The way of the future

I often wish I could look into the future, 200, 300, even 500 years time, I wonder what the world will be like then. Probably completely different to what it is now. I would love to be around and see it all. I watched a fascinating programme last week on the BBC iplayer, Gaming: The Rise of the Cyber Athletes. I only came across it by chance because it's in the sports section, a place I rarely venture into, I don't have much interest in sport. My curiosity led me to click the play button.

OJ Borg explores the growth of electronic sports, the professional players who take part, and the debate on whether gaming could be considered as a true sport. The question was asked, are cyber athletes real sportsmen? How does the culture around watching gaming compare to real sport? 

I must say, the programme was a real eye opener, I never knew such events existed. Streaming sites such as Twitch bring millions of viewers to watch online, and tens of thousands to venues around the world. The cyber athlete is no longer a couch potato, and can expect to earn �200,000 a year. They look after their health and fitness, go to the gym and eat a healthy diet, to keep their brains sharp and their fingers moving at breakneck speed. 

This new sport is opening up endless possibilities for sponsorship and advertising, thousands of jobs will be created on the back of it, mind boggling really. Is this the future? They are talking about it becoming an Olympic sport. 

If you want to see the programme it's on the iplayer for a few more days.  

It's also on Yoootooob.

If you want to read a bit about cyber gaming, this is a good site. It seems the internet is buzzing with this programme.

We discussed this topic around the dinner table on Sunday when I was visiting family. My cousins son is a keen gamer and spends many hours in his bedroom, much to the consternation of his mother. After the meal was finished everyone seemed to disappear. I found them in son's bedroom, he was explaining the nuts and bolts of how he designs games and uploads them to yoootooob. He completely lost me as I watched and listened to him. I was dumbstruck. How can a twelve year old lad have taught himself so much.? He was talking ten to the dozen, obviously passionate about his skills, and they are skills, not just wasting time until he leaves school. This lad is on the way to a career already. There is no doubt that he is a sharp as a razor, and I hope that he will, one day, be at the top of his game. I shall watch his progress with interest. 

Computer gaming is not my thing at all, I wouldn't know where to start, but it's the way of the future, and it can't be stopped. 

Toodle pip. 

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L O L :o)

Hello again. I was thinking about the laughs we had yesterday, we were all in a jovial mood and we bounced jokes off one another. Whatever topics we chatted about one of us always twisted it around to create another chuckle, or in some cases a real humdinger of a belly laugh. I like people like that, those you feel comfortable with, those who you can be yourself with and not have to put on a show. It makes life a lot more relaxed and easy going if you can say, here is me, take me or leave me, it's up to you. 

Today I am showing you this awful picture of myself. Years ago when I was a teenager, I would not have dreamt of letting anyone see me in this state. Before I stepped out of the door I had to put on a show for the world, where I looked presentable, fashionable, and as attractive as I could make myself with a bottle of  foundation cream and a paint box. 

Look at me now, the older I get the braver I get.  

I am now able to show the real me to the world, someone who is able to laugh at myself, and not take life too seriously. I don't worry about what other people think of me, because I like me as I am, and before you like anyone else, you have to like yourself first. Yes that might seem self centred and smug, but I would rather be happy, than be a miserable old grouch.

My message is simple, look for the fun in your life, laugh at your mistakes, laugh when you make an almighty cock up, and don't be afraid of making yourself look silly. Now go and look in the mirror, and bluddy well laugh.

Have a fun day. Toodle pip.

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Colour my world

Hello and welcome to the first day of a brand spanking new year. Nice of you to call in. I'll try again with an answer to this question. 

Terra28 December 2014 at 03:55

Some years I choose a word for the year, do you ever do that?

Thanks Terra. I haven't thought about doing this, but now you come to mention it, yes, I will. The first word that came to mind as I was out for a morning walk was COLOUR, so that is my chosen word. I will open my eyes and look for colour every day. Even if the world looks grey and gloomy I will search for colour where I least expect it. I will try and find colour where there is none. It isn't hard when you walk around a pretty village, there are little pockets of colour everywhere. 

I pass these beautiful purple berries on my way to the church. They seem to last ages, but look closely, some of them are beginning to shrivel a bit and lose their colour. 

 A few red berries left for the birds, against a background of yellow and green variegated leaves.

I wonder what has caused the green mould to form such a perfect pattern on the wooden fence?

As I enter the churchyard I see colour. Trevor is trimming the branches from the trees. His red overall stands out against the dark trunk.

It's a hard job he has, there are three avenue's of trees to cut back, it will take him a while. If he does one a day it will probably take him to the end of the month. 

They look pretty ugly when they have been butchered, but they will come back.

Oh look, red has been joined by yellow. Graham, the previous church gardener, is out for a morning walk with Lady dog.

Oh my, more colour has arrived, people pass through here on the way to the shop. Now we have orange and purple. Little girl is eating my favourite ice cream, she has a Magnum.

So what colour is your world? Do you see things in fifty shades of grey, are you locked in your own little world and don't see the colour beyond it? It's there, you just have to find it. I am going to look for colour every day because it makes me cheerful, and it lifts my spirits.

Colour blindness must be quite difficult to cope with, I'm sorry if you have this problem. I have worked as a fundraiser for the RNIB so have a little understanding of visual impairment. If you are in this category, and you can't see very well, please join in and let us know what other senses you use to bring a little colour into your life. I would be very interested to know.

Have you chosen a word for the year, share it with us, please.

Thank you for all your comments and emails over the last few days. Enjoy the rest of today.
Toodle pip.

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Couldn't be better.

Hello, from my holiday cottage, on this bright and sunny Christmas Eve. I am sitting at the wooden kitchen table, looking through the large conservatory, out over the back garden. I filled the bird feeders up this morning, my friend likes to encourage visiting wild life. In the summer the pond is full of frogs, and hedgehogs scuttle around the lawn foraging for the scraps she puts out for them.

I agreed to do this house sit six months ago, my friend wanted to be sure that Henry choc lab would be well catered for before she went ahead and arranged the holiday. He has never been in kennels, I think he would feel abandoned if he was left, he is a sensitive soul. I am sharing the duties with another sitter, so I'm coming and going a lot. Back home, which is only three miles away, my friend Janet is sharing cat duties with me, we have a rota, so all the animals are being cared for. The morning duties here are that Henry gets a one hour long and fast walk, he is a big boy with loads of energy, which suits me because I like striding out at a fast pace. After breakfast Rocky gets a more sedate stroll and sniff round the village. I don't walk them together because their needs are so different.

The layout to this house is a bit different to my own, whereas I am facing the window looking out over the street when I am sat at the table, here I have a wonderful view of the long garden and the wood beyond. It is lovely and peaceful here, I am using this time to escape from the madness of Christmas, it has all the ingredients you would want for a retreat. I find that the weeks leading up to Christmas is a time when I reflect a lot about my life and the role I play in the grand scheme of things. As I sit back and watch the world going crazy, I feel a sense of calm, a sereneness wraps itself around me.

I have always preferred being on the outside looking in. I like to see people enjoy themselves, but I haven't wanted to be the middle of the scrum. It's easier to sit on the sidelines and be happy for others. I am happy when they are happy, I don't need to join in.

I was reading an article in the BBC magazine, 'The people who choose to be alone at Christmas.'  Reading the comments I see I am not alone. Many people enjoy a quiet Christmas on their own. Here is a quote.
"I try to be as vague as possible when people ask me what I'm doing for Christmas," she says. "From past experience, when I have said I plan to be alone, some people have actually been quite hostile about it".
Yes, I have done that. I get invited to family do's, but I really don't enjoy sitting around for hours eating and drinking myself silly. It's a relief that they don't ask any more.

Another quote.
"Trite as it sounds, Christmas is what you make it. For every individual filled with the ardour of spending the day with family and loved ones, there is someone who might have no inclination or responsibility - be it familial or religious - to do "something special".
I don't feel that I need Christmas to do something special, every day is special to me. I am blessed with nice friends, we help each other.

I sincerely hope that you all have a lovely Christmas. I have two dogs and three cats to share mine with, couldn't be better. Lots of love xxxxxx

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Shocking !!!

Good morning. I'm bopping away to Sounds of the Sixties on Radio 2 as I write this. Some great old hits to sing along with. Every Saturday, 8 till 10. 

Right, what's the topic for toady. A leaflet dropped through the letter box this week, that reads like a horror story, thought I would share it with you. I hate anything that aims to swindle people out of their precious cash. This is a leaflet from a shop called PerfectHome, it could be from Bright House, they are all the same. They may have a shop front in the High Street, but that is a ruse to get people through the door and get them to sign their life away to a finance company. In this case, Temple Finance Limited is trading as PerfectHome. 

Years ago when I was a child my mum saved up to buy some of our furniture, but most of it was second hand, handed down from family or passed on from friends. For our entertainment we had a small radio, then television sets started to appear in shops. Of course we pestered mum to get one, she went into a shop called Radio Rentals and rented our first TV. A few years later after we had moved house, she went to Boyds, a family electrical shop, and took out an agreement to rent a TV. I have the agreement in front of me, dated 20th June 1974. Mum paid �1.85 a week for a 19 inch mono TV. In those days it was rare for people to buy a television set, because it would have been expensive to repair. Renting seemed the better option because there would be a new one provided when the set was too old to repair. We didn't think about how much it would cost us over a long period of time. Money came into the house weekly and mum was pretty good at budgeting, she wouldn't have got it if we couldn't afford the weekly payments. 

How things have changed. Now everyone wants to own the biggest TV in the street, no matter what the cost is. The PerfectHome shop window in our High Street looks very appealing, imagine all that lovely furniture in your home. You too can have a showhouse like this, but, there's a catch, there always is. Have a look at these figures, they make shocking reading.  

This TV will cost �1,731.99 to buy from this shop. Of course they don't want you to buy it outright, that's not where they make their money, they are a finance company, they want to lend you money at shocking interest rates. They want you to sign up to an agreement to pay �14.59 a week, for 156 weeks, they don't say 3 years, and you will end up paying �2,276.04. So, you might as well throw �1,048.05 of your precious cash, down the toilet. Shocking!

Want a supadupa sound system? Throw away �1,048.05, the difference between the cash price and the weekly payments over three years, and you can have it.

Of course you've just got to have an American style fridge freezer, with a water and ice dispenser, hasn't everyone got one. Errr, nope. On credit it's �2853.24. Shocking!

A nice sofa to sit on? Jeeez, credit price over 3 years, �4,475.64. What a shocker!

We all need to lay our heads down every night, but at what cost? �20.99 per week for three years, or 40p per sleep. That's a very expensive sleep. I would be having nightmares if I slept in this bed.

Only two of you, a small sofa would be ideal, but not at this price. Take out credit on this item and it will cost you �1,613.04 to sit on your @rse.

Ha ha, look at this, a special offer. Buy today and your first weekly payment is JUST �1. WOW, gotta have that, I think not. What about all the other 155 payments, where you are struggling to make ends meet, struggling to buy decent food, can't afford to put the heating on, can't afford to put petrol in the clapped out old car to get you to work.

For God's sake people wise up, get your priorities sorted out. Stop feeding these sharks. You don't need all this fancy stuff, you don't need to get into debt just to keep up with whoever has got more than you. Life is not about showing off, hey look at me, I've got one of those, or I've got a bigger one than you. It's ok to buy second hand, to get the best for your money. It's ok to buy from car boot sales, from charity shops, to skip dive, to take hand me downs, to barter and swap, to go on Freecycle.

Phew, sorry about that, had a Nellie moment just then. She would be proud of me. Joking apart, I know a lot of people who read my blog already know about this stuff, but please pass on your wisdom to younger members of your family and warn them of the danger of taking out such extortionate rental contracts, because it will come back and bite them on the bum, with such force they won't be able to sit down for months. or even years.

Looking good outside, have a nice weekend. Toodle pip.  

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Chickens part 2

Oh what a palaver, as Sarina said. Who would have thought that a simple observation, and yes it is my simplistic way of looking at things, would have created such a kerfuffle. Yes it was a silly response to the news article, but that's me, I chill. It started my day with a smile when I read all the advice on how to buy, keep, prepare, cook, and eat chicken, to minimize the risk of food poisoning, when all the time the most obvious answer was to not eat it at all. It was staring me in the face, a simple answer to a problem. The fact that the article talked about chicken was neither here nor there, it could have been contaminated broccoli, beans, or cauliflower. My answer would have still been the same, don't eat it. Anon sort of got it, he/she mentioned dropping a cabbage in a sewer, not looking for ways of washing it and cooking it to a high temperature. Contaminated cabbage would get binned. Simple common sense solution.

Jim, N. Yorks made me laugh, he took it in the good spirit it was intended. Jim, you carry on eating chicken, go the long way round and follow all the guidelines for minimizing any gastric problems with good hygiene, preparing, cooking etc, and you will be fine. I will take the short cut and not eat it.

The whole point of the post was not to get your knickers in a twist over something of which you have no control over. The article gave a percentage of possible contaminated birds, which made it sound like a lottery as to whether you had a clean or dirty bird in your shopping trolley.That to me sounded ludicrous, why would you want to take that chance? It wasn't about vegetarian versus carnivores, it wasn't a debate about the life and death of a farm animal from birth to plate. You chose to take it in that direction.

I apply the principle of common sense obvious solutions to most things in my life. I try not to over complicate issues, try not to worry myself silly over things that are beyond my control and I cannot change. I have a 'what will be will be', attitude now. I've done with worrying, been there, done that. Spent may years campaigning for women's equality in the work place, and I'm pleased to say that attitudes did change and I like to think I did my bit. I put myself in the front line with the media, as an example of a woman able to do a job generally thought of as a mans job. Although I was confident enough to speak my mind when I was unfairly treated, I realized that the best way of going about things was not to get my knickers in a twist, but to channel all my energies into doing the job well.

I don't need to get on a soap box now, because I have a more laid back attitude. Because I see things in a simplistic way, all I need to do is make choices that are right for me. I've done with stress. Sometimes it rears it's ugly head, but in the main it is short lived as I boot it out. I can do without complications. There are a lot of horrible things going on in the world, but I can't change them so nothing would be gained by spitting feathers and sending my blood pressure through the roof. As is often said, you can't change other people, but you can change yourself.

So, I'll let the young ones do the campaigning from now on, this old bird is content to withdraw from the battlefields, and get on with living a simple life. Got to think of the old ticker.

Thank you for your comments, they are wanted and are read.

See you soon.  

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Inspiring you to walk

Hello. I've gone through your comments again and picked out the questions which need a reply.
Linda asks, 'What is through the archway to the hotel, in South Cave?' I didn't take any pictures because I didn't have time and I have been there before. If you look at this post you will see the hotel and the pond in the extensive grounds.

Mary asks, 'Which of my walks have I enjoyed most?' Difficult to pick one out, Mary. There's been good and bad parts in all of them. No particular one stands out as the best. I liked the excitement and challenge of the first one, Blackpool to the Humber Bridge, but the last day of 30 miles was a killer. The River Trent walk was the easiest because the B & B's were booked in advance. The downside was walking to a timetable. Morecambe to the Humber Bridge was the longest at 162 miles, and passed through some beautiful Yorkshire countryside. The North East Tyne to the Humber was the most varied, passing through industrial areas as well as the coast and moors.

Lori asks, 'What is an AA box?' The Automobile Association is a recovery service, you pay a membership fee and they come and rescue you if your car breaks down. In the early days, before mobile phones, they had AA boxes all over the country, and the members had a key to unlock the door. Inside was a telephone, so you could call someone for help. Nowadays everyone has a mobile so the boxes are no longer needed.

Kathy asks, 'What has been my favourite part of the walk?' After the Yorkshire Dales and villages, it is the nice people I have met. Everyone is friendly when you travel alone with a rucksack.

Anon asks, 'I should have asked for sponsors for the cat rescue charity?' I love it that people want to help, but at the moment we have enough money to cover our costs. We collect bricabrac to sell at car boot sales and events. Of course if anyone offers money we would gratefully receive it, but I am not happy about asking people for sponsorship knowing that they may be struggling to survive on their income. No one should feel obliged, or be made to feel guilty if they are unable to afford to give to charity. I feel quite strongly about that. Also, I do not donate myself to any request of sponsorship via 'Just Giving'. I do not put my bank or card details into a web site, I don't trust it, so I wouldn't ask anyone else to. If I want to give to charity I give cash locally or send a cheque through the post. Thank you to those who would like to sponsor my walks, I would be happy if you gave a small donation to your local charity, but only if you can afford it.

Gam Kau asks, How heavy is my rucksack?' Sorry I don't know, I haven't weighed it  Heavy ish.

Janey asks for a map of the track I took? I am not technically minded enough to transfer all that information to the blog. I do a rough check of the daily and total miles on a web site called Bikehike, and when I have finished the walk I check exact miles. I could take screenshots from there but it would take hours to do that. 158 miles of walking covers a lot of maps, I could photograph them but you wouldn't get much detail.

Anon asks about hostels. Sleeping arrangements, privacy and security. Hostels have mainly dormitories from four beds to twelve beds. Some now have private double and family rooms. There isn't much privacy if you share a dorm if it is full. Some have en suite, but most are separate shower and toilet facilities. But hey, all girls together, nobody bothers. Some hostels have lockers in the dorms, which are lockable, you need to take a small padlock and key. Those without lockers you keep all your valuables on your person. I use a bum bag and a money belt.  Take a look at Kettlewell Hostel to give you an idea.

Gail asks, 'How do I plan my walk?' First I start with an idea, where do I start and where do I finish. My first ideas were train across the country, walk back. Did that three times. Follow the river from where I used to live to where I live now. River Tyne to the River Humber, some coastal walking. I tend to stick to Midlands upwards. I would like to walk further south, but it would mean two days travelling. When I have the idea I borrow maps from the library and lay them out on the floor, and study them. Looking for footpaths, towns and villages where I might find a bed. Then check distances between places. When I have worked out a possible route I usually go to this site and print out the maps I need. A tip if you use this, change print options to Landscape. I bought some OS maps for this last walk, but not all of them, because I wanted more detail for the Yorkshire Dales. If you are in an area where a lot of footpaths meet you need a clear detailed map. No, I don't use an ipad, or any electronic maps. If you do use these you still need paper maps if you are travelling over long distances. Squinting at a small screen is not the easiest way to work out a route over twenty miles. And it will need charging up.

I hope that has clarified a few points, thanks for asking. I'm pleased to read that some of you are inspired to try some walking, no matter how short the distance to start with, you can always build on it. If it is a nice day, get off the bus a few stops early and walk for 20 minutes. When I travel on a bus I am amazed at how close together the bus stops are. Yes, lots of stops are needed for people with mobility problems, but young able bodied people could easily walk a bit further. Sometimes I come back from town on the afternoon bus full of college students. I often get off at the other end of the village and finish the journey on foot.

Must go, things to do. Toodle pip.

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Keeping it clean

Howz your Saturday going? I've been out and done the Parkrun, but it isn't very warm out there, so I'm staying in for the time being. I'll get out into the garden later if it warms up. I want to re paint the side of the garage, and if I have enough paint I will do the doors as well.

I felt pretty good about the running this morning, wore my long shorts instead of trousers. Although I was a bit cold at the start, I felt more inclined to keep running for longer without the encumbrance of fabric flapping round my legs. The gloves are staying, it's nice to have warm hands. Another personal best today, knocked a minute and a bit off last weeks time. So, when I started it was 41 minutes, then 38, 36, and now 35.34. I am hoping to get it down to 30 minutes, it will take a bit of effort but it should be doable. I'm going to try some different trainers next week and see if that makes any difference. I could do with a bit more spring in my step.

I was rushing a bit this morning to get there. I am not a very good time keeper, don't like to be too early. If I have a deadline I try and get there on time, or a couple of minutes early. Most of the time I am late. On the way to town there is a 30mph speed limit through the village, then it goes to 60mph (limit for a single carriageway road), then back to 30 through the next village. After that it's 60mph for a long stretch, then there is a 40mph limit when you hit the Industrial Estates.

No matter how late I am, and how much of a rush I am in, as soon as I hit those signs I am driving at the correct speed. I can see the signs before I get there, so it is usually a matter of easing off the gas pedal and letting the car slow down by itself. By planning ahead I can reduce the wear and tear on my car, which will in the long run save me money. Even if I am driving in an unfamiliar area and I don't know where the limits change, I am always looking for the signs which tell me what speed I should be doing. It's easy to get distracted and not notice them.

During the whole time I have been driving, and over the years that has been a lot of miles, I have only been caught out three times exceeding the speed limit. That might seem quite a lot but when you think that I was driving up to 400 miles a day, that's not bad at all. I have been fined three times for speeding, and had three points on my licence each time, and all of them were when I was driving company vehicles.

The first time was not long after I passed my HGV test. I was in my first job. I was driving out of Swindon on a wide road, I thought I was out of the 30 limit, and I wasn't. A hidden speed trap got me. The second time was many years later, at 6.30 in the morning. I had just picked the empty lorry up and I was going to a depot to load it up. I was thinking about the long day ahead, the crappy lorry I was driving, and the rotten job that I didn't really want to do. I didn't slow down quick enough when I hit the 30 sign, and another hidden speed trap got me. I do think it's underhand of the police to hide behind bushes in someone's garden then jump out and order you to stop. I got done for doing 37 in a 30 limit, hardly any other traffic on the road, not a danger to other road users. Ah well, three points on my clean licence, the previous points were wiped off years before.

The third and last time was in 2008. I was driving a minibus, I had dropped my passengers off and was on my way back to base, through some roadworks on the A1. The overhead cameras got me, exceeding a 50 limit. Oh stuffin heck, not concentrating. Three points on my otherwise clean licence. They are gone now so my licence is once again clean, and I hope to keep it that way.

The moral of this story is that I can't afford to pay speeding fines now, I don't want to chuck money down the drain. I can't afford my insurance premiums to go up because I have points on my licence. So now I am extra vigilant when I am driving. I am constantly looking out for speed limit signs, always checking my speedometer on the dashboard, making sure that when I hit that 30mph sign I am indeed driving at 30mph, even lower if conditions are potentially dangerous.

I haven't passed an advanced driving test for many years, (I passed six tests altogether in cars and lorries), but most of what I learnt is still embedded in my brain. As my mind ages with my body I intend to increase concentration levels when behind the wheel. For my own safety and the safety of others, and also because it is a cheaper way of driving.

The sun has come out and I am off out into the garden. Toodle pip.    

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It's funny how things change

The comments on yesterdays post are an interesting read. A right mixed bag on what constitutes an emergency and what doesn't. Thank you all for airing your views, and welcome to the new readers. Sorry I haven't welcomed you before, I do take note of the new faces which appear in the sidebar, and I do look at your blogs.

I think we have got it pretty much ok here in the UK when it comes to things we have to pay for, and things we can get help with. I reckon we have little to moan about compared to our neighbours across the pond. Not wanting to get political on this issue, politics always seems to creep into it when austerity, scrimping, managing on little, and feeding the poor, come to the forefront of conversation. I am not into bashing the system, because in my mind there is no difference in the parties that govern our country. It's a bloody hard job to have, and I wouldn't volunteer for it in a million years. That's not letting them off, just stating my view. No, I am not a campaigner at all. so no politics please. .

My stance is that we have to do the best we can with what we have, we owe it to ourselves, which is what this blog is about. I look at my home, my life, my income, as my own little powerhouse. It is my domain, I decide what I do with the resources I have within these four walls. I could go down the pub and pee my money up the wall, but I don't. I could splash the cash on a flat screen TV but I don't. What I do instead is to monitor every penny that comes in and every penny that goes out. Everyone has that option, some do it amazingly well, some just scrape by, by the seat of their pants, and those in between make an fairly decent job of it. Monitoring movement of money in and out, and making a plan is essential to survive. Sorry, I am getting a bit preachy now, don't mean to be, will move on.  

Something Sue said reminded me of how it used to be, the pleasures of saving up to buy kitchen utensils one at a time. Yes, I remember that. Not that I ever did it, but my friend did. She had a boyfriend not long after she left school, things were getting pretty serious, one thing led to another and they became engaged. After that she started buying bits and bobs from homestyle shops, bedding, towels, utensils, pots and pans and suchlike. She made a list of what she had, and asked for household items for Christmas and Birthdays presents, and stashed them all in a 'bottom drawer'. Every so often she would empty the drawer to show me what was in there, everything had to match, and it was all lovingly put back in after inspection. This went on for a year or two, and by the time she got married she already had most of what she needed to make a nice home.

It's funny how things change. I haven't heard anyone mention a 'bottom drawer', for years. Shame really, because it was a symbol of a serious relationship, a commitment to a future together with a partner. It all seems a bit rushed these days. Mind you, you can set up a new home a lot quicker now, and probably a lot cheaper, by visiting car boot sales and charity shops. There wasn't any of those options when I was a mere slip of a girl.

My friend with the 'bottom drawer' is now a pensioner like me, she is in the process of giving away most of her stuff. She wants an uncluttered life, so her bottom drawers are slowly emptying. It's funny how our priorities change.

Where is this post going? I have no idea, I've come to a dead end, so I'll finish :o)
Toodle pip.

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Where there's a will............

Writing a will is quite complicated, a task that I wouldn't want to undertake with a DIY will bought from a stationers shop. There are will writing companies out there, but I am wary of how genuine their qualifications are. Seems to me that a solicitor is the best choice. I don't want to pay, so I am having a free one drawn up.

I've just gone through the old will I made ten years ago because it wants some serious updating. Quite honestly I had forgotten what I had put into it, and reading it again is like reading it for the first time. I am surprised how things have moved on and some of the people named are no longer part of my life. I've gone through it with a red marker pen, scrubbing out those who have drifted away. The friend I used to be very good friends with, who didn't invite me to her wedding. That hurt. The ex who has another partner. He dumped me, I was sad. The good friend who was very domineering. I didn't like the way she was always telling me what to do. I felt bullied. Thank goodness I still have one very good friend who has always been there for me, and always will be.    

Some of the charities have been given the red pen treatment, my feelings towards them have changed because of what I have found out about them in the last ten years. But it's difficult to make any informed choices about which charities to support, because the truth behind them often does not come out. I recently found out something about a local charity from an ex employee, which did not please me. I don't feel inclined to leave them anything now.

It's very difficult to work out who to leave things to, even with a small family such as mine. It must be horrendous for someone who has family complications. If I knew when I am going to die, I would have a date to work towards. Some of the people in my will might go before me, then I suppose their inheritance will be passed down to their next of kin.

If I had a dispatch date I could start giving it away before I go, that would give me great pleasure. I have always wished I could win a large sum of money, then give it away to those who need it. I would love to be the secret millionaire, like the programme on the tele. Imagine the surprised look on their faces as I handed over a cheque. Now I'm dreaming, back to this will mularky.

If I think about it, I am glad I haven't got a lot of money, imagine all the bickering that goes on after a will has been read and folks are miffed that they haven't got what they think they deserve. Money can bring out the worst in people.

I wish I didn't have to make this will, but I have to. With a bit of luck I will have got rid of most of it while I have still got my marbles. Having a good time is on my agenda.

I was going to see the solicitor tomorrow, but I've had to put it back a few days. An emergency came up, a friend got the call to go into hospital yesterday, and I am looking after his dog. A minor op, should be out soon. Short post, I'm off out tonight, giving a frugal/moneysaving/scrimping/meanqueen talk to a W I group. Donation for the pussycat rescue.
Toodle pip.

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