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.

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

#Jusjojan 30/1/18 - Scrumptious

Your prompt for January 30th, 2018, brought to you by my friend and yours, Judy, is “Scrumptious.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Judy at her blog, “Judy E Martin, author, poet and lover of life,” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link: https://www.judyedwinamartin.com/

For details of how to take part, guidelines etc go here to host Linda's site. 

Scrumptious makes me think of gooey cakes or desserts that are sticky and sweet.  I have definitely got a sweet tooth and when going out for a meal I'd much rather miss out on a starter to leave room for dessert than the other way around.  

My favourites would have a good dose of chocolate in them, something like a chocolate cheesecake or trifle would be ideal.  Or meringue, or Tiramisu even an apple pie with custard goes down well.  Then of course there is Christmas pudding with a good dollop of brandy butter.  Just as well I've eaten out today and had a nice dessert of salted caramel profiterols otherwise I might be raiding the freezer for some ice cream!

#Jusjojan - 28/1/18 - Knight

Your prompt for January 28th, 2018, brought to you by author Leta Hawk, is “Knight.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Leta at her blog, “Hawk’s Happenings,” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://letaphawk.wordpress.com/

For details on how Jusjojan works etc. visit host Linda's site here.

Well Leta has written a great story about a Knight on her blog but I must admit to being a bit stumped by this prompt.

Knight makes me think of chess and although I do know how to play it's not a game I really enjoy.  I'm more a Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit type but I do enjoy a game of cards too.  I suppose I just enjoy games that move a bit quicker than chess.  (Yes I am aware that if you play a timed version it's not really slow.)

What always amazes me is how well my brother-in-law plays when he can't even see the board.  He takes part in games over the internet and goes to tournaments and really enjoys it.

We played cards this evening.  Hubby, son, DIL and me.  We often play after dinner, usually contract whist.  Last time I played appallingly (although I was dealt some pretty bad hands) but tonight I managed to come 2nd.  Another game we play is cribbage.  One of the things I like about cribbage was that my Dad taught me but that's many years ago now.  Funny how some things just stick and others get forgotten.  Our son wants to play Canasta which we used to play a lot but I definitely need to swot up on the rules before we play that again.

I'm off to bed now.  Perhaps I'll dream of a Knight in shining armour coming to take me away.

#Jusjojan & #SoCS 27/1/18

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: movement. However, don’t use the word “movement.” Choose some sort of movement, and base your post on that. Enjoy!  

Click here for the details and where to leave your link.

We're all slightly obsessed with baby movements around here at the moment.  Two of my DILs are expecting babies in June so they are just reaching the stage where they will feel their babies moving although both of them had scans this week and have seen their babies moving around.  Very reassuring of course.  

The grandson who is already here is beginning to co-ordinate his movements.  He has learned to clap and takes great delight in doing so.  He's also nearly rolling over and he can sit up fairly well now without the fear of him falling over although he's not secure enough in that to remove the cushions around him just yet.  We're also obsessing over his top two teeth to watch for any movement through the gums - almost there but not quite.  And of course when he's asleep we are fixated on the baby monitor to check whether he's still asleep and praying that any movement is not a sign of him waking up.  And oh is his chest moving as in is he still breathing?

And me, well I'm definitely not moving enough because the scales are turning way too far for my liking.  A while back I tried to do a Couch to 5K app but my knees protested.  Now I'm feeling more like a couch potato.  Winter, January especially, has that effect.  Roll on Spring!

#Jusjojan 23/1/18 - Colour

Your prompt for January 23rd, 2018, brought to you by the kind, considerate, and eloquently snarky Supernatural Snark, is “Colour.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Super at her blog, “Supernatural Snark” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://supernaturalsnark.wordpress.com/

If you're playing along with #Jusjojan go here to host Linda's site for rules, prompts and other participants.

I was looking through my wardrobe earlier and realised I could add more colour.  I have lots on clothes in the same range of colours which is good when it comes to co-ordinating outfits but not so great if you want to stand out from the crowd or look a bit more individual.  As I'm not usually comfortable like that maybe I'll stick to my colour scheme.

I was really pleased though when I saw today's prompt.  Many of the bloggers that I follow are American so usually colour comes up as color.  I can be a bit of a pedant when it comes to spelling and grammar (although not as bad as my hubby) and if I copy a meme with American spelling I find myself changing the offending words.  Although of course it's my UK English spell checker that usually does it for me and stops me seeing red, especially as my colour scheme seems to be blue!

#Jusjojan 21/1/18 - Silence

Your prompt for January 21st, 2018, brought to you by the wonderful and talented Willow, is “Silence.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Willow at her blog, “Willowdot21” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://willowdot21.wordpress.com/

To check out the rules, other participants and to leave a link if you create your own Jusjojan post go here to our host Linda's site.

I think silence is definitely not golden and actually quite elusive.  Even when I'm lying awake in the middle of the night there are still noises to be heard.  Our house is old so there are often creaks and groans.  My hubby uses a CPAP machine which although not loud is definitely not silent.  Yes if he's not there I wouldn't hear that and the house might keep quiet for a while but then occasionally a car will drive past disturbing the peace.

Of course you could argue that a house in a London suburb is not the best place to find silence but I could be in the middle of the countryside and there would still be sounds.  Creature sounds that probably wouldn't all be welcome ones.

For the clever clogs out there you might suggest a vacuum or space.  We've probably all heard the tagline from Alien - but I'm not sure I want to put it to the test. 

 

And anyway, who can silence the voices in my head?  The ones that sometimes keep you awake at night even when you're exhausted.  Wouldn't it be good if our brains had an off switch for a pre set time?  Sleeping might be easier then.  Oh and if a cure could be invented for tinitus then silence might prevail.  But actually I prefer a bit of noise.  Means I'm still alive.

#SoCS & #Jusjojan 20/1/18

Today #jusjojan combines with #SoCS.  To find the details and other participants go here to Linda's site.

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “oc.” Find a word that starts with “oc” and use it in your post. Bonus points if you start and end with your post with an “oc” word. Have fun!





Occasionally I have a half decent idea for a blog post but often I find myself resorting to regular memes for posts or just catching up on what's going on in my world.  

Now I know that the idea of a SoCS post is that planning isn't really involved but as it's jusjojan too I thought I would search for inspiration and then just write.  One of the things I occasionally blogged about was a magazine item on the BBC site.  There was a regular feature in the magazine section "10 things we didn't know last week"  some of these were quite interesting, others were just plain daft but they did give something to write about.  Unfortunately the BBC site has been undergoing quite a few changes recently and, shock, horror, there no longer seems to be a magazine page or the 10 things item.  So I'm having to waffle instead.   

I hate it when websites that you're familiar with suddenly change everything.  I'm boring like that.  I don't like surprises.  I don't like the unknown.  I'm not good on spontaneity.  Maybe that's why I occasionally opt to write a SoCS post but usually I give it a pass.

#Jusjojan 19/1/18 - Darkness

The prompts for #Jusjojan and all the rules etc can be found over at Linda's site: here.

The prompt for January 19th, 2018, is brought to us by Kerry, is “Darkness.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Kerry at her blog, “Her Headache,” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://kkherheadache.wordpress.com/

I'm not sure that many people would openly admit to liking darkness.  I didn't think I was afraid of the dark though until I was really plunged into total darkness in the darkroom hubby had set up in our first home.  I found it totally oppressive and was very relieved when he was able to put a light on.  My sister-in-law's house in France is the same - they have shutters on their windows and when they are down the bedrooms are in total darkness.  I have to lift the shutters just a fraction when we stay there.  It does explain why her babies always napped beautifully during the day - she would bring the shutters down and the poor babies must have thought it was night time!

I guess living in London, total darkness is a rarity.  There is so much ambient light.  We once went for a weekend stay in a hotel in a country area.  The village was very small and off the beaten track.  It also had no street lights.  We went out in the evening to walk up to the local pub to eat and realised we should have taken a torch.  It was really hard to see as it was a cloudy night so no moon visible.  It was a real eye opener in more ways than one. 

Australia - Part 5 and #Jusjojan 18/1/18 (Revolt)

If you're here looking for the Revolt prompt of Jusjojan, bear with me and keep reading.

The final leg of our Australian tour took us from Sydney along the East coast as far north as Noosa and then home via Brisbane.

We picked up a different car this time in Sydney - a Toyota Kluger - another tank of an SUV.  It actually felt like there was more boot space than the Audi and you had to start it conventionally with a key.  So far so good. Oh but where is the parking brake?  Hmm let me take a few minutes to work that out.  Oh it's a tiny pedal above the foot brake pedal!  Different.  Ok.  Let me indicate we're leaving the parking lot. Oh, why are my windscreen wipers going?  Oh, the wipers and indicators are on opposite sides to what I'm used to.

Eventually we got on the road and headed north.  We followed the Pacific Highway stopping overnight in Nelson's Bay, then a tiny place called Mylestom, and then a couple of nights in Byron Bay.  We stopped off at places as we passed through too. 

Mylestom

Mylestom - river side

Mylestom beach

First swim

Byron Bay

Byron Bay

Brisbane

Merthyr Park History

Not a great picture of the history of Merthyr Park but it was interesting to me as my Dad was born in Merthyr Tydvil in Wales the same birthplace of Queensland's Premier Samuel Griffith who built his home in Brisbane in 1880 and named the area Merthyr.  It was a nice walkway along the river.

Brisbane

Of the places along this stretch of coast, Mylestom had to be my favourite and we found it almost by chance.  It nestles between the shores of the Bellinger river and the ocean.  It's a small place so very quiet and peaceful.

Byron Bay is much more touristy.  More spectacular beaches and a lighthouse that makes for a good hike.

One of the things we, coming from the UK which is of course small, don't realise until you're there is how big Australia is and how far it is between places.  We didn't actually clock our mileage (a note to self if we ever do another long road trip) but we must certainly have clocked up a lot!

Our final but one stop on our trip was Noosa.  We had 4 nights here in a fancy hotel which was great as we were able to relax and recharge the batteries.  Nathan also got to go for a swim in the pool and of course there was more lovely food.  It's lucky we were doing so much walking otherwise I would have gained pounds.

Then it was off to Brisbane for one final overnight stop before heading home.  We stayed in an area called New Farm which is an "affluent inner suburb".  It was certainly nice with a large park that was well frequented on the Sunday afternoon we were there.  We also visited what was once a power station but has now been turned into an arts centre known as The Powerhouse.  

Then all too soon it was time to take the long journey home.  I'd love to see more of Australia and New Zealand but the amount of time flying does put me off a bit.

But what of the revolt you're probably asking?  Well much as I enjoyed our trip I don't think I could live in Australia.  We didn't actually see any snakes, or any poisonous spiders but just knowing they could give me a nasty shock is enough to put me off.  And then there are the bugs.  As in very large cockroaches.  We didn't see too many of them fortunately but one did take a liking to my toothbrush as in it decided to sit on the brush head of my toothbrush one night.  That had me revolting.  No way could I put up with that.  I had to try very hard not to think about what else I might not have seen!

(Participants for #jusjojan can go here for Linda's site and today's prompt etc.)

#Jusjojan 17/1/18

So today Just Jot it January makes use of One Liner Wednesday.  For all the details of just what this is all about go here to Linda's site.

I spent so much time in contemplation about what to write yesterday, I never got around to posting!

#Jusjojan 15/1/18 - Justice

Your prompt for January 15th, 2018, brought to you by the lovely Barb, is “Justice.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Barb at her blog, “Gallimaufry,” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://barbct.wordpress.com/

For details of how the challenge works and to post your link go here to Linda's site. 

Well hopefully my post will do justice to the prompt.  

I've always tried to be fair in how I've treated my kids while at the same time making them aware that the world is not always fair and there isn't always a level playing field.

This is quite hard for kids.  On the one hand you're increasing their pocket money by inflation rather than an arbitary amount and ensuring they all get turns on the playstation then on the other hand you're consoling them when they don't get invited to a party or something else doesn't go to plan. 

It's not always easy to treat children fairly and not show favouritism, especially when they often have very different dispositions but I certainly tried my best. There were still often cries of "that's not fair!" but I think overall they at least remember me trying to be fair even if they didn't always agree with my methods.

#SoCS & #Jusjojan - 13/1/18

  
Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is as follows: read closely. When you’re ready to sit down and write your post, look to the publication (book, newspaper, permission slip from your kid’s teacher, whatever you find) closest to you, and base your post on the sixth, seventh, and eighth word from the beginning of the page. Enjoy!

If you want to find out more about these then go here to Linda's site. 

Well the nearest publication to me as I write this at my kitchen table was last Saturday's newspaper, in particular the section with the crossword.  Therefore the relevant words from the 1 across clue are: cottage pink/carnation.

I like these flowers although I only put a couple of plants into the garden this year and I'm not sure they have survived.  Time will tell.  For anyone wondering it's a general knowledge crossword which we attempt on Saturdays - the only day we buy a newspaper.  I say attempt because it's rare that we finish it, certainly not without the help from Google/Dictionary or other sources of information.  Hubby gets a bit funny about looking things up but my view is that once I've exhausted my existing knowledge, looking stuff up and learning new things is not cheating.  It's widening my store of trivia.

We also do the Pub Quiz in the paper.  Rather competitively.  We have different ways of doing it.  I like to go through all the questions (20) and then check my answers.  Hubby likes to check his answers as he goes along and insists that he does not look at the answer to the next question when doing so.  Hmm I'm not always convinced.  We often debate whether we should get half marks for questions we might have partly got but often neither of us wants to give an inch so whole scores are more the norm.  I often do better than hubby but that's probably partly due to having a better memory (undisputed fact) but also because I watch a lot of quiz shows on TV.  Interestingly some questions come up on more than one of the different shows in a small window of time.  They obviously must share the same quiz setters.  Basically I'm just terrified of developing Alzheimer's like my Mother so anything that keeps my brain ticking (including blogging) is welcome!

#Jusjojan - 11/1/18 - Humiliation

I'm a day behind on this - the prompt for JusjoJan yesterday was humilitation.

It got me thinking though and I started to work out what humiliating example I could share here in public.  One instance that immediately came to mind was actually a lucky escape.  I was at a friend's wedding and after a visit to the ladies room I almost walked back into the function room with a classic case of skirt caught up in knickers look.  Fortunately I caught a last look in the mirror before leaving the ladies and noticed.  And retrieved my dignity and avoided humiliation.



Except when I checked the dictionary (as I often do) for the definition of humiliation it gave me:

humiliate verb [ T ]

uk ​ /hjuːˈmɪl.i.eɪt/ us ​ /hjuːˈmɪl.i.eɪt/

​ to make someone feel ashamed or lose respect for himself or herself

Well my Mother could certainly humiliate me, especially if she caught me out in a lie, but I don't think there's any shame in a wardrobe malfunction or that it would have made me respect myself less.  I would have been embarrassd but not humiliated.  Although if I had embarrassed myself and then thanked the 3 other women in the ladies room at the same time, (who must have noticed my faux pas but said nothing to me) for allowing me to give everyone in the room a good laugh at my expense, they might well have been humiliated.  Or maybe not.

This prompt was brought to you by the very wordy Jim Adams at “A Unique Title for Me”.
Here's his link:  https://jimadamsauthordotcom.wordpress.com/
And here's the link to Linda's site - the host for Just Jot it January where you will find all the rules etc.

#Jusjojan - 9th January - Coffee

Your prompt for January 9th, 2018, brought to you by the lovely Barbara, is “Coffee.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Barbara at her blog, “teleportingweena” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://teleportingweena.wordpress.com/

For full details of the rules, where to leave your link and check out other participants go here:  Linda's site. 

Coffee used to be such an easy drink.  Spoon some in a cup, add hot water, milk and sugar if you prefer and there you go.  Actually I have never preferred it.  I tried.  I really did because tea making always seemed more of a faff.  Especially when you have a Hubby who would prefer to use loose leaf tea, in a teapot (appropriately warmed) with absolutely boiling water and left to brew for just the right amount of time!  (He does allow the use of teabags these days but I suspect that when we are back to just the two of us here the teapot will be resurrected.) 

These days coffee seems almost as complicated.  The choices are many and confusing.  Who knows, I might even like one of these new fangled coffees with a dash of this and a splash of that and oh don't forget to make the top look pretty.  But actually I'll stick with a tea bag in a cup thanks oh and would I like a chocolate?  Yes please, I'll have the coffee flavoured one.

#Jusjojan 8/1/18 - Pants

Your prompt for January 8th, 2018, brought to you by the many layered pensitivity, is “Pants.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit pensitivity at her blog, “pensitivity101” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/

For all the rules and where to leave your link go here Linda's site

Well a Facebook post caught my eye earlier today which was about No Pants Day.  I hadn't heard of it but on investigation discovered that, according to Wikipedia, this started back in Austin in 2000 and seems to take place on the first Friday of May.  

For some reason this event was held yesterday on the London Tube but fortunately they kept to the translation of pants and only removed their trousers! 

(This article from the Guardian newspaper sheds some light on the date discrepancy and also has some pictures!)

#Jusjojan 7/1/18 - Indelible

Your prompt for January 7th, 2018, brought to you by the lovely Ruth, is “Indelible.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Ruth at her blog, “Image and Word” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://imageandword.wordpress.com/

Full details of how the challenge works and where to leave your link are here: Linda's site

Well I'm sure we've all had clothing disasters where indelible marks have refused to disappear (well they wouldn't be indelible if they did) despite how much soaking, washing, stain removal sprays etc we've tried.  I've certainly had my share.  Bolognese sauce springs to mind and clothes touched by the leaking contents of nappies (diapers) are another one that I've been reminded of more recently.

I expect we all carry indelible marks too.  Evidence of my daughter's hurriedly organised caesarian birth is one of mine.  There are other battle scars too.  (Hockey sticks and rounders bats are dangerous items!)

Then there are the ones that you can't see but are still there.  The memories of a night spent rushing down to Kent and then back to London fearing the worst for my hubby who carries the physical scars of a cycling accident whereas my scars are mental ones which thankfully, due to his head trauma, he was spared.   

But it's good that some of those memories are indelible.  The bad ones remind us that we can cope with more than we think and life goes on.  And the good ones?  Who doesn't treasure the memories of children's milestones, a wedding day, birth of grandchildren etc.  Oops I've probably just alienated all non parents reading this.  Hopefully the scars won't be indelible.

#Jusjojan 5th January 2018 - Memories

Today's prompt is Memories.

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

Memories are so important but unfortunately, as I've witnessed, can become elusive.  I think one of my reasons for blogging is to create a written memory of life.  Something that can be revisited without the struggle of delving into my head for a temporarily (hopefully) forgotten moment.  It's also why I'm determined to sort out my photos and get prints of some of my digital ones.  A work in progress.

I was fortunate to gain lots of my Mum's photos when she died but also lots of my Grandmother's photos and I love looking back at them.  Last weekend Hubby's family gathered together and his sister passed on lots of photos from his Mum.  We had a good laugh looking back at those, especially some of the hairstyles.  The kids especially loved looking back and having a laugh at our expense over our antics and dress sense.

Of course there were quite a few baby photos of the youngsters too so we also got to tease them about how skinny/chubby/bald/hairy etc they were.  Happy memories. 

#Jusjojan 3rd January 2018 - One Liner Wednesday.

So the prompt for today is One Liner Wednesday:

I'd like to think I'm a work in progress, but that would require moving off this couch!

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

#Jusjojan 2nd January 2018 - Boisterous

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

Your prompt for January 2nd, 2018, brought to you by Dan Antion, is “Boisterous.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Dan at his blog, “No Facilities,” to read his post and say hi! He’s very friendly. Here’s his link:  https://nofacilities.com/   

Well boisterous is not a word that goes with me.  I don't think I've ever fit that description.  I was a quiet goody two shoes growing up.  Our dog was more boisterous than me.  Fortunately my children didn't follow in their Mother's footsteps.  I was lucky enough to make a very good friend just after I had my daughter.  Between us 5 more youngsters followed in quick succession and they were often all together either in my house or hers.  I wouldn't say they were boisterous but they were definitely lively and loved dressing up and making up plays.   Which of course we had to sit through, often struggling to keep straight faces.

Now those lively children are all grown adults and starting to have children of their own and I'm sure there are going to be many more boisterous times to look forward to.