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.

Are we standing still or going backwards?

6 years ago I wrote a post following the UK's decision (by a referendum) to leave the European Union.  It was quite a lengthy post and some might deem it political.  (If you want to read it go here.)  

At the time we were still in shock and no one really knew how leaving the EU would work or be achieved.  Firstly we had to have a new Prime Minister because David Cameron, who had stated in his previous election campaign that he would offer a referendum on Europe never expected the UK people would vote to leave.  But they did and he chose to fall on his sword and resign.  

His successor, Theresa May, was actually a remainer but she did her best to get Brexit done.  Unfortunately she failed and also subsequently resigned in 2019 which was when Boris Johnson was elected and, in a way, he got Brexit done.

Revisiting my post today when it came up on my Facebook memories I noted that some of the questions I raised at the time still need answers.

We do know who is leading the Conservative Party and who succeeded Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the Labour Party.  (Keir Starmer.) 

I also asked if Scotland would move to have another Independence Referendum in a bid to remain in the EU?  Well now they would be looking to return to the EU and I'm not sure how favourable the terms would be but only this week, Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland has announced a new attempt at securing another Independence Referendum to be held in 2023.  The UK Government has to approve the holding of a referendum and Boris Johnson is against it but it seems Sturgeon is prepared to involve the courts in the matter so who knows where it will end.  Having seen the difficulties in separating ourselves from Europe I cannot see how splitting Scotland from the rest of the UK will benefit any of us.

Another sticking point for leaving the EU was the issue with Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and Ireland having a border but neither side wanting it to be a manned border as it were.  The wrangling over how checks on goods moving from the UK to Europe and vice versa will happen goes on despite there being a process in place for how checks are done.  Our Government voted this week (or maybe last) to tear up the agreement reached as part of the Brexit deal and implement our own way of dealing with the issue which will probably be against international law.

This will no doubt reopen issues about the division of Ireland.

The final question I original posed was "How long will it take for Immigrants to feel safe and wanted in this country following some of the awful incidents this week?"  (Immediately after the referendum there were some nasty incidents where Europeans living in the UK were targeted.)

I think, given that people arriving in the UK as illegal refugees are now going to be sent to Rwanda in Africa I think the answer to that question is never.

Yep, we're definitely moving backwards!

A bit of Waffle!

I have managed to catch a cold.  It started over the weekend and a day with Rory yesterday has left me feeling exhausted today so I'm being kind to myself and taking it very easy.  (I have another day with Rory tomorrow to be ready for.)

Like all my grandsons, Rory is a joy to spend time with but he is hard work.  He's also cutting more teeth so he's runny nosed and dribbly.  He did sleep for quite a bit yesterday but when he's awake there's no rest for Nanny!

I've been trying to catch up with your blogs and I was also looking back on some of my own.  In particular posts that I've written on Brexit.  It's hard to fathom that it's over 3 years since we the country voted to leave the EU and we seem no nearer to reaching an agreement on how it will actually happen.  In fact we seem much closer to crashing out with no deal at all as the latest deadline of 31st October draws nearer.  

Yes it's depressing and watching the news is not a fun activity but I still do, just to see what the latest craziness is.  After all who would have thought Boris Johnson would end up as Prime Minister?  As for the Benn Act as it's being called (or the Surrender Act depending on which camp you are in) which is supposed to prevent us from crashing out with No Deal, will BJ comply with it?  Probably not.  He's a slippery character and I'm sure he's plotted some way of not doing so, even though he says he will.

Keeping up with it all is difficult.  I've given up on being able to name prominent post holders.  There have been so many changes over the last few years (months even) and that's before you look at how the political parties are shifting.   Which of course is another problem.  In the past, one way to prevent the Conservatives taking us out of the EU with No Deal would have been to force a general election and put the Labour Party into power and for us all to take a deep breath.  Currently I don't think any party is capable of securing a majority and the prospect for any coalition being successly formed looks highly unlikely too.  Although scarily, it seems that Johnson is proving popular, particularly with those that voted to leave, and with the remainers possibly split between the Lib Dems and Labour, the possibility of the Conservatives remaining in power after a general election is becoming more likely.  It's no wonder that none of the other parties are rushing to call a vote of no confidence and trigger an election.

Meanwhile nothing of any other importance seems to be getting done, particularly with regard to climate change (yes it is real!) and we currently have Extinction Rebellion protesters causing such mayhem. 

All this against a backdrop of miserable weather and shorter, darker days to come.  Halloween could be particularly scary this year.  Thank goodness for Strictly Come Dancing, library books and blogging.

Drumroll please! (And August Challenge day 10)

Why the need for a drumroll?  Well according to my post list, this will be the 1000th blog post here on blogger!

Goodness.  How can so much waffle come out of one person?

Interestingly I have just been scrolling back through some posts (I was looking for a picture) and it was good to revisit some memories.  It wasn't until I came back to prepare this post that I realised it was going to be #1000.

Although it's just a number (as I keep telling myself having had a big 0 birthday this year).

I was looking for a picture of an outfit as that's the prompt for today's August Photo Challenge.  Sorry but you're not getting a selfie of my current outfit which is still my nightdress!  Time flies when you're blogging.  I was up before 8 but I put the kitchen to rights first, then made some tea and then sat down with my laptop. (And I'm still here lol)

I'll get dressed at some point and the most important thing about the outfit for the day will be comfort!  That's what matters these days.  Gone are the working days when I had to look smart thank goodness.  Now I can wear what I please.

But to fulfill the challenge for the day here is an outfit:

It was the outfit I had for my eldest son's wedding back in 2016.  Funny what you find when scrolling back through blogs!  The shoes did not make it through the whole day and I don't think I've worn them since.  We're doing a jumble trail (yard sale) again in September.  I think they will be included in my items to sell.

I also found the post I wrote just after the brexit referendum.  It's depressing to think that over 3 years on and we've still not left and are no clearer on what Brexit will actually mean for this country.  The political situation just gets more farcical by the day.

I understand that, as a country, we (although not me) voted to leave and that decision should be respected.  However, I don't feel we had enough information at the time to make an informed decision.  Sometimes we have to admit to making mistakes and retrace our steps.  Unfortunately it seems unlikely that will happen (as in a 2nd referendum) and frankly if it did and we were to remain in the EU I don't think we would hold as much power within it as we've had before.  The other 27 countries must be sick of us by now.

Right now it's looks like we are definitely heading for leaving on the 31st October without a deal.  The trouble is most of us don't understand what that will actually mean in the day to day scheme of things.  How will it affect us?  Will there be issues with getting goods into shops, continuity of medical supplies etc?  I've just been reading this article by the BBC on this.  Might need to stock up on canned fruit and veg.  And not travel anywhere.

Of course we will survive this.  Hopefully in time to come we might even be able to look back and laugh about it.  But right now it doesn't seem funny at all.  And while we might have laughed at Boris Johnson in the past with all his gaffes and the jokes made about him, we not laughing about him now.

I think we just have to hope that in this current game of calling one's bluff, the EU blinks first!

Oops - I've mentioned the B word!

Yesterday I said I wouldn’t talk about politics but it’s hard not to get involved in some sort of dialogue when your country is going through such a time of change.  Yes I’m daring to mention the B word. (Brexit)

Cartoon from Hedgeye

Firstly let me say I voted to remain.  I believed that we would be better remaining part of the EU and being able to influence its decisions.  The alternative, being on the outside of a large group of countries who would not be impressed by our decision to leave, (and I think this is becoming more evident as talks go on) was never going to be a pretty picture and to believe that we could just demand our terms and have them met, especially when we seem to want our cake and eat it (e.g control of our borders but oh wait a minute no physical border with Ireland)  just seems to reinforce the belief that Brits think they are better than everyone else.  Not a good starting point for negotiations.

Of course the biggest mistake made was the original decision to make it a straight Remain/Leave referendum question.   At the very least it should have required a set percentage of Leave votes for it to be carried.  A result of 51.89% voting Leave against 48.11% voting Remain is hardly conclusive.  Surely there should have been an agreed margin between the two outcomes.  After all, in tied votes on a committee where the Chairman has the casting vote, it’s usual to keep the status quo as there is no clear majority for change.

However, what’s done is done.  Now we have to get on with it.  All these constant suggestions that we should have another vote are not helping.  We are a democracy and the vote was taken in a democratic way.  Besides, do people really believe that if we had a second vote and the decision was to remain, countries like France would just allow us to stay in without any penalties? (Especially since they’ve recently won the Football World Cup.)  Of course not.  If we went back with our tail between our legs and asked to stay our position would probably be worse than if we get no exit deal.

As the date for completing the exit nears (11pm local time on 29 March 2019) there’s plenty of scaremongering beginning which is not particularly helpful.  The latest being the suggestion that the Government is stockpiling certain items, including healthcare essentials such as insulin in case no deal is in place on the 29^th March.  It feels like the Millennium bug saga all over again.   Will we still be able to buy European wine?  That’s the question!

I hope that we do get some sort of deal and I think we will.  Surely it can’t be in Europe’s best interest to have no certainty over what happens when the clock strikes 11pm next March? (Why 11pm?  Can’t agree a deal but we can decide on a time?  Why not midnight?)

It’s definitely a right fine mess the Conservative Party has gotten us into.  And now they’re making a bigger mess in trying to sort it out.  Unfortunately I don’t think the Labour Party would do any better.

 
Hopefully the World Wide Web will continue to work on 30^th March.  Otherwise it’s been nice knowing you!

One week on - 30/6/16

It’s been a week since the European Referendum here in the UK and in my household we are still getting over the shock of the decision to leave.  (Brexit) The reactions have been shocking particularly the rise in racially motivated incidents and the backlash on social media.

I’m not usually one for standing up and speaking out but some of the things being said (and done) have made me angry enough to do just that.  Especially when people keep saying it will be alright when we don’t actually know that.  We don’t know how bad it may get before it starts to get better.

We were complaining before the vote about being fed up with all the news coverage of it, most of which was either misleading or certainly not helpful.  The lack of information available did not make it easy to decide which way to vote. 

In some ways that is understandable when this is an unprecedented situation.  No country has left the EU so of course there will be a lot of unknowns.  Personally I voted In.  I don’t regret that decision.  I thought we would be better being part of a solution to problems rather than causing them.

It’s been a long week and although the stock exchange and currency have settled a bit after the horrendous falls immediately following the result, it seems that we still don’t have answers to the questions people were asking before the vote and now there are more questions:

Who will be the new leader of the Conservative Party?

Will that person continue as an unelected Prime Minister and begin negotiations with the EU or will they call a General Election?

When will Article 50 be triggered?

Who will continue to lead the Labour Party?  Jeremy Corbyn is hanging on by the thinnest of threads.

Will Scotland move to have another Independence Referendum in a bid to remain in the EU?

Will there be real attempts to unify Ireland and what impact will that have?

How long will it take for Immigrants to feel safe and wanted in this country following some of the awful incidents this week?

How long before ignorant racists realise that many of the people they’ve abused are probably British citizens and have as much right to be in this country as they do and that if we did boot all the non-British people out our public services would probably collapse?  (And how long before the knowledge sinks in that if we do negotiate a decent post Brexit trade deal with Europe it will probably come with strings attached like free movement?!)

BIG questions.

We probably will be ok in the long term.  As in years.  Not days or months but years. We may not remain a united kingdom and I don’t think anyone will consider us great but of course our British spirit will see us through.

I accept that this is democracy in action and although I may not like the decision I have to accept it and look forward.  We can’t change the present by looking back although we can learn from our mistakes and hopefully make the future better. 

However, like it or not, we are part of a global community.  Big issues like global warming, the continued threat of ISIS, migration issues etc will not be solved by cutting ourselves off from the outside world.  These issues need to be tackled globally.  We need to be part of discussions and negotiations involving these issues.

 
We also need to accept that, despite the colour or our skins, the languages we speak, our beliefs and all the other things that make us individuals, we are all human, and if we don’t work together we could destroy this planet and the human race.