Occasionally we will be overwhelmed,
but mostly we will be enchanted.

~ Jean Houston ~
_____________

It has to be confessed that as a child, Maljie was often short of money. Still she did what she could to remedy this, but was wise enough to realise that blackmailing older siblings was not a sustainable business model.

Thus one particularly hot summer she got the idea of having a pool. Given that it hadn’t rained for a month and the sun had beat down, day after day, this was an entirely reasonable plan. Indeed, rather than the regimented straight lines and harsh stonework of a formal bathing establishment, one suspects that Maljie had in mind a more sylvan scene. Thus she picked a time when her mother was out and enlisted her co-conspirators to start digging in a flower bed.

Now there is logic in this. Most of Port Naain is built on clay (or at least dried mud). So any hole dug should automatically hold water…

I was born in… well, we can gloss over that. Let’s just say that my childhood was spent in an era of extremes. War and calls for peace dominated the headlines, crooners shared the charts with pop groups, hemlines varied between revelation and medieval and most married women… and God help you if you weren’t… still stayed at home to raise their children.

My mother had already broken that mould by working full-time when I was small. She had grown from a pretty young woman to look like Susan Hayward and dressed like Marilyn Monroe. She had fixed ideas on fashion and it was into this environment that my first stirrings of femininity would flutter.

I was blonde when I was very young, with pale wild waves that were rigorously moulded into an acceptable shape with rollers, curling irons and a back-comb, then glued into submission with lacquer. When I…

Arborists say the absolute best time to plant a sapling is ten years ago. The second-best option is to transplant one today. Since I can’t time travel, the solution is to grab a tree, a spade, and dig. The tree’s species is less important than taking action. Digging is not rocket science, and can be accomplished with simple tools. A trowel, a spoon, a post-hole digger, or your own two hands will eventually accomplish the task. I might borrow a shovel, but the job doesn’t require a backhoe. What if your attempt isn’t perfect? Does it matter?

Current events have rocked our world, we feel confused, disoriented, and unsure. Insecurity makes us pause and stop. Inertia keeps us stalled, unable to move. We become embroiled in perfection, caught in the trap of possessing the finest equipment, the latest gadgets, and glitzy gizmos, thinking they are indispensable. The timing must be ideal, and…

This week young Andrew and I are having a Staycation and plan to be near water most days. Yesterday we headed down to the lovely Lac de la Gruyère which makes up for in rugged authenticity what it lacks in tourist amenities! As I write this post on the train, my legs feel nicely tired, my cheeks still feel warm from the sun and, better still, I get to go home and sleep in my own bed. You can’t say fairer than that, hey?

Wild Wander

Corona masks we had to wear

Upon the train to Lake Gruyère

The sun showed up with kindly rays

and soon our hike was underway

Some forest turns, around the lake

A rural zone – make no mistake

Where natural tones and wild prevailed

We looked for snacks – to no avail!

and as we reached the midway point

My hangry nose put out…

Description:

Relationships are tested in this highly anticipated sequel to ‘Blind Date’.

Jenny is back in this romantic comedy, and this time she has her man. Life is wonderful as she switches her sex dreams for the real thing with her hunk, Zack. As well as feeling loved up, she must also console her recently-single best friend, Sarah. Those much-loved blind dates make a welcome return as Jenny gets the sweet taste for vengeance.

After a girly holiday to Rome, and a somewhat unexpected vegan experience, Zack whisks Jenny abroad for a romantic holiday of their own. However, jolly holidays aren’t on the menu when faced with a twenty-something stunner in the next villa.

Holidays take the centre stage for this sequel, where relationships are put to the test, at home and abroad.

So, now we’ve got to move swiftly!

I see you’re willing and able, You have your faded work- jeans on and you can borrow my older safety helmet. It’s a bit squeaky, but perfectly functional. We have two hours to paint Salty Pete between squares 1 and 19. See the ‘Lucky Bag’ diagram, below .

During the last hour before you arrived, I’ve been stirring this huge pot of white emulsion paint – essentially, bringing it back to life from ten years ago. I’m as surprised as you are that it worked… and it’s free, of course. If we use it up – which is unlikely – there’s another, identical tub sitting in the darkness close to where the rat was last seen…