he didn't have any cash on him.  Apparently, even though there is a pile of change on the dresser at home which he has accumulated, he doesn't take any out with him.  He just uses notes and then empties out any change from his pockets each night or he uses his contactless card.

Hmm so he's got no change, plus he didn't have any cash on him either, or his keys.  So much for KPMG.

Now I very rarely carry cash but I do have a fake coin on a keyring that will release the trolley but I've attached it to my car keys - I mean if I'm getting enough shopping to require a trolley I need the car to get it home.  So no car keys, we're walking, but I do have a £10 note in my phone cash for emergencies.  Now of course this wasn't an emergency, we might have been able to manage with a shopping basket but my mind started ticking over how I could get my £10 note to provide me with a £1 coin for the trolley.  (It's the little things!) Anyway before we got to the supermarket we bought a newspaper and some nuts (appropriate yes?) to give us some change.  Except we didn't get a couple of pound coins in our change - we got a £2 coin!  

I didn't think about that until we were approaching the supermarket but that problem was solved by getting it changed at the Customer Service desk so we were good to go, back down a level to the car park area where the trolleys are now kept!  

We did the shopping, returned the trolley and retrieved the £1 coin.

At that point I decided to leave it in my coat pocket so I didn't have to go through this whole rigmarole again.  Guess what I found in my pocket?  Yep the fake coin.  I had it all along.  It would be so helpful if we could just remember the little things.

#JusJoJan - 9/1/25 - Shy

This is the ninth prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Today, the prompt comes from the Di. Thank you, Di! You can visit Di’s blog to read her posts and say hello. 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 9th, 2025 is “shy.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Well I would definitely consider myself to be shy but over the years (and I've had quite a few of those) I've learned to mask it reasonably well.  Having a management position in a school (School Business Manager) meant I had to have face to face interaction with a lot of people from various walks of life.  Being a wallflower was not part of the job.

I was definitely a wallflower when younger though, especially when it came to dating.  I think I was on my third date with Hubby before I was finally convinced that we were "going out" together although that was probably more about his choice of dates than my shyness but that's a whole other story and I haven't got time for that tonight.

It's late, that's my lot, my jot.

Link up with our host Linda and other jotters here.

#JusJoJan - 7/1/25 - Pernickety

Today, the prompt is courtesy of our lovely Ritu. Thank you, Ritu! You can visit Ritu’s blog to read her posts and say hello. 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 7th, 2025 is “pernickety.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Pernickety or:

"placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details; fussy."

My husband is definitely pernickety.  He of course would argue that he is not.

But ask him how he likes the bedclothes.  Or maybe not.  It proves my point though.

Going back to yesterday the prompt for which was invigorating supplied by me.  I did a very quick post the night before, on my phone, because I knew that yesterday was going to be a very long tiring day.

We went to Bristol for the Memorial Service of the ex-husband of Hubby's sister that died last year.  Yes a bit strange to be going to a service for someone that we hadn't really had much contact with following the divorce but we went to support our niece and nephew who have now lost both their parents in the space of 3 months.  They are 20 and 18 so a lot for them to be dealing with.

Google maps said that the journey could typically take anything from 3 hours to 4 1/2 hours.  Obviously we played it safe and allowed ourselves the maximum time and we arrived with 20 minutes to spare.  We had to get across London first, no easy feat, and then it was a reasonably straight forward motorway drive.  Of course there were a few (ok lots) of toilet stops on the way.  

But it was a nice service and the kids appreciated that we had made the effort to be there.  We also took one of Hubby's sisters with us and although there weren't lots of people there were certainly enough.

The journey home was definitely quicker but by the time we'd taken Hubby's sister home it was after 7 by the time we got back to our home.  I was exhausted as I'd done nearly all the driving.  Thankfully Hubby made a quick dinner and then I was thinking about bed.  I slept a lot better than the previous night.  Am I the only one who, when I have to get up much earlier than usual, doesn't sleep well?