Page 182 - kind, another small word but the very action or word of kindness can mean so much to another person! I try to be kind, either in thought, word or deed, but sometimes it isn't easy! At times to be kind you have to think before you act or speak. And I do appreciate the kindness of others toward me.

Here's little album No 5!

Page 181 - Well I must be truly happy as I have someone to love, even better, more than one person! I always have something to do with all my hobbies and the usual "stuff" of life, so am never bored! And there is always something to hope for, be it for me or others!

Page 180 - My heart is full of love for family and friends, but there is still room for more! Hopefully it will keep beating for a long time yet!

My brain, has been well used during my life, and now I try to stretch it more - learning computer things and doing photography courses!

My body, it might not have all the parts I started life with, and I know I am overweight, but it still serves me well, though a bit stiff and tired at times!

My heart, brain and body are marvellous things and I should use them or lose them!

Page 179 - My first thoughts when I saw today's prompt were the album by Al Stewart, a modern folk singer back in the late 1960's! We used to go to his concerts and he came to our local folk club! His song lyrics were very thought provoking, especially the very long track about Nostradamus!

I feel I can sum this up by saying that my past has made me as I am at the present, and the present will make me as I will be in the future.

Page 178 - Me Myself and I! I think I am just an ordinary person with many roles in life! I am a wife, mother, nana, sister and friend. At times I wish I was still a daughter! I enjoy all these roles. The mother role is definitely a lot easier now they have all flown the nest and have partners, but still you worry about them at times! I hope I have been good at all these things, although they were all a learning curve! Life has made me what I am today, through my experiences I have learnt, sometimes the hard way! So look at me, but do you know me?

Page 177 - oh scary looking pic today! This quote is very similar to one we had earlier in the year, so what can I say that is different? Nowadays it is very hard not to see or hear something evil, just listening to the news! But also when shopping I hear parents shouting and swearing at their children, or even hitting them, this to me is evil! I see children pass each morning on their way to school, they can say or act cruelly to each other, but we hope to teach them to be kind. Why don't we follow our own teaching? Or walking the dog, I see people who do not treat their pets as I believe they should be treated. So many small examples of evil all around us every day! Without looking at worse happenings in our world where people are oppressed, mistreated etc!

Speak no Evil I have more control over! I do try not to say anything in haste, think first, as one small remark may have great repurcussions! Sometimes this isn't easy! Sometimes I would love to say what I am thinking but bite my tongue! If only we could all abide by this saying life would be so much more pleasant! Maybe we should all try harder, especially me!

Page 176 - well, I think like most people I am a mixture of all these! I do try to be good but sometimes I am led astray, so I should be stronger! (Could this apply to stash buying?) Oh yes, I can be bad, but it depends on your definition of bad! Hopefully as I have grown older and wiser I am not so bad, even my "red head" temper has cooled down! Ugly, well, does anyone think they are beautiful? I certainly don't, but hope people see me for who I am, not what I look like! These are definitely three traits that need working on! Some people seem to have more of one than another, are we born either good or bad, is it our environment that makes us either? We all need to work on looking for the beauty in all things and people, it is there!

Oh, and I'm not poking my tongue out at you!

Page 175 - The word "love", a very small word that means so much to different people! I feel that today we use the word too much and in inappropriate circumstances, to describe because we cannot think of another word. I am guilty of this too! Maybe this is because it takes us time to realise the true meaning of the word, and once we do, will become more careful how we use it! Love is not something we can control, it may creep up on us, or hit us like a sledgehammer. Sometimes things happen to change that love, not always under our control. But true love for others is a wonderful feeling.

Page 174 - For some reason this prompt made me feel a bit depressed. Maybe because it is just dreaming that all will be equal one day, both in material possessions and opportunities. It would seem to be against human nature for many nowadays to share and help those less fortunate. Some people earn enormous salaries, what can they possibly spend the money on, but it is those who don't have much who are willing to help the less fortunate. I cannnot imagine what my life would be like without any possessions, I take so much for granted and so many things my parents classed as luxuries we now think of as essential. There was a time I didn't have a tumble drier for instance, but I managed! No disposable nappies either! So many things our children have been brought up to think of as part and parcel of normal life! Have we spoilt them, are we just following the herd, do we really need half of what we have? Would my life be more or less enjoyable with fewer material possessions?

Page 173 - so much to touch on in this prompt! But first thoughts were about life and is it a game? The game of Existence? Do we just exist or do we take full advantage and really live! I would hope that I live, taking each day as it comes and making the most of it, experiencing all that comes my way! Should I take things at face value, or dig deeper for more meaning? So many things in this world we don't fully understand! So is life the end of a game or just the beginning!

Page 172 - I like Friday's, as DH comes home after a week away at work! So today I seemed to do extra housework, baked a loaf of granary bread, made a dozen chocolate muffins, prepared dinner, walked the dog, mowed the lawn, did some mending and sneaked a while reading my book! To station to pick him up, back for dinner, and the evening will be spent watching some tv, he'll be working on my new computer and I might do some craft! So, whatever we do, doing it together will make me feel alright!

Page 171 - Well, not long till we find out the truth to this one! But by then it will be 50 years since we first met, though not love at first sight! We've always done Valentine's, made a fuss on birthdays, but then have done the same for no specific reason too! You don't often refuse me anything, though I try hard not to ask for much! I'm pretty sure you'll still feed me, and make allowances for me going out to indulge my hobbies! You'll still be waiting up for me when I get in! I know I'll still need you when I'm 64! I am so glad I was born in the era when marriage was still considered to be for life, and that I was lucky enough to find the right person to spend my life with!

Page 170 - this is the longest period of time I have ever lived in the same place. As Dad was in the army we moved around a lot, I suppose I was lucky to see many different places, and it all seemed normal to me! When we bought our house here it was classed as a village, but now with all the extra building that has gone on, one village just runs into another until they reach the nearest towns in each direction. But we are still lucky enough to have green spaces and a lot of army land to walk through. We also have the Basingstoke canal, with it's thriving visitor centre, and the Blackwater river. Our local primary school is nearby. There was a time when the children were young that I knew just about everyone, but now I don't. We still have a few original neighbours. Most of our shops have gone, and I really don't understand why we need two Indian restaurants, a chippy, Chinese take away and two hairdressers! Oh and a pub, which now has a Thai restaurant attached! I still think I live in a pleasant area, a fairly quiet road, but fairly good access to all amenities. But government policy dictates more houses to be built in the area, and I fear our local services and hospital will be hard pushed to cope, but this must be fairly typical for many areas! I have seen a lot of changes in the area, the ones that upset me most are the demolition of beautiful old buildings and Victorian houses, we should be treasuring these!

Page 168 - today my "moment" was enjoying lunch at the Ritz, London! A gift from the children for my birthday last year, but it took a long time to get round to doing it for one reason and another! Well worth the wait! An experience everyone should have at some time in their life, maybe when they are old enough to really appreciate it! Other moments in my life when words weren't enough to express my feelings were on the day I married Dh, and those days I gave birth to my four beautiful children, the feelings I had were beyond description! And I am sure it was the same for Dh!





Page 169 - I hear the news every day, it always starts with all the latest bad news, wars, murders, cruelty, price increases! Do they save the little bits of good news to the end on purpose so we don't get too depressed? Sometimes we think the news doesn't affect us, but in some roundabout way it must do! And we cannot do much to change things! We have constant access to news these days! Today the news is full of "inflation rising", well, what's new? Prices are constantly going up! I do wonder how some people manage, and then I wonder how we will all manage in the years to come! Will our standard of living decline, have we become accustomed to living too well, and being wasteful? Hopefully we will all learn to be more careful! But so often the media can seem to make matters worse, are they really reporting news or just making money out of events?

Page 167 - our treasures, first thought my dh, and he certainly makes my heart conscious! I have always felt alive with him, and shared so much over the years! I also treasure my children, their partners and grandchildren. When with them life is so exciting! How many things do we enjoy so much more when we are aware of the company we are in! Certain people make us feel more alive! So often in life it would be so easy just to go through the motions, but if we are aware of our treasures, then we gain so much more! These treasure could also be material, maybe something we have saved for, a thing my father taught me to do, and then when you buy it you do appreciate it so much more. We need to make the effort to be more conscious of all things in life!

Page 166 - Through a child's eyes the world is a new and exciting place! So many things to discover! This is better done with an adult who can see through their eyes, come down to their level! Explain things in simple terms! Maybe us adults should do this more often, and wonder at the marvels in our world.

I love being a Nana, spending time with my grandchildren, just talking, playing, cooking or crafting, simple pleasures which teach them so much about life! With adult interaction a child grows so much faster as a person! I will not get on my soap box about some of today's children being left to their own devices!

Page 165 - How apt was today's prompt for me, I have just finished doing Painting With Light photography course on line, and have learnt so much. I have taken so many shots over the last 10 weeks, things I wouldn't have done before, looked at things differently and ended up with some brilliant pictures! I found the course challenging at times, hopefully gave 100% and have benefitted. Now I will keep snapping away at anything and everything!

This quote may also mean if you never try you will never be successful. Always have a go, you may make a winner!

Page 164 - I know my aspirations have changed over the years, have I ever reached any of them, I believe at times I have got near! Probably now most of my aspirations are for my children, that they lead healthy, happy lives. But I still have aspirations for when DH retires. I believe we should all aspire to better things in our life, not just material but spiritual too! We should aspire to be true to ourself! It is up to us where our aspirations lead us!

Page 163 - friendship, my best friend in all the world is my DH, with him I feel safe and comfortable and know I can say anything! But I also have my best friend Liz, we have known each other since we were fourteen and share the same birthday. We are very different in some ways, but the same in others, both trained as nurses too! It doesn't matter how long since we have seen each other, we slip back in to the comfort of our friendship as if we saw each other every day. We seem to know what the other is thinking, and whether questions need answers. We are at ease with each other. I am lucky to have such a good friend, so many people have no friends, but the relationship, like all others, does have to be nurtured, it can not be all one sided!

Page 162 - Stay, a one word command or request! From a friend it is a request, and so nice to know they want your company. But most times with friends you know when you have outstayed your welcome. With really good friends some things don't need to be spoken. My best friend of 44 years has been so poorly over the past year that our time together has been limited, I can see she is too tired for company, even without speaking, but hope my visits have helped her. I long for the day she feels well enough to say Stay!

I love these books by Louisa May Alcott, have done since first reading them, tried watching the films but didn't enjoy them as I already had pictures in my head of the characters.

Page 161 - I would like to think I am an intelligent person, probably slightly above average intelligence! But in this life I think common sense takes one a lot further than being "clever". We are all "clever" in our own way, some academic, some artistic, some with their hands, some with words etc. Clever clogs people who always have to be right can be very wearing, I hope I am not like that! I feel we should all be open to others opinions, though there are polite ways to disagree! Sometimes when I know I am right about something it is very hard to keep quiet! If I am proved right in the end, it doesn't make me feel good!

Boys who wear glasses, they're no different, it's the person who counts, not the glasses.

Page 160 - Well, I might no longer be a sweet dizzy girl, but hope I can still make people smile! By my actions, words and just being me! Sometimes they smile because I have said something funny, or maybe stupid! Or I may have done something silly. But the best smile is one of greeting when they see me! I hope I still make dh smile when he sees me, all the sweeter after all week apart! I know he makes me smile, both inside and out! A smile is also a good icebreaker in many situations. We all prefer to see a smile, though in some circumstances it can be hard to smile!

I love gingerbread, or anything that tastes of ginger. I have a collection of recipes to use this spice, both sweet and savoury!

Afraid tap dancing doesn't do much for me, though I know it is very clever. Although my girls were into ballet and modern dancing, none of them did tap!

Page 159 - to be honest, I do not like higgledy piggledy in my life! I do like to know what I am doing and when, so do get in a bit of a flap if things go wrong! I know I can sort it out, but sometimes need help from others! Now I am not too proud to ask for help either, rather than do it myself. When I was working I had to be organised to make sure everything was done, but needed to be able to adapt to cope with emergencies! There are times in life when chaos does reign, and we get through it! Some people seem to live in constant chaos, not for me!

I love cheese on toast, but know it isn't very healthy! But it makes a great snack meal! Or just bread and cheese, yummy!

Page 158 - Motorbikes, sorry, hate them with a vengeance! Probably from my nursing days, when working in casualties, I saw too many young people either die or suffer horrendous injuries from motorbike crashes! So unneccessary! Still today you see reckless riders, especially on motorways! I am not condemning all motorbike riders, I know that, as in other things, some are careful and considerate riders, but they are still involved in many incidents. Just so glad none of my children have a love of them! Or their partners!

Eyes tell us so much about people, truly the windows to the soul! Mine are light blue, and now the skin around them has sagged and is lined, but that is life, hopefully most of the lines were caused by laughter! They still have a twinkle and show my zest for life!

Page 157 - what nicer than lying in the grass on a lovely summer's day looking up at blue skies with little white clouds! We did that a lot when younger, dreaming of our future! Why don't we do it as much now? Apart from the fact it is more difficult to get up and down now, and the ground feels harder, it does sound idyllic! If only we had a nice summer day! Maybe if it is nice this weekend we could picnic and lie in the grass!

There are some black and white films that I love to watch, but only when I am in the mood! At least the old films had a beginning, middle and end!

I would love to travel more, but am priviledged that I have lived in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia as well as all over this country. I don't feel the need for far off lands, there is so much in this country I still want to see!

Page 156 - Star watching, remember doing that with the kids when they went through the "star" phase, usually in mid winter on frosty nights! Even more mad, when Michael was a student we spent a night on the downs watching for UFO's! Some people actually believed the planes heading for the airport were spaceships! Still, we did enjoy the stars! I love clear nights when I can see the stars twinkling, I like Michael to tell me which is which as I never can remember! Looking up a them makes me feel dizzy! Have also been lucky enough to see the stars from the Southern hemisphere, a very different sight!

I am not fond of techno, just learn on a need to know basis! My computer and I have a love/hate relationship! I admire what it can do!

Knitting, taught to handknit by Mum at a very early age, I used to knit my doll's clothes. Graduated to knitting for myself and others, then I took up machine knitting which I still do and enjoy!

Page 155 - chatting, something I'm quite good at when I am at ease with the people! There's serious talking and then there is light hearted chatter! What nicer than to be sitting in the garden on a lovely summer day chatting with friends or family! Sitting down after dinner with dh when he came home from work, glass of wine in hand and just chat about our days. Or going for a long rambling walk and having a good chat about what is around. Sometimes it seems easier to chat outdoors, maybe because it is more relaxing. But in the winter it is nice to sit in cosy warmth, maybe cuddled up to a loved one and again just chat about whatever comes to mind. It is good to chat and it makes me feel happy to communicate with people. I do miss chatting while dh works away during the week, so find myself chatting to the dog!

Cach up time for the last three weeks lo's!

Page 154 - What makes me me? I am unique, my blueprint laid down before birth! My personality, my traits, all mine! They have been influenced over the years by my upbringing and the things that have happened to me, both good and bad! There is no one in this world who looks like me. I cannot change me, but I can control those things I do not like, such as the typical "red head" temper. I cannot change that I am a reserved person, taking time to make friends and trust people. I have high standards, probably instilled in me as a child, and I know I do not tolerate fools easily. I have strong beliefs. I am loyal and caring, and try to always be there when needed. There are times lately when I have wondered if I am turning in to a "grumpy old woman"! Not sure if this is good or bad? But I hope I am loved for who I am! Because I am me!

Page 153 - in some ways today's quote contradicts yesterday's! There are many times when heart over rules head, and common sense goes out of the window! The most common is with affairs of the heart! I'm so glad I listened to my heart where my dh is concerned and ended up happy! For so many the end is not so good!

Probably one of the last times I listened to my heart was when Mum was dying. At 89 she'd said she'd had enough of life, and the quality of hers was declining, and was so tired, so when she was taken to hospital, I asked that they did not resuscitate her, but let her die peacefully with dignity! I did feel a little guilt but knew it was what she would want, even if I did not want to lose her! But I haven't lost her, she is always with me in my heart and I often listen and hear her words of wisdom!

Page 152 - Let your conscience be your guide. Well to have a conscience you need to know right from wrong. This should be something taught from a young age and come automatically without thought, in an ideal world. But we all waver at times and wrestle with our conscience, sometimes it is easier to go against it though we know it isn't right! I hope I have listened to mine throughout my life, but am sure I have not always heeded it, hopefully only in minor situations! Unfortunately life isn't always black and white so decisions can be hard!

Now I do try to listen to my conscience about certain issues such as recycling, global warming etc, and try to do my little bit. If I don't, can I feel my conscience pricking?