SoCS 4th July

Linda is our host for the Stream of Consciousness Saturday
Our word is ‘toss’ and we can use it any way we wish.
I’ve read a lot of posts today but none so far have mentioned Tossing of Pancakes!
Now I could say I am Queen of the Tossers, that was until I did one too many and it ended up in the dog on the floor.
Hubby likes pancakes, and makes them often. I haven’t seen him drop one yet, so my crown has been toppled and I would credit him as the Toss King.
Sounds so much nicer, don’t you think?
This was the one he specifically made for Maggie in the shape of a bonio.

Saturday Six Word Story Prompt (6WSP) #45 – July 4, 2020

Shweta is our hostess for the Saturday Six Word Story Prompt.
Click here to leave your link to her original post
Prompt for Week #45 (Jul 4, 2020 – Jul 10, 2020)

Home

Home is where the love is.

Saturday Mix – Opposing Forces, 4 July 2020

This week Sarah asks us to dip our toes into the pool of OPPOSITES. ‘Our challenge is all about “opposing forces” and the use of antithesis in our writing. You will need to use the two opposing words in your response – which can be poetry or prose.’

Our words this week are:

– ascend and descend

– hope and despair

At the top of the stairs, we descend, at the bottom we ascend, so what do we do in the middle?
Just a thought.

In the darkest hour of despair, a light flickered. It was enough to force back the shadows and make us realise there is always hope on the horizon.

Weekend Writing Prompt 4th July

Thanks to Sammi Cox for setting the challenge. This week we have just 30 words to play with!
Can’t you be quiet? he whispered.
Good night then.
Oh gawd. Is that bacon? I feel sick.
Better than syzygy.
What?
I could hit you and then you’d see stars!

Saturday; 4th July

Happy Independence Day to my friends and readers across the pond, and a Happy Birthday to Other Brother who is 78 today. I posted his card earlier in the week so it should have been received by now.

We sort of had an early start……….. Maggie got me up at 3.05 and again at 6.15, so as we were both awake but didn’t want to actually get up, we put the washing on and had a lie in.
We decided to do the bedding too, so that was another load, then Hubby went up to the launderette to get it dry as it’s forecast to be showery all day, but it needed to be done as we’re running out of clean pants and socks!!

He had the company of two ladies so plenty of space for social distancing. One lady was chatty and works in the garden centre. She’s not back at work yet so still on furlough, but says she’s dreading it.
‘We’ll all be masked and gloved,’ she said, ‘but you can guarantee the customers won’t be and won’t give a shit about us or each other.’
We’ve already seen this in supermarket queues and inside shops, so understand perfectly.
The locals try to distance themselves, but visitors barge their way in, across and round as if they own the place.
The other lady didn’t have anything to say, kept herself to herself and her eye on her washing. She seemed very surprised when Hubby spoke to her as he left, and wished them both a safe day.

Town is apparently busy in preparation for the deluge of expected tourists as everywhere is opening up today. One of the pubs we thought had closed was already open and has had a complete overhaul on the inside. They did breakfasts and lunches at reasonable prices before, so whether that will continue at the moment is unclear. The pub I play darts for is in total darkness, so they may be taking advantage of no B&B customers and having a break themselves.

While Hubby was laundering, I was hoovering, so the house is clean and tidy.
Lunch today is a pasty for him and a jacket potato with cheese for me. We’ll share a tin of baked beans, so are really pushing the boat out.

Keep alert everyone. Restrictions may be lifted, but it’s still far from safe.

Three Things Challenge #286

Welcome to The Three Things Challenge.
For those of you unfamiliar with the challenge, every day I list three things that may, or may not, be related.
You don’t have to use them all if you don’t want to, simply read the prompt and see where your creativity takes you. There are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre apart from keeping it family friendly.
You can use the 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC as a tag and the logo if you wish.
Have some fun with the words and invite us along by creating a pingback to this post. Don’t forget to leave your link in the comments so that other people can read your writings and I’ll see it to respond to you directly. While you’re there, why not check out some of the other posts too!

I schedule the challenge to go out around 6.30am UK time, so as pingbacks have to be approved manually, they might not show immediately if I’m late accessing my blog or due to time differences. I will get there though, I promise!
Your support has been amazing, so many thanks to all of you for taking part.

Your three things today are:

SORTED
SMILING
SHOULDER

Next stop, pamper shop!

This is a conversation I had with a fellow dog walker the other day on opposite sides of the road.

‘David! How lovely to see you!’
‘My dear! And you! How are you?’
‘I’m fine, thank you. You?’
‘Yes I’m good thanks. How’s the dog?’
‘Much better thank you. And yours?’
‘Same as ever.’
‘You wife still in her cupboard?’
‘Yep. I’ve had to get another lock. She keeps getting out.’
‘Oh. Has she made an appointment to have her hair done then?’
’17th of July! She was one of the first to ring and that was one of the earliest appointments.’
Noticing how long his own hair had got, I said
‘How about you?’
‘Nah.’
‘You’re not going to have a pony tail are you?’
‘Good grief no! I’m going for the David Bowie look.’
‘Oh. You going to have the flash across your face too?’
‘I just might while I’m waiting for the wife.’
‘What about the lycra and spangles?’
‘Heaven forbid! Definitely not!’
‘Oh David. You’ve just blown my image of you out of the window.’

and on that note, with a cheery goodbye we parted company.

Fishy in a dishy is in the bin-y

I was looking forward to my fish today as I don’t have it very often because it attracts a whopping 8½ syns being in breadcrumbs (in batter, which we don’t have anyway, is 9½).
I put a sprig of mint from the garden in with the peas, did a water lily tomato, and served it with wedges. I fried some spam up for Hubby.
Playing safe, I cooked the fish in a separate dish. It looked and smelt OK.
Half an hour later, I served the meal and it still smelt OK. I gave it a prod (don’t know what I was expecting as it couldn’t exactly run away) cut into the tail end of it and all seemed fine.
I deliberately ate everything else first, then pried the breadcrumbs apart before trying it.
I was confronted with a mass of black flesh in the middle, and left it.
The other two pieces in the freezer have joined it in the bin and we won’t be buying fish for a while. I haven’t got the original packaging to write and complain as when we buy it, we separate it into meal size portions.
Ho hum. The silver lining of this cloud is that I still have 15 syns to play with today.

Gadgets, yes or no?

Other Brother loves his gadgets, and always seemed to have the latest gizmo the day after it came on the market.
I’m not one for them myself, but then it depends on what you consider a gadget, kitchen aid, or necessity.
We bought MIL an electric can opener as she couldn’t grip a manual one. It stayed in the box for months because it ‘didn’t work’. Turned out she hadn’t thought to plug it in, but by then she had already found an alternative to opening tins and was either buying her sandwiches for the week already made from the Supermarket, or ordering her meals in from one of the ready foods companies.

Written for https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/79388113/posts/2789124220

First Line Friday: July 3rd, 2020

Dylan Hughes hosts the fortnightly First Line Friday challenge.
You can find out more here
Your line for this week is:

The open sky stretched from sand to horizon and the riders advanced on the oasis.

Tired and hungry, it seemed to take forever to get there.
The leader stopped and they all dismounted.
Each took a sip from their water reserves, swilling it round their parched mouths before swallowing.
‘Is it on the map?’
‘Yeah, but it’s no good to us. It’s almost dry, and what water there is doesn’t look too inviting.’
The leader checked their bearings then mopping brows and donning hats, they remounted.
‘Good job we have a different horse power than the generations before us.’
‘It’s been a good exercise though, gaining experience from their route and appreciating their hardships.’
‘Anyone for a pint? We can be back in civilisation in an hour.’
With a wave and a cheer, five bikers left the oasis in a cloud of dust.