Just Jot it January - 13/1/24

This might be the shortest jot of the month. Late start to the day followed by lunch at a local cafe. Then some shopping and babysitting this evening. Now I'm looking at the clock and panicking. I can't miss a day!

Doing this by e-Mail and hoping it works!

Friday's Fave Five/Just Jot it January - 12/1/24

Combining two posts in one here today as it's getting late.

For more info on Friday's Fave Five (hosted by Susanne) go here.

For details of the JJJ prompt for today (hosted by Linda) go here.  Today's prompt is toast.

1)  Well I am grateful for people like Susanne and Linda (to mention but two) who host these memes/challenges etc that give bloggers like me a reason for posting a blog each day or week.  Sometimes it's hard to think of something to write but there is always something to fall back on and it involves a lot of commitment and time on their part to post regularly and visit the bloggers that take part.

2)  I'm also grateful to be warm and toasty despite the cold snap we're having.  We have the benefit of central heating so the house is warm.  I have warm clothing to wear when I go out and we still rely on hot water bottles to warm the bed at night!  I don't like being cold although Susanne would probably welcome my "cold" - compared to her temps at present our weather would seem balmy! (5 degrees C versus -30 degrees C 🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊)

3)  Good blood test results.  Still managing to stay below the pre-diabetic range and although I'm still trying to eat healthily it's nice not to be too worried about having the odd treat or being too rigid about food.  I've also managed to lose the pound or so that I put on over the Christmas period.

4)  Good TV to watch on these cold dark nights.  I've just got hooked on the new series of The Traitors - I watched a few episodes back to back earlier this week and now I'm up to date.  There's always such a good cliff hanger at the end of each episode.  I didn't watch the first series but I'm sure I'll be binge watching it all at some point.

5)  Another cygnet was rescued from our lake this week.  The parents are becoming increasingly aggressive towards them but the Swan Rescue team are on the case and now there are only 2 left to relocate.  I'm grateful to the people who are involved with the rescue team.

Have a good weekend all. 

Just Jot it January - 11/1/24 - Olive

It’s Day 11 of  the Just Jot it January challenge 2024 and today’s prompt is brought to us by Kaye. Click here to visit her blog and say hello. Thanks Kaye  (And click here to see who else has posted today.)

The prompt is “olive.” Use it as a noun or an adjective, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Well it was the first Thursday session of 2024 at the Food bank that I volunteer at today and although there was a lot of food available for those in need there was not an olive in sight.

To be fair olives are quite a rare sight.  Occasionally we get food from one of the more upmarket supermarkets (Waitrose) and there might be some more unusual items but not olives on their own.  Plenty of pasta and rice and canned goods though.  

We get deliveries from the council each week.  Not sure exactly how that works in terms of where it all originates from and it can be a bit hit and miss.  For example they will regularly provide canned goods and rice and porridge oats but then there will be random things.  Today for example we had large pouches of butternut squash and basil soup.  Fortunately they had an expiry date of a few weeks so we'll look to use them next week as a lunch for our users - we were already cooking our usual jacket potatoes with a filling for today's lunch but I'm sure the soup will go down well next week in the current cold weather.  

But we also had a lot of individual chocolate desserts that expired tomorrow - so they all had to go today as the bank is not open now until next Tuesday.  We did manage to give them all out and of course it's nice for people to have a treat but yep, a bit random.

Personally I'm not a lover of olives but my hubby loves them and he particularly likes a canned variety that are stuffed with anchovies.  I was doing my online shop tonight and the ones we usually get were out of stock.  They did have a low salt version but I decided that if he knew they were low salt he would just add so much salt to compensate that he'd end up eating more salt than with the ordinary version.  He does love his salt!  So no olives for him either this week!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 10/1/24

Joyce provides the questions for the Hodgepodge each week - for more info and to see who else is playing go here.

1. What's a change you'd like or need to make this year? 

I want to get out and about more and make better connections with extended family and friends.

2. Break the ice, on thin ice, ice skating, tip of the iceberg, ice cold...which icy idiom applies to your life right now? Explain. 

Ice cold.  We had lots of rain last week but it was quite mild for the time of year.  This week it really feels like winter - we had flurries of snow on Monday and I had to scrape ice off the car this morning.  Brrrrrr

3. What's a project you've been putting off? Will you get to it this month? This year?

Registering with a local dentist and getting my teeth checked out.  I really want to do this month, well I mean I don't WANT to - who enjoys going to the dentist?  But it's something I know must be done.  My teeth aren't giving me any problems at the moment but I don't want to find myself in an emergency situation.

4. Of the fruits that grow well in winter which ones have you tried? Which is your favorite? 

pomegranates, clementines, persimmons, passion fruit, pears, grapefruit, lemons, pomelos, kumquats

I am not a great fruit eater and probably wouldn't eat any of those. (It's a texture thing and yes I know that's weird.)

5. What do you think it means to be courageous? 

Doing something even if it scares you half to death.  Standing up for what you believe in, despite the possible consequences.

6. Insert your own random thought here.   

I am not a courageous person!