Happy New Year!

 

Was going to put a less happy emoji up as my final pic of 2021..

But, although there has been the lowest of lows.. there has also been happy moments.. 

Happy days, time with loved ones.. friends.. enjoyed happy times.. there has been laughter and good moments.. 

Mmmm I won't list the bad stuff.. we've all gone through bad stuff.. 

Happy New Year to everyone and all the very best, health, prosperity and of course happiness! 

For now, for me, here I sit on the downstairs sofabed.. wood burner going.. spent nearly three hours in urgencia today and more yesterday.. Today actually saw a doctor, unfortunately our local one yesterday was so busy he never made it back to base.. 

Today I went to the Guadalhorce Valley hospital again, just over two months from the last kidney stone exiting my kidney, the second has now, or is now? Doing so, and stupidly, extremely stupidly I googled the antibiotic she gave me, as only two doses and turns out to be one of the most lethal there is! And normally always only one dose! 

Ending the year missing the people I love..

M.

 

This photograph was taken when we were up at the lakes December 25 2011.. can't believe that was ten years ago.. 

I guess that black duck symbolizes me, always taking my own route! 

A friend called me yesterday, she's driving down to stay the night.. four hours drive! On her way now and arrival imminent!

We used to work together in the UK, albeit briefly on handovers.. Will be so good to catch up in person! 

This song below was in a movie I watched yesterday.. and now here.. 

Don't wish your life away.. Jared Lee

M.

Merry Christmas!

Maybe 'Dont look up' not the cheeriest of choices to watch on Christmas Eve! 

But good movie none the less!

Ventured out this morning about half eight, rained all night.. 

Had a coffee in the bar then went to La Trocha with friend, had another coffee and quick wander around Carrefour and then downstairs in the charity shop bought four books for a euro!

Came home and the rain came back! 

Been in my VR or watching Netflix.. made a curry and next dessert! Have a glass of wine and awaiting the tinkling of Santa's bells! He better be wearing his waterproofs tonight! And very good lights! 

M.

The eve of Christmas eve... I'm watching Love Actually.. of course.. who wouldn't be at this time of the year? Oh! Just me then..

Works been exceptionally busy which is of course wonderful! And now I'm off for a few days.. Everyone, just about all the customers were in very jovial festive spirits today, really great day.

Wood burner going, it's the second day of rain.. and now the house is in the clouds.. or are the clouds down on my village?

We now have to prove vaccinations or negative test results for entry into bars, restaurants or clubs.. even for a coffee and a piece of cake.. anywhere in side.. 

And as of today, masks again are obligatory in the streets.. 

Our figures are nowhere near as bad a the UK, but better safe than sorry.. 

We've been wearing masks still inside in public places.. bars etc.. any businesses.. since March of 2020.. That has never changed.

That's is for today! 

Oh a photograph I took the other day, last week? Or the week before? 

I would love to be able to see their terrace! And I would love to get some palm trees on my terrace! Looks so cool.. and in summer it would be so much cooler! Literally!

Today's piece of music is.. 

James Blunt Goodbye my lover..

For no reason, I heard it today at work just as someone did something outside.. they left a bag on a car.. and it seemed both sad and.. I don't know.. to leave something for someone like that? Was either a gift or a cowardly parting of ways.. maybe of course it could have just been rubbish!

But the person put it is the dumpster without opening, so I guess they thought it rubbish anyway.. 

M.

This morning was touch and go with the wind factor! 

It blew me down at 8am and chased me back up at 10!!

But first.. woke up too early about six.. came down about half past when I realised I wouldn't have the luxury of going back to sleep..

It seemed warmer than the past couple of mornings.. not the normal 8 - 10° the house usually rests at this time of the year with no heating on.. so looking at the burner for some reason I reached down to touch it near the base and was surprised to find it warm still! I opened it and a piece of wood wasn't quite burnt out so I opened the front and it immediately started to crackle and spit! Lots of tiny sparks? I put a small piece of wood on top closed it all up and it caught! 

Off out I went.. 

Came home.. five hours after placing that tiny piece of wood.. a tiny spark remained, so I put an envelope on top, secured with another small piece of wood and it caught! Three hours later I've added just one log of wood now.. 

Never been like this before! Very odd! But very good! 

Just finished watching Back to the Future.. Christmas must-watch movie! Yesterday was Home Alone #1 and #2!

Anyways! Between town for coffee and freezing my butt off.. blue finger nails and cold through.. I had to move my car at last, so drove to Aldi in Coín for milk and a few bits, was still early so drove around to Mijas pueblo, parking up near the top and walking down to the town. Still windy! 

I had a really lovely wander around, didn't stop for coffee, but went into the ermita de peña.. said a few words of remembrance.. 

Took the photograph beneath..

 

Which strangely doesn't look real here! 

Beautiful view over the coast.. 

Tempted to drop into the garden centre for more plants but maybe Saturday..

Feeling like a piece of music should be here now.. 

Let me look! What you don't know is there's a gap here of nearly two hours!! 

I went to YouTube and clicked on my playlists and weirdly after about six months? Of having this phone.. the music I had previously downloaded and paid for music that had been on my old phone and NOT transferred here.. was an option to download!!!??? Wtf?? 

Still, it's here, and oddly as is the way of the world, and only talking yesterday about thoughts becoming real.. I now have it all back!! The most is music I bought through Google rewards.. and once Google music went the option to download to YouTube, being Google came, and I did it, but new phone and nada nada monada!

Even this morning I thought again how I wish I had my downloaded music available! Two thoughts in two days and the magic happens! 

Mmm anyway, I saw the one I was going to link to here, Rag'n'Bone Human and it was playing while I scrolled and clicked 'download' I, unfortunately for you and I both, hit play in queue on a track and next to auto play was this instead.. 

Lewis Capaldi Someone You Loved... 

Good video also.. 

It made me have to get up and do stuff rather than sit and get melancholy.. 

Enjoy! Or not.. 

I have my music back.. a nice gift.. 

M.

 

If this has no sound I'm deleting.. so going to be quick before anyone sees it!!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZwTRpLjibWtqTwR86

(See if this works!)

Actually, I'm going to leave it.. because it's so funny, even without the lyrics! 

Its an App.. and I'm singing.. Tragedy by ABBA, well not me.. them singing and and I'm animated..

If I can find a way of getting the sound on here I'll do it! 

I have another funny photograph of me to post ... Un momentito! 

Elfish don't you think!

M.

Went for a drive yesterday.. San Pedro de Alcántara.. it's about forty minutes from home.. 

Usually drive underneath the main road, in fact the tunnel wasn't even there when I first moved here.. There is a strange undulating raised walkway.. 

A short video I took was way too shaky, on my Facebook it wouldn't have been a bad idea to pop a motion sickness med before watching!

Still nice there.. San Pedro has changed in many many ways since I last wandered the streets.. 

Felt a bit strange actually.. 

Had a couple of coffee's and ate some lunch... It was nice.. too much food.. 

Silk floss tree.. taken a few photographs of the this tree over the years. But caught this one just right with some of the silk floss on the tree..

Very strange looking. And spikey! Dangerous tree!

This afternoon I came back home, via the wood man, dropped in two bags or wood for the estufa, got the gas can near the door and some random cardboard and metal bits.. 

Dropped rubbish off in bins and bought a gas can, then dropped into La Trocha and Carrefour.. bought a few bits.. a few of the wrong bits as I was hungry!

This Pantone amongst them.. was it wrong to get this giant one? Then cut a big slice when I got home and lather it in butter? 

High bad cholesterol? Sure.. and high good cholesterol too! So that's equalled out nicely!

M.
 

It was good to get out on the walk earlier.. (all this written last night), really was good to get natural fresh air.. forest air..

These two photographs I took with the sun getting worryingly close to dipping down beyond the mountain.. the perspective is difficult to tell.. but I was looking way down into a small ravine.. which is where my small shadow is down there.. difficult to see the depth..

I shared my walk with no other walkers bar one.. on my way back down a man came up videoing the scenery.. 

Maybe this photograph above will help with perspective..

I sat in a small tree like chair for a while and just relaxed.. I was already on the turnaround.. 

So glad I got myself up and out and didn't just sit there and blur out..

My burner is lit, house is toasty.. and watching a great series on TV.. Superstore.. 

M.

Just watching Gilmore Girls.. again.. and this song rang a chord with me.. 

I am not unbreakable..

Sometimes it's as though the universe knows everything.. and nothing..

Thoughts appear in movies.. books.. Things in our minds, moods show up in daily life.. 

I made the mistake of taking half a sleeping tablet last night, a tablet a friend suggested, and although I bought them a month or more ago I didn't take because it doesn't interact well with other stuff I take.. 

But night before was so bad I thought I'd risk it for a biscuit.. I still lay away mid sleeps.. for a couple of hours..

And still now I feel so blurry, or maybe I would have been anyways? 

Life can be blurry.. 

My card was denied in Mercadona today.. great! Such fun! Money there but bank said no! So not only will my bank .. Santander of Spain! Not allow my wages in...  it also didn't want me to use my own money already in there! 

Only in Spain! 

So again, into the bank I went.. again she copied my TIE card...again, sent to Madrid! And she unblocked my card! Crazy! And just too tired and blurry to really care that much.

I hate when I get feeling like this... I can see myself from outside.. almost.. 

But I can't find 'me' to get me back out.. I guess this doesn't make sense.. 

So I am now sat inside, in this beautiful country I am lucky to call home, watching sad movies.. and wondering what the hell is meant to happen now.

Maybe a walk would be better.. maybe I should do that now.. right now. Fresh air.

I'm walking now..

M.

Not sure what's been happening since I last wrote.. most certainly been ages... and I'm sure I've had good and bad days and then good again...

Above a fisherman, in the distance between some very small plants.. all about the angle isn't it!

Cabopino beach, again... I still wonder who is the lucky wearer of the gold bracelet I lost there...

Wandered along here on Sunday morning... It's that time of the year when its damn cold first thing, and even chilly in the shade, but warm enough in the sunshine.. I mean, not hot! Because if it's 16 degrees for instance, that is a thirty or more.. degree drop from August and September...

 So just now, I am in bed... heater on, hot chocolate and a hot water bottle! 

I had a wonderful weekend and a crappy Monday! Ha... that's life eh! 

Someone came into where I was today.. in a store, he said he'd been told to isolate in Heathrow because he'd come from Nigeria... he told them he wouldn't so boarded a flight for Malaga.. and not an issue here with isolation! I couldn't work out if he was just stupid for telling me, or just plain stupid!!! 

Feel there is so much to tell you... my kidney stone doesn't seem to have shifted yet, as in the mornings it really hurts like hell still... I don't know what to do... I suppose just keep taking the meds and pain killers and get on with it! 

Christmas on the horizon, so I'm generally more down than up.. and life is putting me down in other ways.. so.. as we say.. It is what it is eh!

Onwards always, upwards if we can... don't look back? Mmmm that is a difficult one isn't it?

M.

 

Not sure what bird this is? Eagle? It's neck looks too long.. and photo here is already zoomed in!

Yesterday I met up with someone selling a headboard.. down a road off the main road on Sierra Gorda.. not turned up there since the last time I collected the Pipster from her holiday location spot..

People were nice.. headboard perfect!

Then to La Trocha market, I had the giggles walking around wondering how the hell I'm going to mount the world's largest headboard on the wall and will it even fit!

Then I saw this massive, like two feet high ceramic/china cat.. it was in a sitting position, gazing up with massive oversized eyes.. it appeared to be staring at a man, whose back was towards me.. as I carried on past, I stopped, the man standing by the stall.. floor based stall.. and he looked like he was staring at the cat staring at him!! He actually didn't move, his face or eyed.. he was literally just staring towards the cat.. which was as it seemed to me, staring back at him... Thankfully my mask hid my by now laughing my head of face! 

Crazy!

Anyways, got home, unloaded headboard! 

And today! 

Doctors as last, my appointment had disappeared off the radar.. now I know why, it is because when I booked it last Monday at 10 a.m. my appointment was actually for an hour and a half later, who knew! I thought it was for today that is why the appointment disappeared from the app and from the website.

So I got to the doctor's on time and waited and told her I thought I had an appointment for today she said it was last week, but still saw me.

Read my blood work from the hospital urgencia three weeks ago, I have a kidney stone!

So I've got an appointment coming with the urologist, two with her.. two different types of pain meds to alternate between every four hours and a medication for the kidney stone..

At least now I know why I'm in so much constant pain, you can imagine where my head was with it all.

M.

November 7

                           

This amazing sunset from a couple of years ago.. still for me a spectacular sight.. 

Flicking through the photo memories with this popping up, I realised as I turned my phone it actually looks like a face... incredible!

Maybe I've said this before? Deja vu happening now..

Been a lovely weekend.. yesterday I took a friend down to his favourite breakfast haunt, The Tudor Rose down at Torremolinos.. still open long weekends going into November, normally closed from October.

Had a wonderful, for me rare.. English breakfast.

Then a walk along the paseo marítimo and back to the car and back to Alhaurín.. 

I then popped to Aldi, a stray dog in the car park as per norm.. I went to give him water but Pippa's old water bottle was broken.. so had to throw it away.. 

Did I tell you I found her old fox toy? It still smelled of her.. I've returned it to where I found it.. 

Later yesterday I met up with another friend and had coffee at a bar recently opened down the road from me.. it used to be a bar, decades ago.. but now reformed reopened and great coffee and tapas!

This morning I went off early to La Trocha market, coffee with another friend and then a.. as my mom would have said.. mooch around the stalls... Cooler undercover, but lovely out in the sunshine..

I tried to go through stuff this afternoon, but only got as far as Tony's basketball certificates!! And year ten reports! And they ended up back in the box.. 

In time eh.. everything in time.

M.

Ships don't sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of the water that gets in them. Don't let what's happening around you get inside you and weigh you down.

Unknown

November 9 A different 9/11

The worse day today..

I wonder if one day my life will be happy enough that today won't bring me down to where I am right now..

No more words left. 

From the movie The Shack.. I'll think about you..

M.

Small cat in the house the other evening, the sensor light came on out back, then I heard the fly screen open... I wasn't really worried.. I mean it'd have to be a damn skinny human or ten inch high something at the most to squeeze thru the rejas!

Then along ran this cute puss cat! Meowing towards me, like a long lost friend.. meow meow.. ran to my leg my hand.. so cute! It had a QR code so I knew she was somebody's cat..

She explored the house thoroughly, we had a cuddle and I thought I better put her out, so she didn't get too comfy.. 

She wasn't around anywhere on the terrace so I knew she could get out as easy as she got in.. 

And I missed her...

~~~

Definitely a chill in the air this morning.. 10° in Alhaurín! Blooming heck!

Hands are cold in the house! 

Kidney issue still happening.. guess I better do something tomorrow, can't today.. but tomorrow.. mañana eh.. always mañana, until there isn't.

I can categorically say I was flying from Bristol to Malaga this time five years ago. 

And I hope one day I can Not think of this.. 

It's like I am an old '45 record and I keep on jumping, back.. I run forward, then, jump back again.. on continual play back. Or one of those damn annoying movies where the script jumps back and forth and you, the watcher never knows 'when' you are!

Things need to change, I need to change.

I need to run so fast I can't go back, can't even get the chance to look back.

M.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step.. don't we know that?

But we began our journeys on the day we truly took our first steps.. A parent maybe, probably, watching worriedly.. arms outstretched to catch us if we fell.. support us if we did.. 

Someone there at our first wobbly steps growing each day.. yet also we are still growing, and still taking unsure steps.. maybe only with those who we've lost beside us.. guiding us still.. catching us if we fall. Or making sure we don't.

Day off today, shopped in Las Lagunas, actually wanted a new duvet cover.. all my others are so old now... Donkies years old actually! So popped into Kiabi to buy, but they don't have home wear on the premises and came away without duvet cover... But something else instead! Have an updated card and now ordered the cover for shop pick-up.. cost me twice the amount now though hasn't it!! 

Also popped into Leroy Merlin's.. Christmas was there..

And then after Aldi I popped into Casa Flores.. a favourite spot for nearly twenty years!

I bought some plants... To not only plant them, but maybe root myself better.. 

I don't know.. but I miss regular plants and have had only suculants and catus for past few years.. so bought a rosemary, two thyme for the rock wall, a lavender near the back door and a couple of jasmine for the front planters, try and train them.. again.. this is deja vu.. because tried this before.. Fingers crossed this time!

And talking of fingers...

This plant above is the Hand of Buddha.. 

Explained a little above...  and fully here... Edible, citrus.. and if above it true, probably the very plant I should be eating!

Was nice having coffee in the sun.. and also knew I couldn't do the rest of the stuff I needed to do.. I am so not better yet, that's not true really, I do feel a bit better, but also not... Taking string pain killers is misleading, and taking the edge off the pain, this is day three of antibiotics.. so hopefully soon, I hope, I will actually feel better.. when I got home and unloaded I wanted to walk into town, went down the street, then realised I didn't have a mask on me and went back, and thought maybe I shouldn't be rushing about today.

So now I have rested, eaten, blah blah and going to get out again now, if I can get past the bags of chucking away stuff by the door! Mmm I could put some of that in the car now to dump tomorrow! Sounds like a plan!

M.

So I've been taking probiotics.. tried to give them their chance... Today no.. pain is just too much in my stomach! 

Is my stomach flora so bad? I guess it must be, walking about feels better than just sitting.. but it still hurts very badly.

I can't remember when I started this blog I think it was maybe three days ago and things have got a lot worse, now I'm talking into my phone rather than typing this so apologies for any weird words, yesterday the pain got so bad and some other odd things that I knew were not right at all and that's all I'm going to say, and so I did what we all do is I googled it and decided I would have to go to urgency. In the morning I had driven up to urgency and turned around and come back home but at 2:00 yesterday afternoon I drove up there and actually walked in.

I saw the doctor in urgency and he gave me a letter to take to the hospital the Guadalhorce hospital, I phoned a friend, and thankfully she took me there and I went in, signed in and they gave me a wrist bracelet etc, I saw the nurse quickly then I saw the doctor quickly, then I had blood etc tests taken, I was put on a drip for 20 minutes and I had an x-ray.

Results came back it's a chronic kidney infection, and somehow the infection now is affecting and causing pain down in my lower abdomen my lower back up my back and down my legs!

It's causing all sorts of issues one would never expect from a kidney infection..

He said and prescribed me antibiotics different ones, because I only stopped taking antibiotics 3 days ago for my kidney infection so now I have another 7 days of even stronger antibiotics, and paracetamol to take twice a day for the pain.

I don't feel better yet, feel exhausted.. and to be honest I do not understand how this kidney infection is causing these problems all around my insides.

Maybe this quote I also put on my blog 3 days ago is now not very well timed as the last thing I would want to do is go down the water chute!

M.

You can't be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it.

You have to go down the chute.

Tina Fey - Actress comedian writer producer.

 

 

Got to be this song today.. I'm working on another book, and my phone flashed this up to prompt me to watch.. Love Adele's voice, wonderful song, lyrics.. video.. 

Adele Go Easy On Me..

Back to book! 

And book done! Started it years ago! Life got in the way, for such a very short story.. literally, a short story!! Maybe just a novella if it's long enough to classed as such!

But after completing the last book for the other author it fired me up to finishing this tiny book of mine.. so rsn through it.. fingers crossed okay.. formatted and published in paperback and Kindle! 

And soon off to work! 

M.

If you don't risk anything, you risk even more.

Erica Jong - Novelist-Satirist-Poet

~~~

This is very true; I've taken risks in my life, many I suppose.. 

Moving countries being the biggest, twice! Although the first time I was, apparently kicking and screaming all the way over the US over the ocean.. stopover in Greenland.. guess the plane needed to refuel?? 

And landing into London city airport!

I'm still kicking and screaming! 

Still taking risks? 

Most days probably not, life passes by and the risks become less?

But they shouldn't.. we should risk and live and this keeps us here and now, keeps us feeling alive.. Doesn't have to be mad crazy risks.. but a little more than just getting out of bed and having tea instead of coffee.. or taking a different route to the store or work.

Life is a risk, we survive it in different ways on different days.

M.

I haven't walked here since before 2012.. 

Down at Cabopino.. happy sad melancholy..

Somewhere I've visited since 1989.. with the boys and mom firstly..

It's changed so much, but I've not included photographs of the big bars.. preferring the look here so like it was.. 

There were no big chiringuitos on the beach 32 years ago.. small bars next to the boats.. no sunbeds on the beaches.. just people, and not many of those either.. 

Selfish I guess wanting things to still be the same, be what they were.. 

Especially because for people who come now.. this is what they will fall in love with.. 

Is this how it is with people, I'd not thought of it before writing this.. 

When we meet friends to be.. They are who we fall in friendship with isn't it.. how they are now.. All their history, their lives their loves... 

We're none of us who we once were.. we're changed by love by losses.. by life.. 

M.

Video of Cabopino..

Had to load to YouTube.. too big a file for here... 

 

Still reading the book on trauma.. It's actually called Overcoming Trauma by Allison Smiley.. 

"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere." Agnes Repplier

I wish I were the type of person who can let traumas pass them by, let the thing happen and not be moved by it.. 

To be able to say, hey, oh well.. that's life.. move on and get over it.. 

I wish I didn't feel every bump in my path, every word or look or broken piece of me.

My mind jumps from one thing I need to do to the next, unable to settle and focus on the one thing, I feel my mind moving onto the other stuff that needs to be done, or even maybe it doesn't.

Right now I have two things to do, one for someone else, important, of course; and one for me which could change the quality of my life. Yet still procrastinating! My middle name!

It's a holiday today here in Spain, Hispanic Day, or National Day, commemorating Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas.. 

Yes he did so on behalf of Queen Isobel and King Ferdinand of Spain.. but let us not forget he was Italian! I say sotto voce..

And now, to others things if I can.. maybe some TV time first...

This is when I miss the Pippster.. 

M.

Beautiful day.. a very pleasant 27°.. 5pm in the afternoon...

I'm in the bar next to the garage we bought our car.. it's being serviced.. I had a full medical yesterday.. with work. And my every two year mammogram is next Friday! 

All this stuff has to be done I guess doesn't it, I know, just wish it could happen without me worrying about it somehow..

I'm reading a book about trauma did I tell you? It's very good, most of us have been effected by traumatic situations, some of us take them harder than others? Or when added up make more of an impact on our lives.. I continually get flashbacks, some thing or some vision comes back to me like a punch to my stomach, and I can hardly breathe, I need to get this fixed. I can't imagine these things happening for the rest of my life? 

And as I sit here, a human meal for the common fly, I have to remind myself how very lucky I am, here, my family, my friends.. yet still I sigh and contemplate a different life.

My coffee..

And the translation..

I like it.. Sadly.

M.

 

Dark looming view of Gibraltar from Puerto Banús.. the sun was shining and a wind brewing, a little rain later but just a sprinkling.. only enough to dirty the cars, again.. Sunday.

Beautiful days now, reminded to watch the sunset... Forget all too often the amazing sun sets from the terrace.. and as the song says.. below, in its way.. One shouldn't waste time, days, years.. single moments lost forever, we never get any of them back, ever.

John Mellancamp & Bruce Springsteen.. Wasted Days.. Great piece of music and important lesson..  Well worth a listen to.. 

M.

Here I am in Puerto Banús, I am sorry, I know I am sure people like to visit here.. But after thirty three years of visiting it, it really doesn't get any better.. maybe in the old days you saw real people who might have been worth people watching.. now it really is the flotsam and jetsam.. All wanting to be seen and really who would want to see them.

It's hard for a people watcher like me not to look, but then they see you looking and I think damnit! Only noticed because you have unusual dress or trousers etc.. or too much Botox and I thought you looked over worked.

The beautiful cars have gone, the slow paseo of the rich and genuinely beautiful people are long gone.. 

Granada yesterday..

A beautiful city, but didn't visit the Alhambra or see any great and beautiful old palaces.. Did what friend had to do and that took about four hours.. 

Slept too long .. and that never benefits me.

Oh dear I am sorry Puerto Banús.. please get your old self back.. deepest apologies.

M.

A quote for today... by Isaac Newton..

We build too many walls and not enough bridges

I know I normally put a quote at the end but this deserves top placement me thinks!

Weather is perfect here now... Sounds like déjá vu so maybe already said this... but I just don't care, it really actually is perfect... It feels like a breathe of fresh air, it feels like new beginnings and adventure and getting started.. it feels like onwards upwards and don't stop to think... just feel the moment, and breathe it in.

Which is very contradictory to how I feel coming up from the coast, especially in the evenings, feel detached from here, feel apart some how.

Anyways, mince pies and large Christmas selection of chocolates available here now in Spain, so Christmas has come early, still September after all! Just until tomorrow!

I'm enjoying working on a book for someone, and having small light-bulb moments, or epiphanies as I remember stuff I thought I'd forgotten..

Friends and neighbours all about me seem to be having lives of the unexpected just like me, so maybe that's just life and I thought it should all run smoothly and happily forever and ever... Amen!

M.

 

I know this is a strange photograph, just that I wondered where it had come from.. expected the word China.. 

So yes I Googled... There are 195 or 197? Different countries in the world and I for one cannot name them all.. by far.. 

So this was the answer for *Chian

Chian

/ˈkʌɪən/

adjective

1. relating to or characteristic of the Greek island of Chios or its inhabitants.

   "a Chian merchant"

noun

1. 1.

   a native or inhabitant of the Greek island of Chios.

   "the Chians arrived in Sparta"
2. 2.

   a variety of red wine from the Greek island of Chios that was considered valuable in antiquity.

   "Anacreon drank Chian with Helas's sages"

I still think it's just a spelling error though..

My last full day here in Blighty and home tomorrow... Been beautiful week here and a little rain at home.. 

I have a list to complete, and important things to do, times ticking and every day is so important.. a poster Tony and Addie have says.. "Live Slow"

I think I should have that on my chalk wall at home.. we're all so busy moving fast, the days turn into weeks into months and years.

How often we say things like that movie is thirty years old.. or I read that book forty years ago.. how often we sound like our parents and in time grandparents.. We are just blips on this planet, making a life, changing the life of others if we can for the good... Others tearing us apart.. 

We want to feel we are all doing this life for some reason, maybe at the end of days we'll know why, maybe we won't, whatever our beliefs if we're right we'll know.. or not.

So tomorrow back home, and I must do better and getting things done that need doing!

M.

The secret to life is meaningless unless you discover it yourself.

W. Somerset Maugham - 1874-1965 - Novelist-Short-Story Writer-English Playwright

 

Beautiful sundial in a local Garden centre.. we went last weekend..

Pancakes at Bill's.. in Welwyn Garden City.. Meant to try a drink there that sounded so good, the Golden Latte.. wondering if they deliver! 

Another beautiful day, been one day a little cloudy, and a few minutes of drizzle... But walk to walk sunshine the rest of the time.. 

Soon be time to go back home, onwards and upwards.. 

M.

I have to trust what I do and then do it.

Ednita Nazario - Musician-Singer-Composer