If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?
I’d like to be my father for the day. Not because he was someone who could be admired and loved and cherished, he was none of that. He was a nasty evil man that made my mothers, my younger sisters and my life an absolute misery.
I would like to know what made him tick, what was his reasoning and did he ever consider getting help for the way he was.
I’d kick start that change even if I could’ve been him for a day. He has ruined my life and still haunts me in nightmares to this day. Never was I more pleased when someone passed away, it’s a horrible thing to say but my life began in earnest that day. However my faith and beliefs tell me we will meet again one day and that is what bothers me now, I’m not prepared for that..
His evil ways, I carry as a burden everyday.
As a child it is not right that you have to be protecting your mother from abuse and a little girl for being downright petrified of her own father. As for what I endured it goes to the grave with me.
I’ve always said to my wife I want to be a better man and be nothing like him. I’ve managed that well, I have never raised a hand to woman in my life and will never do so. My mother was a punchbag and far too many times it was me that absorbed those punches as I tried to protect her.
I have moods occasionally and I put them down to being like him, and I dislike it when someone says I look like my father, there is no one I’d rather be.
It’s a curse to be honest, and here I am just a few small years away from retirement still paying the price, and very much afraid.
It’s not fair. Domestic abuse is not acceptable, it affects lives for longer than you can imagine, it’s probably going to be with me way into the afterlife. It’s a life and death sentence. And he is the winner. It’s wrong.
Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.
I’ll always attempt anything, but when it comes to plumbing or high voltage electricity, that’s when I get the professionals involved.
In my current home the most ambitious DIY has probably been landscaping the garden. We purchased a rickety old house that’s been a constant project since it was brought, back in 2018. So really that could be the most ambitious couldn’t it?
Anyway, the one I’ve enjoyed most is landscaping the garden, not concreted over with no concerns for wildlife, my garden was designed around the needs of the Hedgehogs and birdlife we have that visit throughout the year. They have easy access to the whole garden, a part that is wilded for them to forage in and plenty of food and water stations as well.
One of our visitors
We also have a feral cat “Tabs” who has lived in our garden longer than we have, she gets on with us, we feed her and she has plenty of weather protection in and around the garden, and she tolerates the hedgehogs, so that’s harmonious.
Some colours in our garden
The garden has been a big project taking about 6 years to reach a maturity with flowers, shrubs and trees all planted to create a little bit of the country side in a city urban environment. I am so proud of my garden come spring time when all the new buds are breaking through, and it is a riot of colours come summertime. And it took a lot of planning as it’s a north facing garden.
The gardens the place i’d rather be, it’s like producing art, art that changes on a weekly basis.
If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?
We are now on a WP quote repeat cycle. This question was last asked on the 2nd of March 2023.
Back then the answer to the question from me was “Impossible” and I include the link to it here Thoughts 2/3/23
It’s pointless blabbering on about it again when it’s already out there. It’s only a short piece and I can’t think of any other words to add to it apart from a couple used by the younger set being, “Babe,” I hear that word and I cringe, or the word “Like” used as an informal adverb, though it is used so often in that context it’s now quite formal and swamping conversation.
adverb
1. INFORMALused in speech as a meaningless filler or to signify the speaker’s uncertainty about an expression just used.”there was this funny smell—sort of dusty like”
2. INFORMALused to convey a person’s reported attitude or feelings in the form of direct speech (whether or not representing an actual quotation).”so she comes into the room and she’s like ‘Where is everybody?’”
Oxford English dictionary
Oh well, that’s me moaned out for the day.
Have a great day out there today. And if you have sun – enjoy 😉
What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?
Well there’s a question.
I think my biggest personal challenge is going to be health related, things that have concerned me in the past, that were under control, have now started to raise their horrible little heads above the parapet again. But there is always hope, and if you have a modicum of hope then you are in a good place. Anyway I’m not going to bore anyone with my issues.
Let’s look at what other challenges I’m liable to face in the next six months. I know that within the next few weeks my wife will be saying that the house needs to go up for sale, that’s because we’ve been looking around a little town on the outskirts of where we live and we’ve seen some nice properties, ones that remain warm in winter unlike our old 1930s semi that we currently reside in. And when that day comes where she says it’s happening, I’m then going to be fully employed getting the place spruced up and dealing with those little diy projects that I’ve put on hold for sometime. That said, we also have a plan if we don’t decide to sell, where we are going to extend the property that will also keep me occupied for many a month.
So I anticipate being challenged to work as much outside of work as inside it, but hey that’s nothing new!
I think in the Uk as general though, we are all going to be challenged over the next few months especially with the ever increasing cost of living, and a wage structure that is not rising commensurately. Businesses, especially those smaller ones that are failing miserably as there is no support from a system that is systematically strangling the life from them, I know of this first hand as friends in such a business are really struggling.
So forget my little struggles, as a society the next six months, will probably make or break us as a collective, it’s getting to the point that one more little straw will break the camels back. I sincerely hope I’m very wrong and everything will miraculously change, but it’s just that my realistic head thinks it’s not going to be, but as I said at the very beginning this is where “Hope” comes in to play.
I Hope that things improve for everyone in the next six months, as it cannot be allowed to decline any further.
To be honest there would be a small number of things I’d advise teenage me to reconsider.
Firstly to avoid negative people whenever possible, as they drain every single last piece of hope and happiness from you. What they gain from it, I just don’t know. They are poisonous.
Take every opportunity to learn, don’t get caught out by the advance of technology, be a step ahead of yourself and protect your place in society.
Avoid addiction at all cost, your life is literally in your hands, don’t follow like a sheep, be brave and say no, you’ll thank me later in life.
Be your own boss, grab the opportunity to step out on your own, and be answerable to yourself only.
Move to a country where you pay less to the taxman.
Just be nice to people. It will open many doors for you.
This time I’ve gone with a basic cross. I’ve always stated there was always a reason behind every tattoo I have and this one is no different. This represents my faith, I don’t push it to anyone it’s very personal, but some times I question it, and go quite deep with it.
We had an old cross in the house and I often looked to that in times of fear and uncertainty. The reason that it is a battered cross, matches my faith and my upbringing. It’s always there in some form but it’s been through some battles with me and is scarred. But it still remains, it’s still there battered and damaged, but still represents strength and hope.
The transferFinished Wrap removed, cleaned now to heal
Simple is all it needs to be, such a symbol does not need complexity, and now late in my life I’m happy and confident enough to be proud of my faith and what this symbol means to me, and how it helped me through such a horrendous childhood. I choose this as art that represents a period of my life, and as always if anyone asks me what it represents, I can honestly tell them how this helped me through troubled times.
In a nutshell, doing nothing or having nothing to do bores me immensely. I actually asked my wife prior to answering this question what she thought I’d write and she said exactly the same, “Doing nothing”.
She was spot on.
I feel as if I have to be busy to justify myself, even on rare days off I have to be doing something or else I feel I have accomplished nothing and wasted that day. However there are times you just have to do what your body tells you and just rest. Yes, I understand that, but even then I feel as if for some reason that I’ve cheated myself and others around me that day. I don’t know why.
It’s the reason I have so many hobbies. If there is nothing to do around the house then I pick up on one of my hobbies hence you can see the long list of stuff I have created or repaired in the margins of this blog.
I’m not a live wire, hyperactive or anything like that but I’m always plodding on just doing stuff. On holiday I’m quickly bored and have to be studying the local area, getting to know how it runs, who’s in charge and what’s the history. If there is a fault in the hotel room 9 times out of ten I’ll fix it. Yes I do take a small repair kit with me, don’t ask why I do it, I just do. It’s about the only thing I really pack as the wife has packing the cases off to a tee, and she’s given up questioning why I take it now, it’s permanently in the case.
A good example of this is that on our recent journey to Iceland, whilst putting the case on the baggage conveyor it split open, the zip failed. Not good. It was about 5:30 in the morning and there were no shops or baggage wrapping services open. Did i panic? Yes a bit, but I had my kit with me so I went and sat in a quiet area, much to the wife’s displeasure and got out a needle and thread, the zip had split right at the end where it should have a small metal clip holding both sides of the zip together. However the clip had departed, gone forever. With the needle and thread I was able to create a stopping point for the zip and permanently hold the zip together quite sturdily, at its previous point of weakness. So about 30 mins later I was back at the conveyor with a repaired bag that made it out to Iceland and back to the UK in one piece with no further issues.
I now use this as the example as to why my little repair kit is an essential travel companion.
So inactivity bores me. And fixing something really makes me feel good, no matter how small that fix is.
Thank you for popping by, here’s hoping each and everyone of you has a peaceful and productive day.
My every day routine is to start the day with at least two cups of tea, this is normally the kick in the pants I need to get into the groove as they say. Funny enough though this routine will be affected today as after only one cup we have run out of tea bags. A childish mistake we have made by not having enough in stock before we went on holiday.
It’s funny that on holiday my routine changes and the tea becomes coffee, a drink that at home I wouldn’t even entertain until at least elevenses.
So that’s my drinking routine on a standard day, however I guess my favourite is Water, i never seem to drink enough of it, allegedly. I’m not one of these people that carries around a vessel that looks like a small barrel, I’m a chancer kind of person who just takes a swig whenever I’m near a water tap. I do take a small flask in the work van with me but that is never enough to satisfy a thirst.
We all need water so why wouldn’t it be everyone’s favourite? We’d all be extinct without it.
Today will be consumed by just the one activity, we are heading down to the south coast of the island, somewhere we have never visited before. So today will be Black beaches, Volcanoes, Glaciers and Waterfalls. We’ve been looking forward to this one.
On our way we passed the volcano Nick named by those who struggle with the Icelandic language as E15. Why E15? Well it began with the letter “E” and has 15 other letters after it that’s why! Its proper name is Eyjafjallajökull, you will know of it, as it was the one the erupted in 2010 causing all the disruption to European airspace as its massive cloud blanketed Europe. It looked so serene from the bus as we passed by on our journey south.
Eyjafjallajökull from the route one road
Leaving early from the city centre we were heading out on Route 1, the island circular road that encompasses the island, we will be heading south for approx 2.5hrs towards Reynisfjara beach just outside the town of Vik.
From this point on I’m going to post some pictures as written text does not do these places justice.
Reynisfjara beach
Reynisfjara beach
Strong seas at the black beach
Rock formations on the black beach
And this video at the black beach sums it all up. It was shot in normal full colour mode but all you can see is black and white, maybe the odd colourful coat or two on passing tourists.
Full colour, but black and white
After some time at the beach just drinking in its mystical majesty and getting some fantastic pictures we moved on to the town of Vik, about 20 minutes away to have some lunch. A very pleasant Lamb Stroganoff later we moved on to our next point of interest.
Sólheimajökull Glacier
Sólheimajökull glacier is a perfect example of how global warming is effecting the last remaining glaciers in Iceland, that are retreating year on year at quite an alarming rate. However, it is a beautiful site, what is left. They say that within 150 years there will be no remaining Glaciers on this island.
Sólheimajökull glacier
Glacier ice pack
Panorama capturing the glacier decline. Only a few years ago this entire lake was solid glacial ice, now the only remaining glacier can be seen on the far right.
From here we went on to visit our first of two waterfalls we would be seeing today and this first one has always been one I have wanted to visit.
Skógafoss falls
Skogafoss falls are purely wonderful. With a four hundred plus step climb up to its top you can look down onto the river as it makes its descent to the ground below. It is a magical and most beautiful site surrounded by volcanoes and lush green land. (As the snow has all gone)
Skogafoss waterfall time lapse
Volcano
Long climb up the side
Skogafoss waterfall standard shot
From here we moved on to our second waterfall and last point on today’s trip. This waterfall has a uniquely individual twist to it, you can actually walk behind it if the weather is good enough, and today it was fine. Just be prepared to get wet as it’s a constant mist of water all the way around.
It’s been a day of pure majesty and scenes of some of natures finest displays of grandeur and beauty. We haven’t even began to scratch the surface of some of the places we can visit here, there is so much more to see and do. And I’m certainly hoping we are back here again soon as we are both still very much in love with this island.
I won’t be posting a day 5 post as that will be a day of recovery from all the walking, some packing and dinner at the Hard Rock Reykjavik. All pretty boring stuff. I will however do a little recap post with some other pictures when we arrive back in the Uk. So thanks for looking in, it’s always appreciated. Back to boring old fixing stuff next week.
Anyone who’s been to this part of the world has probably been on the golden circle tour, which is a great introduction to what this area has to offer.
However we are not, as we’ve been here before and done that, so the next couple of days will be spent doing variations of that trip to our own agenda. Today was one of those days. We’ve spent the morning after breakfast browsing the area. I always look for an item to take home that will remind me of our visit and today I think I have found the item I would like. It’s a piece of art on glass painted by a superb glass artist named Ella Rosinkrans. Ella is one of only a few glass artists on the island and has been designing and creating these art forms for about the last 25 yrs. it also helps living near the Eyjafjallajökull volcano as all the black portions of her art contain ash from this volcano that caused so much disruption back in 2010 when its eruption closed airspace over Europe for a number of weeks.
Anyway I will be purchasing one of her items as a memento of this visit. We will be back to her studio on day 5 to collect it.
Whilst browsing the shops we came across this one. the shop name loosely translates as “The Golden Cat” it hadn’t opened yet, however patiently waiting at the door for opening time was….a black cat.
The cat patiently waiting for the shop to open
We then popped around to the original Reykjavik cathedral just down by the old government building.
The old Cathedral The Cathedral interior Cathedral roofCathedral organ Cathedral exterior The old government building “Alping”
As with a lot of Reykjavik this cathedral had a big connection to Denmark. it was built by the Danish king at the time, built for the people around a time of great hardship as a place where they could all congregate for safety.
We then moved on to our next activity.
The Blue lagoon here in Iceland is on the to do list for many. Based near the town of Grindavik the scene of recent volcanic activity, this is a geo thermal spa where the water is pumped from the local power station. The area has been subject to emergency closures and is still under such an order due to the unpredictability of the seismic activity in the area. We’ve visited before so this year we have decided to try another lagoon closer to the city centre. We have found one just 15min drive out side of Reykjavik called the Sky Lagoon.
Sky Laggon Reykjavik (Picture Skylagoon)
Only opened in recent years this is a custom built lagoon / Spa where the order of the day is to take in the Skjól bathing ritual a seven stage experience that relaxes and invigorates you inside and out. I was sceptical but I must admit it’s a worthwhile experience although the cold sessions were quite horrendous seeing the outside temperature was -6. As I said it was a worthwhile experience.
Lovely hot water.
Sauna view
Various locations around the lagoon
The day finished with us all feeling refreshed, we then headed back to the city where we convened at a bar for some dinner. One of our party is a football fan whose team were playing and fortunately they won so the day came to a pleasant happy ending.
Twister cocktail
The Twister cocktail was a nice way to finish the evening, I believe it consisted of Rum. Peach schnapps and other bits. Oh, and an ice lolly on the top. Good stuff!
Foxes Den 
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