Archive for the ‘Philosophy’ Category
Posted by Shirley Anne on December 4, 2011
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It was around this time ten years ago that I decided to go for full transition. I had been out for three years to all my new friends and some others but not to my family although by this time they were aware of my dressing. I started the ball rolling by making an appointment with a laser clinic in Liverpool and the first session I think was on 19th December that year, 2001. I had much more to do and to make decisions about and all of that is recorded in one of my pages above so I won’t go into detail here. As soon as the Christmas and New year celebrations were over I set about doing what I had to do and I then had the daunting task of telling my wife and family. That too is detailed in my page above. I am in my tenth year now as a fully transitioned female and although many things have changed about me I remain just the same inside. The real me, my spirit, the person writing down all of this is the same one that used to play in the street with other children sixty years ago, who went to school, who was bullied, who made something of a life, got married had children, got divorced and is still plodding along as best she can. Yes, nothing has changed inside for me over the last ten years or even over the last sixty-six years but the outside has changed dramatically. I live my life differently in some respects than I did ten years ago but the basics remain the same. I sit here reflecting on what has happened in my life and I wonder if I could have made a difference to the way things turned out. Probably yes, I could have but would it have made any real difference to me, the person inside? To the outside world we change, we fit in or we adjust so that we are happy with life. With me, ten years ago I had to make another of those changes so that I could remain happy. In doing that though made changes to other things, not least of all relationships. Not my marriage, that had died five or six years earlier and for other reasons but relationships with others did change in some cases. I never had many friends throughout my life. When I was young I had one friend but I moved house and we lost contact. He tried to re-establish that friendship some seven years or so later but I wasn’t interested, I had become very anti-social. From that point onward I never had friends by my own choice until I got married when we both shared the new friends we had made during the previous two years. Again, we moved on and lost those friends due to the pressures of life. When we divorced I had no friends apart from the one girl I had met in Spring of 1999 whilst out socialising as Shirley Anne. We have remained friends ever since but we don’t see much of each other now. Other friends either live too far away or have dropped off the radar. My family is dispersed and for the most part out of contact. I wrote a letter to one of my sisters some weeks ago but she couldn’t be bothered to write back. My children have flown the nest and I get to see them quite often but fleetingly. Basically I have nobody at all except my ex who for the moment is not very close at all. Am I better off now than when I was ten years ago? In some ways absolutely! In other ways no! That’s life and try as I may to change things it doesn’t always mean that it will improve. A happy and sad Shirley Anne at the same time.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Family, Friendship, Life, Philosophy, Relationships, Time, Transsexual, Values | Tagged: Christmas, Family, Holiday, Liverpool, New Year, People, Relationships | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on November 27, 2011
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Do you find it easy to say the word no? Well obviously you don’t but if it was a question of letting someone down would you reconsider or would that depend on circumstances? I always remember my pastor saying ‘there is nothing wrong in saying no’. In church life you will find many people offering their services freely to benefit the church or the members in it and sacrificing their own time to do so but there comes a time when it is right to say no. At the other end of the scale you will also find those in the church who cannot find it in their heart to say yes. Overdoing things isn’t really a good idea for anyone, we all need time to ourselves to recharge our batteries as it were so that when the time comes to do our bit we are capable of doing it! I am at that stage in my life whereby I can say no more often in my occupational work which theoretically makes me more available for other things. I have to decline work for fear of burning myself out. People telephone me asking if I will do some electrical work for them and I have to make a quick decision as to whether I will take on the work or not. That depends on a few factors, one, the location; many people live outside my catchment area, that is the area in which I am prepared to work for it to be cost-effective or even desirable. Two, how much work I have scheduled. Three, how much work I have already done during that week; I need to find time for myself too. So sometimes I say no and have to make an excuse for saying so. When anyone asks something of me I have to make a decision one way or the other and that is true in anything in my life and no doubt in yours too. The thing is, do you feel guilty when saying no or can you justify your decision to yourself for saying no? Family members are sometimes the worse offenders for asking favours and making demands on your time but we make exceptions for them, sometimes to our detriment! So saying no shouldn’t be a problem for any of us and we certainly shouldn’t feel guilty for it, unless we are just being lazy!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Philosophy | Tagged: Question, Work–life balance | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on November 25, 2011
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I used to be a person who despised watching soap operas on television but in more recent times I find myself watching one or two of them. The most striking thing I notice in these programs is the way they portray how people deal with each other, more specifically how they treat each other. They say that soap operas are not true to life but in fact they are very much true to life. Admittedly much is crammed into the episodes and much is going on between the characters but when we analyse it all we can see that the things that go on are the same things that most of us experience or have experienced in our own lives. I wonder why people treat other people the way they do. Some people get along with almost anyone, others find it difficult to get along with anyone at all. People can be horrible toward some and yet at the same time be nice to others. Why are people horrible toward others and what pleasure do they get out of putting another down? As human beings we can be both nasty and kind, selfish and unselfish and we are selective in which is dealt to whom. What makes us hate one person and like another, be kind to one person and leave another out of it? If we analyse our behaviour we might find that we treat others in a way which is dependent on what we might gain from it. If someone is different from us we are often cautious in dealing with them but all the time we are looking to see what effect they will have upon us, whether beneficial or otherwise. We may not think about these things, they just come naturally. So when I look at soap operas do I see aspects of my own personality being portrayed or do I feel that I act in a completely different way? Do we think we have faults that should be worked upon or do we feel we are not behaving badly? Do we really treat our neighbours as we would have them treat us? Do we really love as we ought or do we select whom we should treat preferentially?
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Behaviour, Love, Nature, People, Philosophy, Sociology | Tagged: Behaviour, Love, People, Philosophy, Soap opera, Sociology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on November 21, 2011
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Throughout our lives we make choices, buy this buy that, save this or spend it, go here or go there, do this or do that. I could go on forever but making all these decisions every day do we miss out on something by the choices we have made? I often wonder about that. Scripture tells us to do all things in moderation and I think that is wise to do. A few days ago I was sitting at home in the afternoon with pretty much nothing to do and at such times I may open a bottle of wine and perhaps read or do something on the computer, maybe play some guitar, something to relieve the boredom! So what did I do? All of them! The question is which of them did I indulge in the most? Now you might be thinking it was the wine but in fact it was probably a balance between the guitar and the computer! Of course I had other minor things to do as well, not least of all preparing meals and such, oh and I did watch some television too. Whilst eating my evening meal, after drinking a full bottle of red wine, I was toying with the idea of opening another bottle! Now to be fair the first bottle was opened before three in the afternoon and my evening meal this night was after eight o’clock, more than five hours later. What did I do after my meal? Opened another bottle of course! Now don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t make a habit of doing this but it is nice to be able to make that decision whenever I might feel like doing so. As in all things in life we make choices and we balance our decisions so that we don’t overdo things. That sounds nice in theory but sometimes we get it wrong either accidentally or by choice. For those who are interested, no, I didn’t get drunk, I left half the second bottle for the following day. When this post gets published on Monday, that will be today, it will be my birthday. Actually that isn’t true, it is the anniversary of that day! No doubt I shall be imbibing more of the red nectar but again probably alone. Never mind, it’s just another day. Cheers Shirley Anne! By the way the waggon is called Shirley Anne……….click on the pic.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Lifestyle, Philosophy | Tagged: Alcoholic Beverages, Bottle, Recreation, Supper, Wine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on November 20, 2011
Image by Paolo Margari via Flickr
Sometimes I feel closer to you. Yes you dear reader! I get quite lonely sometimes. My family is spread afar, my sisters live in another country, my brothers live reasonably close but I only see one of them and that only occasionally. The other brother might as well be on another planet as he has pretty much alienated himself from the rest of us. Both my parents died years ago. My sons, well one lives with his wife, naturally, the other has taken it upon himself to leave recently to live in his mate’s house. My ex and I are not on speaking terms right now and the only friends I have either live outside of this country or too far to be regular visitors. I am not looking for sympathy here by the way, no but I just point to the fact that those I’ve ‘met’ through blogging give me more of their time than those supposedly closer to me! One way of looking at it, a philosophical approach would be to say things will improve or I’ll die first! I am not taking bets on this one….LOL I remain as ever cheerful and never do I get depressed. I am a strong person in that respect but I also have a ‘live-in helper’. I think you know what I mean by that but if you don’t then look at my ‘religious’ posts. I have a lot of time on my hands these days, not much work to do in a professional capacity and the domestic situation is on hold untill I feel inclined to move on it. I could be tempted to fall into bad habits but I fight against it all of the time, my trips to the pub have taken a back seat but that is more to do with my lack of interest than anything else. Another aspect of my personality that you may not be aware of is that I have always been what people call ‘a loner’. I’ve never enjoyed being one of the crowd, going with the flow, doing what others do sort of person but I do nevertheless enjoy conversation and mixing socially. I suppose in these situations I feel more in control, having the choice of walking away rather than feeling obliged. It may have resulted me in not having a lot of ‘mates’ but then I was never ’one of the boys’ now was I?
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Friendship, Life, Lifestyle, Philosophy, Relationships | Tagged: Family, Friendship, Happiness, Philosophy, Relationship | 4 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on November 10, 2011
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I did the jobs I had planned for Monday and throughout the day received more calls for work. I was rather tired at the end of the day. I had Tuesday free to myself and was able to grab a lie in bed until late in the morning. Wednesday saw me working again. This year has been quiet compared to more recent years as far as work goes but as we approach Christmas I can almost guarantee it will get busier. I have no idea why that is so but over the years that has always been the case. I shall be starting my 67 th year on this planet in a couple of week’s time and I still feel able to work, although I try to limit what I do not wishing to overdo things. With that in mind I am sometimes afraid of Monday mornings, a time when I get most of my calls for work! Life goes on and so I follow it as best I can and whilst I am still able. Songs have been written about Monday mornings and I guess many people have reservations about the start of a new week, having those Monday morning blues after presumably enjoying their weekends. When I worked for a company I always looked forward to Friday afternoons and the prospect of a weekend free from work but in reality I continued working over the weekend albeit at home. I suppose the thought of returning to our occupational duties isn’t so much that we’ve got to but because it takes us away from those things we’d prefer to be doing. Now that I have been self-employed for more than fourteen years the thought of returning to work on a Monday morning isn’t quite the same, or shouldn’t be because I can decide not to work if I so desire. However, the momentary dislike at the thought soon dissipates when I open my toolbox. Monday mornings can be switched to Tuesdays but the work still needs doing.
Shirley Anne
- Thank God It’s Monday!!! (mzmawissa.wordpress.com)
- Come Monday (rockycropfarm.com)
- Manic Monday Mornings… (multipurposemom.com)
- Monday, Monday (minkyweasel.com)
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Posted in General Chat, Lifestyle, Philosophy, Work | Tagged: Friday, Holidays, Monday, Work, Workweek and weekend | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on November 7, 2011
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The latest findings from ‘experts’, if we believe them is that there is an increased risk, to the tune of 50%, of getting breast cancer if we drink wine. Arguments against these findings point to the numbers of French women who have drunk wine all their lives show no such increase in the likelihood of getting cancer or have proven to have it. Over the years we have been bombarded with all sorts of findings from experts warning us of one danger or another to our health and well-being. Sometimes the results of these findings are subsequently reversed when apparently some anomaly has been discovered which exposes the incorrect original assessment to re-evaluation. Almost always though there is no admission of error. Did you know that butter, eggs, white bread, cheese, full fat milk, red meat, wine (any alcohol) and many other things are bad for your health? Well of course they are if over-indulging in their consumption. Everything in moderation but keeping a healthy respect for the things we know border on the risky should be a common-sense attitude and philosophy. I for one am tired of all these ‘findings’ and for being treated in such a patronising way by those who deem themselves the keepers of the nation’s health. Let me make the decisions based on sensible information but don’t keep pounding into my head.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Community, General Chat, Health, Philosophy, Politics | Tagged: Alcoholic beverage, Breast, Breast cancer, Cancer, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Specific Substances, Support group | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on October 25, 2011
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As children we have to learn quickly that sometimes we can be defeated. Learning to accept defeat can be hard for those who are proud and want to show that they can excel in all things. It is a learning curve of course for as we grow we realise that we are not the best in everything we do and there will always be others who do better than ourselves. Sometimes we find ourselves at the top of the pile and that can be something equally as difficult to deal with. We have to learn that defeat can be a good thing for in defeat we are built-up. One thing we have to learn as Christians is to be able to take defeat and realise that fact. We learn by mistakes and those who maintain that they never make mistakes never made anything! On Sunday afternoon in the UK many football games are played. I like football but I am not that fond of it at the expense of more important things. I do have a favourite team which is Liverpool and they are not doing too well so far this season hovering around a third of the way down the Premiership table. They are doing better than some though. One of my sons, the younger one, loves football too but he supports Manchester United and often ribs me that I support a lack-lustre team like Liverpool but he forgets that Liverpool has won many trophies over the years but just lately are not doing quite so well. There is always rivalry between football supporters, for instance in Liverpool we have Liverpool and Everton, reds and blues and in Manchester they have Manchester United and Manchester City. City football team have never done as well in recent years as United generally speaking but on Sunday the tables were turned. Manchester City team are enjoying a very good season so far, much as they did last season but even better and they have become serious rivals for the Premiership title. Sundays game began slowly but eventually, at half-time the score-line was 2-1 in favour of City. The second half saw them defeat United to the tune of 6-1, something hardly expected. My son watched the game but dashed out of the room when the score was 5-1. I could tell he was annoyed by his reactions, door slamming and mumbling to himself he left the house and drove off somewhere. A dangerous thing to do in my estimation. He might be involved in an accident whilst driving in that mood. He obviously cannot handle defeat as well as he should. He normally has a short fuse anyway and is sometimes difficult to deal with for that reason. He was taught to accept defeat as a child but I guess it got the better of him. One day he may realise that being defeated isn’t the end of the world and somethings he shouldn’t take personally. Handling defeat is a challenge and something we must learn to deal with before it destroys us.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Behaviour, Philosophy | Tagged: Behaviour, Liverpool, Manchester, Manchester City, Manchester City F.C., Manchester United, Manchester United F.C., Philosophy, Premier League, United | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on October 16, 2011
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I have just read one of my daily ‘words’ from Scripture the essence of which tell me that even though I may strive to be perfect in every way I know that I shall never attain perfection for as long as I live. The reading points out that I should be telling myself daily that I know I am not perfect but that I am better than I was before. A good philosophy to be sure. There are areas in my life though where I struggle to get better for I will forget the promises I make to myself and over-indulge. On Friday I spent the afternoon, late afternoon that is, at the pub. I sat there for a couple of hours watching people come and go whilst I was reading a newspaper and having a drink. Eventually the pub filled to capacity but I remained seated and alone by choice. Later I began to mingle and before long found myself in the company of friends. Drifting along with the conversations, meeting new people and generally having a good time robbed me of my sensibility and I ended up shall we say, slightly inebriated! Horror of horrors I hear you say but it is all so easy to forget one’s promises not to get drunk when one has had too much to drink and therein lies the danger. Switching to soft drinks is the better solution and one that I should endeavour to embrace more often. Let’s hope I eventually learn my lesson and be a little more responsible in future. I arrived home in the early hours after the fifteen minute walk from the pub and was so hungry I rustled up a meal. Still not tired after my escapade I took to surfing the Web and posted comments on other folks blogs. I was beginning to doze off when I made my way upstairs at five in the morning! I remember looking at the clock at five-thirty and then fell asleep, in the correct attire for the occasion I might add and not in my normal clothes! I awoke at ten fully refreshed and most definitely not with a hang-over. I drink far too much water after drinking alcohol to end up with a splitting morning-after headache. Dehydration or lack of it is something I have under complete control. It only remains for me to keep myself under control when out enjoying myself.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Behaviour, Drink, Enjoyment, Friendship, Happiness, Leisure, Lifestyle, Philosophy, Temptation | Tagged: Alcohol, Behaviour, Drink, Friday, Friendship, Leisure, Philosophy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 19, 2011
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I realised something yesterday about a previous post I’d written regarding not being bothered and how it seemed to picture me as a lost soul who was tired of living. That couldn’t be further from the truth as I love life and really do enjoy it. I realised too that every day I find myself laughing at something, in fact I cannot remember a day when I didn’t laugh even just a little. The only time that would not be true is when I am ill but that isn’t often. I see the funny side of things in life and find myself laughing at myself sometimes. The slightest thing can set me off laughing sometimes but I do have a serious side too. I think that if we cannot find humour in our lives we are indeed sad people. Many things in my life frustrate me but I never let them get the better of me and I never worry about anything, what’s the point? Worrying doesn’t change a thing. Life’s a long song, a gas, as the songwriters say and that is only true if you have the right attitude to it. I am not saying that I never feel down because I do at times but I make every effort to snap out of it. I find myself trying to justify my actions or desires and there is sometimes a tug-of-war going on in my brain as to whether I should or should not do something. It is at times like these that I find myself laughing at myself and then saying ‘Oh just get on with it’! One of the main priorities in life is to be happy and laughing is one of the ways we can show it. Life is a bit of a laugh at times isn’t it? Well for some people this doesn’t seem to be the case. I know of a couple of people who never seem to smile. It’s as if they have the problems of the world on their shoulders and some people I know just don’t know how to let their hair down and have a good laugh. Such a shame really. For myself I will continue to laugh and keep a smile on my face.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Celebration, Enjoyment, Fun, Happiness, Philosophy | Tagged: Fun, Humor, Laughter, Philosophy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 11, 2011
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I’ve never been a person who likes to blow her own trumpet unless I am joking with family or friends. I have never seen the need to argue too much about my corner of the world, my life, my problems, my transition or anything else. Some people have a passion, an urge to make a loud noise to put over their views. I have no axe to grind, I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Neither do I need to justify who I am. In regard to my status, my beliefs or anything about me, in that respect, again I have nothing to shout about. I can understand why some folk are militant when it comes down to the rights of an individual in Society for instance but there are many ways to slice a cake and being militant is only one of those ways and not always the best way. Of course it doesn’t necessarily follow that having a passion for something makes it morally valid or acceptable and folk can shout as loud as they like about an issue but that in itself changes nothing. We are a planet of people of all different backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, attitudes and that in itself becomes a stumbling block to any universal acceptance of one another. There will always be dissidents in this world unless all are united under one banner, even then friction will still exist. Simply put, we have to just agree to disagree, live and let live and get on with our own existence. As mortal beings who generally live less than a century we sometimes waste far too much time rocking the boat. We are here but for a short time, why not enjoy it and live in peace? Why all the hassle? Why all the hatred? Why all the axe grinding? What does it achieve? Some people make a nuisance of themselves and for what reason? They will return from whence they came, they will cease to exist just like the rest of us. Make it known that you have an opinion, like I do on here, but leave it at that. Put down the axe, you’ll only hurt yourself if you don’t!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Behaviour, Community, Happiness, Life, Morality, People, Philosophy, Time, Values, Wisdom | Tagged: Axe, Behaviour, Happiness, Love, People, Philosophy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on August 31, 2011
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Perhaps that is too strong a word but do you ever think that we in Society are being coerced into doing things, buying things and generally forced to ‘go with the flow’? I am well aware that people think themselves free spirits and they choose their own lifestyles, they make their own choices in life but do they really? Modern society is a commercial machine, we cannot live in todays modern world without being part of that machinery. We are constantly under pressure, albeit mostly subtle pressure to buy into the system. The latest phones, computers, televisions, gaming machines, electrical equipment, processed foodstuffs, clothes, holidays, cars and many other things are temptingly presented before us. The list is endless and we pick our way through the day either avoiding the temptation or falling in line with it all. The choices we have to make are limited to what society has to offer but society is forever relentlessly pushing forward and many find it a struggle keeping up. Those who prefer to mark time fall back and fall out of the race, older folk especially don’t bother with many of the new ideas and developments and still remain happy in their own little world. I have often said that I would be happy just to get off the treadmill of ‘progress’ and stand still only taking brief rides on the ‘merry-go-round’. To some extent I think I manage that. I don’t buy into the latest technology just for the sake of it but there comes a time when the latest technology is the only technology available so I have to buy it. My phone is a good example. It can do many things but only gets used as a phone. I have a washing machine, which I have to admit is far more reliable than some I have purchased in the past, that has many programs built-in to it but they seldom, if ever, get used. In fact the only changes I make in using it are whether I want to wash a full load or just a small load. All the other settings I generally leave alone. I could go to the supermarket and buy all sorts of food but each week my fridge is filled with the same stuff, the vegetable rack has the same vegetables in it and so on. Much of what is produced these days isn’t necessary. I’m all for variety but not the amount of variety that the food manufacturing industry think we all need. Life could be a lot simpler and I think that if nothing was to change the course of civilization in the future things will only get more complicated. So, you may think that your choices in life are totally yours to make but they are limited to what society has to offer.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Behaviour, Life, Lifestyle, Philosophy, Society | Tagged: Appliances, Behaviour, Coercion, Home, Philosophy, Society, Washing machine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on August 24, 2011
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I didn’t think I could get used to little occupational work but I am finding that I am enjoy being ‘trickle fed’. The work I now get usually takes no more than two or three hours with just the occasional exception. Most jobs are small enough to be done in an hour or even less. This turns out to be quite profitable for me as I operate a minimum charge on most work that I do taking into consideration special circumstances whereby I charge less. So although the work is now only part-time I can still earn a tidy sum but better than that I get more time for myself. A little often is better than all at once. I find this is true in other areas of my life too. When I exercise, yes I do exercise, usually on my treadmill, I find small excursions into exhaustion are far better for me than suffering long periods of unecessary pain! The medical profession would no doubt agree with that. All things in moderation is a motto most of us would do well to live up to. When I was younger I didn’t drink much alcohol and when I did I seldom got drunk doing so. Later in my life I have on occasion been a ‘naughty girl’ and allowed the drink to get the better of me but believe me when I say that is very rare. These days young people and even those who being older should know better, often go out ‘binge drinking‘. The shock to their system must be tremendous not to mention the long-term damage that they are doing to themselves. ‘You’ll suffer when you get older’ was something both my parents would say to their children whenever we indulged in something that might hurt us later. Most young people these days don’t listen it seems, else their parents have no interest in their welfare. It’s a sad world in which we live but it isn’t all doom and gloom, fortunately! Trickle feed me, I like it better that way. Now when is my next job?
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Philosophy | Tagged: Alcohol, Binge drinking, Health, Philosophy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on August 21, 2011
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Most of us if true to ourselves will admit to living their lives in a routine way, that is to say routine in our lives is a matter of course. To some extent we need routine in our lives, especially in our dealings with others, in our jobs and everything to do with everyday life. Routines change though and for some that can be a problem for many people don’t like change unless it is necessary. Thinking about my own life and the number of changes I have endured in living it, they have changed frequently. My routine day has changed over the years but the fundamental things have always remained the same. The routine of getting up for work and preparing myself for the day, the things I do during the working day and the things I do on returning home are all done routinely. This is why I like to deliberately make changes these days, if I can. Things like organising an impromptu meal out, a barbecue, a trip to the pub, a shopping excursion or maybe a trip to the cinema all make the normal routine more bearable for me. Every one of my days is different in some way but some things I do routinely because I enjoy them, like playing my guitar, reading my Bible or other reading material, working at home, going for a walk. The more things that are done routinely however, the less time and opportunity to do much else exists so it is important to discipline myself if I want a change. Things today are not the same for me as once they were. Once I had no influence or very little influence over my routine day but now, because I work only part-time in my professional capacity, all that has changed and I find I have much more freedom to choose the things I want to do. Things are certainly not the same as once they were. Sometimes any plans I have made for the day go out of the window. Take yesterday for instance, I was having a lie-in when the phone rang. It was a bit of an electrical emergency which I consented to attend on so that meant I had to get out of bed when I would rather have stayed there just a bit longer. I thought I’d have the rest of the day to myself afterward so when I returned home I went into the garden with my guitar for an hour and played some. Sitting in the patio I couldn’t help but notice that the grass was becoming too long and needed mowing. Reluctantly I got on with the job and went indoors for my late lunch. On the way indoors I thought I’d pick some rhubarb again and make myself a rhubarb crumble. I had made some chilli-con-carne on Friday and there was some left over for my lunch and while that was heating through I chopped the rhubarb and an apple and placed it in a pan with some water and sugar. I then mixed the crumble topping before eating my lunch. It didn’t take long to cook the rhubarb and apple and soon it was in the oven topped with the crumble. E had gone out for the afternoon for her monthly meeting, the house was empty but for myself and I had nothing to do that I didn’t want to do.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Lifestyle, Philosophy | Tagged: Bible, Chili con carne, Cooking, Crumble, Lifestyle, Personal life, Philosophy, Recreation, Rhubarb, Shopping, Thought, Working time | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on August 2, 2011
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Yesterday, the first day of August was more like the Mondays I used to know, work, work and even more work……then I went home! Probably a flash in the pan because of late I haven’t had much professional work to speak of. I have taken a short break from working at home even though there’s plenty there to do so there’s only my electrical work, if I get any, to keep me occupied. So it looks like I’ll be taking a breather for a few days. We’ll see. These days I can pretty much do as I like which is nice having worked all my life with no breaks. It is good to be able to relax but I’m the kind of person that usually finds relaxing for too long a bit of a burden. I am at my best in two situations, one is when I am the social animal and the other is when I am working. It is August and soon enough colder weather will again take over. I need to enjoy the sunshine and get out more too. Holidays? Mmmm……..not sure about holidays, I can take them or leave them. Over the years I have visited many places in the world, seen many sights and done quite a few things but now the interest isn’t really there. I suppose this sort of thing happens for some of us as we get older, we get bored travelling all over the place and just want to relax at home, or not too far away from home. For now a breather is enough.
PS The full caption to the above picture should read……
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Posted in Leisure, Life, Lifestyle, Philosophy, Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Leisure, Rest and relaxation | Leave a Comment »
