Wednesday 29 July 2015

Spinal Stenosis..1....Me....0

I've been in an awful lot of pain today with spinal problems.
So, I'm afraid it's won.......but only for today.
Tomorrow is another day.
We had a Nice and Spicy meal deal for tea...for two reasons,
1) I was in too much pain to want to make tea, and....2) we all like Nice and Spicy, so do we really need a reason?

Sunday 26 July 2015

Thanks, everyone.

I bet you are wondering what I am saying thanks for, and who to?
Well, if you are reading this......YOU! Amongst everyone else who reads, or has read, my blog.
Why?
Because I have had over 40,000 pageviews, which I am assured by a friend of mine, is a lot for a blog.....well, when the writer is not famous in any form.
So, again. Many thanks to all my readers and followers.
I'll try to carry on writing here, sometimes going off on unanticipated tangents.
I find that life has a habit of throwing the unexpected in my path at times, and then I have to find a way of getting through things.
My life looks to be taking an unplanned change of direction in the future.  I don't want it to, and have gathered as much information as I can to help me resist the possible change, but I'm only a little fish in a big pond, and might not be able to resist, despite some of the bigger fish wanting to help me, I might end up either swimming up stream, or going with the current, but I hope to make the best of whatever happens.

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Summer Holiday ( first day)

School finished for summer break yesterday.  The teaching staff are in today, for a training day, but I finished yesterday.
We usually finish around half an hour after the pupils have left, but we worked until our normal finishing time.
There were no goodbyes to staff leaving, or congratulations to any staff getting married, even though I know there were two.
So, all in all, term finished with a whimper, not a bang.
And, as if in protest, it's raining today.
I had a lie in and was looking forward to a nice leisurely walk with Shadow, but the rain has changed my plans.  The walk won't be leisurely, as walking in the rain with a dog means getting very wet usually.
That's all for now.....have a lovely day, whatever your plans are.

Saturday 11 July 2015

Lovely birthday

It was my birthday yesterday.
And.....I had a lovely day, low key, but lovely.
So now, I have five new books to read, and 3 CDs to listen to, and some cash from Mum to spend as I see fit.
At work a colleague put on Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday, as I went into the room and later the year 11s sung to me. (I know that I blushed)
Edwin, Becky and I had gammon, egg, steamed veg, New potatoes for tea and strawberries and cream to follow.
Just a lovely day all round...and as an added bonus the nerve that has been trapped most of the week, eased off.

Sunday 5 July 2015

Open water warning

As summer starts to warm up, we are hearing warnings not to swim in open water.
When it's hot any expanse of water is inviting, if you can swim.
Before I go into why swimming in open water might be dangerous, I want to point out one thing, that seems to be overlooked time and again.  Reservoirs are 9 times out of 10 for the collection and storage of drinking water.  As such, you SHOULD NOT swim in them, as you are swimming in drinking water, but due to sheer size of reservoirs, there are places where there will be no notice pointing this out. So, stay out of them!
Now, on to why swimming in open water can be dangerous.  Often the bottom can not be seen, so you don't know what is under the water. Open water is usually running water, and therefore colder than you anticipate.  The cold water will cramp your muscles after a while.
If you are swimming in the sea, it is better to swim parallel to the shore rather than away from it, as you could hit a current that pulls you out to sea.
Please be safe if you do swim in open water, and it's probably best not to go alone if you do.

Saturday 4 July 2015

Just for appearances?

When the plane crashed on Lockerbie, there was no national minute's silence.
After the bomb in Warrington, no minute's silence.
After the Dunblane primary school massacre, no minute's silence.
Yet......after the Tunisian gunman went crazy and killed
30 British holidaymakers....we had a minute's silence.
Why?
Don't get me wrong, I have every sympathy for the families who have lost loved ones.  However, I might be being terribly cynical, but what is the government trying to distract our attention from?  If they have not deemed loss of multiple lives a reason for a minute's silence before, why now?
Just think about it.
No, I don't have any answers, but it smacks of distraction tactics to me.

Strange encounter

Last year, every time that I went out on a Saturday, during the summer months, I seemed to encounter someone being strange.....
Well, it's restarted.  Must be the warm weather conditions that brings them out.
This afternoon I set off for a walk with Shadow. I was walking along, minding my own business, when this man, more than a little tipsy, asked me where he could find a room for the night. I pointed out the 'hotel' he was knocking on the door of, wasn't a hotel, but the one next door was.
He came down to the pavement and started chatting at me.  He wasn't making entire sense, not even a pinch of sense. He said I have beautiful eyes and was a gentle soul...then asked me to meet him this evening.  I declined, as a) I didn't know him, b) he was drunk ....and c) even if he meant it, he was so drunk, he either would be worse later, or not turn up due to sleeping it off.
So....to sum up......summer is here, as the nutters are back in town.

And......on a sad tinged thought.  The love of my life met me in similar circumstances, he wasn't quite so tipsy, but I still love him, despite him having left for his home country, because he had no job.