Garden Cat

 Beans in todays garden, a wet windy day. She wasn't out for very long. 

I'm not as comfortable using the camera as I used to be, so easy just to snap away on your phone. This isn't quite in focus, using the display rather than the viewfinder, think I need to lean it on my head to get it steady... lol...  or is it the age of the camera not working quite properly. 

Age, another thing, mine... it hurts my eyes to use the viewfinder, giving me  a headache. I don't wear glasses for normal day to day things, but do for reading now. 

interesting lactose intolerance article

Mongolian Heritage

 thankfully this doesn't affect me, such an interesting article, my own thoughts are 'we are too clean and too far removed from nature'

so there is something to being horsey and gardening.... such as making and eating a sandwich without washed hands..... I'm not off work with any illness as much as everybody else in the workplace. 

people are wimps now as well.. going to A&E with the slightest little thing. 

I'm tired and looking forward to a week off work from Friday.

I'm not a salesperson

to update on ''car overload'' .. https://clairesgarden.blogspot.com/2018/09/car-overload.html

I am still a two car owner. I advertised the larger one and only got two offers to swap it for equally large , expensive to run, other cars.. now if I have to keep a big car at least I know whats been fixed and what hasn't on this one.
the smaller car was advertised and drew a phone call, a text message or an email .. approximately every five minutes for a week. even at 3am..... two people did look at it when I offered to take the car to them... but never called back after ''thinking about it'' and lots of other people engage in furious messaging sessions.. never actually call to talk. arrange to look at it and DONT' TURN UP.

I have removed advert . I'll put it back up later this week and specify to view on Saturday morning only.....

car overload

 Corsa versus Vectra..... one was purchased while the other was being fixed, and I can only keep one. and I really like them both. both old. both drive really well.. adverts being created for both and the first one to sell will go and the other will stay... 

photos are misbehaving in this post.. I don't know why.

sunny summer

having a great lead horse is so important in training others. I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to help me. Quince did not leave the farm environment till she was 9 and then spent two years in a quiet out of town place though she did get used to cars and bikes there. for the last six months she has had to get used to going past houses and people, and all the mad things they do. scaffolding to re -roof, cutting grass and hedges, washing cars, putting up new fences and just as she gets used to that they paint it a different colour. a childrens play park and the children who run screaming to see a horse. .... just beyond the houses we have lovely off road paths to wander, only a few miles but I love it.
on the subject of houses... I am still camping in my daughters spare room. I sorted through some boxes this week that have been packed in a hurry in various places over the years. there was a few surprises in there. I got from six boxes down to four, a bag of stuff for the charity shop and some stuff to sell on ebay. and a few good finds to use, some t-shirts and a waterproof jacket. I need those.
I'm not feeling too great today. I came home from work early last night not feeling well. either sun-stroke , food poisoning or a combination of them both. I left Quince to cool down before getting a feed.. myself? I was rushed into the farmhouse and given a wonderful lunch containing a lot of mayonnaise , eggs, cream , fruit.... I usually don't eat that much during the day particularly before going to work as I have heavy duties to do.
and my work has a policy that if you have been ill you cannot have an extra shift. so I am not allowed to work the shift that was an extra today.. that leaves them short staffed and me short of money.

the dumbing down and poisoning

I read labels of food when I shop. sometimes having to choose between affordability and nutrition...
large conglomerates of shops leading the market with their products... not food... non food?
lemon curd as an example. homemade is eggs, lemons, sugar. butter.
Asda... a Walmart shop... er... none of those are in it....
and everything, it seems everything, has palm oil in it. bread, biscuits, peanut butter. like biting into blood....
shop local, shop health food stores... better for you but I can't afford it.
very grumpy about this.

to lighten my mood up a bit, the sun is shining and  I'm having a lazy day, watching Star Trek Voyager.

https://plus.google.com/+TourismsaskatchewanCanada
http://www.tourismsaskatchewan.com/

I just watched a tourist video for this town. looks lovely... but in my grumpiness I have this to say,,,
-they do tourist adverts like this for Scotland too, quite different from actually living here, in the cold and the wet. difficult to find decent decent jobs and affordable housing. the violence, not even hidden anymore, the drugs, people seem proud to be involved... children left to fend for themselves... overcrowded prisons.. is there anywhere in the world actually ''nice'' ??-

there's always light somewhere

 

Bless dear friends, near and far,

 

Today I am grateful for
good friends
a hot bath
a warm place to sleep

troubled times

Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown ~

trials and tribulations

I suffer dreadful jealousy of people with money, that they can buy the things they do, that the car costs more than my house..  I very much dislike that they think they are allowed to control what you can or can't do with your life, their opinions and ways of doing things are not the only ways... and to the lady on monday who will never read this... you forget where you came from, what your ideals once were, how to be kind and honest... I'm jealous of your money and your 'things' for sure but I'm never going to be jealous of your monied attitude because your pretty and he decided to lift you up to your self exalted status, its a shame you can't be more of a credit to the person who has given you every chance and everything you ever wanted.. you have both lost sight.
I will try to forgive them anyway, but my attitude tends more towards.. stuff them. lol .

flowers to add cheer.....

Cheerful bulbs in a pot, sitting at the caravan doorstep. I though they might all get blown away today but they're fine!
Having 'moved' a lot of my activity on the internet to facebook I find that I can't really be 'me' on facebook, that it becomes a very public thing, people who come to where I work as customers, my boss and her family.
I find facebook a great way to keep in touch with a lot of people, my family included!! Its great for oraganising things and not getting missed out.
However I am returning to  my blog with any of my opinions, not so much that they are out of order but because not everybody needs to know them.
I practice smiling in front of a mirror.
and still today four different people who know me outside of the workplace came up to me and said I looked exhausted and  miserable. I apologised and said that wasn;t what I wanted to convey to people when I was at work.
but that was today, tired out and sad.

tis the season to be grumpy... tra la la la la

only seen Abbey in the dark all week, she decided now she is frightened of the torch... the same torch we have had for years... bless.

oh how I laugh... start at 8, an hour for lunch and finish at 5....... well three weeks into the new job all I can say is that I definitely start at 8 anyway.

a few friends have mentioned horses having a break and having the winter months off work, I'm  not sure how I feel about that but it currently seems to be happening.

and its cold... how acclimatised you are to central heating and double glazing... now I have neither.

social media

I find myself moving away from the 'blog' and towards more popular social media. its and instant access, lots of people on it, people you see in person every day are on it too...
has this blog become the social media of  my past?
theres a lot of happy memories on here.
opinions and photographs, what are they to me now?
I don't know.
the other social media becomes a great waste of time, accessing it several times a day seems to be the normal pattern. unfortunately I have a lot of time to waste at the moment so that's what I do.

thinking of adding flashing lights....

here we are ariving back from a ride out in the rain. this is most of our 'bright' ... everything on but the leg bandages as her legs are too muddy. I'm also muddy .... never ending rain!!

I am an Urban Homesteader

my little homestead veggy plot

I am an Urban Homesteader. I grow vegetables organically, I have reduced my living style, I recycle all the waste I am able to. Unfortunatly I cannot do without a car so I cannot claim to be saving the planet as much as I would like to.

apparently this phrase 'urban homesteader' has been trademarked by a homegrowing veggy 'business' run by the Dervaes family.

I would have to ask them 'really? why?' and ask why they are having blogs using this term closed down?

the world needs everybody to grow their own food, even a little helps. Even the knowlege of how to grow vegetables is an essential thing to have.

This blogger puts it across very well, so I link to her..
http://livingthefrugallife.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-am-urban-homesteader.html

all is well, phew!

I have a very sweet tooth. I have been a vegetarian a long time and I've been increasingly worried about the contents of the average, easily available sweetie.

I had a 'list' of things I thought it was okay to eat, and I read labels. I don't know if the recipies have changed or is there a new 'legal directive' on what they have to declare?

A lot of sweeties now seem to have 'Beef Gelatine' or 'Bovine Gelatine' in them.

I did a bit of label reading today and found these lovely sweeties from Sainsbury's, American Hard Gums.

I can eat them. I am building myself a revised list.....

as my thoughts turn to seeds..

lovely..throught the post comes the Organic Gardening catalogue, prompting dreams of spring and planting seeds. I am positive last year that I took good stock of what I had, what I needed and what I wanted......hmmm....
so there is the catalogue, at the back of a rather overful box, used and unused seeds......
so before any ordening is done this must be sorted!
I am trying to 'de-clutter' the house in general, there is 'too much stuff'. there are several blogs out on ideas for minimising, de-cluttering, donating, giving away, throwing out....such as 365 days and miss minimalist

I have managed to fill three bags to take to the second hand store, but due to my second hand car still being out of action they are still cluttering up my bedroom.....I really find it hard not having a car, can't get to the pony(annoying everybody for lifts), can't get to work(either early or late but never on time---and having several five mile walks due to consistent breakdown of buses), can't get for a big shop(too heavy to carry home).


JANUARY 2017;; EDIT TO ADD ;;
'''''I am reaching out to certain website and blog owners that publish content in line with our mission to make all the world’s art accessible to anyone. We hope to continue promoting arts education and accessibility with your help.
Our Minimalism page provides access to an informative description, to key related artworks, as well as to related categories, art-terms, and artists. By promoting Minimalism, we hope visitors can learn more about the movement in its context, and explore beyond it as well.
We would love to be included as a resource for Minimalism for your visitors via a link on your page. We believe that by spreading access we can provide a new, empowering way for approaching art. If you are able to add a link to our Minimalism page, please let me know. Thanks in advance for your consideration!
Best,
Alonzo''''

bleh

photo taken last Monday, Scotland ground to a halt and I had to walk five miles home. the weather report for today has not been good, cold and wet rain this morning and snow is meant to come in after it and then freeze......just for the moment the sun is out and its very pretty.
I am very fed up with it now, and continue to have no car as it now needs fixing as the power steering has failed.
many blessings to everybody who keep giving me lifts up to the stables and back.
the greenhouse was frozen shut for over a week, I opened it this morning and the minimum shows -12C and the maximum 11c. brrrrr fed up!!!!

update on moan

Saturday morning after a good nights sleep, I am going out to be positive. planning a good play with Abbey(horses have the an ability to cheer you up under any circumstances), some gardening and some sitting with cats.
'sitting with cats' is a lovely pastime, I often try to combine it with reading but the cats have developed 'story sitting', which means of course they sit on top of the book so they can have all your attention......

moan

Another day goes by I still haven't won the lottery.
I sometimes wish I could take myself, my cats, my pony and my garden away from the small minded opinionated crap that keeps walking over the top of me.
Sometimes I really should know better and not even start off with a hello....its usually bound to degenerate into what happened today. It'll happen again too.