To be yourself ...

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John Gray - Influencer

So I read John Gray's blog post the other day, the one called  Guilty Pleasures  all about him going wild in the centre aisles in his local Aldi ... and then I made the mistake of going shopping, yes you've guessed it to Aldi 🤣🤣

There really was a plethora of new and varied goodies.  All sorts actually, there was a real mixture of random stuff not just the usual gardening, summer sports or DIY type linked specials.  I quickly spotted the pencils that John Gray bought and then I spied the notebooks 'ooh he didn't mention those' I said out loud to myself, it's okay no one can hear you chatting away to yourself when you're wearing a mask ... well that's what I tell myself these days!!

In this little stationery section there was also the cardboard tube ...

... with it's contents.

All these items were just £1.99 each, and although I didn't really need them, you all know that stationery is one of my few weak spots and they will come in handy one day.  So they all made it into my trolley.

I spotted John's little glow in the dark squidgy nightlight thingy, and although I loved it and it's little assorted friends I couldn't justify a splurge on one of them.  But then I spotted a brilliant deal on Aveeno hand creams and body lotion and treated myself to some of these.  At just £3.49 for the body lotion and just £2.99 for the hand-creams they really were a bargain worth having. 

You never know what you are going to find on the centre aisles so it's always worth a look, and when the rain is thundering down outside and people are running past the shop windows looking like drowned rats, there is really no need to rush through the shopping.

So John Gray as well as being a brilliant blogger and a newish YouTuber, can now officially class himself as an up and coming Influencer 😃

Sue xx

The River Has Risen ... Again

So the rains came down thanks to storm Francis and once again the river level went shooting up.

This morning the guy from Network Rail was there photographing the bridge and checking facts and figures against some documents in his hand.  A bridge has to be safe when it carries the main line from Preston, with goods and passenger trains passing every few minutes.

It's funny but living here it doesn't take very long for you to completely zone out the sound of the trains, I had to purposely stop and listen to see if any trains were actually using the line ... they are.

Yesterday the field opposite was also under water, but now the river is back inside the riverbank, even if it is pretty near the top and flowing very fast.

The area where there is usually a good sized pebble 'beach' is completely submerged, and Suky was quite dismayed to see the path stopped so abruptly.

Further along the adult ducks were all mooching about in one of the little fishing areas near the waters edge.  

The Mummy duck with her two week-old babies was nowhere to be seen, but I know she was safe last night as I saw her settling her babies into the bushes away from the edge of the river.  Their little legs could just not cope with the fast moving water at the moment, but they are good for carrying them along the grass looking for titbits.

While I photographed ducks, Suky had a good sniff around, everything must smell so fresh to her after all that rain.

'Are we going now Mum?'

We had a nice walk along the river and then it was home to get the soaking washing out of the sink and hung on the outdoor airer.  Fingers crossed the rain stays away today, it's looking hopeful.

Sue xx

Live For the Little Things

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Why We Are Friends

When I get into my darker days I wallow for a while ... there's no shame in a bit of a wallow, don't let anyone tell you otherwise ... and then start to sort out for my own peace of mind how I got there, why I got there and what I could do to stop me going there again.

It doesn't always work, nothing is perfect but understanding yourself thoroughly is better than tootling through life like a one eyed, one wheeled minion. 

I realise that this time I simply need to slow myself down.  I was rushing to someone else's timetable, and that is virtually always a recipe for disaster.

I want to be invigorated ... but I want to go slow.

If other people find the rushing to accomplish things invigorating then fine, I have absolutely no objection with that ... although I will look on in amazement and think they are mad.  Indeed not so many years ago I was like that too, but now I have changed.  

And the change feels good.

I simply need to embrace that change once and for all and stop being torn between two worlds.

"What did you do today?"  Is a question I am frequently being asked.

"I did nothing" ... will be my new reply.

The reality will most likely be: walked the dog, did the washing, hoovered the floors, got some shopping ... built a tower of stones.  But who actually needs to know that.  If saying I did nothing calms my mind, soothes my soul and lets me not dwell on  the minutiae of day to day living then 'I did nothing' sounds good to me.

Thank you for all your comments yesterday ... now I know why we are friends 💖

Sue xx

Completely Out of Sorts

I have been having a bad few days.  

Yes I know myself that these too will pass, indeed I am already coming out the other side.  But walking the Black Dog as well as the Pug is tiring, demoralising and just plain shite.

I can't talk to the one person I would love to talk to about it as he has absolutely no comprehension of depression.  It's all in your head  he says ... YES, I FUCKING WELL KNOW IT IS I retort.

Marriages can't survive this, lives barely can at times.

But it has, they have.  Hey ho the sun is shining!!

Things being up in the air with selling in Wales hasn't helped.  Alan working all the hours under the sun and then visiting the Van only to do more work, sleep and needing to be fed hasn't helped. 

I am one for action, for doing, for accomplishing things quickly.  

Decisions and action in my world have to be close bedfellows.  Talking, planning, setting off, doing a bit and stalling are the absolute opposite.  I need to pack a bag and vanish and come back when everything is done and dusted ... oh if only life was that simple.

There I've whinged at you all.  There's no sympathy required in the comments or messages telling me to pull up my big girls pants and just get on with it.  I know all that,  you'll only get my back up... 

AND THAT COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS JUST NOW   

Sue xx

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Here and There

Once again I am back in my Happy Place, and I should be for  at least the next couple of weeks unless something else crops up.  Suky is snoring away in her little living room bed as I type ... gosh she can snore!!

I spent most of last week having a bit of a tidy up at home in Wales and cleaning the inside of all the house windows to keep everything shipshape for viewings.   It's no good having views to die for unless you can actually see them properly!!

The land and garden has gotten away with us a bit over the last month or so, it really is too much to manage unless there are two people working on it every day of the week, so we are getting a gardener in for a couple of days work to bring calm to the chaos ready for the next round of viewings, and for our own sanity.  He came at the start of year just as we put the house on the market so he knows what to expect.

We had what could be a successful viewing earlier today with a couple from Suffolk looking around the property.  Seemingly they have a son who is a carpenter and they said he would love the fully set up woodworking workshop.  So they filmed it all to show him ... we have our fingers firmly crossed.  As a back up we have another viewing booked in for September by a guy in Surrey, at last a bit more interest.  It seems there are a lot of people from Southern England that are interested in a new life in Wales, as our last set of viewers were living down South too.

Our fingers are crossed, very firmly crossed.

Have a good weekend everyone 💚

Sue xx