this post is closed
Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
Popular posts from this blog
Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
Look at this evil monster! Just look at it...
ReplyDeleteWhatchalookinat
DeleteWho can dislike a bunny, nibbling, hopping, fornicating...
ReplyDeleteArcherphile from the previous blog.
ReplyDeleteI am also a massive big Ann Cleeves fan, I have the last in the Shetland series, but I have not read it yet. I am looking forward to her next series and will look out for a paperback edition, when it appears.
My "big Sis" doesn't like the Vera books, but I persuaded her to read The Mothcatcher. She returned it to me today, after reading it and really enjoyed it, particularly with the final outcome.
I had a lunch with her + family today - my 65th birthday!
It has been a lovely day.
That must be a very long stalk... ...
ReplyDelete😀
DeleteI always pick up something in the Omnibus which I missed in the week.
ReplyDeleteToday's gem was, Peggy talking to Kate about Jakob staying over, saying "I can always take my hearing aids out"
Priceless.
My favourite this week was Brian to Jenny saying..."well what do you think I was doing ..singing Gilbert and Sullivan?"...
DeleteI just love Brian
Yes it was another brilliant quip, but that is down to Keri Davis, the writer who does understand the TA characters and writes for them accordingly.
DeleteI can see Brian as "The Major General" in a G+S production though.
No-one better in my opinion....or perhaps the Lord high executioner !!!
DeleteHappy birthday Miriam..hope you had a wonderful day🎂🎂🎂
ReplyDeleteGG Perhaps you would like Archephiles and mine in your garden !! No charge
ReplyDeleteno thanks - I dare say I would be get as exasperated as you CowGirl!
DeleteMy problems are pesky squirrels, burying hazel nuts in my lawn, ready to be dug up again in.the Winter.
ReplyDeleteDo I remove them now?
If I did this, then the squirrels could dig even more, searching for the hoard + necessary food which they would need.
Any ideas?
I would recommend getting a cat that is as bloodthirsty as ours is Miriam...
DeleteMy pusscat just ignores them.
DeleteGG what happened to Scotland ?
ReplyDeleteThumped comprehensively by Ireland! 😥
DeleteOur Katya Cat is an able hunter & would so love to score a squirrel, but no luck so far. I swear they taunt her - nibbling jauntily on hind legs, then, just as she's closing in on the fatal pounce, off they scamper...Mr C. doesn't seem to mind about nut burying but does mind about them scoffing from the bird feeders. Squirrel proof feeders ? You must be joking ! Our guys might puzzle for a while over the best of these, but they break the code eventually.
ReplyDeleteMy quandrary is - do I have the right to remove food, which could be necessary for survival in the cold winter months.
ReplyDeleteSome class squirrels as vermin, but they are still animals so do I become a potential remover of life through starvation, but then I do kill spiders.
Is there a difference - I am not sure.
I only kill spiders + wasps which are just real pests..but if my pusscat became terminally ill, declining with no quality of life, would I have her put down, I don't know - I am just confused.
Happy birthday Miriam. I hope you have had a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteDitto!
Delete& thanks for your well wishes Miriam,
no more ghastly bandage, 🤕, but I do look as if I've gone several rounds in the ring..! 🥊
Commiserations GG...
ReplyDeleteMerci.....
DeleteNot funny, that rabbit, Gary! Well, just a little bit, but try to imagine how you’d feel if all your hard work in your lovely garden was ruined by an overnight invasion of bunnies who nibbled everything to the ground!
ReplyDeleteMiriam: I know it’s a bit late in the day, but many congratulations on your birthday and I’m so pleased you had a lovely time today! 🎂🍸
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Miriam! (Just said it in time - thought I had done it earlier!)
ReplyDeleteEx Londoner - are you in New Mexico on holiday?
ReplyDeleteMiriam 8.00 21st
ReplyDeleteYou state some class squirrels as vermin, they are classed as such by the state and are therefore correct.
Squirrels do a lot of damage, I had one chew through my bottled gas pipe, fortunately heard it before any serious consequences.
In Roundhay Park in Leeds, people feed squirrels, unadvisedly, those don't feed them they have been attacked, in consequence they have had to be culled.
In the same way that I put poison down for Rats and mice I would do the same for squirrels.
I personally do not kill spiders, but see no difference.
I am sure if your Puss was suffering, you would do the kindest thing.
Me too Gianna. I find spiders fascinating creatures and have never understood why they cause such terror in some people. It’s not as if the ones we encounter here are poisonous, like the ones in Australia, where I would be more wary.
ReplyDeleteHeard there is a poisonous spider who's arrived here recently. There's nothing rational about any sort of phobia, Archerphile, we cannot expect to understand them in ourselves or others in any so called sensible way.
ReplyDeleteExactly Caroline, which is why I have no problem with spiders but have an absolute horror (since early childhood) of seeing crocodiles or alligators, even on television or via pictures in books! Totally irrational, pictures or film cannot possibly hurt me, but real, just the same! I even have frequent nightmares about the wretched creatures, they would be in my Room 101!
DeleteThis won't go down well with many, but I incline to think we are all hypocritical with regard to killing creatures, whatever our reasoning. It's all to do with Almighty Human choices, what suits the particular individual. I might have no compunction about destroying an insect that is important to the ecology, but consider squirrels & rabbits have a right to survive, & put their needs above those of vegetation. Those who have spent years cultivating a beautiful garden will, understandably, feel very differently.
ReplyDeleteI'd say no one has a strong case for taking the high moral ground.
Belated birthday greetings Miriam. Hope you had a good day.
ReplyDeleteI am in the wettest place in the country. Cornwall. Wall to wall rain and more to come.
ReplyDeleteOur chorale had an exchange with a choir from Perranporth a few years ago, great fun!
ReplyDeleteBack to the rabbit.... My son is walking my elderly, tubby JRT every day as I have a flare-up of arthritis in my knees and can only hobble a few yards at a time. They came back just now, the dog killed and attempted to feast on a rabbit in the vicarage garden, in front of witnessess!
ReplyDeleteShe was massively pleased with herself, now snoring on the settee.
He was embarrassed.
I like rabbits, but not in my garden.
Returned with my dog from her morning walk to find the cat 'lurking' in the side path. Dog immediately on patrol ' what is it ? I will get it before the cat.
DeleteReady and in control, well almost, I hitched dog to gate where she struggled and yelped, and set about rescuing prey. After three attempts to be ahead of cat I was able to handle gold finch who appeared uninjured , and push deep into bush above head.
Dog when released went mad searching for it. Cat pushed off.
I hope bird survived.
My BP very high for ten minutes or so.
Where are you in Cornwall Stasia ? It's pretty wet here.
Glad you rescued it. It is very rare for us to see them here, and they are such lovely birds.
DeleteHere in Cheshire, after a lovely sunny and warm day, the rain has arrived.
ReplyDeleteIt is very heavy and now very cool.
Think I need to find slippers + socks, and a warmer cardi.
We are in Falmouth with two American friends who wanted to have the Cornwall experience. All we have endured is lots of windswept rain. Constantly. No letup. More expected tomorrow.grrrr
ReplyDeleteAuthentic then!
DeleteIf they are the kind of Americans who like history maybe they would care for a visit to Pendennis castle, at least it's indoors! My newly met daughter in law has just arrived here in north Cornwall and has found the cold rain a shock after the hot sunshine, and the warm typhoon rain of the Philippines! She says they have fans in their homes to cool the air whereas we have radiators to warm us up.
DeleteNone here in Whitby and we are in desperate need!
ReplyDeleteEvery time I open this blog, the nibbling bunny makes me smile 😊
ReplyDeleteYes. It is lovely and also makes me smile. 🐰
DeleteIt does me too! 😊 🐇 The only answer is very high raised borders, and then there are just the Cabbage whites to contend with! The latter seem to have a definite order of preference; I planted very little this year because of illness and recovery time but first they ate my daughter's Pak Choi, then the Kohl Rabi, then the cauliflowers, and last of all they started on the kale which they would have been welcome to as we had lots of them!
DeleteCame back home one day, sometime in the past - 1st rabbit draped on the doorstep, 2nd in attendance, Tigger in the process of devouring the 3rd by the head, Merry & Pippin watching on in awe..
ReplyDeleteDid you make rabbit stew??
Delete🥧 or rabbit pie,? My grandmother when young had b. and b. visitors to stay on the farm, and it was grandad's job to shoot a rabbit on the Friday evening for her to make a pie for the arriving visitors on the Saturday afternoon. If he didn't manage to shoot one, then it was my dad's job to get up very early the next morning to get one. She always baked her own bread too, in the old cloam oven.
DeleteWell, that's brought us down to earth, Parsley, the realities of nature !
ReplyDeleteHave just come back from Eastbourne where we had good weather but it was a bit dull this morning. On the island it has been raining but desperately needed. I was away for the weekend on an HMS Protector reunion. My husband served on her in the early sixties. A very happy ship which went down to the Antarctic via South America. She was scrapped in the seventies and her duties taken over by HMS Endurance. There is now a new Protector, an ice breaker leased from the Norwegians. We had a good weekend with much Naval humour! On Saturday went to Beachy Head and was surprised by lovely walks there and of course great views but didn’t go near the edge!
ReplyDeleteKaty was left with the dogs. Dudley is settling in and currently by my side on the settee. I think he will be my dog where Buddy is Katy’s. Gypsy of course is nobody’s dog being a Chinese Princess! They are known as Bud and Dud. Sounds like a music hall act! Lovely to be back with the blog.
Miriam & Carolyn - not a lot leftover!
ReplyDeleteEv 23/09 8.09
ReplyDeleteMy ex served 'in' Protector (was told by husband and brother, both RN, that they served 'in' a ship's company!) about 1964. He toured the Falklands then as well as 'showing the flag' around both North and South America.. Somewhere in an old album upstairsvthere are numerous photos of penguin colonies, bleak landscapes and Shakleton's grave on South Georgia.
A bright orange ship so as to be seen by air among the grey and white sea.
It was during the tour round the Antarctic husband gave up having sugar in his tea and coffee as rations were restricted at one point, and being a junior rating (about 16 years old) there was usually none left when it came to his turn for a cuppa!
Anyone else enjoying Paul temple? By Timothy, I am.
ReplyDeleteYes, me, PtbY.
DeleteBeen one of my favourite programmes ever since I can remember and I always listen when they are on 4extra. Not quite the same as the originals with Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury, but good enough!
Ha! Just got into bed and am going to listen to Fri's & tonight's episodes! "By Timothy" indeed..... Agree it's not quite as good as the original but still marvelous! 😁
DeleteThe original Paul Temple books are still available and make interesting reading. They start before Paul and Steve got together, so you find out all about her background and why she chooses to be called ‘Steve’. I recommend them.
DeleteI must also apologise for posting on the wrong blog yesterday. I was so excited at the thought of an Italian meet-up that I forgot which blog I was on. Autumn Leaves Verona is definitely a city worth visiting. Let's revisit this in the spring.
ReplyDeleteGianna & Autumnleaves, let's make it happen!
DeleteYou're on!!!
DeleteDefinitely. I will put it in my diary.
DeleteCan I please ask for some recommendations?
ReplyDeleteI need to buy a new upright vacuum cleaner. Not a battery powered one, a conventional one.
Must be very good at vacuuming carpets -but, importantly, - also have excellent ‘suck’ when using the hose/ tools/ accessories.
There are so many on the market I am finding the choice almost impossible with a personal view from a satisfied user.
I am so frustrated with my replacement (and very expensive) Dyson that I could have taken a sledgehammer to it yesterday! I had one of the very first Dysons (purple & green version) which was wonderful. Sadly after many years use the motor wore out and couldn’t be replaced so I had to buy one of their new ones. It’s *awful*. It has one of those balls to help steer it but It really hurts my wrist trying to turn it; it constantly falls over when using the hose; has virtually no suck when using hose for cleaning stairs etc; needs emptying after almost every use, can’t get all the dust out; needs filters washing every month or it stops working (my old one lasted 6 months between washes). Oh, I could go on and on!
Don’t mind paying a fair bit for a replacement from another manufacturer, so can anybody recommend a really good, versatile, easy to use cleaner .......please?
Sorry, should have been ‘impossible without a personal view’
DeleteWe have a Meile Complete C3 Cat & Dog - it's not an upright but is the best vacuum I've ever had by miles. So easy to use and collects everything in a compact little bag that doesn't need changing constantly. It's light and very, very powerful with all the accessories we need. Don't know if they do an upright range but I would recommend the brand heartily Archerphile!
DeleteArcherphile 9.26
DeleteI agree with GG 100%, far superior to anything I have ever used, best purchase I ever made.
Thank you both, very much. I have heard of Miele but didn’t know that did vacuums.
DeleteI’ve just looked on their site but found they only make ‘cylinder’ vacuums and not an upright which is what I really want.
But if there are no other recommendations, I shall seriously consider looking at Miele again. I know the company has a very good reputation.
Autumn leaves you mentioned you lived in Virginia about the same time we were there. We were in the south west of Virginia from 1986-1991. As my husband was Italian the people assumed he knew all about soccer or football as we call it. Luckily he did and had a wonderful time coaching some of the local youngsters. We enjoyed our time there very much.
DeleteMy daughter swears by Miele. She has the cylinder.
DeleteI have agonised for years over what to buy and finally got a battery upright. It does have suction, but no tools, which frustrates me. It has to be cleaned out after every use, and the cleaning takes longer than the job of hoovering.
I made a mistake, hate it, and wish I had got a Miele cylinda even though like you A I prefer an upright.
Get the Miele !
Yes Gianna , but we were in northern Virginia, in Alexandria.
DeleteFairfax County.
I especially loved this time of year, we always took a trip to the Shenandoah valley to see the the leaves turn...the Luray caverns and all the little markets on the way...Apple cider and pumpkin pie...yum..fond memories🎃🎃🍎🍎🍎🌽🌽🌽
Archerphile,we have a super lightweight Panasonic.
ReplyDeleteIt is an upright machine and is very powerful but it isn’t lightweight!
It is one of those with a hose that you can use instead if you want to.
In fairness I am not the hoover upper in this household but Mr LJ reckons it is really good.
I was once told that the best thing to buy is the make that particular item is well known for if you see what I mean.
For example you would buy a Hoover hoover but not a Hoover toaster .
Archerphile. I have two Mieles they are fantastic especially when it comes to hovering up cat fur. I keep one upstairs and one down.
ReplyDeleteStill raining cats and dogs here in Cornwall, but I'm ignoring that as shall be celebrating an historic day.
"historic day" stasia? Have I missed something....? 😋
DeleteArcherfile, we have the bagless version of the Miele cat and dog cleaner. It is very powerful, but I do find it heavy to carry upstairs. It is very good on our mainly wooden floors, but the suction from the turbo brush fitting is almost too strong on carpets making it hard to push. Read up on it online beforehand if you decide on a Miele. The housecleaning team at the holiday park where my daughter works like the Henry cleaners, and you can get a pretty pink Henrietta one! but again that is not an upright. Also, more recently, because I wanted something lightweight I bought an upright battery charged AEG 2 in 1 animal cleaner and love it for doing quick tasks. Part of it detaches and becomes a handheld cleaner for using on stairs, chairs, walls etc.
ReplyDeleteRead up as well on people's reviews on each different model as they vary.
DeleteWhen I worked in a pharmacy which had a "front shop" carpet, which got very heavy wear + footfall, the cleaner was a Henry, used every day.
DeleteIt was awful and just didn't do what it was meant to do, so the carpet was always dirty - and I got "told off" about this, but the Henry was just not good enough
Vacuums. I have a Morphy Richards upright one. It is not that lightweight, but it cleans brilliantly, esp with removing cat hairs.
ReplyDeleteIt is corded and bagless, but it suits me fine, due to its great efficiency and does what I want.
Two sore upper arms today. Yesterday, I had a pneumonia vaccine in one arm and 'flu vaccine (over 65 for 1st time 😭) in the other. Luckily I had no other side-effects.
ReplyDeleteAll done though.
Thank you one and all for your advice re vacuums. It looks as though Miele are coming out on top at the moment so I’ll have a good look at them and the others mentioned too before making up my mind.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I do know is that it won’t be another Dyson. Their first few cleaners were brilliant, but I think they kept making lots of unnecessary ‘improvements’ and ended up ruining a perfectly good product.
The end of a horrible week tonight, which has left me drained. This time last week I was given the devastating news that one of 'my' ex Scouts and new Leader who I had trained had died suddenly following what should have been routine keyhole knee surgery.
ReplyDeleteIt has made me think about what is really important in life. Not my own or anyone else's inconveniences this summer, nor the pain of an illness which is getting better and will disappear (I hope) eventually.
I've had my ups and a considerable number of downs in my 71 years, some of them my own making, some which been caused by others. But I have had those 71 years!
I have a roof over my head, four lovely well balanced adult children whom I adore and who love me. No money for foreign holidays but contented and usually happy in my own way of living my life.
She was a clever, determined, hard-working, beautiful, fun, soul who always thought of others before herself. Loving towards family, friends and strangers alike .Third year of studying medicine, placement ready for a year at a Dundee Teaching Hospital and just 21 years old.
That's really sad, Spicycuchion. News like that, especially when it is someone you know, certainly puts all other life 'problems' into perspective.
ReplyDeleteThat's a devestating event, Spicy, hard for you & all who knew & loved the young lady to accept & process.
ReplyDeleteDo see, as you & Zoetrope say, that it puts lesser misfortunes into.perspective, starkly real & sobering as it is.
That said, you definitely ARE around & have had a lousy Summer to contend with Glad to hear you're getting better but, my goodness, it's taking a long & painful.time.
Oh Spicy! What awful news, for all her family and friends and for you. Of course it puts everything else that is happening into perspective, whether it’s me wittering on about vacuum cleaners or politicians arguing about what happened yesterday.
ReplyDeleteSuch a pointless waste of a promising young life. My condolences to you and everyone who knew her.
Oh Spicy cushion.. 😔
ReplyDeleteSometimes it makes you wonder why. She will have left a lot of love and hope that helps to get everyone through. Spicy you have had a lot to contend with and hope you are now on the road to better health. I am 71 too and count myself lucky I just have an eye condition and funny feet inherited from my mum. Take care and look after yourself.💐
ReplyDeleteSpicycushion, Ilike everybody else I am so sorry to hear your news.
ReplyDeleteIt is always so much more tragic when it is a young person who has unexpectedly died.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and the young woman’s friends and family
You have had a lot to contend with recently and have never made a song and dance about it.
You said it all in your post.
Spiceycushion
DeleteMy thoughts too, are with you and all who knew and loved this young woman.
You have clearly invested a great deal of time, love and expertise in her future as a Scout Leader, and she would have worked so hard as a medical student.
A bright future cut dead. So very sad.
And for you, this on top of your awful summer.
I am so sorry.
What devastating news Spicy, sad and shocking even for us your virtual friends but for you it must be unbelievable and will certainly take some processing. My thoughts are with you🙏🏼
ReplyDeleteThinking of you. So sad to die so very young. Life doesn't make sense sometimes. Hope you continue to make a good recovery.💐
ReplyDeleteSpicy - what upsetting + devastating news, for every-one who knew, and loved that young lady
ReplyDeleteAnyway - how are you doing Spicy? - I hope you are progressing well.
Were any of you wonderful "virtual companions" affected by the torrential rain yesterday?
ReplyDeleteAgain I was lucky. I had some constant rain in the morning, but nothing unusual.
I was out in the afternoon, in jeans and a 3/4 sleeved top. in bright and very warm conditions.
Today it has again been lovely, sunny and very warm.
My "Man" - cut my hedges today and are looking really good. He is a bit pricey, but does a brilliant job, clearing and removing, all the debris up. It is far better than I could ever do, as hedge-trimming is just not one of my many skills. 😂.
I meant "virtual FRIENDS" as you are all better than just companions. I am not sure why I typed that. 😭
DeleteI think that the description "companions" is rather nice. People who keep you company through good times and bad.
DeleteManaged to catch a very entertaining exhibition at the Royal Academy today, before it closes on Sunday. Felix Valloton, just a name to me before. Late (19- early (20, so versatile & skilled. Satirical & lively woodcuts, mainly Parisian scenes, very exact, realistic paintings, then more stylised ones. Illicit affaires in claustrophobic interiors...fascinating.
ReplyDeleteShame a friend couldn't come, she would have enjoyed, but tied until.the end of the.month by daughter,'s family daschunds. She lives in Oxford, so a long time away from home.
Thank you all so much for your best wishes. I am physically going on well, I believe. Still sore and painful at times but still trying to include everything on my 'routine.' Showering twice a day, putting on steroid gel, 1 hour later moisturising, then again later on the day moisturising after second shower.
ReplyDeleteFirst tablet (for underactive thyroid) whenever I wake up, (between 4.30 and 5.30!) first cup of coffee 30 mins to 1 hour later, 1 hour later breakfast, steroid tablets then wait half an hour to stop the 'shakes' then I perhaps,launder, hoover etc for a couple of hours. Sleep after lunch, feeling good then so either cook, shop or prepare lessons. Evening quiet usually with son (if he's in!)watching Only Connect, Bake Off, Extra slice or News. That's about all we watch. Listen at sometime to TA depending on previous write ups. That's it really except I can't seem to sleep more than 3 hours at a time. Final Blood pressure tablets and Vit D and Calcium tablet as I go to bed. However some days I realise I've forgotten something! 🤣
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for myself and Terina, Terina's family. I tutored her brother and who was also one of my Cubs and her little sister who from the time she was three demanded every week when I arrived at their house as to "when can I join Beavers?" (6 is the minimum age!)
I have recovered some of my spirits and I thank you for letting it all out last night.
Please never apologise for your topics as of course we don't know what anyone else is doing and how they are! I have learnt so much from many of you! Hoovers, microwaves how to cook and eat broccolli etc!
Son away at Scout camp this weekend and I'm off to Brands Hatch for a special day for eldest sister's 60th celebration on Sunday. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, however I hate car racing! Never mind all in a good cause to keep sister happy!
Spicy.xx
👍 spicey. Your days sound exhausting.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are having pretty full and well organised days Spicy. I do so admire your spirit, I’m sure I would have collapsed under all you have been through.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! Keep smiling if you can. 😃
That's typical Virgo behaviour, 'well organised' I believe! Someone gives me a task - I make a list!!😀
DeleteSpiceycushion , So good to hear you are coping under all the pressure, just leave time to relax though, your body needs that too. With all good wishes.
DeleteSpicy, I’m interested that Virgoans are supposed to be well organised. I am famous (or perhaps notorious!) in my family for making lists - not just for shopping, but for every
Deleteholiday, event and occasion!
My birthday is on the last day of Leo, on the cusp I think it’s called. Does that mean I have some Virgo characteristics as well, do you think?
Archerphile - Absolutely!
DeleteArcherphile
ReplyDeleteThat’s me too. A late Leo. I was born a month prematurely, I wonder if you get some idiosynchronies (can’t spell) from what I should have been born into.
I have lists for every Christmas going back to 1983! I mean I was still at school and was even making lists then.
My husband was a Leo and made lists including each article he had to pack to go on holiday! I am a Taurean and resist lists meaning I often forget things! Incidentally Leo’s and Taureans do not match up but our marriage lasted 43 years so maybe it is all a load of bunkum!!!😊🤔🤔
ReplyDeleteMr P & I are both Leos - he has several lists on the go at all times... I have none!
ReplyDeleteWell I am a Libra and also enjoy lists (along with highlighter pen 😂) maybe for me it is because Libra is the only inanimate zodiac sign - being the scales and therefore require balance /order🤔
ReplyDeleteTo add my eldest sister is a true Leo her whole day / week is listed, meals worked out and certain phone calls made to day and time. I usually get a choice of day once she knows when she has a slot due to bad weather maybe etc 😯 but hey that’s her way!
ReplyDeleteI'm a Leo, and I like making lists too. It is really nice being able to tick each thing off when it's done, usually with a different pretty colour pen, so it's a triumphant kind of tick!
ReplyDeleteHa! Mr GG is list mad too - he is the most methodical person I have ever met. I am almost the exact opposite, but I wouldn't have it any other way!
ReplyDeleteI make lists & lists about lists. Mr C calls it OCD. I'm not sure what to call it.....need to make a list now of possible adjectives.
ReplyDeleteI am OCD carolyn - not to a hugely debilitating degree but enough to sometimes get caught up in a bit of an "annoying" cycle of behaviour. I actually don't usually mind it if I'm being totally honest. (Lord knows what other people think....) But I think that list writing is bizarre!
DeleteI love life's rich tapestry - each to their own!!! 😀
Well I suppose I had better join in.
DeleteI am an Aries.
I occasionally make lists and when I do I tick stuff off.
It gives me no pleasure or satisfaction whatsoever.
If I have a project involving others or outside of the sphere of me, I am organised, will draw up a plan, and all will be a success.
My life around me is a mess, with nothing ever achieved and tasks left for enough years that they are eventually never done.
On the other hand I am extremely flexible, will join in or rescue any situation as it arises, spontaneously setting up some activity for others to enjoy, and able to take charge calmly when others are in panic.
Good in a crisis I believe it's called.
I am a Scorpio and always write lists.
ReplyDeleteI go even further!
I number them up so that there are loads of small jobs to do and lots to cross out when they’ve been done.
Sometimes if I have already done a job I write it down just so that I can cross it off.
Do bloggers really think that when you were born defines what you will be like?
Your last sentence Lanjan - I would love to know if they do! And not so that I or anyone can sneer. Genuinely interested.
DeleteWell I was born on the same day as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
ReplyDeleteI am given to understand that he is an all round good egg too of course!
Perhaps all Scorpios are!
Just had a thought about list-making and am wondering if that is why I loved being a cricket scorer ?
ReplyDeleteI took it very seriously and was always armed with a cache of coloured pencils, a different colour for each batsman so they could instantly pick out which runs they had scored in every over. 6 dots overmarked with a large M for a Maiden over or with a W if a wicket had been taken. A cricket score book is just one huge collection of lists really which is probably why I enjoyed being in charge of it!
(That and the free cricket club tea, of course!)
I was born on the virgo/libra cusp.
ReplyDeleteI am a massive "list maker", always have been and always will be. It is just me and won't change.
How I am hating, closing the curtains and putting the lights on, before TA has even started.
ReplyDeleteOoh Miriam I love it! ♥️
ReplyDeleteI just prefer natural light, not artificial. Perhaps I am just a SAD person.
DeleteIn response to Gary & Lanjan, yes, reluctantly, I do think there's something in astrology. People are individuals, but subject to so many influences, some obvious, others not, & star signs, as an influence on inclination & character, do seem reveal certain traits which can be observed. I spot them in self & others on occasion, but don't make a big deal.of it. How any one person deals with those traits is another matter. It's not black & white either, plenty of variations depending on time & date of birth, what's in ascendant etc., etc.
ReplyDeleteBut, it is a very complicated subject, and needs to be studied very seriously.
DeleteIt is not simply a matter of where the Sun an moon are aligned at the time of birth, but where each house is in alignment to each astrological body at that time.
A reading will tell you where you might have been in certain situations and where and possibly how you might influence the outcome of some events by using astrological influences to an advantage.
But then we all have choice and how we influence those choices by combining our character with astrological understanding also comes into the mix.
Like Mrs P, I am an Aries .I make lists, and cross things off. Sometimes I add stuff that is not on the list, just so I can cross it off, but I do things without lists too. Some people think I am organised but I don't agree.
ReplyDeleteI had a 'lightbulb' (why can't I find an emoji?) moment a few years ago when I saw that my computer desktop looked like my real desktop - paper / documents everywhere . I struggle to categorise things, to be able to file them - then may have difficulty finding them again, although I usually have a pretty good idea where they are amid the chaos. ( with paper anyway!)
Re-reading Mrs P's comment, I have often been told that I am a calming influence, but people don't see the furious paddling underneath.
DeleteTaureans love luxury. Well that bit’s spot on!
ReplyDeleteMiriam, do you use a light box for SAD?
ReplyDeleteDudley the Shih Tzu has been with us for a week. He and Buddy have had the “I am Top Dog “ skirmishes but nothing serious and they are playing together, yesterday on their hind legs boxing! Dudley is fiercely protective and barks at the slightest noise and also goes frantic when anyone leaves the house. We are working on that and also teaching him to sit on command. He is supposed to have had professional training but little evidence of that! I am getting very fond of him. He is a lovely personality but a bear of little brain, bless him!
ReplyDeleteZoetrope - your piles of paper seem awfully familiar!
ReplyDeleteMy filing system to a T.. 😏
Parsley, are you happy being like that or do you get stressed by it?
DeleteI get stressed, but don't seem to be able to move beyond it.
I think it's more of a headache for me at work than at home.
Happy up to the point where I REALLY can't find that important document...
DeleteI have various piles surrounding & behind the computer,
including sheet music,
can usually lay my hands on whatever it is depending on which pile it was last seen in & how far down it's likely to be...
eventually have to resort to serious reorganising & filing days, after which of course I can't find a single thing!!
at which point, yes I get stressed...
A Senior of mine once gave me a present of a paperweight that said:
Delete"A cluttered desk is a sign of genius" , so there's hope for all of us clutter souls!
P.s. to Parsley just read another of the Elizabeth Goudge books you recommended, this time The Dean's Watch, and found it very touching and quite deep, felt like crying at one or two places but not sure why.
Zoetrope and Parsley: Mr S obviously trained at the same secretarial institution as you two. As a result, although HE might well have known where to lay hands on the documents required of me by Pensions, Tax and other authorities, unfortunately he is no longer here for me to ask and I'm having to send for (and PAY for) copies of every certificate you can name. Even if he were, his mental faculties were so deteriorated that had I asked him, he wouldn't have understood what I was talking about.
ReplyDeleteBe warned, people, get that paperwork sorted NOW, so that the contents of each envelope actually match what is written on the outside!
Has that rabbit STILL not got to the end of the stalk?
I'm very aware that I need to organise my paperwork to make it easier for others, but I don't know how or where to start!
ReplyDeleteThis is when I wish I had an organised brain😕
You could always make a list... ...
Delete:)
😂
Delete🤣🤣🤣
DeleteBut I don't know where to start with the list! 🤔
I just write 'sort stuff', which isn't very helpful.
🤣🤣 . Zoetrope have you ever tried getting one of those large lever arch files where you put papers in A4 plastic sleeves (so you can easily add extra ones in any section ) then use dividing pieces of cardboard labelled in alphabetical order, e.g. P for pension, W for copy of your will etc, F for finances etc etc. I have done that sort of thing to make things easier for my children later, and I find doing it alphabetically helps me to structure things.
DeleteI bought a filing cabinet over a year ago, but still haven't finished going through all the stuff that was in the previous file box. I get stuck too easily 😕
DeleteLast night I took yet another bulging envelope from the bureau. In it I found bus pass renewal reminders for 2016, a receipt for a membership sub which is now rendered irrelevant, council tax correspondence (also no longer relevant) and - Oh joy, income tax info for 2018/19 and 2019/20. None of this was what it said 'on the tin'.
DeleteSo: income tax info goes into a wallet, in a (so far, empty) file under - well, I for Income Tax; the rest goes into one of the black garden waste bags, bought expressly for the purpose, together with an 8-year accumulation of prostate clinic appointments, test results and helpful booklets. The bureau looks a tiny bit tidier and a huge pile has disappeared from the bedroom window-sill. One more bulging envelope to go - can't wait to see what isn't what it says on the outside, but every little helps, as they say at T***o (or was it A**a?)
I shall have to find someone to show me how to make a bonfire, because everything I've tried to set light to so far has just sighed and gone out.
Well I managed to get the paperwork organised for the 3 French pensions I'm paid, took some doing!!
ReplyDeleteOff to the Île d'Oleron today - workshop with the chorale, shared concert with another choir on the island.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day, Parsley - sounds wonderful, (excuse pun).
ReplyDeleteEnjoying the list conversation as Listy is one of my nicknames chez Seasider. I love them! Since acquiring my little corner in Yorkshire the list making opportunities have expanded and every spare moment is devoted to them - what to do, what to buy, what to do at Mum’s, what I have done, and those satisfying ticks, sometimes other colours... it becomes quite a job in itself every tea break, and sometimes the lists become so messy with ticks, additions...the solution? Write another list😆
Zoetrope,here is my suggestion!!
ReplyDeleteGet yourself an A3 ,hardback book of blank pages .
This will be your list book.
Then start your list which begins
1) Find pen.
2) Start list
You can then cross out two things straight away.
Sort stuff is no good at all.
Separate into bite sized pieces.
3) Sort out left hand kitchen drawer
4) Have a cup of tea.
5)Check whether there are any up and coming birthdays
6) Start shopping list.
I have about 20 things written down and when I am able to cross off 16 of them quite quickly I feel pleased.
I don’t know whether this is because I am a Scorpio or just a Crank!
Reading list stories avidly, agree with all tips &, like Seasider & others take great delight in making the list, & then ticking off items. I don't use different colours.
ReplyDeleteBad idea : making a list for the whole week, too overwhelming & priorities change, which can be stressful (OCD)
Good idea : try 1 or 2 days, then be pleased that more than half has been ticked the 1st day !
Also * the items which are most important, so if some of the others don't get done, never mind ! Just re-list them for day 3....(OCD)
I've made my list for today & Sat. Already done some 🤗, one being 'cleaning fridge', one of longest tasks, because it was overdue upon close & ruthless inspection. The reward now for a good start is writing here. The next reward, MUCH later, will be either catching up.on last night's TA, though quick perusal of the other blog suggests it won't be very rewarding, or coffee.
Now, breathless, worrying a) this is too long + stupid for any half sane blogger to read through, & b) that I'm bringing us ever closer to saying 'bye, 'bye to the nibbling bunny....
After posting earlier, and after breakfast I had a spare 45 minutes. I THOUGHT I'd make a very preliminary start with paperwork. Instead, I washed up then decided all the kitchen cupboard and door handles needed cleaning!
ReplyDeletePouring with rain now. When I get home I might listen to The Art of Innovation on catch up and think about / make a start with paper.
Today I have managed to cross off
ReplyDeleteGet flu jab.
Collect library book.
However what was not on my list was..
Buy 1kilogram of light grey Aran wool from a Charity Shop that thinks it is a gift shop (no clothes) bought just because pure wool is so difficult to find.
I have got a “lovely worry “ now.
What on earth can I do with it?
Parsley,
ReplyDeleteI used to read Elizabeth Gouge when I was a teenager.
I have three of my mum’s books.I am starting to re read the books I read then.
At the moment it is a Nevil Shute.
The three EG books I have are.
Gentian Hill
The Heart of the Family
Green Dolphin Country.
Have you read these?
I can’t remember what they were about.
If Green Dolphin Country is about Colin and Marianne in New Zealand, with poor Margaret taking the veil because he sent for the wrong sister, it's the sequel to Island Magic. This was indeed a magical read for me as a teenager, being set on my native island. I never managed to find any other books by Elizabeth Goudge, which is probably just as well, because by now I think I might find her style a bit too sentimental.
DeleteJanice on other blog re modern Bible translations. The Good News Bible apparently went back to original languages and translated. It also has good simple illustrations. The Revised Standard version just took the King James Version and put it into modern language.
ReplyDeleteMy one and only special thing to do today was go to Boots for my annual eye test for possible new glasses and have cataracts checked
ReplyDeleteGot up earlier than usual (early appt), drove 8 miles to town, parked in expensive multi-story car park, walked to Boots, checked in with receptionist.
To cut a long and tedious story short, they did not have me down on their computer for an appt. at all! I only made the appt., in person, last week. The girl wrote it on a card for me, which I showed them. The stupid girl had input it to the computer for November by mistake. Meanwhile, the optician I always see, who knows my complex eye problem well, who only works on Fridays, was now fully booked for today and for every week between now and when we go on holiday!
Result, one very unhappy customer, à wasted 16 mile round trip and £2 car park fee down the drain.
I shall be seeking a new optician! 🤓
Lanjan 11.25
ReplyDeleteI’d love to know which Nevil Shute book you are reading. He has long been one of my favourite authors and I still have several of his original hardbacks on my bookshelf.
I particularly loved No Highway, Requiem for a Wren and Trustee from the Toolroom.
The first adult book I read (given by an aunt one Christmas when she decided I was too old for Enid Blyton!) was The Far Country, set in Australia. I was about 14 at the time and still have it.
Ré Elizabeth Goudge: love The Dean's Watch, The Little White Horse, have read Gentian Hill & Green Dolphin Country but like you LJ have no recollection!
ReplyDeleteZoetrope 11:07 love it - recognize it well!
ReplyDeleteArcherfile re Boots optician. The one experience I had with them, they were offering half price frames so had the test and went through the rest of the assembly of glasses only to find they were charging a huge amount for the lenses! I said no, thank you and went to Vision Express! I have been to Specsavers for some years but after an issue where the arm of my glasses broke when just putting them on have now changed to a local non chain optician in Ryde. Not such a bunfight with too many other people!!
ReplyDeleteI am exhausted by reading posts describing what has already been achieved so far this morning, and how many lists, items on lists, cataloging paperwork, and even journeys made.
ReplyDeleteI have been out of bed for one hour.
It is now 12.35
I have taken dog out for wee, collected cat who stayed out for the night, fed both animals, made my pot of tea, checked my on line mail, and am about to pour my second cuppa.
All the advice re paperwork applies to me, in shed loads.
When I left London in 2014 I packed ( stuffed) in canvas five shoppers random paperwork to be sorted and disposed of.
They are still in a room upstairs, untouched.
Then there is all the stuff that was squirrelled away, when the house needed to be photographed for the sale, ( which never happened) in spring this year. It's still all squirrelled away and my address book has disappeared with it all.
I could go on .......... but I'm bored too !
Oh, I'm worn out by the week's exertions as well, Mrs P. Still in my pyjamas, writing silly posts. I've thought a bit about doing some washing, but I've been doing that all week. Whether it'll actually happen is another matter. There seems to be a momentary lull in the eternal round of paperwork, so Manana, perhaps, or Avrio if you happen to be Greek.
ReplyDeleteArcherphile (12.19 pm I) I am unable to re read Requiem for a Wren.
ReplyDeleteIt was too tragic.
The book I am re reading is “Pied Piper”
I know I enjoyed it many years ago.
Have reread The Far Country and several others quite recently
Sorry to hear about your experience with Boots the Opticians ,Archerphile(12 :13pm)
ReplyDeleteI went to our local Chemist for a flu jab but was told the pharmacist wasn’t in on a Friday so I went to our small Boots the Chemist ,was attended to straight away and had a go at a couple of competitions in aid of Macmillan Nurses.
Convinced I have won one of them.
Had to say how many cherries were in a pie.
I will be winning a box of Boots cosmetics!
Archerphile 12.13
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your problems with Boots the opticians.
I did write earlier about my positive experience with Specsaver when they made a mistake and hadn't done the repair. On top of that they decided my glasses were faulty and I collected a new pair today free of charge. They repaired the old ones, seem OK to me. Cant rate then highly enough. They are a franchise so I suppose each branch is different.
Lists I cant do with them, I sometimes make a list when I go food shopping, but generally leave it behind !
ReplyDeleteI plan what I am going to do the following day, in bed, just before I go to sleep. If I don't, I don't do anything !
Filing, I stick everthing in the top draw and file once a year....easy
I am with you. I nearly always leave my well written shopping list, which is done in the order I do my big shop, at home. I normally forget quite a few items.
DeleteGoodness me all this talk of making lists is leaving me exhausted. I never make lists, I need to feel the urge to do something, and then I perceive it to be an act of creativity. If I have to plan an event or appointment it goes into my phone 📞 and it reminds me. My partner also makes lists, but only for 🛍 shopping, whereas I will retain the information in my head and end up with stuff that wasn’t on the list.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the time of year of a birth is important, but nothing to do with astrology. I was born in February and hate the cold weather. I need to snuggle up in a cosy armchair or bed with a thick warm duvet. This maybe because my mother wrapped us all up like a peasant baby in lots of swaddling clothes. Certainly created a lot of warmth.
I hate the winter time. Not long back from very rainy Cornwall to very rainy home. Shall light a fire 🔥 to console me.
Archerphile I also have had a bad experience at a Boot's optician (which I only used once). My prescription was wrong and they wouldn't accept it. I then found another one, who was good.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started with eye problems last year, I found an optician (due to needing a quick appointment, at that time) only 10mins away. This is great, as it is like a local pharmacy, where you are a name, not a number on a computer. I cannot fault the service I have had, and they are not expensive re glasses.
Many High Street firms have offers on glasses, frames etc but I believe these prices are overflated so the offers look like a deal. After my 1st cataract op. I needed glasses purely for driving. I chose frames I love,with a prescription lens for one eye with plain for the other, with anti-glare lenses for £94.
I used to pay £120 for a single contact lens, so perhaps this is why I thought my glasses were good value.
DeleteFascinating and helpful comments today about list making, and acting - or not - on the lists. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI have just spent an hour (4 episodes of The Art of Innovation) sorting through paperwork from the early 2000s. I have put for recycling documents to do with our old house that we left in 2006.
Maybe there's something to be said about making to do lists public!