Finding Simplicity

Boot Market Time

2009-04-27T13:23:00.001+01:00

I went to the boot market yesterday for the first time since last autumn and boy was I surprised. Ok, so it was a nice, sunny day and that always draws the crowds but it was BIG. Twice it’s usual size and there were more people than I’ve ever seen there before. Far more. Like more than double the number. That’s a lot of people. The car park had been extended but even that wasn’t enough - cars

So What's Been Going On Then?

2009-04-18T19:04:00.001+01:00

Well hello there!First of all, my apologies for ignoring the blog and you lovely bloggy people for so long but life has been getting in the way and… well, to be honest, I haven’t really had much I’ve felt like writing about. It’s not that there hasn’t been anything to write about, I just haven’t felt like writing it.I’m starting to feel as though I’m getting on top of things again now though and

Frumpy Old Bird Does Matalan

2009-03-30T20:12:00.003+01:00

I went clothes shopping yesterday. It was only a trip to Matalan and I didn’t spend a fortune but as I’ve increased a size since last summer (this is a good thing) I really wouldn’t have very much to wear at all without adding considerably to my wardrobe. I had one pair of jeans that fit, I’d stained the last pair of trackie bottoms (I love the soft, baggy ones for slouching about in), one pair

Amy's Big Walk

2009-03-27T09:58:00.004Z

I arrived safely back home on Monday evening after a hectic two weeks, went promptly to bed and stayed there until now. I was shattered. How I kept going through that fortnight is a mystery to me but I guess I was running on adrenaline or something and now that I can finally relax, it’s all caught up with me. Not to worry though, it’s just a blip. I’m still feeling a lot fitter than I was a while

Dad Has Died

2009-03-07T08:50:00.006Z

After a long illness my dad finally found peace this morning.I have to get to London somehow.I don't know when I'll be back. Sorry.Sharon J xx~~+~~UPDATE: Richard is taking the trouble to drive me down on Monday and then take the train back up (I need my car there in order to get around but can't drive such a long distance alone) and Carol has kindly offered me a bed for the duration as well as

What A Lemon!

2009-03-06T08:31:00.003Z

Lemons are said to be nature’s own cleansers - they deodorize whatever they come in contact with, cut through grease and leave their beautiful, sharp fragrance behind to add a real whiff of freshness.Use those sunny yellow fruits to clean worktops, chopping boards, the microwave, the inside of your fridge and just about any other place that needs cleaning and deodorizing.Just cut a lemon in half

Blooming Marvellous

2009-03-05T08:52:00.001Z

Are there daffodils blooming in your garden now? Or along country lanes, in parks, or maybe in your neighbour's front garden?There are a good few beautiful golden blooms smiling at me from the garden these days and the miniature daffodils in the front are budded and ready to go any day now.I don't think there's anything that lifts my spirits quite as much as seeing the daffodils bloom in spring.

Dread Turned Good With Positive Thought

2009-03-04T09:46:00.004Z

I had a lovely day yesterday, which is quite strange considering I had to take an urgent trip up to Manchester, to the specialist unit at Salford Royal.I have to admit that I woke up dreading the day ahead of me. I hauled myself off the sofa, where I’ve been sleeping for the past two months, knowing that the clinic I’d been called to on Monday would undoubtedly leave me feeling exhausted and sat

Dodgy Phone Call

2009-02-27T13:16:00.003Z

I just had a phone call. Nothing unusual about that really, except that this one was. Unusual, that is.Here’s how it went:Ring…ring… [I check number, it’s unavailable. I answer anyway, there‘s a few seconds pause and I clearly hear the caller put the phone down.]Ring…ring… [I check number again...still unavailable. I answer.]Me: HelloHim: Is that Mrs Sharon?Me [thinking it’s strange he didn’t use

Speaking English

2009-02-26T17:47:00.001Z

I love the English language. In fact, I love listening to any language as I’m fascinating by the different sounds and gestures that people use when speaking. What I’m sad about though is the way our language appears to be evolving.Now I know language doesn’t remain static. Every language evolves whether we like it or not - if that weren’t the case we’d still all be speaking in the same way

Going It Alone

2009-02-25T21:18:00.003Z

My daughter’s out tonight. Just recently she’s been spending more time than usual at home and definitely more time sitting in the living room actually wanting to talk to me. Every night this week so far and all but one last week. And the one night she was out last week was because it was her birthday so was taken out for a meal by some friends. She did make me a lasagne before she went though (my

Rubber Politics

2009-02-24T15:41:00.000Z

Need I say more?Sharon J xx~~+~~

Don't Got - Do Got

2009-02-23T20:47:00.005Z

Said by LM’s 20 year old male friend:"Stop looking at the things you don’t got and start being grateful for the things you do got instead".I couldn't help but smile :)Sharon J xx~~+~~

Stone The Crows!!

2009-02-21T14:41:00.001Z

A few weeks ago I bought myself a new bracelet. I wasn’t being indulgent or anything, it’s a simple bracelet of stones on elastic. It’s nicely made and looks nice and at £5.95 it won’t exactly break the bank.But I didn’t buy it because it’s pretty or cheap, I bought it because my shoulder has been giving me gyp for about a year now. I have no lateral movement in my left arm and can’t lift it over

Living WITH The Earth

2009-02-20T14:15:00.001Z

Living on the earth is easy, we all do it without giving much thought to it. But how about living with the earth?We’ve been blessed with a beautiful planet that, if treated properly in order to give nature a chance to do things the way they were intended, would provide for all of our basic needs; there would be enough nutritious food, clean water and shelter for everybody.But we don’t.Most of us

Stuff vs. Memories

2009-02-19T13:50:00.001Z

My daughter and I were chatting last night and the subject eventually came round to the way people are always wanting more - something bigger, better, flashier, more impressive and always more expensive.She said that she’d much rather look back on a life filled with memories of adventures and experiences that had made an impact on her life, even if only on a spiritual level, because buying stuff

Paul's Birthday

2009-02-18T08:14:00.002Z

Yesterday was Paul’s birthday. Most of you probably know who he is by now but for the benefit of those who don’t, he’s my special needs son who’s currently staying with my parents in order to help Mum look after Dad, who’s very, very ill at the moment. He was 31 yesterday but to all intents and purposes, he’s still very much a child. An incredibly loving, helpful and honest child.I phoned him

Give and Take - When The Balance Is Off Kilter

2009-02-17T14:35:00.004Z

I’ve blogged about toxic people before so most of you probably know already that I’ve been doing as much as I can to remove them from my life and clean up any negative emotional debris that they’ve left behind, but somebody recently asked me WHY I see certain people as being toxic, a question that led to quite a lengthy and interesting conversation.All relationships are based on a trading system

I'll End Up Peeing My Pants

2009-02-17T01:07:00.004Z

Is it just me that’s a lazy mare or do other people drag out going to loo for as long as they can because they can’t be bothered to get up?Admittedly, when my energy’s low or I’m ill, getting up to visit the privy can be a huge effort, but this happens on good days too. Not all the time - I’m not that lazy - but it happens. And sometimes I leave it so long that I'm bursting by the time I get

Karmic Debt

2009-02-15T23:12:00.006Z

As much of a cliché as it’s become, I do believe that what goes round come round. That what you send out of good or bad energy/actions will come back to you again. That we all get our comeuppence; that God - whether that be Allah, God as depicted in the Bible, the Cosmos or any other form of deity - does repay all debts.Everything we do on this planet (or elsewhere, if we happen to be astronauts!

I Just Couldn't Keep Away

2009-02-14T17:05:00.002Z

Right. Well… here I am again. I just couldn’t keep away.The thing is, I love writing and as something of a jaw-me-dead, I have lots to say so blogging kills two birds. Then there’s the fact that I missed this place, sharing my thoughts with people who clearly appreciate them and when several of you sent me messages on Facebook or through emails, asking whether I planned to start blogging again

Fare Thee Well

2009-01-11T08:53:00.003Z

This is possibly the most difficult blog post I’ve ever written because I’ve truly enjoyed the eleven months I’ve been writing here and, more so, the friends I’ve made along the way. But because I need to sever some ties now I won’t be posting any more.While certain people still have access to my life through these ramblings, I’ll never truly feel disengaged from them. Despite promises to the

Pig Sty?

2009-01-10T09:23:00.002Z

I was a bit pi**ed off yesterday because my house was a mess. “Bloody pig sty”, was my first thought. But then I thought again…. “hold on, Sharon, pigs don’t live in messy houses”.Now I’m no authority on pigs - I’ve never kept them, never lived close to them, or had any other dealings with them other than that parts of them sometimes appear on my plate. But I do remember being on a weekend break

A Friend, A Loss, A Lesson

2009-01-09T14:28:00.003Z

A friend died recently. Not a close friend by any means but none the less a person who I probably knew better than many of those who saw her regularly. We were in hospital together five years ago, both having suffered a blood clot that had led to our bowels decaying inside us. It’s a condition experience by very few (thankfully) and thus rather unusual that we were both admitted at more or less

Children and Darkness

2009-01-08T13:15:00.002Z

The streets are quiet here during winter. The children are at school during the day and in the evening they’re all inside, most of them playing on their games consoles or watching TV. It’s such a reversal of what it’s like here during summer, when our street is alive with children riding their bikes and generally messing around, having fun.But it’s dark, and parents don’t let their kids out in