Mixed Feelings About Christmas.

It's that time of the year again when I suddenly realise that Christmas is just round the corner and the panic starts to seep through.

Today is Black Friday. Well we didn't have that until recently when it started to spread here from America and I, for one won't be part of it. 

I'm pleased to hear that so far, the big stores are not packed with people all fighting with each other as though their lives depended on getting a so called bargain that probably isn't genuinely a bargain at all. Some of the stores are empty of shoppers, put off by some of the scrabbles that amounted to violence during previous years.

I got out the Christmas cards this morning and looked at my list from last year. As usual I had to strike off several names of people who have died since last year. It's one of the depressing sides of ageing....people starting to pop off all around you.

On the positive side, there are all the activities and concerts that schools put on for our grandchildren. There are the choir practices for the carols at concerts and church that will be looming up. Christmas arrangements to be made with our families about who is going where and how we'll cope with the catering.

Surprises to think of.

How to go about decorating the house for Christmas this year...... if I decide to bother, though I probably will.

I like to think of the true meaning of Christmas but we've all got sidetracked with commercialism.

Of course for me, there's one very important person missing, but life has to go on. I always buy myself a present from him and can almost hear him saying, "Go on, treat yourself". He was a generous man. This will be my second Christmas.......

The Eleventh Hour of The Eleventh Day of The Eleventh Month.

This spectacular display of model soldiers in shrouds was lined up outside College Green, near Bristol Cathedral today and will be there for several days.

A Somerset artist, Rob Heard, modelled these soldiers individually meaning that each one is unique and then he hand wrapped them in silk shrouds. This took him two years to complete.

Just under 20,000 men were ticked from a list of soldier conscripts and volunteers who fell on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, World War 1.

It is mind blowing to think this number of men were slaughtered on the first day of the Somme. Many more would follow.

We must never forget the great sacrifice that was made then and in all the wars since, so that you and I could have our freedom.

A very humbling thought.

Scary Changes

First it was Brexit and now Trump!

Over here, it has been likened to *Brexit on Steroids!*

People on this side of the Ocean are really shocked and dismayed. Some American Nationals on local Radio were crying while some were overjoyed.

While I completely agree with democracy, and we must have that at all costs, I really hope that our fears are unfounded and that it will all work out well.

In the meantime, I will miss the Obama family and the way they conducted themselves in an upright way with grace and dignity.

A Pink-fleshed Apple and Bloggers Who Are Not Blogging!

I've just been to visit my son who shared an apple with me and the flesh was pinky red. It tasted halfway between being sweet and also being sour. At times it tasted either way, but was very good. He was pleased that he got two apples from a small tree that I bought him for his Birthday last June.

I was inspired to write about the lack of Blogging going on right now by Addy, one of my Blogging friends, (and I can't for the life of me get the link in my post as the way to do it has all changed since I last did one.) She may be found in my side bar under the name of Alcoholic Daze! Maybe this is why people are not Blogging so much these days.... everything is getting too difficult.

I know Google + has prevented me from commenting on some people's blogs as I really don't want to change over and some have even got different systems that also prevent me from commenting. It used to be so easy!

I started to write a blog in 2008 when my granddaughters lived with me. There was plenty of material to write about in those days because the children kept me busy with lots of amusing little episodes to share.

However, as children grow older, privacy must be respected and they really don't like being written about now, even when disguised heavily.

I suppose in those early days, I put in three posts a week and made some good blogging friends.

They were virtual of course, because we never really get to know a person this way, but never the less, when people I felt close to stopped writing over the years, I really missed them. Some of them have died, which is even worse.

There were others that came and went but generally people are not writing very much these days.

So what has happened to everyone?

is Blogging going out of fashion?

Good Things Happen

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

We're now definitely experiencing the beginning of the Autumn/Fall. 

There is that cold nip in the air early morning and early evening and the nights drawing in. The sky looks very grey. I'm staving off putting the heating on, though, as it isn't October yet. It seems more acceptable to turn it on in October unless there's a late heatwave.

I'm quite pleased that I've got through my first year of bereavement unscathed. I've done quite a few things that I set out to do in the house..... had the outside painted, the kitchen damp problem hopefully righted, faulty window hinges replaced, changed phones..... all things that people do everyday without thinking, but a bit daunting when having to arrange it all by myself when not used to it. I've kept the garden up together put different curtains and fittings up that didn't require me to drill in to anything. I'm really pleased about that.

It's good to know I can manage.

I've also rejoined the community choir I used to belong to before having to resign so that I could look after Harry. Rejoining involves giving up a bit of time for practice and performances that they do. However it's all optional and I can do as much or as little as I need to do.

I've been on several holidays and made a couple of new friends here at home.

My youngest grandson has just gone off to university which has made the family very proud of him. My daughter, older grandson and I went with him this last weekend to settle him into his new lodgings which seem very suitable and the other students and their parents were very nice people.

So things seem to be working out, thankfully.

Busy, Busy!

 

I've been keeping very busy with knitting.  It has helped me to keep my mind off thinking about the anniversary of Harry's death which has just gone.

Now I've come round full circle..... a whole year of Birthdays, Anniversary's etc without him.

I seem to have knitted a few baby things for various people over the last few weeks.

This one was for my great niece who has just celebrated her 1st Birthday and the turquoise one is for a neighbour's new born son but I have two more to do in that style and maybe the same colour for other baby boys.

I'm also knitting twiddle muffs for patients with dementia at our local hospital. Apparently, they love to fiddle with things and inside the muff there are various things incorporated in the knitting to twiddle with.

So all in all, I seem to be quite busy.

My Visit to Northern Ireland

I've just come back from a lovely holiday in Northern Ireland.

It's the first holiday that I've had off the mainland for years and it's thanks to my daughter that we flew out there and hired a car and travelled a bit.

These pictures were taken from The Giant's Causeway ..... an amazing place to go. It has a unique rock formation not found anywhere else. It was caused by lava flow and the ice age apparently.

Anyway, it was my favourite place during that visit and I was pleased that I was able to walk around a bit, even though it isn't easy terrain.

I would recommend a visit there.