Mountain view – Abstract

Mountain View

Another production on an iPad from my 2012 era. God knows what I was on at the time as I was doing some right old tripe. But hey ho, it’s done and it covers a particular time of my life so it has to go out there. Not just showing the good stuff (not that I do any good stuff….). I guess if I had a name such as Picasso or Banksy it would be worth an absolute fortune. But I don’t, and it’s not. Enjoy, laugh, critique, slap your forehead. At least it’s got a reaction 👍

Are you busy?

This is the first prompt for days that I’ve been able to answer as I’d already answered those others previously. I’m going to make a slight change to this prompt and remove the word “Hate”. I never use this word as it’s such an awful one, and unfortunately it’s too prevalent in our world at present. I’m going to use the word “Dislike” as dislike can always be improved upon rather than the other word that is just so final. Once Hate is in place. There really is no turning back. So here we go.

What is one question you dislike being asked? Explain

Anyone that keeps an eye on this blog and reads the content will know I’m an individual who likes to keep himself busy. Just look at the projects and stuff I’ve posted recently, and the fact I still have 18 posts still in draft mode and you will see I’m a busy guy. On top of that I am a full time employed individual with a house to run a garden to look after and a wife who loves spending (Bless her x)

My time is quite well planned, so when that phone call comes in asking me, “Are you busy?” That’s when I have a sharp intake of breath. Normally it involves fulfilling tasks for friends and family, giving time that is precious to me and in many cases already accounted for. Now don’t get me wrong, I do not mind helping anyone, there is no greater pleasure in seeing someone’s face light up at the end of a well done project. The thing is I take so many on, that it normally means the same job at my own home is being neglected, it’s always more fun doing the job at someone else’s property for some unknown reason though.

The reason I dislike being asked is that I just can’t damn well say no. Saying no makes me feel guilty but that’s just the guy I am. I guess to me it’s just like that word “Hate” it’s just not in my vocabulary.

So that’s why I dislike being asked this question as I’m just not wired to say “No”.

One day I’ll learn to say it. But that’s not today. And probably even tomorrow.

Hey ho.

Happy days everyone.

Inactivity, so boring

What bores you?

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.

Stay safe.

Good old H2O

What is your favorite drink?

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.

Happy day to you all.

Eh….yes! Sorry

Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?

I’d be a liar if I said no. And so would a large percentage of everyone else.

The Uk is full of laws. Bye laws, little sub laws that we all fall foul of from time to time. Whether it be parking on a kerb in a hurry, accidentally dropping litter, allowing your dog to foul in a public area we are all guilty.

Come to Leicester and the quality of driving will shock you. There are probably third world countries (I don’t like that term) who have better road behaviours than what you witness up here. No one pays any attention to traffic lights, and by the way, Leicester have more traffic lights per mile than any other town and city in the Uk! Thanks for that you town planners.

Red lights here just mean go faster, you really do take your own life in your hands attempting to cross a road up here. Add to that everyone’s journey is more important than yours, and then that’s what adds to all the speeding and racing on open public roads. It really is utter madness.

Petty theft is high up here, shop owners lose an absolute fortune, however this seems to be a trend across the whole Uk as certain members of the general public decide, “ Damn, why should I pay? Nothing is going to happen to me anyway.” So under the coat it goes and then it’s away. The Police forces here are struggling to address this epidemic that is spreading across our entire country.

Personally it’s something I’ve never knowingly done, but if I did get away with not paying with something for some obscure reason, i very much doubt I’d go back to correct the situation. They’d have been a time when I would have, but I probably would not now. How times and attitudes have changed.

And this is it. It seems that petty crime, the breeding ground for more advanced crime has not been nipped in the bud and the consensus is, if they can get away with it then why can’t I?

Bang – there’s the problem. It needs addressing urgently.

So yes I have broken the law unintentionally on many occasions and I guess that’s the way it will be for the foreseeable future.

Attitudes and perceptions of right and wrong have changed, and in the good old fashioned way of following each other like sheep, that’s the way it will continue going. We lack guidance from the authorities, we have no shepherd to guide us anymore.

We have no law makers or politicians that have the necessary backbone anymore. And without good leaders you will never have committed followers.

Right, I’m off to probably break some unknown law or bye law. And I haven’t even risen from my bed yet. It’s a crime to be awake at this time.

Stay safe. Peace.

Thanks, again

I have already thanked everyone on 26th January this year for your kind support on getting me up to 100 subscribers on this site. It really is appreciated and today I need to thank you again on getting me to a 10k views notification.

Thank you 🙏

I’m not a consistent blogger as my posts vary greatly, I know there is quite a range in quality but I make no apologies for that. I’ve always suffered with quite severe mood swings due to a number of factors that I won’t dwell on here, and this site was created as an extension of the journal I used to write at home. That journal had some extremely worrying matter in it and I always encouraged my wife to read it, (As I’m a bloke who doesn’t openly talk) and as a result she pulled me out of some deep ravines and I am eternally grateful to her for that. That said I decided to take the Journal one step further and it is now online for all my family as well as you good souls to see. As a result you will see the good and the not so good, but believe me I am in a much better place for having you all around me.

Thanks for just being there, you will never understand just how much it helps.

And yes, I do talk more and I suggest everyone who is suffering in silence breaks that mould, and talks to someone. Do not please suffer in silence. And I’m always here to lend a listening ear.

Eternal thanks to each and every one of you.

Peace 🙏

A day with those who have gone before

Describe your most ideal day from beginning to end.

If just for 24hrs you could be with those you miss the most, those who have gone before you who have left you with so many unanswered questions, this would be the perfect day.

To spend more time with loved ones, to walk another mile with them, hold hands and just look at that reassuring smile, how lovely would that be?

Talking with them to the point that comfort and assurance is restored and having those doubts and worries brushed away. To know they really are happy, well and worry free, and that you are loved and still looked after, wouldn’t that just be perfect?

The end of the day would come, you’d be upset for sure, you’d say gentle goodbyes, but this time you’d be smiling, what a difference to the last time you parted company. You could now live the rest of your life free and without the worries and doubts of your past to haunt you. No more grieving.

Never again to ask the question, “What if?” as you’d already have the answers.

What a lovely day that would be❤️

No tradition, totally random

We are not a traditional family, apart from birthdays and anniversaries there’s not much traditional that we do. We are pretty much a day to day gathering of randomness at its best.

We like what we like, we do what we do. And we enjoy each and every minute of it. Let’s be honest there is not a great deal to celebrate at this moment so you have to make the most of what you have.

A lot of people will probably be able to list a whole raft of traditions they adhere to that have been passed down through the generations, that is not so for me, as my family are somewhat dysfunctional in many aspects.

Not bad in intentions though, as we are quite spontaneous. We may pay the price in embarrassment and discomfort however we are able to laugh at our situation and ourselves and that is always acceptable. (In our eyes)

Don’t be too serious, as life will always bite your ass. Laugh and learn, live and love. Don’t take life so seriously, You’ll go far.

Peace to you all.

Work – Life balance

What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?

I thought that i may have answered this prompt in the past, but it seems i have not, well done WP, something original.

Like most people my leisure time is important, it’s only in the last two to three years that i have genuinely separated my free time from work time. I’ve definitely created a work – life balance and it was long overdue.

Taking just today for example, the wife has gone out to one of her ladies gatherings, I’m sitting here typing this, and very shortly i will be going out for a couple of miles of walking on what seems like a nice sunny winters day. We’ll have some breakfast when we return, i shall tinker on a project or two and then we will get ready a little later as we are out with family tonight for a “Burns night” supper, as my wife has Scottish roots from her mothers side of the family. No doubt this will involve a few drinks and should be a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

My leisure time is always the complete opposite to work, I don’t worry or stress, and any day away from work is treated like annual leave, yes it really is a holiday where i do whatever i want whenever i want, nothing is out of bounds, even if it is only for a day.

And thats how it should be. The old adage is that life is so short, live for today, don’t fret about tomorrow and just bloody well enjoy yourselves.

Sing, dance do whatever, don’t be embarrassed, the chances are that the people around you watching you have fun will never bump into you again. And if they do, they will remember you as someone just enjoying life.

What’s to lose? Just those ties that hold you down, just shake them off.

Have a lovely day.

Laughs & Giggles

List five things you do for fun.

Good morning all. I’m having to get my thinking head on today for this one, not that I don’t have fun, but when put on the spot like this you have to think the answer over. There are probably things that I call fun that others out there would probably find nauseating and strange. Hey, we are all individuals and it would be boring if we were all the same. I’ll do a little list now but it’s not an exhaustive list, this is only a list of things I might do. I’m sure there are plenty other activities I can turn to:

  • Football: Been following my team Leicester City, through good and bad in excess of 30 years now. Unfortunately, now is a bad spell but that’s the trials of being a fan of any sport. And I love having a Balti pie and a pint, or in winter a nice hot cup of Bovril. It’s tradition.
  • Walking: to be honest haven’t done a lot of late but I’m already planning some nice walks to do in the next couple of months. There is nothing better than getting out there into nature and just drinking it all in. You have time to think and clear your mind, and it’s probably one of the best and healthiest activities you can get involved in.
  • Art: I love art and have a genuine appreciation of anyone that gives it a go. I’m really bad at it but I’m a trier. let’s be honest some of the worlds finest artists must have been bad at some point, it’s just I’m making an art of being bad. It gives me immense joy and satisfaction just creating something, so it can’t all be that bad….can it?
  • Holidays: My wife and I have found that since our dog passed away we now have a lot more time and availability on our hands. We are now taking a good few holidays and having more short breaks away. We love each other’s company and that’s a good place to be. We have holidays in Iceland, Uk and I believe we are planning one to the Caribbean later in the year. I say “I believe” as the wife is concocting a plan with her cousin for the big holiday at the tail end of this year.
  • Family days/nights: Our families are quite spread out around the Uk/Sth Africa/ Australia so it is rare to get a good gathering of the clans together. When it does occur as it did around July last year it is pure carnage, but good old fashioned raw fun and laughter. You need this every now and then to charge the memory banks. Here’s to the next one.

And that’s probably that, for now, I think these activities probably rate in my mind as the five things I most enjoy participating in, for fun.

Have a great day everyone, may peace and joy radiate throughout everything you do.