And 2017 is underway............

2017 - can you believe we are now into the late teens of the new millennium? It seems only yesterday that we were worrying about entering the new century. And nearly 2 decades are past. How did the happen? A question I seem to be asking every day.

Christmas and New Year were quiet times around here, but lovely nonetheless. And, as I said last time, technology played a major roll in linking the far-flung members of my little family together neatly. Diana, in a moment of genius, ordered personalised Christmas Santa hats for us all, and then, once we had had suitable Christmas Day photos taken, made a collage of us all. As a friend said - an excellent idea for this year's Christmas card!  If we have to spend Christmas in three countries, making a family photos impossible, this was the perfect way to overcome that little problem.

We made sure we wore those hats on all possible occasions.

Looking like an elf is just fine.

And yes, most people call me Linds. 

We had our first snow this morning. Not very much, and it didn't last long, but it is definitely colder at the moment. Winter has been very mild so far. I have seed crackers in the oven, and a candle burning, and it all looks very cosy. And, as it happens, I am even wearing the jumper in the photo! 

The family are back from the Alps, and Diana has plans to head home for a few weeks in May, so there is lots to look forward to with delight.

So, here we are. 2017. 

I usually choose a word to be my focus for the year. Some years I can manage to remember what I am doing easily. Not so much in others. This year is enormously challenging  in terms of the way my world is heading, so I am choosing one word defining courage. 

Dare. 

I want to be stepping out of the ordinary and daring to follow some dreams, ideals. To be crossing more off the lists. To try new, different, strange options. To be out there in the world, despite everything which says don't. To dare. Be brave. Do it anyway. 

That takes courage, and sometimes, it seems mine is in short supply. This is an uncomfortable new aspect of my life  I am talking of here. I don't do wimp. I never have. But time and events......

It happens. That is now on the not an option list. I refuse to hide away from the world. 

So in 2017, I am going to DARE to do stuff. 

Watch this space. 

The very best part of the year ........

Meet little Lucky. 

Before he was born, Missy referred to him as Lucky. In fact she insisted that this was going to be his real name when he was born. And so, it is actually lovely that I can use that as his name here on the blog. 

In this photo, he was just a few days old. He is now 7 months, with twin dimples and gleaming eyes, and a huge grin. Hair growing and chewing everything. Rolling, and sitting and doing all the things little boys will be doing and specialising in capturing hearts. 

I will do a Letter to my Grandson soon. The one I did the day Missy was born is still special to me. Lucky needs one too. 

I started reading all the blog posts I had missed during the year yesterday, and it was incredibly hard. I was running a real gamut of emotions. So much has happened. Dearly loved people have died, there have been births, joys, devastating events, and so much more. Grief. Despair. Fear. Joy. Celebration. Excitement. Loneliness. Worry. Illness. Redundancy. Marriage. Divorce. Babies. Adventure. Delight. 

Life, in all its many guises has been happening, as it always will. Night follows day. The earth keeps turning. 

I think it is knowing how much support all of you have been to me over the years - I wanted to be there for all of you too. And this time I wasn't. I am so sorry. You have all crowded back into my heart where you belong, and there you will stay. 

So I am wishing you all a very happy Christmas - tomorrow is almost here - and a new year full of hope and love. 

Thank you for sticking around. 

xxx

A surprise for those who still pop in......

Hello, you lovely loyal people. And thank you for the emails, messages, tweets and all the other inventive methods of communication that you have used to check on me over the past umpteen months - I am here, and trying to remember how to make this blog creak into life again.

It may be a little basic for a while.

So much has happened. So let me start at the beginning.

In March, I went to visit my daughter in New Zealand. I flew to Sydney for a few days first, and arranged to meet up with old school friends and I cannot begin to tell you what a wonderful time I had with them. No time for jet lag - I had 2 days and 2 nights of jam-packed adventure, coupled with so much laughter, reminiscing, and fun. I walked on Bondi Beach. I stood on the steps of the Opera House, I experienced so much, but it was being with the people which made it so incredibly special. I stayed with a friend I have known all my life - Colin is the son of my mother's best friend, and we grew up together - so seeing him and his family and spending time with them was so special.

My whirlwind Aussie time was way too short, and I absolutely intend to return and spend more time discovering that amazing country. (And do some more of the catching up bit with old and fabulous friends, of course!) The latter part of next year is a distinct possibility.

And then I flew on to Wellington, and my girl. And we had the most fantastic 5 weeks together. My great friend, Lindsay, flew down from Auckland and we had 4 days exploring Wellington while Diana worked, and I took her to all my favourite places. I have them now, you see, which is great. I know my way around more of the city. The beaches are so close to where Diana lives, and I spent many an hour next to the sea.

And then we set off to the South Island for our big adventure - we saw the mountains, lakes, pancake rocks, seas, glaciers, snow - the whole beautiful place, Nelson, Queenstown, Dunedin, Christchurch, and Kaikoura and back. I will write more about the Great Adventure, but this is just a brief overview for now. I loved every moment. It was spectacular. Zillions of photos.

Home and off to the Isle of Arran in Scotland, to celebrate friends' 40th wedding anniversary. I travelled with friends from our village and we had an extra 2 days to explore, because none of us had been to Arran before. We loved it - and staying at a lovely resort with our big group was great too. More about that later.

So, and here we get to the momentous part of the year - you are being so patient.....

In May, after many years of heartbreak, my son and his wife welcomed the birth of their little son, who I will call Lucky. Missy, who will be 8 in February, has her longed for little brother, and he is an absolute delight. Because of multiple miscarriages, the pregnancy was a quiet one, accompanied by many prayers and all preparations delayed until he was almost here - but oh, is he ever gorgeous. Two dimples and a gleam in his eye and he has stolen all our hearts. The absolute best part of our year.

So, once he was safely here, I flew off to collect Mum so she could come home and meet her great-grandson. She had been with Marge while I was away. Oh, the excitement. So much love for the littlest ones in my family!

And, even better, Diana came home on a visit in June to meet her new nephew! That was such a treat for us all.

And then came the referendum.

2016 will go down as a seismic year for most of us - the very essence of everything I believed to be British has changed, and left me, and millions, floundering in a world we never thought we would experience. I cannot tell you how much I despair of the route the country seems to be taking. I am no longer at home here, and I have no idea what the future holds. Xenophobia is beyond evil. Ironically, even though I can trace our family back to the Dark Ages here in Britain, because I sound different and was not born here, I am perceived to be an immigrant. A foreigner. Which technically I am. Compassion, justice, standing up for the weak and defenceless, seem to all have been sacrificed on the altar of greed and power and self aggrandisement. I just do not understand how in a heartbeat, the world cartwheeled away from the values I had been taught all my life to this.

History will hold us all accountable.

The earth quaked in NZ, and Diana and her landlady had to move to higher ground in case of a tsunami - so many places were affected. Kaikoura, which I mentioned in our NZ travels, was a beautiful place. I am sure it still is, but it will be different now. We sat on the rocks there and watched the seals basking in the sun. Whales and dolphins playing off shore. Just beautiful. That was near the epicentre, and the seabed rose 6 metres there. Staggering. It is still cut off, I think.

Diana spearheaded an appeal via her job to create care packages for children in the earthquake zone, and she and her co workers made up 500 parcels, from donations, and each one included a handwritten letter of encouragement from another child in NZ. And then she flew to Nelson to assemble them all, and resource packs for churches and preschools, and helped to deliver the first batch. She was exhausted, but I am so incredibly proud of her.

The earth continues to rumble. They are as prepared as they can be. Buildings in the city centre are being demolished, close to where she works as well. Preparation is vital. Knowing what you have to do and where to go. Remind me to tell you about the lines painted in the roads, telling you which way to go in case of a tsunami.

And so the year tumbled on. My sister finally applied for a visa and came to visit, and two days after she left, I became ill. As in violently ill. 52 hours of vomiting left me in hospital for 4 days on drips and, once home, I lost all control of my limbs and was taken back to A&E by paramedics - not a stroke, as feared, but a complication of the chronic dehydration.

It has taken weeks to regain any energy. And I am not there yet - my hair has been falling out too. Just PEACHY. Not my finest moment.

So, here we are on what is almost the Eve of Christmas. One day early. The grandkiddies and their parents are in the Alps, so it will be quiet around here. I have a new puzzle to conquer. And I need to come and visit you all and see who is still around. I too think of you all so often. You carved a place in my heart years ago.

My own family have asked why I haven't been writing. And the one thing which has been a huge thing for me is simply this. I lost the words.

I lost the ability to string a few words together coherently. It just didn't happen. Even chatting, I found /still find it hard to think of the word I want to use. Part of CRPS? Medication? Who knows. Brain fog has always been an issue, but this was different. And it was so hard to talk about as well.

So,  I am going on a seek and find mission. Words, I am on your trail.

Today, after Vee's email, I knew I had to write something. I had forgotten my log in - thank heavens for Dashlane. I can't remember how to do photos. Have they increased the number we can post yet?

I will get there.

Merry Christmas to you and your families

Lots of love from Linds xxx

Daffodils etc........

Good morning!

 These daffodils are in full bloom on the roadside in the next village - there will be nothing left for Spring! This is a very strange winter indeed. 

Life in Middle England is poddling along in a slightly frenetic way, what with teeth, appliances and all the rest. But I am happy to report that the new dryer is in place. It arrived in the middle of pancake creation for Shrove Tuesday last night. I miss the old timer kind of dryer, where, if it wasn't completely dry, you could pop it on for another 10 minutes. This one thinks it knows better than I do. I foresee clashes of personality. However, the fact that it is unlikely to kill us is certainly in its favour. 

Speaking of pancakes, I made normal delicious ones for the family, and then decided to make low carb ones for me, seeing that I am avoiding all inflammatory foods like gluten, sugar etc. Well. "Pour into the pan" they said. What? That lump of clay? It was rigid. So I quadruple-checked the recipe and the delighted comments and wondered if I had suddenly landed on a foreign planet, lost the plot or lost my mind. No. I had followed the recipe perfectly. Pour? So I started adding almond milk to the mixture. Then it didn't thicken. So I attempted two which were inedible and tossed the whole lot down the loo. 

This is expensive. Especially when using almond flour here. I heated some leftovers for my supper instead and tried to ignore the delightful aroma of cinnamon on pancakes wafting past me. 

Ah well. Pancakes should be pancakes. Proper ones. I shouldn't mess with perfection. 

So this week, my daughter has a birthday, and next week, Missy will also be celebrating. Can you believe my granddaughter will be 7? Time really has flown by so fast. She is a delight, tall and skinny and full of energy and smiles. And dance moves. 

Her aunt has just been on a kayaking adventure with friends. She sent us a message to say they had been kayaking around a beautiful area and had seen a giant stingray and that was all delightful, but then at midnight, I read a NZ report about a great white shark being seen in the waters in exactly the same place. 2-3meters long. Well. The text messages were immediate - Shark. 2-3m. BIG shark. And a link to the article. By then it was midday there, and I had visions of her being eaten a la Jaws. Then I get a message saying - "That was where we were kayaking!"Glory be. I knew that. Imminent heart attack territory. 

Happily, she survived and loved her time away. 

My study is decorated with post-it notes by the hundred. And books of lists. I appear to be trying to control the entire universe, or so you would assume given all the bits of paper lying around. My short term memory is not stellar and I grab a post it note and by the time I find the pen, I have forgotten what I meant to write. Important things, of course. Thankfully, the dentist visits are, I hope over - David has had his wisdom tooth out, and Mum has finished all her appointments as well. Cross the dentist off the list. Doctors appointments are also almost sorted. The sense of satisfaction I get from crossing things through is immense. Every contract we have in this house seems to need rejigging at the same time, as I have said, and every rejig has its own list of things to do over set periods of time. More lists. 

Quotes. Insurances. Contracts. Regulations. The bits of life that no-one enjoys. 

Life. 

Time to go and eye the freezer and decide on supper. Oops - I have defrosted something for the slow cooker already - it needs to go on! 

In which I continue the white goods search......

Our exciting routine has meant yet another dentist appointment (Mum) today,  and that was followed by a quick trip Down South to get a few things from Ikea, Tiger and John Lewis. Like a tumble dryer to actually enable us to have dry clean clothes. An essential, one feels. 

My constant dithering makes these epic trips. Where is the woman who used to do the research, decide on an option and then go ahead and buy things without humming and hahing and vacillating back and forth endlessly? 

Lost. 

It is now a major mess when I have to decide. I try to out-think myself, and it is always a disaster. I nearly changed the decision once I was there, and then reverted to the initial one, written down in my book, moments before I paid the saleslady. Tuesday. We will have a tumble dryer on Tuesday. 

I also started a discussion re the oven. Bear in mind that mine has been 85% broken for the past 4 years, and using it is a hit and miss affair, and you will understand why the acquisition of a new one is rather urgent. In my defence, I have attempted to buy one a good many times over the past 2 years, but the sales team at our local JL has been less than stellar, and not very interested. 

But that was then, and this is today. 

I asked about ovens. I have an electric oven and a gas hob. I like the combination. It suits me. Well, apart from the time when I set fire to my hair by accident. That was not good. I like the instant heat - cooking speeds up. 

However, buying a new oven is not that simple. I am mortified by that state of mine. I will also need a new extractor hood and hob. But I can't even go there at the moment. The oven is top of the list of essentials right now. 

And then they change the rules. Safety measures.  Free space surrounding the appliance. New switches. Different amps. Check plugs. Oy. I have visions of being told I need an entire new kitchen to accommodate the new rules re ovens. Stoves. Things to cook on. So the oven I liked, I am told is old stock now. New ones are "better". Some say pyrolytic cleaning is best, some say catalytic lining is best. 

And the dithering grinds on. 

The ones I fell in love with (can one love an oven???) are not the ones I went to check out. But they have more complicated rules attached to them. And, of course, elevated prices. I have a list of measurements I am supposed to take, and the lady will call me on Friday and we will discuss what is allowed now and what is not. I am not thrilled that I can't just get one and install it. Scratch that - have it installed. 

So we came home for a late lunch and a nap. The brain is addlepated. 

I will be back tomorrow and I promise we will not talk about appliances. Not even once. 

And it is February already......

The days, weeks and now months are flying by at speed. The weather is totally off course here, and we have spring bulbs in flower and the blossom on the trees is opening more by the day. Heaven knows what this will mean to the actual spring and planting, and BUGS....

These are photos of flowers in my garden, taken in January. The garden should be in winter sleep mode in January, and wouldn't normally be photographed, so please excuse the dead stuff and empty pots. It is not supposed to have flowers in bloom either. 

I wonder what would happen if winter rolled in again? And here I am thinking that soon I will have to take the winter decorations down in the house and get out the spring boxes. Time flies....

I keep repeating myself.

Not a great deal of note has been happening here - well, apart from the normal for us - medical appointments, dentist visits, paperwork, trying to get things ticked on the ever growing to do list. Things which cannot be put off. The start of the year heralds the phone contract, the mobile contract, insurances, car services etc and I loathe having to do battle each year. It really is a battle. We are expected to shop around to get good value, and old fashioned things like customer loyalty are seen as a licence to print money by companies here - and I am sure all over the world. If you do not challenge a new quote from an existing supplier, they make a fortune. 

For example, my home insurance renewal arrived. I looked at it - up nearly £80 from last year. So I went on line, and got some cheaper quotes, then called my existing supplier. The quote immediately dropped substantially. To below what I paid last year. So why didn't they just do that in the first place? It enrages me, and then I sit here resenting the fact that I let myself become enraged. And then I resent the fact that I resent the fact. You get the picture. 

I should be all sweetness and light and skip happily through the process, treating it as a sweet game. Only no. I am not that kind of skippy person. 

Still, the flowers are pretty. And once I wade through the mess, I can relax until this time next year. Unless I have forgotten something vital. 

So, on to more sunny subjects. 

We have blue skies and sunshine again in Middle England. And the sun makes such a difference to one's mood. Until one sees the state of one's windows in the sunshine. I apparently lack Vitamin D. I suspect we all do in winter months. Ironically, we probably do in summer months too, given all the advice to keep out of the sun and the associated cancer risks. I see that rickets has re-emerged in some children once again. Interestingly, your face and hands only have to be exposed to sun for 15 minutes a few times a week in Spring and Summer to get enough Vitamin D. 

This is England. Sun is usually in very short supply. 

I have no idea how I ended up googling rickets. 

Last week, I went to see Jersey Boys at a local theatre. It was an excellent performance, even if I struggled to understand the Jersey Boys' accents initially. The singing was superb. The volume was very loud, and the theatre is not the most modern, so seats were rather thin, and consequently, I made some decisions re my next attempt at a musical outing. 

I will take the wheelchair, with cushions in place to minimise vibrations, and that way I will, hopefully, manage the entire performance. I absolutely loved the first half, but called it a day after the crashing booms of the finale, and left. BUT I went to the theatre and saw part of a show. This is huge  progress. 

We are getting there, people. 

Ear plugs, cushions, wheelchairs. Whatever it takes. 

It would help if the road surfaces were smooth, of course......

Happy Tuesday, to all of you!

Appliances, juggling and purple nails.....

You are all so sweet. I wish you could show up in the library on Friday to join us! I just get so frustrated by some younger specimens making assumptions about what those who may be slightly older are capable of doing. I tend to see it as older people having way more experience from which they can draw. 

But moving on......

I am in the middle of Strategic Planning. I swear I could mastermind a multi-disciplinary, multifaceted event, like a battle with my eyes closed and only one hand functioning. Ask any woman juggling older relatives, younger relatives, life and herself at the same time. We are amazing. We can do anything. Medical appointments, medications, tickets, travel, dentists, tumble dryers which may burst into flames, missing receipts, nails, cooking, shopping, hair standing on end..... (pause for deep breath) friends dying, birthdays, trains, house, classes, gym.......

Well, some gets shuffled to the side now and then, like the gym right now, but that is purely temporary. I sit down in the evening and fall asleep almost immediately. Logistics. Trying to get things to dovetail together. So very complicated at times. But, to get to Goal A, 5,465,829,456,926 things need to be sorted first. By me. Sometimes, the head crashes onto the desk, I confess. It is a challenge. I am, of course, very good at forgetting the "Pace Yourself" instructions which I know I have to follow. So there are always consequences. 

I have a fairly new tumble dryer, which happens to be one with a safety alert notice attached to the model. 8 million or so of them need to be adjusted to prevent them from bursting into flames and potentially burning the house down. Just PERFECT. Can you see me with physical limitations, or my 90 year old mother tossing a burning dryer out of the door with ease? Maybe not.  They are apparently safe to use, but not to be left. 

However, some still catch fire. 

So, in an organised fashion, while waiting for it to be fixed, I started hunting for the receipt. Hahahaha. All my receipts are kept together. HAHAHA. 4 hours later, I called the shop in desperation, and they, thankfully, were able to supply a replacement invoice for me. This is important, because, after reading of more disasters on their page, I decided that I didn't want an adjusted one. I want to get a totally different reliable one. One which has no intention of killing us. So I asked for a refund. And, unbelievably, they are giving me a full refund! Amazing. I was absolutely delighted.  I should imagine that they are only too happy to cross some names off the list. Now I await collection. Tomorrow I will sort the new one. Time. It all takes time, doesn't it.  

This is a totally boring post. 

Life a la Linds. 

I do have purple nails, though. Just to spice up my day.

I just wish you could see the to do list. The new oven was on it again - it has been on it for a good while. Years. But keeps getting kicked off for one reason or another. Ovens which are dependable are vastly over-rated, I keep telling myself. 

I clearly have a problem with appliances and need to get a life. But not long now, and I will have lots to tell you!

A little snow, and my Library Girls.......

Well, good morning to you all from a chilly Middle England. 

We (unexpectedly) had our first snowfall of winter on Saturday night. You know how you can check the weather app on our smart phones now? Well, I love checking what it is doing in all the places where I have loved ones, so it is a global feast of differences, and sure enough, approaching midnight on Saturday night, it said it was snowing  in Engelberg. Of course. It is winter in the Alps. Then I swiped to the side and got home, and it said it was SNOWING? What? I headed for the window, and sure enough, the white stuff was falling steadily. 

Such excitement. 

On Sunday morning, it looked very white and pretty and I popped out to take a few photos. Yes, I know. there is not that much, but we do enjoy having snow days! 

Anyway. I was going to tell you a little about my Friday afternoons. 

Somehow, I ended up volunteering to help people learn how to use iPads. I am sure I have mentioned this before. We have a wonderful librarian, with a talent for conversation, and the next thing you know, you are embarking on something different, without quite knowing how that happened. Caz is a star. 

So, I have had a group of ladies ranging in age from 40ish to 90something, meeting every Friday afternoon for well over a year, and I am not sure how much they gain in terms of knowledge, but we do have fun. There is a great deal of repetition, but that goes with saying, because I forget things too. 

The class got a little big, so I decided to split it in two, and this photo below is of the second class, which follows on after the first one each week. Two new ladies arrived last week, and so help me, a rapid introduction (for me) to the Kindle Fire and an Acer tablet ensued. I can do iPads, but other ones are a mystery, so there I was, typing in questions like "WHERE IS THE HOME PAGE" and "How do I find settings" into my iPad while frantically trying to keep everyone occupied, and appear as though I actually knew what I was doing. Actually, I just told them I didn't have a clue, but that we would Make A Plan. 

And we did. Sort of. Oy. I couldn't find the settings for ages, to connect the wifi. But we got there in the end, and I will have to check out a few more hows and whys before I can actually, you know, TEACH anything. They had fun chatting while I tried to appear intelligent. I had this same steep learning curb when one of the first class ladies arrived with a Samsung. I knew nothing. In fact, I remember messaging a friend, back then, who I knew had a Samsung and asking him to present himself at the library immediately to sort it out. He obliged, thank heavens.  

The week before, I had promised them all that we would do something exciting this last week. Something my mother reminded me of a couple of hours before we left for the library. I did have a plan, but I thought I would google "iPads for the older generation" to get some more ideas. My advanced class is slightly older than my newer class, which is made up of mothers and daughters. 

Well. 

They need to come and visit my classes. 

The vast majority of the "Best" "Essential" apps suggested revolved around when to take medication, medical appointments, where is my phone, call centres for the housebound and such like. Oh, and the occasional solitaire game. 

No inspiration there then. 

My lot LOVE Pinterest, groupon, TED talks, travel sites, emails, iBooks etc. Some use Facebook and some don't. They bank on line, join communities on line, read the news on line, order their food on line, do shopping for everything on line, search out information, recipes etc on line and are NOT susceptible to scams, because we cover scams Every. Single. Lesson. 

They edit the photos they take, visit comparison websites, and are old hands at Skype and FaceTime. Well, some of them are. Some are just realising they have access to them for the first time, but they are the newer ones. We are all about discovering the delights of technology. And of playing with the grandchildren at their own games too. In fact, now and then, my Library Girls surprise their own families. 

Somehow, the world seems to think that older people are techno-idiots. I am here to say they most certainly are not. In fact they are whizz kids. The oldest lady in the class is in her 90s, and is the quickest of the lot. Super bright. Not afraid to try, and super inquisitive. She is a delight. 

They all are. Mum comes along as well now and is loving Pinterest. She uses messages and FaceTime, email, Flickr and Skype quite happily too. They are not in the slightest bit interested in their medication reminders or such like. They want to have fun. (They do, however, all LOVE Spider. Aka Solitaire.)

The (iPad) Tablet revolution is just that. Tablets have revolutionised access to the Internet and been a huge game-changer for everyone, especially older people. And that will just increase as they become more accessible, affordable and people become more proficient. They can adjust fonts and lighting, they can still read books long after the actual book becomes impossible to decipher. So very many good points. I just LOVE mine. 

So what did we do last Friday? 

We opened Google Earth, selected places from their past, and set out to search them on street view. I cannot tell you how much fun was had by all, wandering down long forgotten streets, twirling around, visiting places which have changed so much over decades. Places of birth. Primary schools. Honeymoons. Far away places from long ago memories. The laughter was wonderful. The hour flew by, and they left to go and hunt out more treasures at home. 

Simple things. 

We talked about making 5 minute videos for our grandchildren, talking about memories, using bits and pieces to illustrate our memories. Like photos. Priceless. Our oldest lady used to clean tanks in the war, and those really were her glory days. They defined every part of who she became subsequently. I want to hear her story. She seems to be considering it. I have shown them how easy it is. Now we wait at see, with a little - a lot - more encouragement. We may start our own YouTube channel. Who knows. 

Some Fridays, I remember I have my classes and may feel a little tired before I go to that library, you know. It is a temporary feeling, because the moment I arrive and get chatting, I am totally filled with energy and it all comes from them. They are such fun. I forget me, and just enjoy them. 

I do think however, that I need to write a more realistic list of apps I would suggest for "the older generation". And what the heck is the older generation anyway? Over 100? We have stuff to do and things to experience, remember! 

Getting ready......

Good morning, all!

We have glorious sun, blue skies and it is COLD.

Hallelujah, winter is arriving.

The daffodils are blooming everywhere, hellebores are in flower and snow is forecast for us all this week. In fact, if some newspapers are to be believed, the coldest winter in 58 years is upon us. Yeah, right. Like last summer was supposed to be the hottest in living memory.

We definitely know that failed to occur.

I will report back in my snow gear in a couple of days. I may, however, do a quick grocery shop today, just in case. The prospect of surviving without milk is unthinkable. (I don't drink milk.) We will be prepared.

Life potters on - I am starting to get ready for Part 1 of my Year of Adventure, which is approaching rapidly. Thinking about logistics, and trying to sort all the balls floating about above my head into some kind of order. There is a lot happening this year. I have plans. I forget things, you see, so the plans need to be concrete. As in written down. They do involve aeroplanes and suitcases quite often, after all.

News of David Bowie's death yesterday was a sad surprise. He was one of the icons of my youth - who could forget Ziggy Stardust? Aladdin Sane? "Ground control to Major Tom....." Hugely influential, and such a trendsetter. Out of the ordinary became normal. I was a teenager and young adult at the start of the 70s and out of the ordinary typified my generation in so many ways. I have been singing Starman incessantly. Heroes too. He seemed to be ageless, didn't he? 69 is way too young to die, and also a little too close for comfort.

It tends to make one re-assess things with a little more focus. 

Living well is different for each of us. I can only speak for myself, but I am aware of things such as potential physical frailties, and pitfalls and I am trying to tick the boxes next to some of the dreams sooner rather than later. So much to look forward to! Both home and away. I really do not want to end up in a chair somewhere mulling over regrets and missed opportunities. Not my idea of fun. I would rather go and see and experience and live and breathe All The New Things which appeal to me now. While I can .

There are always valid reasons why one cannot do things. Family commitments, appointments, health, finances, logistics, distances. But equally, there are ways around some of them. As I explained  once, when my list of dreams such as seeing the Aurora Borealis was discussed, some people explore the world when they are young. Others, like me, have a family while young and then explore the world when they are older. Or try to, one way or another. Timing varies. But I will not sit at home dreaming for the rest of my life. That is not a life for me. I need to cross things off that list.

Part of this is cultural, you see. Growing up at the bottom of Africa, you are thousands of miles from everything, so there is always the desire to leave to go and travel, see, experience the big wide world. Geographical isolation tend to feed that desire. I know people here in the UK, and around the globe, who see no reason to travel more than a couple of miles. Ever. From those who do not want to cross the valley, to those who have never owned a passport. They are perfectly happy right here at home, and that is wonderful. It is just personal choice, after all. 

I am only speaking of myself.

Being married to a serial globetrotter for a very long time also contributes to my itchy feet. Geoff spent his entire working life travelling to the four corners of the earth, seeing amazing places, experiencing the unusual. Then he came home to tell me all about those exciting places, and he only ever wanted to spend his leave right here inside these 4 walls - which drove me crackers, because hello, we had been here all the time he was away and how about a change of scenery for us too now and then? The solution was going to sea with him when we could, but believe me, that wasn't always what I had in mind. And thank the Good Lord for a sister in the Alps. 

I just looked out of the window. That blue sky and brilliant sun I spoke of up there at the top of the page? History. Clouds rolling in. The weather people may be right this time. 

So, I am making plans. And lists. We need some excitement to talk about around here! 

Adventures.....

Good morning - This was dawn yesterday. Beautiful, isn't it? But that pink sky was accurate. Within an hour or two, the rain came and it was a really foul grey and wet day weather-wise. However, the dawn was stunning! 

A new year brings with it many resolutions, good intentions, plans, and changes. Well, it brings dreams of all these things. The reality is slightly less spectacular. I know this from long experience.

 There is, though, one idea that I really like - the one word choice. Finding a word you would like to focus on throughout the year. 

Last year, I decided to try to make things happen which had not been happening. Instead of saying, "I can't do ....." I decided to think rather of how I could make those can't do things into doable ones. I am sick of being restricted. It was the year of try to change things. A "can" year. And it worked in many ways. Not all, but we are getting there. 

So, Diana and I started the year by going to London for a day or two, and going to a show. Complete with booking disabled seating, taking foam blocks to help with vibration and sound, and earplugs. And it worked. I saw a West End show and lived to tell the tale. Believe me, it is not perfect. But it was doable. I hesitate to use the word tolerable, because that sounds negative and it was a wonderful and I had a lovely time. 

A huge part of this a mental one. Admitting that using some aids may make things more possible, (and more things possible), even though it is not ideal to have to admit one might need them. Things like my zooty walker thingamy. Not an old lady kind. A silver racing version. Well, that is what I tell myself. As one of my friends said - now you can come to events with us! True. It has a long wheel-base which protects me in crowds. That may have actually applied to the wheelchair bit, but you know, if I can regain that part of my life - the ability to experience the things I love, with people I love, then it is all good. I can rise above the concept. 

Well, we are trying. 

So the word for this year did not take much pondering. We have sorted the "how to" phase. So this year, my word is "Adventure". I want to live, to explore, to discover, to dare, to dream, to believe, to be brave. I want to have adventures. 

It is time.

So often, it is easier to think of reasons why not instead of reasons why. I am, by nature, the eternal optimist, and I don't like the cautionary recluse I was becoming. No, I want to be out there experiencing life. 

And it one day that includes things like wheelchairs, then I will get out the bling and personalise it, and we - my trusty steed and I - will be off on more adventures. I knew I had the world's biggest craft supply store for good reason. 

Watch this space, people......