Tag: Thoughts

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.

Of love and appreciation

Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received.

My mother on her death bed bless her, turned to me and my wife whilst we were beside her and said, “You are a wonderful couple”

The last few words this beautiful soul ever spoke and they were to the both of us. It is the most precious memory I hold and the finest gift I have ever received. It was like a moment of full flowing love and appreciation, we were in her thoughts at the very last moment of her existence.

Some gifts do not come in a physical form, sometimes a gift is given in a form that just cannot be replicated, a real one time special offer, exclusive just for you. And this was ours.

Often talked of by us. Never to be repeated, but forever remembered and cherished.

The last words of a much cherished and kind hearted soul who made and shaped my world. My mother. ❤️

The gift of words, original and heart felt, and very much exclusive.

Peace to you all.

Day two – Reykjavik

Well we are actually on day three but I’m writing this in past tense. I’m struggling to find the time to be honest, we’ve kept ourselves very busy.

Day two has been a quieter day, it’s Sunday and we had a late night last night, so today we are relaxing as we have a couple of busy days ahead. The plan today was just to saunter around, stay local and chill, and that is quite easy when wind chill is taking temperatures down to minus eight degrees Celsius.

So we did chill we went to a local museum/exhibition centre called Perlan

Perlan is an all exhibition of all that has made Iceland, its natural wonders, its wildlife and its people. It’s a fantastic place to spend a few hours learning something of the history of this island. It’s an immersive exhibition with a number of shows about auroras, volcanoes and glaciers, it also looks into global warming and the issues of protecting this fragile environment. There is also a 100mtr ice tunnel at minus 15 degrees that replicates an ice tunnel found in a glacier. The 360 degrees view from the observation deck are superb.

Ice tunnel
Coldest seat in the house
Views of the city from the viewing deck

And another thing, the Icelanders love their signage, no messing about, straight to the point they say what they mean. Here are two examples, one is found on a sealed off door to a shop, the other is in a bar.

The closed off door
And the sign on the door

And here is the one in the pub. No messing.

We get the message

So we finished the night at a new bar called Skor that we found, based on darts where you play different games. You hire the board in a way similar to how you hire a lane in ten pin bowling. This was a nice way to finish the day.

Darts games

After that we wandered back to our hotel, look what came out to greet us for the second night on the trot.

Two nights on the trot. We have been blessed.

And what a way to finish the night. Two nights in a row, we were truly blessed.

Happy day all.

Difficult to impossible

Write about your approach to budgeting.

To be honest I think I’m pretty good at budgeting as long as I don’t have my wife beside me when I’m making a decision on how to budget.

Bless her she seems to be one of this group of people that sees the word “Shop” and then she’s off.

And if the shop mode is in full swing then all thoughts of budgeting are out the window.

It’s the same with home improvements, I’m the practical one who will size a job up, get it planned and priced and she will come in at the last moment and add her requests and all of a sudden a perfectly decent price will now double because she’s probably added some unnecessary upgrades that weren’t really needed.

It’s different but you become used to it. I’m absolutely sure that in a previous life she was a lady of the manor, however I am not unfortunately on the earnings of a lord.

So I am quite good at budgeting, however nine times out of ten I don’t bother as it’s a pretty impossible task.

Have a lovely day..

I’d love to be, but unfortunately I’m not allowed.

Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you?

It’s nice to see patriotism being shown all across any nation in the world. It’s good to show a love and a belief in all that your country and its people stand for. It allows everyone else looking in to know that its people can’t be walked all over and pushed around, they all stand together.

However in the Uk a good majority of its own people hate to see anyone showing any pride. You quite simply get labelled as being, far right, fascist, racist you name it. It’s just not fitting the current climate of opinion or agenda to show any patriotism.

What’s the point. Am I patriotic? Yes. But just like discussing religion or politics, I just keep it to myself. My business.

Label me if you must, but I’m not the idiotic one, take a look in the mirror and make a change.

Have a wonderful day.

Day one – Reykjavik

This is our third visit to Iceland and today has been a long one due to us travelling for the most part of it. However I’d like to share these little snippets with you.

Last night was special we witnessed the Aurora Borealis right over our heads in the centre of the city. Quite a spectacular show. Aurora Borealis – Northern lights, Iceland

We also did a few touristy things and here is some of what we saw and did.

A bicycle for four
Some fantastic paintings
The old parliament buildings looking out towards the mountains. Looks so different without the snow that normally adorns the area

We popped in a local bar to watch a game of football and to grab something to eat and drink. The beer – local IPA was nice, the brand name was questionable though 😂

And I don’t mean Carlsberg 😂

And did you know what the third most popular tourist attraction in Reykjavik is? it’s probably not what you think but it is, the Icelandic Phallological Museum otherwise known as the museum of the Penis. Stay with me now…it’s quite an experience.

The museum is a collection of “Penis’s” from animals around the globe and every mammal on the island is represented. It all stems from the curators fascination with the form from an early age and this collection was formed as a result. That said there are also “representative” examples of creatures from folklore such as “Trolls”. Just have a look at the link I posted above to find out more yourself.

However the cafeteria and bar area is quite something itself with tee shirts, gifts and food a plenty all in keeping with the subject of the museum.

Phallic shaped waffles
Phallic shaped wine decanters
Entry sign into the museum
The Big Cock ale was a nice pint….believe me.

The food and drink is of a very good standard, the surprising fact is that a massive 60% of all visitors are female. That is the very hing that strikes you as you walk in, just how many women work there and are also there as visitors. You do hear an awful lot of laughing and it is all mostly tongue in cheek fun. A day out. It’s worth popping your head in the door and having a visit though. I’ll save pictures of the exhibits for another day, as waking up to a barrage of penis pictures doesn’t feature high on everyone’s daily agenda.

Have a great day and peace 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.

Mañana man

If there was a biography about you, what would the title be?

Mañana man

Procrastination, thats me to a tee, or should i really say it used to be. I don’t know, ill tell you what, ask me tomorrow.

That’s me that is 👆

I used to always work in the future, always putting off until tomorrow something that could be done today. Even my bosses knew that i could be relied on to do a job, they just didn’t know when though.

They tried getting me to do daily to do lists, this worked for a while until i turned them into daily tomorrow lists. They gave up in the end and just subtracted 24 hrs off my weekly schedule to make it look like i was being productive on a daily basis. It made them feel as if they’d achieved something. Losers.

It’s probably why i loved visiting our friends in Cyprus so much. The procrastination levels there are through the roof and i thought i fitted in well. My mate would tell me he had a Plumber coming Wednesday, however the key thing he omitted to find out was just on what Wednesday they would be arriving! The levels of procrastination were skill level 2000, these guys were ultra professional.

Over time i have gotten better, but do you know what? It’s never really caused any issues and on many occasions my putting off doing things has fitted in extremely well when there have been changes made to plans along the way…I hadn’t wasted any time, unlike others.

And as for my wife and her numerous 6 monthly reminders..

Ill do it tomorrow

I always tell her it will be done tomorrow. And we all know that never comes.

Mañana man

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all ❤️

Stupid volcano

I know this sounds like a stupid title for a post, it is really, it’s one of those impatient child like statements that we, so called adults make from time to time.

We’re off to Iceland again this weekend and it’s always been one of my dreams to be able to witness an erupting volcano. However not a massive one, a small inconspicuous non invasive one would do just fine.

Picture courtesy of Perlan

At the moment the weather in Iceland is actually warmer and better than it is here in the East Midlands, and that always confuses me due to their proximity to the arctic circle. I lay money on it, what usually happens is we head on home and then the land blisters and there is a new eruption for a few months. But when we plan to return the land seals up like a small surface cut and then scabs over.

It’s quite frustrating

Icelands volcano cams

I constantly check in with the local news streams, as well as looking at the large amount of Volcano cams that are online and providing live coverage of the most susceptible areas.

That said we are really looking forward to our break in the land of ice and fire, however at the moment there doesn’t seem to be much of either.

Happy days.