Musings

America Has Fallen ...

Today, as the news finally sinks in courtesy of every news channel, online outlet, and newspaper on the entire planet, we are all fully aware of just Who has won the US Presidential election: He whose name shall never be uttered out loud! And those of us who are sane enough, rational enough, …

Once Upon A Halloween

Back in my day, and I’m taking way back when before halloween was a big thing in the UK like it is in the US. Way before people really dressed up or went trick or treating like they do now. I remember our family living in Scotland (who had a different set of traditions) carving out not …

Lady Bug, Lady Bug

It’s a beautiful sunny day out there, today. I was going to go out for a walk this afternoon, camera in tow, to take photos of trees but. I stepped out onto the balcony to check how cold it was because Siri said 4 degrees and … I couldn’t get back inside quick enough. With the …

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada

It’s Monday. It’s raining. And it’s Thanksgiving Day here, in Canada. So yes, of course it’s raining. I could almost believe I was still back in the UK, the amount of times it rains here every bank holiday. The rain, however, is outside so thankfully, I don’t have to …

Jelly Baby Girl

One of my all-time favourite sweeties as a child were Bassetts Jelly Babies. And I mean the original flour dusted version, not the more recent chewier Maynards imitations. As anyone who is a regular reader to this blog might know by now is, most of my favourite things have came to me by way of my …

Letting Go

I was reading Robert Birming’s post, Letting Go, this morning and had a rush of childhood memories and a little pang, and a sense of loss at all things I had to let go of, as a child in a military family. Any kid who’s grown up in the same situation, whatever the military: army, navy, …

Me and My Phone

I have no relationship with my phone. Unlike successive generations brought up glued to social media and their phones, doom scrolling to find a connection, any connection, I came out of a different era. One that smiles at people in the street, chats casually with the person on the next table in the …

Fav Foods

I have a very, and I mean, very long history with Chinese food. From the age of 3-4 years when my father was posted to Hong Kong for deployment, I was eating noodle and rice dishes with the best of them. My parents ate out a lot with a gaggle of kids in tow. I think it was because they got better …

Life Choices

Having talked about what my dad did for a living for most of his adult life—and yes, while it’s true he once kicked a bomb, the truth is he worked as a Master Armourer in the military. My mother, on the other hand, was the homemaker. Partly because having six kids meant my mother was never …

I Am Not Proud

Taking my cue from Lou Plummer’s post today, I Am Not Proud, and talking about what I take pride in. And it isn’t necessarily my appearance in the way some do. I am happy to wear comfortable clothes, have never done fashion (sorry folks, I just have the wrong body shape) and am not …

Tripping Down Memory Lane

It’s the fourth day in a row that the rain is steadily falling from a slate grey sky, and I’m tripping down memory lane remembering how my parents, my mother in particular, use to keep us—us being six kids—occupied during rainy days at home. Not that all six kids were together all that …

Random Thoughts

While waiting at the bus stop this morning: Oh, I love the blue of that car. Why is the bus always late when I'm early? Nice to see that woman picking up after her dog. Oh, will you look at that bee ... Are storm clouds angry and puffy summer clouds happy? How many carrots do I need for dinner …

My Dad Kicked Bombs for a Living

As a child growing up I use to tell friends, “… my dad kicks bombs for a living.” when asked the inevitable stupid question, ‘what does your dad do for a living.’ One because I was never sure at first what it was my dad did actually do and had overheard him talking to …

The Plan

In answer to Jedda’s post today, The Plan To Not Have A Plan, I wrote: I find plans never go to plan, it's best to have an outline written in pencil, maybe on a napkin that can be toss in the recycle if necessary when it all goes to hell in a hand basket ... Because invariably, I always end up …