Rhyme and No Reason!

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

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! 🍷🍷🍷🎇🎇

 

 

 

 

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2015 in review — December 30, 2015

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.

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
Christmas Wishes — December 24, 2015
Episode 88: Footprints in the Snow….. — January 3, 2015

Episode 88: Footprints in the Snow…..

Well it seems that the holidays are now well and truly over. I have already been back to work a week and my days seem to be a bit topsy-turvy at the moment; some people don’t even start back at work until Monday, and are still wringing out the last drop of holiday cheer (not that I blame them), whereas I am back into the swing of things with gusto!

When I came home from work today, Mr Grump had taken down all of the decorations and they have been put away ready for next year. I have to say that for me, once New Years Day is over then it is time to put everything away (Mr Grump was a bit  tender-headed on New Year’s Day and it didn’t get done). I like the house to be back to normal; although it looks bare without the decorations, cards and lights, it is uncluttered and fresh, ready to face the year ahead

There is something so exciting about the beginning of a new year stretching out in front of you.It ‘s like virgin snow, unblemished, just waiting for you to decide which way you will go. There are many pathways but they are all hidden under the snow, and won’t become visible for some time, so you have to choose wisely. Many people make resolutions so that they can try and improve their journey through life, but as I have mentioned before, this doesn’t work for me.

Yes I definitely want to try new things this year. There is always something new to learn, and I like to challenge myself to gain more skills. Last year it was learning how to sew. Well, actually I mean make things, things I can wear, or things I can use. I did make things. I made myself and Miss Hap matching circle skirts out of a fabric that had different coloured fish on it. I was pleased with them, thought they were nice and summery. Miss Hap was NOT impressed. It is not cool to have a home-made (badly) skirt, and it is doubly uncool for your Mum to have the matching one. She did however like the advent bag, I made her as I didn’t realise how big it was, and I had to buy a chocolate bar rather than a chocolate coin or something so it didn’t look lost in the giant bag!

My rubbish attempt at making a skirt.
My rubbish attempt at making a skirt.

My sewing endeavours will still continue this year, as there are definitely improvements to be made on that front (learning to follow a pattern correctly is always a good place to start)! However there are many other things that are waiting for me to try my hand at this year, and I shall no doubt be lunging at them in my usual gung-ho manner. you never know, I might even find something that I am good at!

Episode 87: New Year, Old Habits……. — January 2, 2015

Episode 87: New Year, Old Habits…….

Hello 2015! I am so pleased that 2014 has gone, and I now look forward to seeing what delights the New Year has in its sights for me.

I have not really made any New Years resolutions as:

  • They are doomed to failure, I hate to be told that I MUST do something on a certain day, it always usually ends up going wrong.
  • I feel that I hardly have anything left to give up. I have given up smoking, I rarely drink, and no longer eat sweet foods, so there is bugger all left to enjoy, let alone give up!
  • There are enough miserable people at the moment giving up this and that, I don’t need to add to that number.

Anyway, some things never change, despite my efforts. For example,my tendency to be a little accident-prone and just a tad clumsy is still prevalent. My boss very kindly bought all of us staff a lovely china mug for Christmas; each of them different, presumably to match our personalities.Mine was a blue, flowery one which I decided to take home rather than leave it at work where it might get nicked or broken.

Both me and Mr Grump drink tea all day long, and I also like the odd coffee now and again. I have a large mug for my tea, but I only drink a small coffee so my new cup was perfect for that.  I was a little bit grouchy in the morning as I had gone up to get ready and when I had come back downstairs Mr Grump STILL hadn’t done either the washing up from the night before, or made me a drink. I put the kettle on myself, snatched my cup off the draining board, and saw that it was dirty which annoyed me. I turned back to the sink to wash it up just as Mr Grump was trying  to get his cup to the kettle so that I could make HIM a drink! Anyway, you guessed it, SMASH! Mr Grump’s huge, chunky ‘Grumpy Old Git’ cup smashed my delicate china one to smithereens! For once I didn’t say anything, my silence spoke volumes, and Mr Grump scuttled out of the kitchen and out of my way for a bit!

I still had to go to work New Year’s Day, especially as I had Christmas off this year. Mr Grump was going to have to dive me in for about 7am or so, and we were all going to have a quiet New Year’s Eve, Anyway, out of the blue my younger sister invited us to hers in the afternoon for a little while. Her daughter and her fiance ended up coming round and eventually we all decided to go to visit my Mum who also lives locally. Mr Grump met us there and i noticed that he was having a beer, and I knew what was coming….

Sure enough, after a few very loud and raucous games, they all decided to head back to my sister’s to continue the party. It was decided that Miss Hap and Mr Grump would stay the night at my sister’s and I would get a taxi to work in the morning. I must admit I was a bit upset but didn’t want to be a killjoy. After all it was New Year’s Eve. Mr Grump walked me home and then fussed around for a bit before I finally told him to get going as I had blogging to do and I wanted a bit of peace!

I had a bit of a sniffle feeling sorry for myself but soon got lost in the blogosphere catching up on those I hadn’t read and writing my final post of 2014. I decided that I would see who else was working and try to get a lift in from someone else who lives in the area as there are quite a few of us. Luckily I managed to get that sorted so I was pleased about  that.I was just getting ready to go to bed when Miss Hap phoned to say that she was coming home as she missed me and that my other niece’s husband would bring her as they had just turned up there.

That was really nice so we had a little chat, and went to bed. It took me ages to get off to sleep for some reason, but i finally nodded off only to be awoken what seemed like 10 mins later by a bumbling and stumbling Mr Grump.He told me,

“I deshided to come home to be with my baby,  Itsh  still New Yearsh Eve”.

I asked what the time was and told it was only a quarter to midnight. Great! Although I appreciated the fact that he wanted to be with me and had staggered home, he had woken me up! I went back to sleep just in time to be woken up again by the various fireworks that had been let off to bring in the New Year. Lovely. Mr Grump was snoring nicely in time with the dog to accompany the bangs and whizzes of the fireworks.

I did make rather a lot of noise at 5.30 when I got up, making sure I blow dried my hair in the bedroom with the light on of course. Mr Grump got up at 6.30 to see me off to work, how sweet!

Yes. although it is a new year, some things will no doubt remain unchanged!

Episode 71: New Years Resolution – With a Twist!!! — December 10, 2014

Episode 71: New Years Resolution – With a Twist!!!

After the Christmas over-indulgence normally comes the New Year resolutions. You know, the pledge to hit the gym, lose some weight and get fit, which is all very well in theory, but in practice lasts until the beginning of February (at a push)! The same goes with packing in smoking; for many the desire to give up is there, but the cravings are just too strong and it all ends in tears (and a packet of fags)! I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to give up all of our vices at the same time and on the same day! I am fed-up with being ‘good’ and my New Year’s Resolution is to find a new vice……

As I have mentioned (more than once, probably), I have given up smoking (am in my third month of being smoke-free), and  due to being recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, have also had to cut right back on the sugar, as well as lose weight! Two of my favourite pleasures in life were smoking and eating, and now I have had to give them up and I’m bloody crabby! This Christmas I will not be scoffing Christmas Pud with a huge dollop of cream, nor will I be indulging in the sherry trifle. In fact I can’t even have a bloody mince pie!

I wont be crowding round the back door, or standing outside in the freezing cold/pouring rain/ or icy snow having a sociable  cigarette with family members as half of us have now given up. (Yes I know it is a good thing, but we all actually ENJOYED smoking)!  No… we will all be piously snug and comfy in the warm, laughing at the poor buggers who still indulged, huddled up against the cold, whilst secretly wishing we could just have one little puff!!

Don’t get me wrong, I understand  that I needed to make these changes in order to become healthier and, it was down to my bad choices that I ended up with diabetes, but I haven’t got any vices now. I’m not used to being a Mrs Goody Two-Shoes having smoked since I was about 13 years old, so I am looking for a new vice for the New Year!

Now, finding a vice is not going to be easy, as two have already been ruled out! Drinking is not an option either, Firstly because the last time I had too much to drink I had a hangover for 2 days, and with Miss Hap being as energetic and exuberant as she is, that combination is OUT!  Going out ‘on the pull’ is also a non-starter. Not only will Mr Grump get the hump, but I am well past my prime (If I ever had a prime), and it would be too much hassle to doll myself up every night to try to look half-decent.

Becoming a shopaholic sounds fantastic in theory, (who doesn’t like new and sparkly, things) but we have more than enough clutter in our house already, plus you don’t get a lot of sparkle for your money on my salary! Hmmmm it is not as easy as I thought trying to find a new vice.

Anyone got any ideas??

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