Being persistent

What principles define how you live?

I’m going to list a number of principles that I do abide by, and that I also strive to achieve, however not always successfully.

  • Integrity
  • Live in the moment
  • Selflessness
  • Create your own path
  • Hold yourself to the highest conduct
  • Practice gratitude
  • Avoid negativity at all cost
  • Be generous
  • Give more than you take
  • Time is more valuable than money

As you can see, and if you know me, you will realise that there are some principles here that i exceed in, whilst others i really struggle with, but I’m nothing if not a trier, and persistence is something else that I have buckets of in reserve.

So have a peaceful Sunday, stay safe.

Mañana

What have you been putting off doing? Why?

I’m one of those people who pretty much procrastinates at everything, I love the old Spanish saying of “Mañana” but then tomorrow arrives and now you have a whole stack of stuff to do.

So the thing I have been putting off doing is procrastination, but I’ve even been putting that off until tomorrow. Not good.

So I need to stop doing that now!

However as I’m busy today I’ll maybe look into that tomorrow.

See… I can’t win can I 😂

Here’s until tomorrow, take care.

One frightened lady and a lot of Hedgehogs

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

At this very moment it would be going to help a very frightened lady in my family, my niece bless her. She’s had problems all her life and has pretty much won every fight despite the odds being against her. She’s now fighting the toughest fight of her life as the Big C has entered the ring, she doesn’t fully understand, and he doesn’t fight fair. I think a million would go quite a way to get her the best treatment possible.

But I haven’t won it, I can’t pay for that treatment so unfortunately the fight goes on. But we’re fighters and we will be beside her all of the way.

Hedgehogs. 🦔

There are so many little hedgehog sanctuaries around the Uk constantly fighting a battle to save and protect this wonderful little creature of the night. They won’t hurt anyone, they do wonders to your garden, however we as a population are killing them just by going about our daily lives, butchering their environment for crappy estates and making their existence intolerable. Now I have regular hog visitors to my garden as it has been built around them. They have easy access to water and food and a section of the garden that I have classed as the wild part where I know they live. I see them in the garden as youngsters in the early part of the year and only last night I saw one of them in the garden and he is now a lovely fully grown male, quite a lump. Earlier this year I had three at the food bowl at the same time, a first for me, probably all from the same family, I believe I posted the video here: And then we had three..

I love to see them grow and I am so proud of myself that I’ve developed an environment that they feel safe in. And that’s the problem. I’m not in the country, I’m in a city with two horrendously busy roads and occasionally I see them as victims. However I’m really surprised that the majority thrive, and seeing now that the suspected hedgehog population is now less than 2 million across the UK (it was 5 times that only a few years ago!) we need to protect them.

Humankind in its worst form wipes other species out without a thought. If a million dollars, pounds or whatever currency you use could help stop this rot then there would be no second thought, I’d do it.

But again I dont have it so I’ll just keep doing my little bit to help these beautiful little beasts.

And a lot of praying 🙏

To be the best version

What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?

That’s easy. It’s to be the best version of me I can possibly be. It’s what everyone I know and love deserves at the very least.

And I continually fail.

I’m not very good at being the best version of me.

I won’t give up though, you’ll just have to put up with the current version until the updated version comes along.

Sorry about the delay, it’s just so damn difficult at times, and when you think you are getting there something knocks you back.

That’s life, it’s a series of walls put in front of you that you have to climb. It’s just the walls are now getting more difficult to scale.

Peace to your lovely faces.

Bob Ross

Who are your favorite artists?

I admire anyone who has artistic talent. However at a push I’d easily rate Bob Ross as my favourite.

Why?

If you were an easily influenced teenager through the eighties, you couldn’t help but see this easygoing extremely pleasant individual on your television screens in the afternoons trying to convince everyone that they had a masterpiece within them.

Bob Ross Golden glow – my first “Masterpiece”

He wasn’t wrong, I’ve had a few lessons using his technique and I’ve produced a personal masterpiece in every session.

The guy had the ability to pull achievements out of people that they didn’t know they had inside them. He taught that art was for everyone not just the gifted few, and I loved that.

Bob Ross Crimson tide my second attempt

Beyond that my favourite artist is probably Constable, as I loved his detailed countryside landscapes.

But Bobs the man for me. And a local artist called Raymond Riley who taught me Bobs techniques, superb humans in my eyes, and wonderful teachers.

Have a lovely day.

Difficult or Easier?

Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

As I have a hunger for knowledge I guess I’d be doing a lot more reading. I’d probably not be blogging, I’d be doing my daily journal. Beyond that as a kid of the 60s i guess I’d just be getting on with things. I don’t do the social media stuff, I’ve never had it so I’ll never miss it, so that would never be an issue for me.

And I believe that’s the difference. If you lived in an age when you didn’t have a computer, stepping back to that way of living wouldn’t be so much of a hardship. Yep there are things we all benefit from as a result of having computers, but we managed without them and we survived.

A child of the computer era would suffer purely as they know no other way. For them it would be a totally new way of life, but for us of a certain generation it would be “Ok, let’s get on with it”, we’ve done it before, we can do it again.

Times change, people change, life goes on.

Peace everyone

Realistic drawing

What skill would you like to learn?

I love art, I love to draw I love to paint but realistically I am crap at it.

My father, both sisters and both brothers were so artistic but me? No. I just can’t do it. But I love it.

I often wonder if other people over time, artists, that is, were also crap . So crap that they invented such art forms as cubism and such. I’m not in anyway calling myself an artist, a P*ss artist maybe but never an artistic fellow.

I have lessons, I attend art classes but I just don’t cut the mustard. I guess I’m just destined to be one of life’s tryers.

I’m sure I’m probably beyond learning now, god knows I’ve been trying long enough. However I enjoy it, it keeps me calm and relaxed, and that’s not such a bad thing.

I just wish I could draw.

Have an arty day everyone…

A Homer day…

What details of your life could you pay more attention to?

Today’s “Hint” for the day is already proving to be quite a relevant one for me. Today I had planned for an early start as I had a couple of appointments arranged and a vehicle to get in for its MOT, all work based you understand.

Second failed appointment and I’m already thinking something is wrong.

It’s just me.

Today is the 30th and tomorrow is the 1st. I’m a day ahead of myself and I’ve been a right plum. All the appointments are for tomorrow not today.

Well at least that leaves me a clear work agenda today.

Doh! (In the finest Homer Simpson voice)

As time thunders on and the days roll by in what seems like minutes, the underlying issue here is me and my poor planning. That is what I need to pay more attention to. Mind you, that said some people could say it’s good planning as tomorrow is already sorted.

Maybe that is it. I should put a delay on my life for 24hrs.

I’m confused! What should I expect today?

Have a lovely day all. Peace and calm.

My world…and decorating

What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?

Haha I’m gonna cheat here. It starts today, we’re a little late here at Foxy towers with the spring clean thing. Whilst having our second cup of tea in bed this morning I raised the question of whether we need a new radiator in one of our rooms and it has flourished into a whole “let’s tart the house up,” so I have now inherited a challenge to redecorate top to bottom with the challenge of having the bottom bit done by Christmas, when the family are all coming for dinner.

And there I was in yesterday’s post saying I need to rest more!

I’m going to enjoy that though as I love a challenge.

My real priority everyday is to ensure I’m at my best and that my world is content, happy and feeling loved and protected. In other words my world is my wife. She is my number one priority everyday, always and forever. No questions.

Have a lovely Sunday all, I’m off shopping with the wife, I suspect it will involve paint and wall paper….and maybe a radiator…..or two!

Take time to relax

In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled?

I’m of a generation that in general was a working generation where hard work was the norm if you wanted to get by. The computer only started to appear in its most basic form when I was in my last year of schooling, the mobile phone didn’t appear until a good few years later.

I think I’ve mentioned this before but I’m an individual who always has to be occupied with something, as I hate wasted time. My work involves a raft of different capabilities, I’m a classic “Jack of all trades and master of none” if that makes sense. My job is to get things moving on the rail network, that means calling in different skills and abilities to ensure the goal of getting things moving is achieved.

At home I’m always switched on and have to be doing something even if that’s a hobby activity to keep the mind busy. I have days off from work and the wife will openly tell you that if I don’t do something that I class it as a wasted day, I have to be busy.

However it’s become apparent over the last couple of years that this type of attitude can’t continue, if I’m tired the body is telling me something and I must rest. I had a little episode about 18 months back when I awoke one morning with horrendous double vision and then lost my sight for a few hours, now that was scary. It appears I had a type of mini stroke where a small bubble entered the fine blood vessels behind my eye causing the issue. That day my whole outlook changed and though I still like to keep busy, I have changed my ways somewhat and rest is now incorporated into my down time. Nothing is more important than your health.

So I’m still fulfilled by keeping busy, but now that has had to change to being fulfilled by keeping happy and healthy.

Too many people before me have worked themselves into an early grave. I don’t want to be another number in that statistic.

Have a restful productive day.