JusJoJan 2020 - Reflections

The Just Jot it January challenge was hosted by Linda here.

This is the 7th year of the challenge although I was late to the party only doing my first attempt in 2017.  I find that towards the end of the year keeping to a blogging schedule rather goes out the window.  My stats certainly show that - I only managed 7 posts in December 2019.

So a new year often brings a new enthusiasm and determination with regard to blogging but having the Just Jot It prompts really helps me to focus and actually achieve an increase in activity.

I managed to blog most days, mostly following the prompts too but there were a few occasions where I doubled up on prompts because I'd missed a day or two.  It was a struggle at times - life does have a habit of getting in the way - but overall I'm pleased with how things went.  I even managed to suggest a prompt in time for it to be one that was used.  (Change)

Sometimes I didn't feel my posts warranted trying to draw in new visitors so I didn't leave a link on Linda's site.  I often felt I didn't visit other participants as much as I should.  There were a lot of people taking part.  It's time consuming.  But it's usually interesting so I was glad when I did find time to visit some great blogs.  I was also grateful that a lot of the participants use Wordpress as their platform so I could at least click the like button to record my visit if I was short on time and not able to leave comments.

It was also gratifying to get new visitors here leaving comments so thanks for that.

And of course a big thank you to Linda for keeping this going.

JusJoJan - 31/1/20 - Chaos

It’s the last day of Just Jot it January 2020! Where has the month gone? This final prompt is thanks to Robbie Ann.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 31st, 2020, is “chaos.” Use the word “chaos” any way you’d like. Have fun
 
This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.
Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.
 
And today the chaos really begins!

Today is Brexit Day. It's finally here. It's only taken 3 1/2 years and if anyone still thinks that today means it's finally a done deal then dream on. We may have finally got agreement on exiting but now the real work has to start on unravelling all the red tape and agreements that we had before and drawing up new arrangements.

Like I said, the chaos begins today and it's going to last a long time and I don't think it's going to be fun!

JusJoJan - 30/1/20 - Finished

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 30th, 2020, is “finished.” Use the word “finished” any way you’d like. Enjoy! (Today’s prompt comes to us compliments of Lauren)

This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

Well I'm feeling pretty finished right now thanks to another cold that's left me feeling pretty rubbish and getting through tissues like they're going out of fashion.

So I'm afraid I didn't get to Dazzle you (probably because I was chilling out watching Television) and my One Liner for Wednesday would probably have read "After a very long day with Rory, including putting him to bed, I'm too cream crackered to write a blog post!"

The links above will take you to the relevant prompt pages. Apologies for not giving a proper shout out to the providers of the prompts.

I've missed 6 days so far but this will be my 37th post of the month so I'm not feeling too disappointed at that. One of my 20 in 20 objectives is to be kind to myself particularly in circumstances like these. Could someone please tell me where my get up and go got up and went though?

Yesterday was definitely challenging. I was at Rory's house by 8 am and didn't leave until 7.30 pm. I'd had him all day on my own. We had been out twice to break the day up and bless him, apart from the last change of the day when he was tired, snotty, and had developed quite a sore bum, he was his usual cheerful self and very well behaved. I'm relieved that the final nappy of the day is a disposable one though. His Mummy is quite eco minded so he wears cloth nappies most of the time but overnight they've found a disposable works better for keeping him dry and thus asleep!

But I was finished for the day by the time I got home.

JusJoJan - 26/1/20 - Busy

Today’s prompt comes to us compliments of Saumya. Thanks Saumya! 


This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

This was the song that came to mind when I first saw the prompt:

I'm busy doin' nothin'
Workin' the whole day through
Tryin' to find lots of things not to do
I'm busy goin' nowhere
Isn't it just a crime
I'd like to be unhappy, but
I never do have the time

(Although in my head I had it as a Disney song and didn't realise it's actual origin and of course I've taken the liberty of applying it just to me rather than the we it was intended for.)

Anyway I'm definitely busy doing nothing today.  I had breakfast in bed, thanks to Hubby (yes I did pick a good one)  I've done some reading and now I'm playing around on the computer.

I have also put a load of washing on, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and folded washing from the tumble dryer.  So I haven't spent the whole day so far on my backside although my step counter would probably beg to differ.

I have also planned for the week ahead and ordered our Hello Fresh meals for next week.

One of my blogging friends was impressed that I was blogging every day and claimed I must be very organised.  Not really, I just somehow find time to do a post, even though it might mean something on my To Do list gets bumped down one.  I like the interaction with other bloggers although I must admit keeping up with all the comments and checking out other JusJoJan posters is proving a challenge.  I REALLY wish Blogger would install a LIKE button.  Many of the posters have Wordpress accounts and it's much easier to click the like button there and not always leave a comment.  I don't feel so guilty then because at least they'll know I've looked at their post.

I often think about switching platforms but I think another reason I can churn out blog posts here is that I'm familiar with the set up and posts don't take me that long to do.

Anyway just to prove I'm busy doing something I'm off to put the washing (which should be done by now) into the tumble dryer!

Next job - tackling my e-mail inboxes!  That'll keep me busy for a while.

We're busy doin' nothin' Workin' the whole day through Tryin' to find lots of things not to do We're busy goin' nowhere Isn't it just a crime We'd like to be unhappy, but We never do have the time

https://www.letssingit.com/bing-crosby-lyrics-busy-doing-nothing-f4n1qfx
LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database

We're busy doin' nothin' Workin' the whole day through Tryin' to find lots of things not to do We're busy goin' nowhere Isn't it just a crime We'd like to be unhappy, but We never do have the time

https://www.letssingit.com/bing-crosby-lyrics-busy-doing-nothing-f4n1qfx
LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database

We're busy doin' nothin' Workin' the whole day through Tryin' to find lots of things not to do We're busy goin' nowhere Isn't it just a crime We'd like to be unhappy, but We never do have the time

https://www.letssingit.com/bing-crosby-lyrics-busy-doing-nothing-f4n1qfx
LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database

We're busy doin' nothin' Workin' the whole day through Tryin' to find lots of things not to do We're busy goin' nowhere Isn't it just a crime We'd like to be unhappy, but We never do have the time

https://www.letssingit.com/bing-crosby-lyrics-busy-doing-nothing-f4n1qfx
LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database

#SoCS & JusJoJan - 25/1/20 - Last Call

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “last call.” Talk about the enterprise (sales or service) conducted by the last phone call you received from a business you’re not associated with (i.e. your workplace), or talk about that phone conversation itself. Have fun!

These challenges are hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here  to see details of today's joint challenge and check out other participants.

Well I'm not employed anymore so I'd have to refer to calls I receive at home although I don't actually get many calls.  Before you start feeling sorry for me I would add that I get countless communications on my mobile from various family members/friends all day long courtesy of Whatsapp or text message.  Why do we not talk more?

Even the phone calls I do get are often automated voice calls, initially at least.  Anyhow there are two recent ones that stick in my mind.

The first was an automated voice telling me it was HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs - think Tax Department) and that there was a warrant out for my arrest due to a fraud investigation.  I needed to press 1 to speak to the officer dealing with the case or I would find police at my door!

Yes it did sound official and it did sound scary BUT I am too savvy to be taken in and I hung up.  Investigations led me to this where unfortunately it seems that many people have been scared enough by the call to actually follow the instructions and subsequently be scammed of lots of money.

The second one came this week concerning my Amazon Prime subscription.  Again it was a similar scam (details here) which I did not fall for as I do not have a Prime subscription.  It did have me going to check out I hadn't accidentally set up a free trial and that my account looked ok.

Both these calls have confirmed my usual stance on phone numbers I don't recognise - ignore them.  If they're important and they really need to speak to me they'll leave a message or contact me some other way.

PS Thanks to all of you who took part yesterday using my prompt of Change and your visits and comments here.

JusJoJan - 24/1/20 - Change

Woo hoo, I managed to get a prompt suggestion submitted in time!  Thanks Linda.

This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here  to see who else is taking part today using my prompt of "Change"

This word seemed very apt when I noticed Linda was after prompts for this week and I sneaked in my the skin of my teeth just in time.  Why apt?  Because Hubby and I had spent a lot of time last Sunday debating the pros and cons of staying put in our house or moving.

Well we've decided to move.  Which of course will be a big change!

Of course you're probably all mouthing why? at this point so here goes:

We love our house but it is quite unusual (why we fell for it in the first instance).  Essentially it is a 3 storey house.  At the front there is a cellar, a living room, and then a bedroom and an office on the 3 levels.  At the back there is the kitchen/diner, then the bathroom plus a room that has served as a playroom, a bedroom and is currently what we refer to as Hubby's den - he has his desk in there plus his various guitars!  On the top floor at the back there are 2 further bedrooms.  Except that, the back and front do not line up so we actually have 6 floor levels AND a lot of stairs!

Yes I know you're probably confused.  So was I when my friend, the former owner was trying to describe it to me.  I came to look and I was sold!  That was nearly 27 years ago.

We have been here a long time and have done various works.  The kitchen was replaced, we added on a small extension which gave us a downstairs shower room and utility area.  We decorated throughout.  We've moved the kids around from room to room.  We've provided a home again for the kids when we thought they'd flown the nest.

I think it's safe to say that the kids will not be coming back again now, except of course to visit and now that means Grandchildren too.  When they're all here it's a bit crowded.  Not too much but of course we're often spread over 2 levels - some of us down in the kitchen, some of us upstairs.  I'd like somewhere now that has a more conventional layout.

We're also beginning to think about future proofing with a home that would work if either of us became less mobile.

Lots of things to consider, and lots of things to sort out here.  At the moment we're going to get our house valued to see what our financial situation will be and then we need to decide where we would like to go.  I'd like to be able to wave a magic wand and make our house change into what we want in a house in exactly the same spot as we are now but of course I can't.  However it may prove hard to find what we want in a house with all the amenities/transport links etc that we enjoy now.  There may have to be compromises.

There are also things we need to do here before we could invite prospective buyers in.  But we've done a walk through of the house and made a list and thus a plan.

It's exciting but daunting.  It's a big step and we want to get it right.  For someone who's only ever lived in 3 houses, all within 2 miles of each other, this could be huge!

JusJoJan - 23/1/20 - Drive!

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 23rd, 2020, is “drive.” Use the word “drive” any way you’d like. Have fun!
 
Thanks to Janet for our prompt word today. Give her a visit if you get a chance.
This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

I love to drive. Actually it's more correct to say I love "being able" to drive. I don't actually love going out just to drive, usually because I will be the driver and you can't appreciate scenery the same way as the passenger does. There's that pesky little thing called traffic to watch out for. I also don't enjoy long motorway drives (who does?) but as a method of transport for getting from A to B and the convenience it can bring I'm glad that I am able to drive.

I couldn't wait to learn taking lessons and passed my test at 17. I've been driving ever since and nothing much phases me, not parallel parking, multi-storey car parks, driving on the wrong side of the road (in a foreign country!) or even getting into strange cars.

Hopefully when the time comes I will know when it's time to hand in my licence and resort to being driven.

JusJoJan 22/1/20 - One Liner Wednesday

And still there are 3!

Rory was pleased to see them too - through the peephole in his rain covers!
 

(For anyone new here or not a regular visitor, we spotted these goslings 2 weeks ago and originally there were 4.  Last week there were only 3 but they have survived another week and seem to be growing.)

Linda G Hill hosts the Just Jot it January challenge.  Here's today's link for all the details etc.

Humour me, this post might be a bit scraggly! Jusjojan 20&21 Jan 2020

Well I'm a day late so I'm combining two prompts today.

Yesterday's prompt was Humor, given by Sadje at Keep it Alive and today's prompt of Scraggly was given by Cheryl at The Bag Lady

This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.  Go here to check out yesterday's entries or here for today's.

Ok that's the admin bit done, now for the content.  Well I'm not going to try and include any humur.  Although of course, being a Brit, I had to add in the "o" for my title.  The word just seems a bit on the scraggly side without it!

If I'd stopped there this whole post could be described as scraggly so I'll have to think of something else to write.  

I was once on the scraggly side.  If I dug out some old photos you'd see I was definitely skinny and bony.  But I'll not embarrass myself just so you can all have a good laugh.   As I said, no humor in this post! 

JusJoJan - 19/1/20 - Gobbledygook!

Today's prompt was brought to us by Jim.  Visit his blog to read his post and say hello. 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 19th, 2020, is “gobbledygook.” Use the word “gobbledygook” any way you’d like. Have fun!

This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

Spending a lot of time with my Grandsons who are all under 3 means I hear a lot of gobbledygook.  Mostly it's amusing but when you're trying to interpret what they're trying to say, particularly the eldest who is often convinced he's making complete sense, it can get a bit tricky.

When my Mum was still alive I had to cope with her gobbledygook too.  She was full of thingamybobs and whatsits and oojamaflips and again I was supposed to comprehend.  Of course as she succumbed to dementia this became even harder.  

I just have to hope that when I'm reduced to gobbledygook someone understands what the whatchamacallit is!

 

JusJoJan / SoCS - 18/1/20 - Movie Title

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “movie title.” Take the title of the last movie you watched (just the title, not the premise of the movie), and base your post on that title. Have fun!

These prompts are brought to you by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants plus info on #SoCS

Well I'm not sure this will be fun.  I'm struggling to remember the last movie that I watched!  And that's on the TV.  If I have to stretch my memory back to when I last saw a film at the cinema it would definitely elude me.

I did watch a couple of films over the holiday period but none of them were "Christmas" films.  I definitely watched a couple of James Bond films and one of those was Casino Royale.  So there's my title but what to write about it?  I've never been to a casino and whilst I have a rough idea about the rules of poker, as in which hand beats which, I have no idea about the betting system.

I'm not really a gambler at all.   I buy a lottery ticket now and again and of course when we've been to the seaside I've played various slot machines etc in the amusement arcades.  I've occasionally taken up the opportunity to take part in a sweepstake but not in a while.

I guess I like playing it safe, despite my penchant for watching action movies.  (I also watched one of the Mission Impossible films recently too.)  Not sure what that says about me but then I can balance this with having recorded Love Actually.  I intended watching that when I got a quiet moment but over the holiday period quiet moments were few and far between and now that time has gone I'll probably delete it.  I've seen it enough times not to miss it and I'm sure it's available somewhere.

So I guess I'm a romantic at heart with a need for a bit of excitement in my life from time to time as long as there's no risk involved!

JusJoJan - 16/1/20 - Experience

These prompts are brought to you by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants and if you get time visit Dan who gave us today's prompt. Thank you, Dan.

 
Your prompt for JusJoJan January 16th, 2020, is “experience.” Use the word “experience” any way you’d like. Enjoy!
 

There is a lot of talk today about life experiences.  Gifts are being steered away from actual "things" (of which we all probably have enough if not a surplus) to "experiences".  There are so many options available to us for experiences.

 

Personally I don't hanker after being driven round a race track at a scarily high speed or plunging through white waters in a flimsy boat.  I certainly don't want to try out the latest theme park ride or biggest rollercoaster etc.  

 

Life is an experience enough thank you very much.

 

I've experienced new life coming into the world 4 times now.  The first 3 times were my own children.  I always thought 4 would be a good number but it took me 2 attempts to come anywhere near the idyllic birth that so many women hanker after.  (No pain relief, dim lights, water birth and so on.)

 

Mine were: 

 

1) nearly disastrous (interventions followed by a hastily arranged caesarian delivery under general anaesthetic.  We still sometimes joke our daughter could be anyones but her striking resemblence to family members confirms otherwise.)

 

2) assisted - if anyone gives you the option of pushing or forceps PUSH! and

3) as perfect as it was going to get for me - no interventions, little pain relief and yet the biggest baby of the 3.  

 

The kids often accuse me of making this one my favourite because of it but as they know, I don't do favourites!  I tried my best to be very fair to them when they were growing up whilst also pointing out that from my experience life isn't always fair!

 

Having managed a straightforward delivery and realising that 2 hands with 3 children under four were not enough I decided we would stick at 3.

 

The fourth birth I witnessed was that of my eldest grandson.  He arrived when my daughter was only just 29 weeks pregnant and events happened so fast that I found myself in the delivery room trying to support my daughter and daughter-in-law as best I could.  I'm glad I was there for them and the ongoing support I was able to give during their journey through NICU but I wouldn't want to repeat the experience.  I waited a long few weeks for this first cuddle.

 

 

Unfortunately I've also experienced death. Close at hand with my Dad but first hand with both my Mum and my Mother-in-law.  

I've also had the experience of receiving news by telephone that a loved one (hubby) had been involved in an accident, was in hospital and I needed to come.  Now!  Fortunately that one had a happy ending.

I've experienced first hand the effect suicide has had on a family.  I wouldn't wish that on anyone but the whole situation gave me knowledge that has proved useful.

I've experienced bullying in my workplace that meant a very dark period in my life and a change in direction.

But if all that sounds gloomy I've also had some wonderful experiences too.

We've travelled to North America, Australia, experienced the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong and seen a fair bit of Europe.

We've had 3 wonderful but different wedding experiences with our kids and now of course we're experiencing what it's like to be Grandparents (great!) and retirement.

 

Yes my life might seem a bit boring and unexciting but I'm happy with it, especially when I sit back and look at the 3 kids we've raised and feel proud of what good people they've turned out to be.  Hopefully my experience has had some input into how that happened! 

 

 

Hmm, this jot turned into a bit of a waffle!

 

 

JusJoJan - 15/1/20 - 20 in 20 Photo of the Week #3

I have several photos this week.

 I took this one while out walking - I just liked the pink tinge behind the tree.  

Then I took these two today.  Unfortunately there were only 3 goslings with their parents this week.  The surviving 3 do seem to have grown a bit though.  Hopefully they will continue to thrive.

I also took this one in the park.  There is more water running down the steps at the moment.  It caught my eye because the water runs down to the river Roding.  There was actually a flood alert for the river over the Christmas period which was a little bit worrying as it's close to where my son lives but fortunately it didn't come to anything.

I'm impressed with myself for scoring 3 out of 3 for my weekly photos but I need to work on my photography.  The photo of the tree would have benefitted from a bit of cropping to remove the lamp post on the right.  The photos of the goslings are full of shadows and the one above is a bit dark.  But they were all taken on my phone which of course is convenient.  Maybe I should take my camera out more.  But just taking more photos is an improvement.  Once that habit is more established perhaps I can start working on finesse!

Jus Jo Jan - 13/14 Jan - Subscribe & Publish

I'm slipping!  I didn't post at all yesterday - I was with Grandson Rory all day and then came home and cooked dinner.  By the time that was over I was done!  I did manage to chill in front of the TV but that was all I wanted to do.

But today has been a lazy day so I'm going to play catch up.  Yesterday's prompt was Subscribe and was brought to us by Willow!   Here's the link to the prompt page where you can find other participants.  

Today's prompt is Publish us by Ritu and here's the link to today's prompt page and today's participants.

The whole challenge is brought to you by Linda G Hill.  Go here for the rules.

Well I'm sort of subscribed to the challenge but I've missed a day here and there and I haven't always published links on the prompt page.  It depends how I feel about my post.  

Okay that's the prompt words used.  

I could probably do with unsubscribing from some things.  There are lots of e-mails that arrive in my inbox that I simply delete.  Of course it's easy to do that.  It takes a bit longer to find the unsubsribe link but in the end it would save me time.  As for being published.  Keeping my blog published is my only ambition there.  I have no desire to write a novel.  I do admire those that do aspire to do that and actually get to the point of having their work in print (or online) even if they have to self publish to achieve their goal.

I won't deny there are time when I've thought "I could have written that" when I've perhaps read something that hasn't been that challenging.  But then I read something that is much deeper and clever and I've realised that I don't have the skills to do that.

But I do enjoy writing on my blog and reading as much as I can.  What I also enjoy is the interaction with other bloggers and receiving comments.  I feel guilty sometimes that I don't get around other blogs as much as I'd like but there are only so many hours in the day. 

Today's hours have whittled away without any real achievements on my part.  Although hubby and I did have a good discussion about plans for the house so not a totally wasted day.  And he's currently cooking my dinner so I really can't complain!  Time to publish this post now I think!

JusJoJan - 12/1/20 - Gravity

These prompts are brought to you by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

 

Today's prompt is "Gravity" and brought to us by Zhenzhen Give her a visit if you get a chance.

Interesting word.  My take on it is that there are many people who need to think about the gravity of a situation before they act, especially when they open their mouths to speak.

That's my (l)jot for today.  

SoCS / JusJo Jan - 11/1/20 - Don't you dare!

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “the first 3 words of the first full sentence.” Okay, follow me here. This is what I want you to do: 1. Grab the closest book to you when you sit down to write your post. 2. Open it to a random page. 3. Locate the first complete sentence on that page. 4. Use the first three words of that sentence to start your post, then take it from there–write whatever comes to mind. That’s it! Have fun!

These prompts are brought to you by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants plus info on #SoCS

 

Don't you dare put me down until you've finished.  That was the message I got from this book and it was apt (and yes a bit contrived on my part) because I started this early in the morning and being Saturday and with no plans I was able to just plough on through to the end.  It was definitely compelling.  It doesn't matter too much if you haven't read The Tattooist (although I have) but it's probably best to read them in order.

This was one of my Christmas presents which I was very happy to receive. 

 

JusJoJan 2020 - 9/1/20 - Scrumptious

These prompts are brought to you by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

 

Today's prompt is "Scrumptious" and brought to us by Maggie at From Cave Walls Give her a visit if you get a chance.

Well to me anything with chocolate in is usually scrumptious.  I've made/eaten a few things over the years which have found their way onto the blog:

 My daughter's wedding cake was definitely scrumptious!

These tarts are easy to make (especially if you cheat and use shop bought pastry) and are very rich.

 

Lindt has to be my favourite chocolate manufacturer and the Lindor balls probably top my list but this advent calendar was pretty special.

This was a dessert I had during a lovely meal when we were in Melbourne in 2017. A truly memorable trip.

This is a homemade cheesecake that I love making.  Well of course I love eating it more.

All this talk of chocolate makes me want some.  Fortunately I had 2 lots of chocolates for Christmas both of which are scrumptious.