So much for my "must blog more" resolution!

It's a Sunday. August Bank Holiday weekend. Town is bustling with holiday makers in pac-a-macs. The sun keeps making a cheeky appearance, gets us excited with plans of lying on the decking, sitting on the sandy beach and bbq for supper... and then it all goes dark and wet, again.

Thoughs of an afternoon curled up with book, laptop and some soppy made-for-tv-based-on-real-story film has been ruined by motorsport... ah well.... I may go and curl up in the silence of the spare bedroom instead. and watch those rain clouds tease the sunshine. Watch the motorhomes and caravans pull up the long hill in the distance. Be thankful that I am not on holiday wondering around town (most of which is closed on a Sunday).

100 word challenge

Around the table the adults sat in silence, the children giggled noisily, until Grandmother put down her fork “of course in my day the children would be in the growlery”

Husband took a large loud sigh. “Please Gran, don’t make up words!” he said looking at his 6 year old impressionable twins.

“Oh yes you’d like to start a brabble right here at the table!” she pointed her knife at him.

“Mother!” admonished my father-in-law, nodding his head towards the children.

“What?” she asked innocently. “this generation has foozled the English language beyond recognition” with that she took another mouthful.

Lucky to be alive

No this isnt a heroic tale of an escape from danger, overcoming a serious illness or accident, nor is it a story of a near-miss, if we'd been there two moments earlier/later....

The other day we had a team meeting in work followed by 9 of us changing our clothing for jeans and sweatshirts and waking boots and then went for a walk in the warm March late afternoon sun. We climbed up a hill, and then sat for a while, watching the sun slip down behind the ridge, heather and gorse not yet in their full glory waved it goodbye.   The only sound was birdsong. We challenged each other to pick out the nearest house, who could see a telegraph pole, a road, traffic, any other people.

At times like this I do feel lucky to be alive and live where I do. With the people who live here. Family, friends even work colleagues who share the same vision, the same feeling of being at peace and at the same time invigorating view that we had from our high vantage point.

Tea and the vicar.

“It is impolite to speak of people over dinner whom the others don’t know” my  mother in law said between bites.
I had been telling husband a little ancetode about someone we both knew, but his mother did not. I felt my wrists slapped.  She then proceeded to talk about people of whom I didn’t know, and more to the point didn’t care.
In fact she took to talking about people I didn’t know for the next 8 years. Yes, she didn’t just come to supper she lived with us, breathed the same air.

I felt the familiar shrug of my shoulders that I had now perfected so that I felt it but it didn’t show.

“Of course you should have the new vicar over one afternoon” I realised this surreal sentence was aimed at me.

“sorry?”

“the new vicar, in my day we’d have had him over already of course, but as you don’t even go to church.” this last part of the sentence was said in an accusing tone. You’d think to hear her I worshipped black magic, danced around bonfires and read out odd incantations at midnight.  The fact that I went to a chapel was far from the point. That didn’t count in mother in laws beliefs.

“does your friend still go to church?” my mind scrambled for who that friend might be, so answered with a safe “no, not now”.

“Shame, we could have asked her too. I suppose Jean could come”

“She doesn’t go to this church” - that was my husband's only contribution to the conversastion

“but at least Jean GOES to church” said mother in law again. I banged plates into the sink “and be careful with those plates!”

I wanted to swing around and say “how old am I? who’s house do you live in ?” but decided it was only giving fuel to an already full on blaze.

“I’ll ring Jean tomorrow and see if she can do Thursday”

“Do what on Thursday” I was asking.

“Tea with the vicar, I do wish you’d pay attention. I shall have to go and lie down for a while, you’ll manage this wont you?” and off she trotted, having conveniently forgotten her offer to help clear up the supper table.

Nothing

I've just had a whole week off my paid-work!..  and what have I done..... "nothing".  and actually I really enjoyed that.
 Yes we've had a few walks, entertained family for supper or tea. Did some shopping. Cleaned the house, ironed, swept the decking, cooked, read, did some family tree research. Sorted out some old photographs and scanned them onto the computer. I chatted on Facebook and Twitter. BUT most of all I did nothing.
And so refreshed from a week of nothing, I may do something...   

Stressing out.

Apparently there is now something amiss if you are not stressed out.

Unless you spend your "free time" - ie not in your place of work. Running around, driving hundreds of miles, hardly having time to breathe , then you are very dull.

When I had a long weekend recently a work colleague asked whether I'd had a good time. "yes, brilliant" I replied. "oh?" said she "did you go away?", "no" says me. " on Saturday I cleaned and washed and tidied, in the afternoon I did some garden tidy up". - frown number one appeared on her face.
"Saturday night I cooked us a roast chicken with all the trimmings, and made an apple tart". I say with proud smile "oh what a shame you couldnt go out to eat" says she.
"on Sunday we went for a long walk, and in the afternoon I read my book and then watched a weepy film on TV"
"on the Monday, I sorted out some old photos and scanned them onto the computer, made some scones and had a very long bath"
"so you didnt do anything, there's a pity" said she. and proceeded to tell me how "terribly busy" she'd been, with "no time" (see other blog post) to anything like housework, cooking, relaxing or gardening.

No time

I've recently discovered a new phenomena - called "no time"


Both in my personal life and in work I constant find that people are saying they have "no time".
 What's worse is that I now feel guilty that I "had time".

Typical conversation.
me: I got 4 new books from the library on Saturday and spend Sunday afternoon reading.
work colleague: Oh I don't "have time" to read, let alone sit down on a Sunday Or go to the library.
in one fell swoop I feel guilty for all 3.
Me: I've spend my afternoon off doing some family history (thus not admitting to sitting down doing nothing which is what people say I'm doing when I'm reading)
Other colleague: Oh I don't have time on my day off to do things I want.

So what am I to do. So far this year I've told someone what I've done or what I plan to do and I've had
"I don't have time to go walking"
"I don't have time to watch films"
" I don't have time to decorate spare bedrooms"
"I don't have time to cook"

Yes YES I get the picture. I am obviously the only person with time. Or do I just make time for these things. No I don't have children (yes I heard you all say "oh well then..." and I am resisting the urge to say "I don't have time for children").

But regardless of whether I have children or not. Why should I be made to feel bad for doing things that I have time to do.

wrong or write

I've been going about this whole blogging thing wrong!  I log in say I'll do a new post. then log out again and go off to read other people's blogs. On the whole these are excellent, witty, moving, thoughtful, clever, educational. I then get an attack of the "who'd want to read my rubbish" and dont bother.

My new approach is this: just write. just type what comes into my head. It doesnt have to be clever, or witty I'm not competing for a prize. My end of the month pay cheque doesnt count on what I do write (just as well or I'd be blogging from a cardboard box right now).


So from this day forward I henceforth decree.. I've always wanted to say that... prefably out aloud with lots of cheering and flag waving going on infront of me.. that I shall blog.

Anyone who accidently stumbled upon this and thought they might read it.. I am SO very sorry!
Thanks anyway, you are excused now...

Meanwhile back on planet Stark Raving Mad.  

New Year's Resolution!

Okay its the last day of January, and I thought this a good enough time to list my so far failing new year's resolutions for 2011.

1. Get fitter  - its been soooooo cold, and when its not cold its soooooo wet.
2. Shed a few pounds - please refer to number 1. Salad weather it is not.
3. Blog more.  
4. Be more positive
5. Read more 
6. watch TV less
7. Spend less time on computer social networking blah dee blah! 

Let's face it. I am not good at keeping resolutions.  However, in a positive way (see number 4) I am very good at NOT keeping resolutions.. Hurrah. success, go me!