Rhyme and No Reason!

Blogger, author and rhymester who likes to find the humour in life.

TJ’s Household Haiku Challenge – Containers — January 2, 2016

TJ’s Household Haiku Challenge – Containers

I wasn’t sure what I was going to use today for TJ’s Household Challenge as ‘containers’ had so many possibilities.

Anyway, I have been on the lookout for a bag to keep my knitting in as a carrier bag is not the best receptacle! I was looking on Amazon to see how much they are and resented paying thirty quid for the bucket bag that I wanted.

However, I came across Craftsy Website where they had free tutorials on how to make one. Bonus! I had a few scraps of fabric leftover and gave it a whirl. I was really thrilled, as although I am not a great sewist (sewer looks wrong), I managed to make it, and I was more pleased as I have not felt like doing any sewing or anything for ages.

After all that rambling here is my haiku (and my bag)!

 

My new knitting bag –

A few hours,  some old fabric

Was all it took!

 

 

 

 

 

Just Jot It January 2nd – Pause/Paws #SoCS —

Just Jot It January 2nd – Pause/Paws #SoCS

Today I am going for another ‘first.’ I have decided to join in with Linda’s Stream of Consciousness posts as well as the Just Jot It January one!! Please check these out as they are great fun, and I have already met some wonderful new bloggers.

It is not often that I actually pause to think about what I am doing, or where I am going. I am a worrier which means that I very often go over and over things worrying about how I might be interpreted or whether or not I have unintentionally offended anyone, but that is different.

It would be beneficial to me I am sure to have some direction, as I tend to just blunder on through each day not really thinking about what I am doing. I do things ‘off the cuff’ quite often without thinking too much about it.

Even starting my blog, I had no clue really about what I was going to write about or how often I would post. It just sort of evolved really. I suppose in many ways, I could be accused of being careless, as I rush through, going from one thing to another. I decide that I want to do something then go for it putting everything into it. Then I go on to something else.

Maybe I am searching for something, I don’t know because I never pause long enough to find out!

Just Jot It January 1st- Persnickety. — January 1, 2016

Just Jot It January 1st- Persnickety.

I am excited to be taking part in Linda’s e where we get to write a post a day throughout the month of January. We can choose whether or not to use the prompt words as we wish. Why not have a go, as it is not too late to join in.

Now I don’t think that I am a ‘persnickety’ person at all. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I am quite easy-going. However, I looked at the word for today and thought that something was not right. It didn’t look quite right to me but I was not sure why. After all. ‘persnickety’ was spelled correctly, but something was off. Then I found it. That hidden ‘s’ that had sneaked in.

You see, over here in the good old UK,  we say ‘pernickety’ and that is what I am going to stick to. I know North Americans say ‘persnickety’ but I don’t like that ‘s’ so am going to ignore it!

So yes I am pernickety, and in fact, whilst we are on the subject, I also get mad about the apostrophe. Yes, such a small and inoffensive little thing, but it can cause me to get very cross when incorrectly placed.  Cafe’s over here love to advertise their ware’s, using my little friend with joyful abandon. Who wants burger’s and chips? They sell tea’s and coffee’s too you know! Grrrrrr enough already!

Do you realise how much it pained me to write that? Hmmm, I am far more pernickety than I thought over things that most people just laugh about!

Ready to Welcome the New Year. — December 31, 2015

Ready to Welcome the New Year.

Well, what a year 2015 turned out to be for me. It has certainly been a time of change and trying new challenges. I left my job at the hospital after five and a half years and found a new job working out in the community, visiting people in their homes.

I also took part in the NaNoWriMo in November and completed my very first novel. Well, it is not exactly complete as there is still lots more editing left to do! As yet, I am not sure how far I am going to go with it, but it would be a dream fulfilled to get it published, (should it be worthy of course).

The one thing that has been consistent throughout all the ups and downs of this year has been my blog and you, my wonderful blogging friends.You have been there to offer comfort, encouragement, advice, and support. I have laughed, cried and learned lots from your various posts as well.  You never cease to amaze and surprise me. The way we all pull together at times is something I am extremely proud of. No matter what time of day or night, I know there is always someone here I can talk to, and interact with, regardless of subject matter.

I have not set that many goals for 2016, but for those of you that have, I wish you every success in achieving them. I wish every one of you health, love and happiness in 2016 and I am looking forward to continuing to share your journeys, as you share mine!

Cheers! 🍷🍷🍷🎇🎇

 

 

 

 

Cluttered House, Cluttered Mind? — December 30, 2015

Cluttered House, Cluttered Mind?

I may have mentioned that at the moment I am going through quite a bad bout of anxiety and depression. My head feels like someone is wringing my brain out, and there is not enough room in it for all of the thoughts that are going around and around. It is really tricky even trying to string some  coherent thoughts together at the moment! It really seems like my head is full of clutter, which is funny really as. looking around my house is pretty cluttered too!

Now don’t get me wrong, the house is quite tidy, but everywhere I look there is stuff! Under the coffee table is jam packed with sewing magazines (I havent done any sewing for ages), all of the shelves in my front room are covered with photos or ornaments, my kitchen draweres are full to bursting with odds and sods, and the bathroom is stocked with enough toiletries to keep me going until at least next Christmas (not that I am complaining)!

I have two wardrobes chock-a-block in the bedroom but nothing to wear, an overflowing knicker drawer and shoes galore at the bottom of my wardrobes, and under the bed, oh yes, and in my ottoman at the end of the bed. It is like a lucky dip whenever I go in there, to get a pair out as it takes me forever to find the matching one!

The problem is Mr Grump is like it as well! He has got a box of hats on top of his wardrobe (everything from pork pie hats, to flat caps and an assortment of sun hats)! He also loves shoes and there are loads under his side of the bed although he only ever seems to wear one or two pairs.

If that wasn’t bad enough Miss Hap has also joined in the tradition! She has shelves of books, and video games as well as all of her hair stuff and makeup. She has now decided that she needs to minimalise her room, but that is not going to be an easy task.

If you were to look in my loft, you would find nearly as much stuff up there that I can’t bear to throw out, as in the rest of the house. I am a very sentimental person and have only just started throwing greeting cards out. I have kept them all for years and years. I also havee clothes of all different sizes up there that I will never wear, along with some baby clothes of Miss Hap’s that I cannot bear to part with.

I am wondering if maybe I should start being a bit more ruthless and chuck out some of this stuff.  What about you, do you live in cluttered chaos or minimalist with no mess?

 

 

 

 

2015 in review —

2015 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

I would just like to say ‘Thank you’ to  everybody that visited my blog in 2015. I appreciate all your likes and comments, and the fact that you stopped by to read one of my posts.

As I am an ‘off the cuff’ kind of a girl, I am not sure whar I will be doing with my blog in 2016! I know that my ‘Free-for-all Friday’ is very popular as they were some of my most viewed posts, so they will be staying. I love taking part in challenges so will be continuing with those, particularly Ronovan’s and TJ’s Haiku challenges that I have become addicted to. I am also going to take part of Linda’s  ‘Just Jot it January’ posts. I will also have a go at anything else that comes along and takes my fancy.

So, in a nutshell, what you can expect from me in 2016 is more randomness, more silliness, a sprinkling of poems – and whatever else comes to mind!

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 35,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 13 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Wacky Word Wednesday —

Wacky Word Wednesday

Welcome to the last ‘Wacky Word Wednesday’ of 2015. My chance of digging around for words that are weird, wacky or just plain wonderful (and perhaps even all three)! I then get to dust them off, dress them up and give them another whirl. Today’s word is one that has rather an onomatopoeic quality to it, as you will see.

Daft. Yes, this is a silly word. It is barmy and bonkers, someone who is a little odd or offbeat. For some reason, we Brits use ‘daft as a brush’ to describe someone, or something, which makes no sense at all really as I was unaware that brushes were stupid. I thought they were rather useful for sweeping things up, but there you go!

It is the dopey and the gormless, the half-baked halfwit that is not quite on this planet. It is the crazy, and the crackers, nutty professor type of person who is off their trolley.

It also applies to animals, the dippy dog that twirls around and around chasing its tail, or the preening parrot, prancing about spouting nonsense. What about the cat that jumps on top of the swing bin and ends up falling through!

No-one is immune, as we all have daftness within us. Some of us just use it more than others!

 

My Goals for 2016! — December 29, 2015

My Goals for 2016!

Now that I’ve given up smoking

And have long since ditched all the booze

I see no need for resolutions

They only give me the blues

I hardly have any vices

I gave them all up long ago

Except of course over-eating

I never know when to say no!

I always eat lots for comfort

When I am under duress

Then get mad when I find out

That I am bursting out of my dress!

 I need to find some new ideas

To kick off twenty-sixteen

So I can stop all this gorging

And go from stocky to lean

I have to find motivation

To make it all a success

Then, this time next year

I will weigh a couple of stone less!

Ronovan’s Writes Weekly Haiku Challenge #77 ‘New’ and ‘Year.’ — December 28, 2015

Ronovan’s Writes Weekly Haiku Challenge #77 ‘New’ and ‘Year.’

Some very seasonal words for our prompt this week from Ronovan for his weekly Haiku Challenge

I have gone with the obvious this week!

A Happy New Year!

Resolutions are made now –

Broken in a week.

 

 

 

TJ’s Household Haiku Challenge – Attraction — December 27, 2015

TJ’s Household Haiku Challenge – Attraction

For the last Household Haiku Challenge of the year, TJ has given us ‘attraction’ for our prompt word.

I have a few fridge magnets that I enjoy looking at, and this one is something that Mr Grump spotted, and thought I might like. I wonder why?!

Here is my take on it.

 

Food is my first love

A passionate attraction

-holds a lot of weight!

 

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