Tales of a Struggling Environmentalist

Slugs and Snails, but no puppy dog tails....

2010-05-27T09:08:00.002+01:00

It's that time of year again, the war against the slugs is being waged across the country. I finally planted by dwarf french bean plants yesterday, having put it off for days due to the fear of losing them to the slugs in one night.

Typical then that the day I put them in we have a wet night for the first time in weeks! I put in beer traps during the evening, Stella lager in 2 sunken pots by the bean wigwam and went to bed hopeful......

Popped out this morning to a very wet garden, removed snails from the patio pots and plants before heading off to the raised bed and wigwam.

Current score Beer traps 1 Slugs and Snails 1 plant

I then removed a large slug and 2 snails from other tender helpless young plants and popped them in the traps, which seems the most effective use of them, to be honest.

A friend has recommended bran, as it sticks to the slimy little suckers and sucks the moisture out before they can get to your seedlings, so once I work out where you can bran from (am guessing the health food shop?) I will be trying it and reporting back!

x x

Standby gizmo

2010-04-15T17:27:00.001+01:00

Well, it's arrived, it's plugged in (after a rather nasty 'oh my god it's filthy down the back of the telly' moment!!) and it appears to be working.
I feel better about the whole telly-on-standby thing
job done
x

I may be slow, but I get there in the end.......

2010-04-12T14:12:00.002+01:00

The electricity-Nazi in me has been yelling about the telly being on standby for ages. I meant to sort out a multiplug with individual switches and then sort out the plugs and then blah blah blah, but never got the proverbial Round Tuit.

However the Ethical Superstore has come to my rescue with a clever little gizmo which you plug your TV into and it knows when it is in standby mode and safely switches it off. No seriously, it's so intelligent not only does it know when to do it, but also how to do it safely so it doesn't upset any over sensitive software in your telly, how fab is that?

There's one winging it's way to Old Nonsense Towers as I type, I'll let you know whether its any good, oh and in the meantime, here's the link........

http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/oneclick/intelli-plug-%28for-televisions%29/

x x

Pot Holes

2010-03-03T16:39:00.002Z

I have a theory that the post-snow pot holes are really a secret green initiative, no, bear with me, I have not lost the plot, honest!

I don't know what the roads are like around your way, but around here they are a nightmare, a tyre bursting, chassis-snapping nightmare since the cold weather. The net result is that in order to avoid getting a burst tyre or a snapped chassis people are driving slower and (if they are anything like me), actually driving less because of the state of the roads.

We are always being told that 2 ways to reduce your carbon footprint are to a: drive slower and b: drive less....... see not so mad really!
x

New Year, rather late!

2010-02-24T15:17:00.002Z

Frankly I had forgotten all about this!!
Anyhoo, what's new in the increasingly eco-friendly home of Old-Nonsense? Well, my brother and family bought me an electricity monitor for Christmas, so according to Mr Old Nonsense I have turned into an electricity Nazi. Harsh I feel, but it does make you realise how far the meter jumps when certain lights or appliances are switched on, so I do wander round the house switching off lights, turning down radiators and replacing bulbs with low energy versions!
I am also in the process of getting a room thermostat fitted, as prior to this we have relied on individual radiator thermostats and that is just not economical, I'll let you know how it goes once I have managed to get hold of the heating engineer to fit the damn thing!
Spring is just around the corner and this year I am really hoping to get my poo together and sort out a small raised veg bed in the garden, so I'd best start thinking about it! I need some wood to make the bed, so will put the feelers out for something reclaimed, reused, generally unwanted and try and put it to use. The compost to put in the bed is taken care of, as I have been contributing to a friends compost heap for about 6 months now.....
maybe I should clarify that(!), my house rabbits have been contributing straw, paper and other matter to said compost heap and it is coming along a treat, so that should be a cheap/free way to get top quality compost for the veggies!
You never know, I may even get Mr Old Nonsense to build it for me :-)
x

A great idea

2009-09-28T08:19:00.002+01:00

Just saw this in today's Indy

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/the-australian-town-that-kicked-the-bottle-1794273.html

Excellent initiative, also heard on the News Quiz that the first new drinking fountain in 30 years has opened in the UK too, so bring on the fountains!

And in the meantime, don't buy plastic water, nasty, nasty things, I love my SIGG bottles and they will last forever.......

http://www.sigg-aluminium.co.uk/?gclid=CNPoq7Hik50CFaBb4wod60JJ3Q

x x

Really good little film

2009-09-19T13:21:00.001+01:00

http://wakeupfreakout.org/film/tipping.html

A new Start for m'Blog

2009-09-16T14:34:00.002+01:00

It would appear that I am really not blogging very often, so I have been giving some thought as to why this is the case and I think I have the answer....

I could write about the health and wellbeing side of my life, but that could mean talking about clients and however much I disguise them I would not feel comfortable doing that.

I could talk about my own health and journey in life, but I am not at a point in that journey where I feel comfortable doing that (although that may come in time!)

But, I am a relatively recent convert to the green way of life and am still very much feeling my way through that minefield and I reckon I can write about what I find out about green living, what I do, what I struggle to do and what I think it would be easy and effective for more people to do!

So a change of direction which will hopefully result in more regular blogging.....

x

Struggling a bit.....

2009-08-05T12:35:00.003+01:00

Have hit that difficult place where I am feeling tired and head-achy because of my lifestyle, but lack the oomph to break the cycle, because of my lifestyle!

Need something to change, not sure what, hope it happens before the Chi Gong weekend at the end of the month.

Am off to contemplate options (or maybe a small kip!)

Watch this space.......

x x

ah, yes, that whole diet thing...

2009-08-03T15:39:00.002+01:00

I have a confession to make...... since writing my last entry I have been sliding back into bad eating habits, but (fans of karma will be pleased to hear) I really feel it.
So, here I am, again, making bold statements I hope to actually heed this time (maybe if I post more often, it may help)

I plan to try and swim at least once, if not twice, a week
Chi Gong and/or meditation will become part of my day in one way or another

And I know, from past experience, just doing these simple things will mean that I will want to eat better, as it will be the only way to fuel my body in an effective way.

Oh and by the by, since I was last here I have stopped eating meat, am still eating fish though. For a couple of years I had only been eating meat that I was sure that the welfare standards were good enough (so out of the home ate veggie or fish mostly anyway) but then stopped enjoying meat, so after a 4 day residential course where all the food was veggie, I just never went back to the whole meat thing.

Right, all my good intentions start tomorrow (I know, queen of manana!) but I am slightly hungover today, so it's crappy food and chocolate all the way to bedtime :-)

x x

It ain't rocket science

2009-07-13T10:26:00.002+01:00

Recently I have been becoming increasingly aware of the reaction of my body to everything I throw at it.
When I eat a low fat, low sugar diet, avoid alcohol and wheat, I feel bright and lively.
When I don't, I don't!
I am bad at change, particularly my diet, especially when it smacks of 'deprivation' but I am finding that the more I eat fresh, non-processed food, the better it tastes and the worse the so-called treats taste (take-away food, cake, biscuits, cheap chocolate etc)
We went out for dinner last night, I had haddock and chips, and when I had finished I felt bloated, sick, heart thumping, nasty stuff. It took a couple of hours (and some peppermint tea!) to restore some sort of equilibrium.
So, maybe I'm finally learning the lesson!
x x

The Edible Garden - An Update

2009-07-01T10:37:00.002+01:00

I have just enjoyed freshly picked raspberries on my morning muesli, and not for the first time! The raspberry haul is fantastic this year, although access to the canes is a little challenging, so must remember to cut them back at the end of the season to try and keep them under control for next year.
The carrots are growing (very very slowly, it seems) in a pot on the terrace, but have not been nibbled yet, so am hopeful for a small haul sometime in 2010(!)
The tomatoes in the hanging basket are going great guns, about to flower, so tomatoes are go for later in the summer (you see, it helps if the slugs don't eat your seedlings, eh Donna?!)
The 3 year old apple tree is covered in growing apples, so assuming they don't get eaten by anything else, we should get a few in the autumn, and even the newly planted cooking apple tree has one lone fruit on it, so if that makes it to fruition, I'll post a picture of the resultant apple crumble!
That's all the good news, only one major disaster so far, the runner beans, nurtured from seed in the kitchen propagator, carefully hardened off in a pot outside the back door, lovingly planted around a wigwam of bamboos, eaten by snails within 48 hours of planting out *sigh*
Ah well, you can't have everything!
x x

The start of an edible garden

2009-04-14T17:00:00.002+01:00

Mr Bunch of Old Nonsense and myself have decided to make a few changes to the garden.

Our garden, I should explain, is on the small side and slopes alarmingly, so doesn't exactly lend itself to being an allotment. However, after some research and discussion we have decided that a boring old allotment is not the way forward, so we are going down the fruit and some veg route.

To explain, this weekend we planted a Braeburn pear tree, a Bramley apple tree, a gooseberry bush (thanks Donna and Bobbie!) and a loganberry plant. This adds to existing raspberry canes and an eating apple tree (that has failed in 2 years to give us any edible apples, but we live in hope!). Plus I have planted some carrots in a large pot and have runner beans and tomatoes in the windowsill propagator in the kitchen, the beans will be planted within the existing flowers and fruit in the garden and the tomatoes will go in the hanging basket outside the back door.

Our aim is to have a really pretty, wildlife friendly, fragrant garden, with edible bits!

I'll report back as it develops.......

x

A tale of a sore throat

2009-02-16T14:27:00.003Z

Since the beginning of December I have caught two head colds and suffered a nasty flu bug and frankly apart from the fact that being ill is miserable I can't afford any more time off from work. So you can imagine my consternation last week when I started a sore throat, I swung into action and employed a combination of magnets on carefully chosen acupoints, chamomile tea with honey, rest and chi gung to combat the symptoms.
I am pleased to report that it worked within 36 hours the sore throat had gone and I felt generally much better.
So next time you feel you are coming down with something, don't automatically reach for the lemsip or other drug-based options, consider a more natural approach, it really works and is really cheap!

x x

Aaarrgh!!

2009-01-30T19:40:00.002Z

Have just come back from the local supermarket and witnessed something which made me slack-jawed in amazement.

The person in front of me in the queue bought about 5 items, which he carefully placed in the freely provided single-use carrier bags (you know the ones, blight to the wildlife and marine life worldwide, been all over the press over the last year etc etc). He then carefully placed the full carrier bag inside the lovely nylon fold-up reusable bag he had with him...... Go figure! (as they say in the US)

Ah well, back to campaign to get the supermarkets to just remove them, as people are obviously too dumb to stop using them of their own accord :-)

x x

Saving the world

2009-01-17T14:03:00.003Z

In this time of new starts and new beginnings I have been thinking about why I am getting increasingly involved in the green movement.

The media (and other biased detractors like the obnoxious Jeremy Clarkson) always bang on about global warming being the reason for doing anything 'green' and then point out that global warming may not be as bad as we think, etc etc. It gives them a really easy stick to beat us with, so perhaps the time has come for a re-emphasis on the whys and wherefores.......

The way I see it, it's more about simple mathematics than complicated science. The earth has finite resources and a growing population, so it only stands to reason that the more we squander those resources the more problems we are creating. So perhaps its time to stop using global warming as the reason for doing anything and start treating everything from recycling to reducing material goods as a housekeeping exercise.

In simple terms, we do not have the right to have everything we think we want, all the consumer goods that we are bombarded with every day, all the food we can eat and then throw half of it away. Not only is it ridiculous to waste so much money and resource, but it's very disrespectful to those on our planet who have nothing.

My mother was the queen of 'make do and mend' (being a war baby) and we used to laugh at her thrifty ways, but she was right (as always!!) and the sooner we all catch on to these ideas the better.

We only have the one planet and the planet only has a finite amount of everything, so lets live within our global means.

Happy New Year!!

x x

Getting all thoughtful on a Sunday

2008-10-26T17:26:00.002Z

I recently joined the 21st Century by joining Facebook, I am still getting to grips with all it can offer (and what to avoid!) but today I joined a few fan groups.

On the Amnesty page someone had posted the following that I remember affecting me deeply when I first read it, which was when I was doing Theatre Studies A-levels (about 3 million years ago!). It still has that same power today.

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me...
there was no one left to speak out.

Bertolt Brecht

Time Management

2008-10-20T11:34:00.002+01:00

Oh how I wish I had some! I have a pile of important things to get on and do this morning and yet, here I am, blogging rather than getting on with them, why is that? At least one of things has gone from mildly important to really rather urgent and yet still, here I am, blogging!

The therapist in me says its all a bit of a Water issue (in the 5 element model) I sit here and plan and decide and know what needs to be done, but lack the oomph to actually do it, my Kidney Yang energy must be low, leaving me short of the required oomph to carry out my planned activities. So what to do? Some Chi Kung to get the Chi flowing would be good, maybe coupled with a couple of moving activities (put a wash on, empty the dishwasher) may give me the boost I need, so off I go to try and boost my Kidney Yang energy, wish me luck

Therapist, diagnose and sort thyself out :-)

x x

That'll teach me....

2008-09-22T19:12:00.002+01:00

I am the first to say we should listen to our bodies, treat them with respect, if we learn how to listen, our bodies will tell us everything we need to know to look after them properly. Well, finally I am starting to heed my own wise words(!)

I know that refined sugar is not good for our systems, and if we overload with sugar, the body struggles to deal with it. I succumbed at lunchtime to way more sugar than I should (OK 2 toffee filled waffles, I know, I know!), plus a coffee (I rarely have caffeine) and have felt jittery and sick for the last 5 hours, so finally the lesson has hit home. When I have a hard morning and need a lunchtime pick-me-up, dried fruit, herbal tea, and possibly one or two small squares of good quality plain chocolate is the way forward.

Blimey, you don't think I actually learnt something today do you?

x x

we're all going on a .... sing along please!

2008-09-21T09:55:00.002+01:00

Yup, Dear Reader, it's true, I am now going to Greece for my week of lying on a beach, hurrah and hurumble!
It's been an amazing weekend, yesterday was the phase 1 launch of Plastic Bag Free Chesham, the weather was amazing and the whole event was really fun and successful. Then I log on this morning to a message on Facebook (get me, how young and trendy am I?!) to say the friends I was holidaying with have managed to re-book, so off I trundled to the Thomas Cook website and booked the same holiday, I still can't quite believe it!
But if any potential house-breakers are reading this, the house will not be empty as I am leaving Mr Old Nonsense at home to guard the ancestral pile, hopefully also to clean and tidy it, well, a girl can dream.........
x x

Insomnia

2008-09-13T06:21:00.003+01:00

Morning Dear Reader,

Here I am at 6.20, not able to get back to sleep, so thought I'd pop downstairs and fill the time more usefully!

It's been a funny old 24 hours. This time yesterday (as I was still asleep then) I knew I was going to Greece for a week of relaxation at the end of the month. By 9am I knew I probably wasn't going anywhere, as my flights were on an XL Airlines flight and by mid-afternoon I was resigned to the fact that I would not be going anywhere near lovely Stoupa, as no other method of getting there had been found.

So, as you can imagine I was feeling pretty hacked-off, not about the money, but about losing my one bit of sunshine before the autumn and winter set in, but then I received an email from a friend who lives just north of Houston, Texas. As I type this she, her husband and their drugged-up dog (he hates thunder) are taking shelter for up to 12 hours in their walk-in wardrobe, with canned food, bottled water, torches, important documentation and any precious photos etc, all in a waterproof box, as hurricane Ike is due to hit them anytime soon.

Suddenly a missed holiday is brought sharply into perspective.

x x

Timing and other Universe-related fun and games

2008-09-08T18:03:00.002+01:00

I spent the afternoon sitting in Wellspring Clinic (details on my website, book now to avoid disappointment!) waiting for an onslaught of clients and using the time usefully, mulling over a few bits and pieces that have been knocking around my head.

Firstly Tai Chi, I have been going to classes for a little over 3 years and when the summer break finished last week, I didn't know whether I wanted to go back. So there I was mulling, writing notes, trying to sort out how I feel about Tai Chi, me, my Chi, what I want out of a class, what I am actually getting out of the class etc etc and not getting anywhere, frankly. I get home and there is an email in my inbox from a Shiatsu-friend inviting me to weekly Qigong classes. This may work better for me, as the mix of people in the class sounds good and it also sounds like they intend to foster a supportive and friendly group dynamic, which really is just what I need.
Only one problem left, what to do about existing class, don't want to burn my boats, nor do I want to string along, a carefully worded email should do it, I hope!

As some point soon I will be posting about my kinesiology sessions, as they have been amazing and rather life changing, I just need to get some more mulling out of the way......
x

Baking as Therapy

2008-08-23T17:28:00.003+01:00

I have just finished baking some banana and blueberry muffins, I was having one of those 'ho-hum' days and needed a lift, so headed straight for the cake bowl and muffin tin. I don't know what it is about cooking non-essential things that is so calming and uplifting, maybe it's the the very word 'non-essential' that does it for me. I try and make a mix of naughty and good in the same cake, so my muffins are naughty, as they contain butter and sugar (brown and Fairtrade though) but they also contain bananas and blueberries, also (when I remember) I also add nuts and seeds, adding to the good side, then when they are day or so old, splitting and buttering them (naughty!!)
So, baking as therapy, I can highly recommend it, perk up your ho-hum days with a tray of naughty buns, or slightly good flapjacks or even a deliciously sinful chocolate cake!
x x

Website Relaunch

2008-08-20T17:03:00.002+01:00

Very exciting news, my website (www.onsiterevival.co.uk) has been revamped and is now live on the interweb. The bad news is that it links to here, so I really need to get my finger out and blog more often!
Since I last blogged, I have discovered the joys of kinesiology (a whole entry in itself!), taken on doing Shiatsu in a local acupuncture and alternative health clinic once a week and agreed to start doing seated massage in a local health food shop in the Autumn, so I have not been idle.
But blog more often, I must, so here's hoping I can get into the habit of findiong something interesting to write about!
x x

Is it the end of April already? How did that happen?

2008-04-28T16:11:00.003+01:00

Despite the fact that I will sound like the old fart I am inevitably turning into, where has the year gone? I know I 'missed' most of February dashing back and forth helping to look after my Dad, hospital visiting and so forth, but still, end of April? How did that happen?
Time to put into action all those winter plans.....
Maybe I'll just have a cup of tea and some banana cake first though :-)
I am already walking more, in preparation for a 12 mile night walk in June, which may well kill me (the actual walk, not the training!) but as always I feel I should be doing more
Maybe that's my plan, stop trying to do things I feel I SHOULD be doing and do thing I WANT to do?
Easily said and hard to implement, though
x x

Mark Steel, speaking my language......

2008-04-19T16:03:00.004+01:00

Recently I re-read 'Reasons to be Cheerful' by the socialist comedian and
writer Mark Steel. It chronicles his life as a left-wing activist, attending
all the marches and benefit gigs that I used to dream of going to when I was
a young thing in the 80's.

The nearest I got to being an active agitator was standing outside Barclays Bank in Ormskirk in 1986 trying to get people to move their account, as Barclays supported aparteid (we also were mentioning the consumption of Outspan oranges as a side comment!) oh, and I went to see the Red Wedge Tour in Manchester the following year, both of which I feel hardly qualifies me as a full-on threat to Society.

I was really struck by his thoughts and comments at the end of the book, and I am going to quote the last 2 paragraphs verbatim...

My advice is to value yourselves higher. Follow the instinct, don't be
sensible. Massive events are made up of tiny acts. At the next act of injustice,
take a gulp, open your mouth and be the one to run down the muddy bank, to start
the booing, to stand in front of the tank, to refuse to get on the train - to kick out the irritating idiot at the party.
The happy ending is that one of the most popular films of all time is Spartacus Whereas I wonder whether that film would have been as successful if the Romans had come into the field, asked 'Which on is Spartacus?' and received the answer 'It's him over there mate. He's nothing to do with us. You see, we're New Spartacus'

A good reason to eat seasonal (And organic) food

2008-04-05T10:16:00.002+01:00

Saw this http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/american-songbirds-are-being-wiped-out-by-banned-pesticides-804547.html in today's Independent about songbirds being poisoned by pesticides to satisfy Europe's need for grapes and melons in the winter and it made me think.

There is a reason for seasons and we should have more respect for that. If we go too far away from that the consequences are usually fairly nasty, but initially not for those who show the disrespect. There is a cost and consequence for everything and we should try and find out what that is, so we can make informed choices.

For example, if you don't give a rats arse about killing North American Songbirds, then please feel free to continue eating 'cheap' supermarket grapes and melons all year round. On the other hand, read a label or two, find out where your fruit is produced and then decide.......

x x

Durrr!

2008-02-20T11:04:00.002Z

This from the BBC website

Learning to control your anger may may also speed up the healing process after surgery, US research suggests. They suggested that therapeutic strategies such as relaxation, or even cognitive therapy, could help those at risk make a swifter recovery.

Full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7252415.stm

But the bottom line is that positive touch, relaxation and generally not getting stressed (by being in a dirty impersonal hospital or treated by a different doctor every time you go to your GP) can help you heal.

For those of us who have done any study into complementary therapies, Chinese Medicine or the way stress affects the body, this is not news!!

End of rant for today....

x x

Chick chick chick chick chicken lay a little egg.....

2008-01-20T15:52:00.000Z

Like a good girl I was glued a couple of weeks ago to Hugh's Chicken Run and I even managed to sit through Jamie's Fowl Dinners, both of which tackled the subject of chicken welfare. I have not knowingly bought anything other than free range eggs and chicken for some time, so felt quite smug watching them, but not for long.......

It never occurred to me where the egg in my egg mayo sandwich may come from (doh!) so Jamie showing the 'side products' of battery egg production, wet egg and long egg gave me pause for thought. So that's it, as I already don't eat any meat that I don't know the welfare origin of it and you have to be a bit careful about tuna, although most is dolphin friendly these days, I am reduced to plain cheese sarnies when having to buy them pre-packed, what fun!!

Mind you, this made me smile, within 48 hours of Sainsburys being notable by their absence at Jamie's Fowl Dinner, I received a letter from their Brand Director outlining how lovely they are to their chickens and how they've won 2 Compassion in World Farming awards, one for Most Improved Retailer (which just means they have gone from totally abysmal to vaguely better) and one for Best Volume Retailer (which, frankly, just made me ask what the *£$? does that mean?!) I can honestly say that this consumer is not impressed by this piece of supermarket spin and I will continue to get my meat from Devon Rose (www.devonrose.com) as I know their meat is free range and British and, best of all, really really tasty!

x x

I'm back!

2008-01-11T13:22:00.000Z

Been busy with the plastic bags, but although we have a blog on our website (www.plasticbagfreechesham.co.uk/blog) I have to be a bit careful what I blog on there and as I still get nicely worked up about things (don't get me started on cheap chicken battery eggs and processed meats!) I thought I'd return here and start ranting here instead. Doesn't matter if no one reads it, it will let me get things off my chest and sorted in my head!

x x

2007-10-26T17:04:00.000+01:00

I'm off!

As most of my time appears to be taken up with plastic bags these days, may I suggest you check out the blog at our site plasticbagfreechesham with a www at the beginning and a co and a uk at the end.......

A new direction

2007-09-28T15:41:00.000+01:00

A friend phoned last week and announced she is starting a new project, she wants our town to become plastic bag free and did I want to be in her working group?

Well, the timing is immaculate, as three years of Shiatsu training is coming to an end and I am already missing the weekends of training, this seems like the ideal project to get stuck into, so our first meeting is next week and I am trying to do some research before that so I don't look like a total idiot. Other towns have already achieved this and as our town is already Fairtrade, it seems a good candidate to have a go.

I am a firm believer that The Universe sorts out things out for us, if only we trust it to do so and this is a good example. This is not 'Cosmic Ordering' as that assumes, rather arrogantly in my view, we actually know exactly what will make us happy, which, lets face it, is unlikely as most people don't know what makes them happy even when they already have it. No, The Universe gives us what will make our lives better, when we least expect it and often surprises us with it's ideas, but it rarely gets it wrong in the long run.

Will keep you updated on bag-free progress (we are thinking of calling the group Old Bags, feel free Dear Reader to come up with better suggestions)

xx

Generations

2007-09-19T17:39:00.000+01:00

Am getting all philosophical in my old age, gawd help us all..... I was looking at the gathering I attended on Sunday, where the ages ranged from 97 to 9 months and thought how good it was to be part of that chain.

My chain will stop with me, indirectly it will carry on with my nephew, but my chain has a definite end, which is a sobering thought. I have always maintained that I am more than happy with my self-inflicted childless state and mostly this is true, but sometimes small things bring you up a little short. Which reminds me of an incident earlier in the year.......

I try to be kind to the planet. When at a party, a Middle Class Mumsy friend of a friend commented, once we had gone through the inevitable 'no children? are you entirely sane?' conversation; 'I' she said 'Recycle and whathaveyou for my children, so they have a planet to live on, you don't have children, why do you do it?' I thought for a moment (whilst fighting the urge to smack the smug cow in the face with the glass in my hand) and said 'I truly believe that you get out what you put in, so if I am nice to the planet, it might just be nice to me' That floored her.

And on that bombshell.......

xx

Unexpected Pleasures - 2

2007-09-14T11:06:00.000+01:00

Woo-hoo!! Have just booked to go away in October, have had 1 week off all year and am very excited!!!

Am off to Greece to an holistic holiday retreat type place, which is really not as dry as it sounds

http://www.thespiritoflife.co.uk/en/index.php

Off to earn some pennies to help pay for it.....

xx

Unexpected Pleasures

2007-09-12T15:21:00.000+01:00

1. Listening to Kirsty MacColl whilst cleaning the bathroom

On a day that held little promise you have to take your pleasures where and when you can......

xx

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step

2007-09-12T10:08:00.000+01:00

I am learning Tai Chi, which is a lifelong journey in itself, but my journey started on the wrong track and has only recently found a path better suited to me. This is a polite and non judgemental way of saying that I recently changed teachers after 2 years and therefore am starting from scratch again!

So what was my single step? (a polite and non judgemental way of saying 'get on with it you whittering fool') I learnt that I didn't need to bend my knees so much, just relax my hips. Not really earth shattering, I would be the first to admit, indeed it sounds very boring and simple, but it could (if I manage to actually do it) transform the 10 seconds of Tai-Chi I have learnt so far!

Lawks that's a dull old piece of nonsense, I am not sure Blogging is for me. Maybe there just isn't enough interesting things happening in my life. Will ponder and decide......

xx

Music and Wine and Work

2007-09-10T13:18:00.000+01:00

I went to a music festival this weekend, no really, not really the sort of radical rock and roll activity I am normally associated with, but go I did. Glastonbury or Reading it was not, it's a local one held in the large and beautiful garden of a local musician type and all the acts are friends and family, but it has a proper stage and sound system and people saying 'one, two' into microphones whilst tuning their guitar and everything. There was all sorts of music from folk to blue grass to good old fashioned rock 'n' roll. I was, unusually for me at this event, stone cold sober as I had volunteered to be the designated driver but I had a ball, danced and howled (Werewolves of London with a new audience participation section) and for the first time in 5 years of attendance, did not have a hangover on Sunday morning........

Sundays are normally a day of rest or housework or socialising over large and fattening meals or even just sleeping, but I spent my Sunday standing in a small gazebo outside a well-known supermarket wearing an purple sash and massaging overwrought shoppers. It was surprisingly good fun, I was working with nice people and most of said shoppers were grateful and not at all bolshy.

Me and Mr Old Nonsense were going to go out in the evening for aforementioned large and fattening meal, but our plans were derailed by several factors.

1: I got home and despite being seriously annoyed at the lack of any discernible change in the state of the house since I left immediately became one with the sofa and couldn't move.

2: I may have been designated driver, but Mr Old Nonsense had imbibed heavily the night before and was still feeling delicate, which was not helped by...

3: Mr ON had attended the birthday bash of his 7 year old god-daughter and bearing in mind point 2 had been subjected to a couple of hours of high pitched squealing at some play gym whilst nibbling on a dodgy sausage roll and looking like he was having fun.

So a Chinese takeaway it was and I am spending today swinging between the desire to live in a clean and organised home and the need for a proper day off.

The day off is currently winning

xx

Lawks my first blog type thingy

2007-09-08T14:14:00.000+01:00

Seemed like a good idea to have a blog, so I set it all up, chose a password, decided upon a username and blog name, picked my template and here I am, easy-peasy, lemon squeezy......

Now I have to think of things to say, tougher-suffer, orange butter...

I have a feeling that my blog title of 'A bunch old nonsense' may be very apposite