Looking both ways

Another wonderful post from Sue, full of insight, observations and honesty.
Enjoy.

Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

It is a very strange situation to be in, really. Over a week ago, I was given ‘days to weeks’ to live, with no one knowing upon which side of that particular marker the Reaper would come calling. It isn’t as if we have it scheduled in our diaries… or, if he has, he hasn’t let me know. On the one hand, this is good. I am not sitting here like Pratchett’s Windle Poons, watching the clock and waiting for a no-show. On the other hand, I am both vaguely surprised and inordinately grateful every morning when I open my eyes on a new day,

It means that having much still to do and probably too little time left, I am working like a steam strain… albeit one whose pressure is running sadly low… to complete the tasks I think that really need to, or would like to complete before…

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Three Things Challenge #529

Welcome to The Three Things Challenge.
Below are three things that may, or may not, be related. Simply read the prompt and see where your creativity takes you.
You can use one, two or all three words in your post, there are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre apart from keeping it family friendly.
You can use 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC as a tag and my logo if you wish.
Invite us along by creating a pingback to this post, then leave your link in the comments so that other people can read your writings and I’ll see it to respond to you directly. You might like to check out some of the other contributions while you’re there.

I schedule the challenge to go out around 6.30 am UK time, but pingbacks have to be approved manually so might not show immediately. This could be because I’m late accessing my blog or due to time differences, but I will get there, I promise!
I look forward to reading your responses, and as always thank you all for your continued support.

Your three things today are:

BORN
DENIED
FAMILY

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS March 6, 2021

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “butter.” Use it as a noun, use it as a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
https://lindaghill.com/2021/03/05/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-6-2021/
Thanks Linda, oh my, the directions this can go in!

Nobbies of warm, fresh crusty bread, thickly spread with butter. Memories of Mum’s stew and dumplings and these to dunk. Oh yum.

My first victoria sponge was a disaster at school, but my second was made for my Mum using best butter. Oh, how you could tell the difference! It was the best one I have ever made, probably because that extra special ingredient was a daughter’s love.

You can almost guarantee that if a piece of bread and butter falls on the floor, it will fall butter side down. Is that gravity, just bad luck, or not having a dog to pounce before it hits the deck?

One of my American bosses thought bread pudding and bread and butter pudding were one and the same. he had bread and butter pudding for dessert at the hotel he was staying in, so I made him a bread pudding. It never saw the plane!

Then of course you have the ‘fan club’. Those who butter you up for personal gain and recognition. I’ve finally got wind of those and kicked them into touch!

 

Fibbing Friday my response: 5th March

Frank posted these questions earlier, but for some reason they didn’t come into my reader, so I was late reblogging it.
Still, here are my answers which I hope will raise a smile or two, maybe even ten!

1. Who was the first cartoon character created by Walt Disney?
   Mrs Disney
2. What is Stan Lee most known for?
   The concept of Laurel and Hardy
   
3. What is the difference between anime and manga?
   Anime is for meat eaters and manga for vegans.
4. What comic sleuth is often credited with inspiring/predicting the smart watch?
   Probably Tim Ex.
5. Who is Batman?
   The Bowler’s brother in law.
6. What is the source of Green Lantern’s power?
   Kryptonite
7. What villainous is Dr. Otto Gunter Octavius better known by?
   DOGO
8. Miazaki Hayao is credited with co-founding what animation studio?
   D.Duck and Company
9. Ponyo is considered to be a Japanese variation of what fairy tale?
   My Little Pony
10. What is the purpose of the website, Cruncyroll.com?
    It’s a pizza competitor using bagels.

Yorkshire pudding 1 Mother in Law 0

This was something I wrote in March 2014 shortly after starting my blog which I’m reblogging for Flashback Friday. Both Mums and SIL are no longer with us.
It’s a good memory though.

pensitivity101

It was mother in law’s birthday, and as Hubby was away on a course, I thought I’d take her out to lunch. I gave her the choice of venue, knowing she liked the local carvery, and fully expected her to want to go there.
I was really surprised then that she requested we go to a recently revamped pub about 2 miles down the road from where she lived. I was however a little annoyed to discover she had invited her daughter to join us, but it was her birthday after all, so I thought we’d make it a ‘girlie day’.

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Fibbing Friday: March 5th, 2021

For some reason this hadn’t come into my reader.
Have fun everyone and I’ll be back later with my responses.

Thoughts & Theories

Welcome to Fibbing Friday! Di and I take turns hosting this weekly exercise in bending, stretching, breaking, and outright ignoring the truth, and this just so happens to be my week. Want to play along? Just answer the questions below in as fanciful a manner as you see fit. Just remember to fib. Once you?re done concocting your less than honest answers, tag your post as ?Fibbing Friday?, and link back here so we can all see what fantastic answers you came up with! Pingbacks are enabled, or you can just leave a link in the comments below.

1. Who was the first cartoon character created by Walt Disney?
2. What is Stan Lee most known for?
3. What is the difference between anime and manga?
4. What comic sleuth is often credited with inspiring/predicting the smart watch?
5. Who is Batman?
6. What is the source of Green Lantern?s power?
7. What villainous is Dr. Otto…

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Random Fun Season 2

Rory’s Random fun questions this week are as follows

Random Friday Question Fun

What prompts you to write about your favourite genres? Photos or word prompts depending on my mood, or I’ll read a post by another blogger and it will trigger a memory or interest which I think might be worth writing about.

How do you personally define ‘fear’ and do you think we should all live with an element of fear in our lives? Fear for me is losing my teeth, spiders, and being unloved. There are several things many of us are afraid of, but I believe no-one should actually live in fear for whatever reason. That doesn’t mean one should not be wary or cautious.

How long do you spend weekly with your hobby’s? Blogging is every day whereas card making is as and when an idea needs exploring. We also walk every day and do the occasional jigsaw puzzle which when finished is framed and goes up on the wall.

Have you ever, were you ‘a’, or do you desire to be a hippie? No, no and no, though Hubby was ‘accused’ of being a Hippie when he was sitting in the car listening to some 60s music!

 

Eugi’s weekly prompt: Dreamcatcher

I wrote this way back in May 2016, and reposting the verse again in response to
Eugi’s Weekly Prompt – Dreamcatcher.
You can join in too hereWhat if a dream is a memory?
Something fleeting, elusive and shy,
A moment in time, lost deep in the mind,
A sad and lonely disjointed goodbye.
What if the memory was but a dream,
An unfulfilled wish, a secret so strong,
Captured, then released on the wind
Realising in this life it didn’t belong.
Catching a dream, recalling a thought,
Retaining the memory, try to hold it close
To feel it slip away, untouchable, untouched,
To have, or have not, which hurts the most.
What if the dream is a reality,
Events and loved ones that pass year after year,
The memory recalled and time vanishes,
Voices and conversations you alone can hear.
Dream Catcher, Guardian of Wishes,
Casting rainbows of glitter that dance in the sun,
Cherish the sweet pastures of innocent times
And the musings of someone once young.
Memories, or dreams, a mix perhaps of both,
Caught in a spiral of intricate webbing and design,
Reflecting dreamlike memories of a lifetime ago,
The lifetime I believe was once mine.

Today is Friday, 5th March

It is what I would call a half and half day, cloudy with the sun playing dodgems through a grey sky and pretty warm………… or at least it is indoors! There is a wind as it’s ruffling the hedge opposite. There was a huge magpie pecking away at something in it earlier, so I hope it wasn’t a nest. It flew away with an empty beak anyway.

It’s sixteen years ago today we lost Barney. I learned yesterday of another doggy passing in October, this time a black GSD. That’s over 20 dogs in the past 18 months, but even though they were all elderly, they still leave a huge hole.

You have all probably already guessed that we are thinking of getting another dog. We won’t be rushing into anything though, especially as there are restrictions to visiting and viewing. The local animal rescue sanctuary have no dogs available at all according to their website, and breeders are asking the earth. We firmly believe in seeing pups with Mum, and the dog choosing us, as both Barney and Maggie did.

Tip run today. The car is loaded, we have our booking form and proof of address and ID. Our last trip was well organised, so hopefully nothing has changed there.
From there we’ll nip into the bank, and then do a little more shopping for bits we can only get in one outlet at the moment.
Day two of our stew today, and there might even be sufficient for a third day this time.
The pulses have packed it out so it’s more filling and we need less in the bowl!
Hubby got on the scales this morning and has put on another pound, so he is right where we want him to be. His INR was in range yesterday, but our nurse is giving him another test next week to keep an eye on things. Hopefully we have turned a corner there.
For me, I’ve lost a bit too, so hoping for a loss to report on Sunday. The flapjacks have definitely gone, and I am applying myself very strictly at the moment trying to get the cholesterol reducing foods into my diet on a regular basis.
I had a shy banana on my cereal this morning…….. it didn’t want to come out of its skin which was a sure sign it wasn’t ripe or ready, and it tasted funny, so I threw it in the bin and had grapes instead.

Hope your day has started off on a good and happy note.
Take care everyone and keep safe.

Take Seven 5th March

It’s Friday!

Welcome to my Take Seven compilation which incorporates all 21 words (or derivatives) from the Three Things Challenge for the past week.
You are most welcome to join in using as many or all of the words too. Just pingback to this post and then leave a link to your post in the comments so that I can see it and respond directly.
As always, have fun, and I hope you enjoy this week’s effort.

Our words were:

admonished, bung, capable, close, cower, cringe, expert, frightened, game, heel, hip, locked, monster, reaction, rid, ridiculous, room, share, slid, turn, undignified
The scream was almost deafening. She couldn’t help it and cowered against the wall.
The monster in the bath glared defiantly at her, seemingly relishing in making her cringe.
Her sister came in and rested her hands on her ample hips.
‘Oh for heaven’s sake!’ she admonished, ‘The damn thing’s more frightened of you than you are of it. Don’t be so silly.’
‘Please get rid of it,’ the younger sibling whimpered, annoyed with herself for her reaction but unable to control it.
Her sister left the room and came back with a glass and coaster.
Expertly, she trapped the arachnid and held it up, watching the legs as they slid up and down the smooth inner surface.
‘Look,’ she said, thrusting it forward practically under her sister’s nose. ‘It’s quite harmless.’
‘Don’t!’ she begged, crumpling to the floor in an undignified heap.
The two had never been close, one always teasing the other rather than sharing a sisterly bond.
The elder whipped round on her heel and strode off with the glass and its contents.
When she came back, the younger hadn’t moved and was quietly sobbing into a towel.
‘You really ought to see someone about your phobia you know. This is ridiculous. You’re 35 and a small spider still throws you into a panic.’
‘It’s all right for you,’ she sobbed. ‘You weren’t the one locked in the dark with them crawling all over you.’
‘I’ve said I’m sorry for that. How was I to know that was where Harry bunged all his creepy crawlies when we were kids. It was just a game!’
‘Well, now it’s my turn.’ and with a speed her sister would never have thought her capable of, she shot out of the door and locked it behind her.
‘It wasn’t the little one I was worried about. It was the one behind the shower curtain. I think you’ll need a much bigger glass.’
This time the scream was deafening.