Retirement Life in the Week Ended 16 February 2024

Hello to all in this chilly February week when I’ve definitely been noticing that the days are getting longer. Hurrah! Here’s a little run through of what we’ve been up to this week.

What I Bought

Eek! Sorry for the early morning bedhead photo but it was the best that I could do first thing in the morning before this post was scheduled. I treated myself and my partner Paul to these sleep headphones this week and we’re very pleased with them. They’re really comfortable and the sound quality is crystal clear. Paul has tinnitus and sleeps more soundly playing music in the night. He wears them over his eyes and it looks like I’m sleeping with a raccoon. I love R.E.M as much as he does but I’m not fond of hearing ‘Losing My Religion’ at three in the morning.

Don’t get me wrong. I have my own habits that are annoying to a co-sleeper. Mine is listening to YouTube last thing at night. Whether I fall asleep halfway through or listen to something educational right to the end are both winners as far as I’m concerned. Not so for my bed companion. But with my new funky headband I’m not annoying until I start snoring!

What’s Done and Dusted

I made two matching mosaics for my housefront at least a couple of years ago both with my signature heart. They’ve been sitting in my dining room ever since. But finally after renovation and redecoration of the exterior of our home they’ve been mounted outside. There’s the house name on the gate and this welcome sign by the front door.

I’ve gifted quite a few signs to friends. Of course they need to be decorative. But one of my aims in creating them is making life easier for people to find where we live. I feel sorry for the tradespeople, delivery folk and health and social care staff when they have to spend ages driving around in circles trying to find the house that they’re visiting. I’ve been there! So I always make sure that the numbering or lettering is in a bold black on white font.

What We’ve Been Drinking

Paul and I are fond of Moonshiners, the Discovery channel ‘documentary’ about people making illegal alcoholic beverages in the Appalachian Mountains. It seems implausible that real illegal activity is being portrayed. Surely the police would have caught up with all the characters by now. After all the show has been running for well over a decade. But it keeps us entertained and, from a fashion perspective, I’m quite astounded that the wives of the shiners allow them out wearing dungarees without a shirt. It’s not a good look in my book!

Anyway for Christmas the kids bought Paul a sample kit from moonshine makers McDonnells, I’m 100% certain that this business is fully legit with all its taxes paid up. We’ve only just got around to try these little sample bottles and we’re sold. The ‘tough nut’ is especially divine. We’ve also had the idea of buying our own copper still when we’ve remodelled our kitchen. We’ve seen them in Spanish hardware stores. It’s not illegal to make spirits for your own consumption in the UK and those stills are so pretty that I wouldn’t mind it as a feature displayed on a shelf.

What We’re Planning

I have another date in my diary! Things are looking hopeful that my caring responsibilities will ease sometime soon. Paul has come up trumps and booked tickets for Mumford and Sons ‘Tour before the Tour’ London date. We were pretty lucky to get tickets as the venue is only holds about 2,000 people. All body parts crossed that we’ll be able to leave the oldies overnight by then.

The last time I saw Mumford and Sons in 2019 on the Delta tour I took this fuzzy shot. I also touched Marcus Mumford, a motherly pat on the shoulder,, as he ran through the crowd. There’s a manifesting story here but I might leave it for my concert blog post.

What I Wrote

I meditate pretty much every morning just after I get up. On Friday this week I had a very odd experience while doing so. Thoughts came to me as they do. In twenty years or so of practising I’ve never really managed to empty the mind. Normally what emerges is pure interference: what I need to buy when I do my weekly shop: how I’d be much better off doing my Duolingo: am I breathing right?: fretting over the persistent pain in my foot or an itch. Those type of things. But this time it was different. Something meaningful came to me.

‘Write it down.’ instructed an inner voice. I heard it very clearly. For once I decided to do what I was told. I paused meditating and made a note in Google Keep. Then after I’d gone back to just sitting the same thing happened twice more. So here’s what I wrote.

In a sense it doesn’t matter how we articulate our belief system for all right thoughts come from the same source whether you believe in a divine being or not. This is borne out by the sameness of the message that gets through. Truth is truth however we couch it in words.
When we pack light we are really being shown how to be mindful of selecting just what we need for our physical emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
In denying our shadow shelf we are putting up a barrier to truly meaningful change.

I ‘phoned a friend’ and mentioned what had happened to my miracle buddy. We share our progress with studying ‘A Course in Miracles’ on a near daily basis leaving audio messages on WhatsApp to keep each other accountable. And what do you know? She does exactly the same thing.

What I Achieved

Still on the subject of writing I completed Hay House Four Day Writer’s Bootcamp this week. I think that this course that runs over four days is available a couple of times each year. There’s a free version where participants have access to the recording of each session for just twenty four hours after the event I’ve done this before. It was a hard call to complete within such a limited timeframe but I just about managed it.

You can also upgrade to a VIP version with all sorts of extras that included 30 day access to the recordings. I treated myself to this mainly to that I could submit a book proposal with the hope of winning a publishing contract. I’d hoped to attend all the live events but mum’s care needs unexpected escalated and I was needed elsewhere when they were scheduled. Thank goodness that the VIP membership gave me an extended 30 day access to the recordings. Even though I missed the opportunity to ask questions and enter booths to gain advice from publishing experts it was worth it.

I can heartily recommend both the free and paid versions of the course. For anyone who dreams of seeing their name on the cover of the book they’ve written the practical advice about writing a proposal and moving on to get your book published is indispensable. Look out for it if it runs again and also for my book when it wins the contest!!!!

What We Ate

There’s a wonderful recipe for Spanish Stew in Nigella Lawson’s Book ‘How To Eat’ It’s the same cookbook that I use to rustle up my quick and easy Christmas Day Duck with Potatoes. I made that again for the whole family this week. It went down remarkably well.

Anyway back to that stew. You just fry up a chopped onion until softened and then add sliced cooking chorizo. After adding a glug of sherry and letting the alcohol steam off you add sliced potatoes, dried herbs and seasoning and cover the lot with water. Then you just leave the unlidded pan simmering away until it all reduces. And that’s it.

The recipe isn’t particularly heavy on your five a day veggies. So when I made it on Saturday I added peas, chopped spinach and frozen beans from our summer allotment crop. The chorizo is proper Spanish stuff brought back from our last holiday.

Disclaimer

This post contains links to companies and organisations just because I’m happy with the products or services that they supply or I’m spreading the word about what they do. There may also be affiliate links to Amazon for books and other items that I am personally recommending. If you decide to make a purchase from them, I might get a little bit of commission at no cost to you.