Posts Tagged ‘Rest and relaxation’
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 24, 2012
A woman on a treadmill (Original caption: “Wendy Beeler, Palmer chef, runs on the treadmill in the one-room gym at Palmer Station.”) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tuesday morning I got up quite early dressed and went down into the cellar to do a stint on my treadmill. I have been quite busy on the treadmill lately so it came as no surprise that I found my session fairly easy to get into. I usually spend between 20 and thirty minutes on the machine burning off plenty of calories but it isn’t so much the calorie burn off that is important as getting my heart to work hard for a time. This builds stamina and keeps the heart and circulatory system in good condition. For quite some time after exercise calories are still being burnt off as the metabolic rate has been increased during the exercise routine. It’s like having a breakfast without the calories! After my exercise I returned to my bedroom to cool off before I could bathe. I watched the news on television for half an hour then bathed and got dressed for the day thinking I was going to be working. No sooner I was dressed I received a call to do an electrical job which I did around ten o’clock before returning home to cook the chicken we had in the fridge. It needed to be cooked on the day so I decided to have my main meal for the day once it was cooked at 12.30. After my dinner I got changed out of my working clothes and into something more appropriate for an afternoon at the pub. I just had to do that because I hadn’t been out of the house throughout the weekend and Monday too. I spent a lovely afternoon meeting and speaking with at least five people I’d never met previously and then with a few friends whom I see quite often. I returned home by 8.30 as I had to get my rest and sleep for a busy day on Wednesday. During my stay at the pub I saw many people coming and going, some dining out for the afternoon or evening and some just coming in for a drink or two. I love people watching, it’s a fascinating hobby of mine and I can almost predict what they will do each time they visit the pub. It was a hot and sunny day on Tuesday and many folk sat outdoors to eat and drink but I stayed indoors, preferring to keep out of the sun.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Rest and relaxation, Socialising | Tagged: Calorie, Drink, Fitness, Health, Physical exercise, Rest and relaxation, Treadmill | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on April 23, 2012
Cleveland Plain Dealer Friday Magazine January 27, 1978 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I have been gainfully employed this past week, not a lot but just enough. On Friday evening I went to bed and did not sleep a wink all night. Obviously not tired enough. Saturday I spent some time in the bedroom before trotting downstairs for breakfast at 10.15. I spent much of the afternoon fending off admirers! I sat at my computer for hours writing emails and comments, checking my bank accounts and doing some searching on the Internet. E had gone to her monthly meeting with her friends and fellow compers and I felt somewhat at a loose end and had I not been on the computer I should have gone bonkers! I went to the pub on Friday afternoon for a late lunch but being a good girl didn’t stay too long this time. I was back home around 7pm I think. I had a very small job to do in the morning and then I went to the supplier to buy some electrical goods for my van stock. I was sorting it all out in my garage back home when I received a call on my mobile. It was a woman police officer who asked if I wouldn’t mind answering a few questions about Margaret, one of the women here who were murdered a month or so ago. I knew her quite well and she had been a customer of mine. We often sat and chatted together. I told the police officer that I was at home and she could call anytime in the afternoon. It was around 12.30 then I think. She dropped by a half hour later and we chatted. She took a five-page statement from me which I duly signed and she asked if I would object to being present at court should the need arise. Well you know me and courtrooms having spent the first two weeks in January as a juror, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I said I would make myself available if necessary. I was a little surprised that the police hadn’t seen me earlier but I guess they’ve plenty to do. This meant a late lunch and I decided I didn’t want to cook it, hence the pub. Believe that and you’ll believe anything! Sunday was an average day with nothing going on to speak of except that I went to the pub in the evening. Today, Monday, well I’ve a little job or two to keep me occupied. I should retire and then go completely bonkers trying to fill my days.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, Rest and relaxation, Rest and sleep | Tagged: Boredom, Murder, Police officer, Rest and relaxation | 5 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on March 12, 2012
Cover of Home Alone 3
Today, Saturday, as I write this I am home alone yet again. E has gone to one of her group events, her car laden with a suitcase full of gifts and prizes and won’t be back until early evening. In the meantime I am enjoying my rest day. I arose fairly late, well late for me, at around nine-thirty and spent some time with the epilator before taking to the bathroom for a long soak in the tub and after washing my hair. I don’t often spend a lot of time actually in the bath but this time I felt I needed it. I’ve had a rather busy week and now it is Saturday I can rest from all my labour. E left the house just after I finally got downstairs around eleven-thirty. I sat with my pineapple drink and a banana listening to the radio and catching up on emails and such. Not long afterwards, about an hour or so I decided I was too hungry to let lunch pass by and set about preparing it, kippers (that is the smoked herring variety) boiled in the bag rather than the quick and easy method suggested on the packaging of using the microwave. A couple of weeks ago I did use the microwave but found impossible to kill the smell of kippers in the oven for days. Boiled in the bag is really the best way to cook them as all the odours remain inside the bag. Whilst I was having my lunch I watched a film on the television called ‘Baby’s day out‘. It was hilarious! A wealthy New York couple had their very young son kidnapped and held for ransom by three hapless villains. Although the child could only crawl around he managed to escape from captivity and the gist of the story was about the vain attempts of the three men trying to recapture him and the trouble they found themselves in doing it. Eventually the child found its way back home and all was well. I love films like these. One I watched last week was ‘Home alone 3‘ which followed in the same vein as 1 and 2, all equally hilarious. I am enjoying a glass or two of red wine too and will spend some time with my guitar after writing this. It is so nice to unwind after having a busy week. I need to recharge my batteries for I already know my services are required for the first couple of days of the week ahead. Today also marks the birthday of our youngest son who has reached the ripe old age of twenty-seven. Gosh it only seems like yesterday I was that age.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Baby's Day Out, Home Alone 3, Kipper, New York, Rest and relaxation, Saturday, Youngest son | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on February 13, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
I’ve been rather busy this last week doing various things but on Monday E and I went out for lunch. I had woken up to find my face rather swollen and had to pay the doctor a visit. I wrote about it a few days ago. As I was not dressed for work but rather in casual smart clothing I decided to put it to good use by going out! On Friday, although I had work to do I decided to go out again and got dressed accordingly. We went out again for lunch and to the same place we’d been on Monday, not because we wanted to do that but I was visiting somebody late in the afternoon who lived along the route to the restaurant. Usually we choose different places in which to dine. So far this year we have dined out seven times and four of them at this same place and it is not yet the middle of February. We go there because it is a carvery, it is good food, we are always made welcome and we have a good relationship with all the staff as we also have in the other places we visit. If we didn’t go out I think it would drive us both mad. It is fine getting things done and working hard around the house but unless there are times to relax and enjoy life as well then it isn’t worth living it I think. Life is getting more difficult for everyone these days and we all have to economise, however we must also make provision to spend more time relaxing. All work and no play isn’t good for anyone. Most of what E and I do in this respect is dining out but we do other things occasionally too like going a show or to the cinema. Driving around the country to visit different places is good too but it is becoming so expensive to go anywhere in a vehicle these days. I do possess a free transport pass which I can use after 9.30 in the morning so if I want to go somewhere I can do it without much cost. E unfortunately isn’t old enough yet to qualify for such a pass. During the summer months of course it is nice to relax in the garden at home and as we now have a patio we can make good use of it. The problem with staying at home though is that there is always the temptation to do some work! ‘A Mars a day’ notwithstanding I shall get my rest and play anyway!
Shirley Anne
- Food, drink and good times (minkyweasel.com)
- Rest (uncommonowls.wordpress.com)
- Dine Originals Week | November Preview (persephoneskitchen.com)
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Posted in Activity, Leisure, Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Activity, Friday, Monday, Rest and relaxation | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 17, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
Saturday is my rest day…..unless someone has an emergency that needs sorting! I arose before 8 o’clock because I needed to phone someone to arrange having my garage door repaired. As it was I phoned just after 8.30 and he arranged to come on Sunday. That meant my day would be free. I know I need to start on some household projects but I wanted to do that at some other time. I spent most of the morning on the Internet or playing my guitar but after noon I decided to make a chilli-con-carne, something I generally have once each week but not always. Although this dish is best served long after it is cooked because the chilli seeds need time to break down and release their spicy flavour it still tastes good after an hour standing, warmed up of course! It would be around 2 o’clock when I received a call from an old lady some ten miles away. Her electricity safety switch (an RCD) had tripped and she found it wouldn’t reset. I talked the process of resetting it through with her over the phone to no avail. I told her that my van was currently out of use because of the problem I was having with the garage door but I might be able to get someone to take me there. I asked E if she wouldn’t mind doing that for me and she was pleased to do so. I relayed that to the old lady and told her we would be there as soon as we could, well within the next hour. So off we went to do the job. The fault took a little while to find and indeed could not be resolved simply by switching off the circuit breakers, hence the need for an electrician. I finally traced the fault to a section of cable located in a wall that had been pierced by a nail causing a short-circuit between the neutral and earthing conductors, which is why just switching off the live conductor (circuit breaker) didn’t cure the problem. The cable was located behind some wood panelling at the base of a stairway that her son had just repaired. He had inadvertently driven the nail through the cable. To be fair the cable was buried in the plaster and he didn’t know it was there. I carried out a repair and everything went back to normal. So much for my afternoon off work! The cash was enough to pay for the garage door repairs though and left a little something for E too.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Life, Work | Tagged: Life, Rest and relaxation, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 14, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
The end of the week usually brings a release from the working week and a chance to relax, or used to! When I worked for an employer I didn’t have the same freedom as when I started to work for myself but the pressure became stronger. So although I used to look forward to my Fridays and my weekends to myself when I became self-employed those feelings became stronger even though I had the freedom to choose how I spent my time working. There is a greater sense of urgency when working for one’s self I would suggest. That being the case and especially now as I am kind of semi-retired or at least only working part-time I relish taking time out to engage in some self-indulgence. Last Friday afternoon I went dining out with E and yesterday we had a repeat performance but at a different location. Yesterday morning I did an electrical job repairing some lighting and replacing fittings and returned home sometime around noon. We had already planned to dine out so I wasn’t prepared to take on any more work for the day. We tend to eat a little later into the afternoon as many places by then are not crammed full of other diners and the pace is subsequently much slower and more relaxed which makes for a better afternoon I think. I tried a new dish this time. Even though the sea bass looked very tempting I decided together with E, to have pork rump in a plum sauce with steamed vegetables and new potatoes. E had tasted this dish before but it was a first for me and she told me that I would enjoy it. I always thought that pork and apple were good together and I had reservations about pork and plum. I was pleasantly surprised when the dish arrived and I tasted it. The pork was very tender and the sauce was sweet. The two things go well together. However I did find the sweetness of the sauce a little too much by the time I’d finished and I think it would have benefitted from being a little less so. I pushed the boat out with my dessert too trying a lemon based dish I had never ordered before. Its name escapes me but it was basically sponge soaked in a lemon sauce topped with something resembling custard but not custard mixed with white chocolate and meringue chippings. It was too bitter for my liking but I ate it. I probably will not have it again. I am usually open to trying new dishes up to a point but I will draw the line at some things. We left the restaurant about two and a half hours later with the other half of the bottle of red wine because for once I behaved myself by not drinking it all at the table. We stopped by a supermarket on the way home to re-stock on cola and some foodstuffs. A very nice afternoon was had by all.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Food, Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation, Work | Tagged: Cooking, Drink, Food, Friday, Meat, Pork, Potato, Rest and relaxation, Sauce, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on November 28, 2011
Image by practicalowl via Flickr
I don’t know if I should call it a comedy of errors or a conspiracy but rather weird things happened last Thursday. I had nothing planned for the day so I decided to get up a little early and go for a run on my treadmill. After that I bathed and then spent most of the morning in my room doing things a girl should do to keep herself looking her best. Eventually I got downstairs at around 11 o’clock and spent a short time on my computer. I received a call to do an electrical job so off I went to do that. I had to replace a faulty pir floodlight on an outbuilding at the rear of a house. It wasn’t an easy job to reach because of the shrubbery and trees beneath it but I managed. When it came to switch on the new light it wouldn’t work, the lamp was faulty. I had to drive to a local store to buy another one and returned to fit it. This time I thought it must work but it didn’t so I checked the circuit and discovered the fuse had blown. A minute later all was well. A minor irritation. I returned home and in the late afternoon it began to get dark. The light in the porch wasn’t lit and I wondered why. A little background information is required here. Outside the front of my house is a small device located high up the wall. When it becomes dark it puts a supply on to the porch light. The following morning as it becomes light again it switches off that supply. However the supply is not left on throughout the entire night. The device calculates the time between dusk and dawn and switches off for the majority of that time. So it might switch on at 4 o’clock in the afternoon as it does get dark that early this time of the year but it will automatically switch off at around 1 o’clock in the morning and stay off until an hour or so before dawn when it switches back on. As it get lighter the device then switches off. Quite a clever little device and it looks like one of those things you see atop street lights although the control is different for them. Now then, getting back to my porch light which wasn’t working. I was hoping that it was merely the lamp that was faulty and not the device outside so I tried one of the wall switches which can be used to manually switch on the light if necessary and found that the lamp still did not work. Now the light itself hangs high from the ceiling and requires a nine foot ladder to reach it. There is an aluminium ladder on top of my van but that is always kept locked but the van was in the garage and would have to be driven out if I was to get at that ladder. I chose to bring the steel ladder up from the cellar instead. That is a task all by itself! Either way I had to spend much time just getting the ladder out! I changed the lamp and all was well, then I returned the ladder to the cellar. Now I couldn’t remember if I had returned the wall switch to its normally off position because the light was now being supplied from the outside device. There is no way around that problem if I want to keep the manual switches for emergency use. Fast forward now to bedtime. I had to get up quite early on Friday in order to get to a job some distance away by 8.30 so I set the alarm to 06.15 and went to sleep around midnight. Usually I awake long before the alarm goes off but I use it in case one morning I don’t wake up in time. For some reason I got up after a short sleep and thought it was time to rise whilst all the time thinking to myself that I was still a bit tired. I went off to use the toilet along the landing from my room. At the end of the landing are the toilet and stairway down to the hall and as I walked along in the dark I noticed that the light was on downstairs so naturally I thought it must be morning because the device would have switched the light on a couple of hours before dawn, which at the moment is around 8 o’clock. I looked at the grandfather clock at the bottom of the stairs and it appeared to be reading 06.30. I went to the toilet and whilst sitting there, still tired, I thought about the manual switches and whether they were in fact holding the light on. I went downstairs and tried the switch that I had previously used the afternoon before. Low and behold the light switched off which meant that the outside device was switched off too and it wasn’t yet time for it to come back on. I looked again at the grandfather clock in the hall and saw that it was only 02.15! I really was tired and was glad to get back to bed for another four hours! Strange things happen when you are tired and it is so easy for the events of the day to throw you off course sometimes but I think it is all a conspiracy.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Life, Rest and sleep | Tagged: Ladder, Life, Light, Light fixture, Longcase clock, Rest and relaxation, Street light, Switch | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on October 28, 2011
- Image by welivecricket.com via Flickr
I’m sitting here at home quietly enjoying myself and indulging in a glass or two of golden rum with a glass of diet cola on the side. The rum is called Cockspur and hails from Barbados. I was first introduced to it when in Barbados in 1980 but it only in recent years has it been available in this country. Not that I partake of the nectar too frequently, I don’t but it is nice to have some once every so often. An hour or so ago my eldest son and his wife, my daughter-in-law, came for a short visit. Actually they came to take E into town to sort out problems with her mobile phone but I am expecting them, as I write this, to return for a short while soon. I had a brief heart to heart talk with my son just before he left and talked about my situation at home. He is a great son (his brother is too despite his ability to wind me up) and I love him dearly as I also love my other son. I can see the problems facing them both as they live out their lives but it is hard to relay advice as they both have their own ideas on life. I hope that any advice I can give them is taken on board because I advise only through experience. I was awakened this morning (Wednesday) by a phone call from a lady I’ve done many jobs for and who wants me to look at some electrical problem she has. It was eleven o’clock! I had slept in again! I must have needed the rest as I have been working hard lately. Nevertheless I took the job but won’t be doing it until Thursday. I got dressed for a run on my treadmill and put in 25 mins. After cooling down somewhat I ate lunch before bathing and getting dressed. I have spent the whole day, that is the afternoon (LOL) and evening simply relaxing and doing my own thing. The rum is beginning to take effect and I am feeling great. I won’t drink myself silly, I promise but I will enjoy myself. I had thought of going to the pub for the afternoon but dispelled that idea and decided to stay at home instead. In fact I don’t think I will go to the pub until next week. I have work to do and I don’t feel in the pub mood right now. It’s great to be able to do as I please and I am enjoying another fine day in my life.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Exercise, Life, Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Life, Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 10, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
So I spent Wednesday afternoon/early evening down at my local pub. After visiting the place about two weeks ago after a long absence and promising that I would go more often I have returned there twice since. My workload is very low just now and I was feeling so bored sitting home alone I decided to do two things. One, was to go for a walk and two, was to go to the pub. I did both. The weather at home has been rather a wet and windy affair so walking too far was out of the question, especially as I was wearing (small) heels and wasn’t dressed for taking on the elements. Fortunately the streets afforded quite a bit of shelter from the wind until I walked westward but even then it wasn’t too bad. At least the rain held off until I was back indoors, that is inside the pub! On arrival I found but a few patrons inside so I grabbed the local newspaper and sat down with my drink on a lovely leather sofa near to a window (I need daylight or bright artificial lighting to read comfortably) so that I wasn’t straining to see the script. My eyesight is quite excellent and I don’t need glasses as an aid, just good lighting. After an hour I began to feel hungry so I looked at the menu. For a small establishment they have quite an extensive choice of meals and snacks. I chose a smoked salmon sandwich with a salad as I wasn’t hungry enough to eat a large meal. It was delicious and enough to satisfy me for a few hours. By the time I had finished eating many more folk started to arrive and all but a few (those I don’t know) greeted me. I don’t know about you but I love ‘people watching‘ and I was quite contented to just sit there across the room watching them come and go. Finally though some wanted a little more contact with me and came over for a chat. By early evening I was up and about chatting with people myself. I am a very gregarious and sociable person and I find chatting with people so easy. Of course I had to watch my alcohol intake as I can get carried away sometimes by overdoing things. It was getting late and I decided that I must return home so I said my farewells and off I went for the ten minute walk to my house. I got home just after eight-thirty and found I had mail and a parcel containing the new shoes I had ordered a few days ago. I tried the shoes and they are a perfect fit but I doubt I shall be walking to the pub in them as the heels are just over four inches! I shall take a cab if I wear them out.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Enjoyment, Exercise, Food, Friendship, Leisure, Lifestyle, People, Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Bar (establishment), Drink, Entertainment, Food, Friendship, Leisure, Lighting, Newspaper, People, Rest and relaxation | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on August 17, 2011
I’ve not had much professional work of late but on Monday I had one small job to do. Whilst waiting to go there after breakfast I received another call for more work. The first job didn’t take too long and then I was off to the second job which I knew would take longer as it entailed installing new circuits. Whilst there I received yet another call to do a small job which I managed to get to around one o’clock and finished that in only a few minutes. The second job was a little taxing and I felt my energy draining whilst doing it. I think I do pretty well for a 65 year-old going on 66! I don’t look my age and don’t really feel it either, under normal circumstances that is! I know a few women of my age that are no way as fit as I am but I suppose the nature of my work keeps me exercised which must help. These days of course I do limit what I do in my work as an electrician and it is nice to be able to pick and choose what work I take on board. I have been doing far more work at home over the last year or so although over the last two weeks I haven’t done anything at home. Previous posts will reveal the reasons for that but I hope to resume further work that needs to be done in and around the garages over the next couple of months. I am quite an active person most of the time but I do like to relax as well. The weather at home hasn’t been that good lately and it has been raining quite a lot. This meant that I couldn’t get out into the garden but on Monday afternoon it was fine and sunny with hardly a whisper of wind so I took the opportunity to sit outside playing my guitar for an hour or so and then did some reading. With a drink or two of course! It’s getting harder but I manage…LOL
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, Enjoyment, Exercise, Garden, Lifestyle, Music, Rest and relaxation, Work | Tagged: Activity, Leisure, Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on August 8, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
Must be getting old. Saturday night turned into Sunday morning and I was still pottering about downstairs. It got so late, or I should say early I didn’t bother going to bed. I don’t sleep too long in any case so if I go to sleep at midnight I can be almost certain I will be awake before five o’clock. Lately I have been getting to bed very late, sometimes watching television in bed before nodding off and still I wake up early. I cannot see the point in trying to get eight hours sleep when I know it isn’t possible. However, I do sometimes just lie in bed for a short while after waking up but no more than an hour if that. I like sleeping though and I especially like dreaming. I find that I dream when my sleep is deep, that is when I’ve been so tired due to working I get the four or five hours uninterrupted. I hate it when I go to bed, even tired, and find that my mind is racing away with thoughts that keep me from the Land of Nod. I usually get some sleep in those instances but never enough. They say that lost sleep cannot be recovered later. Once lost always lost. So Sunday started well enough and although I was feeling a little heavy around the eyes in the afternoon I managed to stay awake all day. I didn’t even manage a cat-nap in the afternoon after my lunch. I’ve stayed indoors over the weekend and basically did nothing in the way of work since Thursday afternoon. The weather hasn’t been that good with plenty of showers about. It was much better on Sunday afternoon but quite windy and there were still plenty of clouds to block out the sunshine every few minutes. Not a day to be outside if you are simply sitting down. I sat and watched some football (soccer) in the afternoon after learning to play a couple more songs on my guitar earlier. Highlights of the day? Someone phoned for me to do a job for them this morning and someone asked if I could take a parcel on behalf of my neighbour who was out for the afternoon. Exciting isn’t it? LOL Still haven’t organised the staging for the garage yet. I have to wait for the availability of others to help me fit the garage door anyway. Will I ever get it done? Well yes is the answer to that one, when is another matter. I might be too tired!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, Dreams, Rest and sleep | Tagged: Association football, Garage door, Health, Nap, Rest and relaxation, Sleep | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on August 5, 2011
Well it has been a week since I did anything, work that is, at home. I promised myself a breather and hard as it was for me to refrain from working at home I managed to do just that. I have had work away from home in my capacity as an electrician, yesterday was a busy day for example. I thought that I would get bored but somehow I managed to find things to do, playing my guitar a lot more than usual almost wore out my fingers! There are things I want to get on with and I am waiting for my two sons to be available to help get the roller door in place but I need to organise some staging first. Once I get the door in place I can fit the guides and the control gear. The next job I want to tackle is rebuilding the concrete steps leading to the garage back door and tidying up the wall around that door. After that there is an internal block wall to build and existing walls to tidy up by applying a concrete render. A host of small jobs really but they will take some time to do. Fortunately I have plenty of time on my hands these days. I just hope I can remain fit and healthy enough to complete them!
Image by revger via Flickr
Yesterday I received an email from Lotte, a friend of mine, who has been spending the last three months travelling around the world. She flew east to places like Thailand and Australia and now she tells me she is in San Francisco! Working her way back home. Well not actually working of course, lucky girl! It will be great to see her again when she finally gets back home and tells me about her adventures. If you are reading this Lotte, Hi…..take care, see you soon!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Friendship, House and Home, Rest and relaxation, Work | Tagged: Friendship, Lotte, Rest and relaxation, San Francisco, Thailand, Travel, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on August 2, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
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 »
Posted by Shirley Anne on July 31, 2011
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Well Saturday promised to be a nice day in many ways but it didn’t turn out as expected. I had made the decision to take the day as a day of complete rest and it turned out that way. I arose fairly early and had a good soak in the bath, something I don’t do often as I usually have a shallow bath when bathing and then I’m out. Yesterday however I wanted to lie down and soak for a while. With no intentions of working I dressed up for the day and had a light breakfast. It was such a lovely day I thought we might have a barbecue but E seemed reluctant to bother. That being the case I decided to simply sit in the patio playing my guitar for an hour then listening to music on the radio. I ended up sitting there all day getting drunk on whisky and coke whilst listening to jazz. By early evening I was somewhat hungry as I completely missed out on lunch being as I was drunk on whisky and jazz! It happens. As it turned out I thoroughly enjoyed myself, albeit alone! Late in the afternoon I chanced upon seeing one of my neighbours and I asked if she would like to be invited to a barbecue but she was busy. I told her that I meant today, Sunday, and we laughed. Even so she had prior arrangements. It is just as well I suppose because the weather forecast for today isn’t that good. I believe most of the coming week is forecast to be wet, so much for Summer but they still insist that we are in for really hot weather in the near future. We’ll see! I am not sure what I will be doing today but it won’t be sitting around doing nothing that’s for sure, although I was thinking of going to the pub for a change. Maybe?
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on July 27, 2011
Well yesterday I wanted to purchase some materials for the garage so after breakfast and a short session with my computer I asked E if she would like to accompany me, which she did but first I had to wait for her to get dressed! She always has her breakfast before getting dressed whereas I am the opposite, I get dressed first! In the meantime I went out to the garage and measured what I would need in the way of timber on which to fix the metal guides for the roller door. Soon E was back downstairs and ready to go so off we went, first to the timber depot and then on to the electrical supplier to buy a fluorescent light fitting for the garage before returning home. It was still only 11.30 and the weather had changed for the better, bright blue sky and warm sunshine which remained so for the rest of the day. I said to E that it was such a nice day, too nice to be working and would she dine out with me instead. Before we could do anything else I wanted to move out all the plywood sheeting we had stored in the new garage and place it in the old garage instead. E wanted to hang out some washing too but she stopped with me for a short while so that we could move some of the plywood. Most of these sheets are 8′ x 4′ and some thicker than others. There were also some smaller display boards measuring about 5′ square in plywood too, quite a lot to shift when one of us is having difficulty in simply walking about most of the time. I refer to E who unfortunately cannot help me as much as she would like to these days but any help is better than none. We struggled but eventually managed to move most of it before E had to go and hang out the washing. I moved the last few pieces by myself all but one seven-ply 8′ x 4′ sheet which looks almost new and will be just suitable to lay on the floor in the proposed new wet-room before we lay the floor tiles. Although the present floor is very solid it is simply floorboards nailed to joists and unsuitable as it is for the direct laying of floor tiles. That will now save us having to buy plywood for the floor. When we began clearing out the garage we discovered more large logs which we have been giving to our next-door neighbours as they have a wood-burning fire which they use in the colder months of the year. These logs are what remained of our tree-felling activities late last year. Well we found a couple more and they came to collect them. They were admiring our recent work in the garage and asked who had done it all. When we told them that we had done it ourselves they were very impressed, probably thinking we were not capable! So E and I went indoors, got changed and off we went to have our meal, this time at a carvery about eight miles away. Today however I shall be working in the garage doing mostly electrical work which I hope I shall finish completely at some point in the day, unless of course I get a call to do work for someone else! Yesterday was simply too nice a day to waste on working. When we got back home I took my guitar out onto the patio and sat playing some songs for a while in the warm sunshine. You see, I can relax when I’ve a mind too!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Enjoyment, Entertainment, Leisure, Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation | Leave a Comment »
