#SoCS Mar. 11, 2023 – The M Words

Linda’s SoCS prompt…



Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mat/met/mitt/mot/mutt.” Choose one or use them all, any way you’d like in your post. Have fun!

I pulled my mitts on tight as the cold wind blew, on my way to pick up the car after its MOT, where I met a mutt with matted fur.

Sorry. Stupid but BOOM!!!!

One-Liner Wednesday – Proud As Punch! #InternationalWomansDay

“As a parent, you can dread your child’s Parent’s Evenings, but the one I just had has left me with a huge smile – she did good!”

Ritu Bhathal
 

It is International Woman’s Day, and I am proud to have given birth to a girl growing into the most amazing young woman. She has faced struggles and is coping with things many of us wouldn’t even think of, and hearing the way her teachers spoke about her at her Parent’s Evening, brought tears to my eyes, and I want to celebrate the Woman she is becoming. Love you, Lil Princess! 🥰

For Linda’s #1LinerWeds

Chai And A Chat #226 #ChaiAndAChat

Hello there! Can you believe we are in March now??

Have you got your drink?

  • If we were having chai, I’d start by sitting here, wondering. What did I do last week? I know it was busy, but I am having a serious case of brain fog… Aah, yes, I remember… I mean, how could I forget? School was JAM PACKED with so much stuff this week, including that observation I was dreading! And… it went really well! You know, it’s not that I doubt myself as a teacher, but when you are passionate about something, you always feel nerves. It’s the same with waiting to hear what readers think of my books, posts, or any content I post. Guess my calendar message helped me think positively too!
  • If we were having chai, I’d tell you that we had World Book Day on Thursday amidst the teacher strikes. We, as a staff, all dressed up as Where’s Wally, and we also had a workshop with children’s author and illustrator Fabi Santiago, which was fun. It was a different day, which threw the children we teach a bit, as they thrive on routine. However, it is good for them to experience different things! One of my colleagues was on a course on Friday which meant my team were juggling extra responsibility, but they are ace, so things went pretty smoothly…
  • If we were having chai, I’d say that I was a little excited that my book baby, Marriage Unarranged reached over 200 ratings/reviews on Amazon, too, which was a real boost, as I have been flagging, energy wise the last few weeks… but Thank you to anyone who has read and reviewed it!
  • If we were having chai, I’d mention that It is also sneaking into Cricket season, so that means winter indoor nets have started up again. the location is around half an hour away, and with the current economic situation, it is not wise driving back and forth, wasting fuel, so I use the time if I am taking him, to catch up on reading or writing notes for book 3! I finished reading Daisy Jones & The Six, as I really wanted to watch the Amazon Prime Series, but I hate to see things that I know are books before I have actually read it. FYI, enjoyed the book, and have started the series. Binged all three episodes available now, and can’t wait for Friday when three more will be released!
  • If we were having chai, I’d put it out there, that I am trying to write more. I sit at my desk, when I have the energy, but the words aren’t quite flowing, yet… still, I made a new screen background. Do you like it? #procrastinationqueen!
  • If we were having chai, I would give you a snippet of Sonu Singh! He’s been hiding away this weekend a bit. Actually, he really missed Lil Man, who had been away in Paris. (Eurodisney, for a business conference as a part of his A-Leve Business Studies, but he said it was BORING! I would have given my left arm to go anywhere Disney, and sat through three hours of seminars, in order to have a day in the park, but what can you do with teenage boys?) Anyway, Sonu loves sleeping with Lil Man, on his bed. They have the most precious bond. The first day he was back. Sonu gave him he silent treatment, and then he wouldn’t leave him alone after. So much so that he didn’t even come and sit with me like he usually does! But that was rectified on Sunday afternoon where he joined me as I watched Daisy Jones & The Six, giving me a cat massage before falling asleep on my lap. I do love my cat cuddles, when I get them!

This week, we have another up-and-down week at school with workshops, observations (this time, I am observing), as well as staff out and a late evening training night. Home-wise, I have Lil Princess’s parents’ evening to look forward to (I think!)

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

Spidey’s Serene Sunday #417 – Picking & Choosing

“You can do anything, but not everything.”

David Allen

Great reminder, Spidey!

Now, I don’t know if it is a perimenopause thing or just extreme tiredness, but right now, I really cannot do everything that I want to be able to do.

I go to work, and I keep the house clean, feed my family, and ensure their well-being is as good as it can be.

I keep in touch with my parents daily and my brother a little less, but still regularly.

What I also want to do is try and exercise, daily.

And write, daily.

And read, daily.

And I want to meet up with friends and have a bit of social life.

But I am finding that I am so tired that I can very often only do a bit of exercise two or three times a week, and it’s not anything strenuous, I admit.

Writing seems to be a thing I am struggling with, because my brain is so filled with other, more pressing issues, plus I am waiting on publisher feedback, and I think it is halting my progress on the third book, in case there are any big changes they want me to make…

The thought of meeting up with loved ones for an evening is wonderful, but again, it’s the energy thing.

So I make sure that if nothing else, I read. And even my reading has slowed down. You guys know me, the fifteen books-a-month type of reader, at my best, alongside writing and everything else.

Right now it can take me 4-5 days to finish a book, but that is because I am falling asleep after a few minutes, or at the maximum, half an hour of reading. I know that still sounds fast to some, but that is not me.

Still, at least I am reading something.

At least I have hit that level of maturity where I know I cannot do everything. Each thing I want to do has its time and place, and it will happen, I am sure. Just not all at once.

(I dunno, maybe I need a change-up in my HRT dosages…)

So, Peeps, are you good at realising when you need to take your foot off the pedal a bit? 😊

#SoCS Mar. 4, 2023 – Wild Animal

Linda’s SoCS prompt…


Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “wild animal.” Choose a wild animal (or many wild animals) and use it any way you’d like in your post. Enjoy!

This term in school, we are focusing on animals as a topic. Pets, Jungle Animals, Unusual Animals, Mythical Animals, Animal Mums and Babies, Winged Creatures.

The kids absolutely love it. Most have never been to a country where they can see these animals in the wild.

The wildest of wild animals that they see would be the foxes and squirrels in the gardens and parks.

Some may have been to a zoo, but although it is great fun for the kids, zoos aren’t my kind of place.

I hate the way these majestic creatures are in enclosures that are often too small for them, and despite attempts to recreate their natural habitat, they seem sad…

Here in Kent, we have the Aspinall Foundation, where there are two huge safari parks, Howlett’s and Port Lympne, where the animals who live there have many acres to roam. They are usually there to help them before being taken back to their unnatural habitats and reintroduced to living as true wild animals.

I’ve been to the smaller of the two a couple of times, and have seen elephants, rhinos, tigers and beautiful gorillas alongside other smaller species that may be endangered.

Though I feel honoured to have seen them up close, I still feel that sadness in them.

It’s a far cry from sitting in the car in Kenya, on the way from one town to another, driving through the Rift Valley, and seeing the herds of wildebeast and gazelle roaming free or sitting in the turrets. of the Gurduwarea Makindu, and watching a family of giraffes wandering around or staying in the Lake Baringo camp, surrounded by waters where crocodiles and hippos live. (Let me tell you, hippos are rather noisy at night!) Or visiting Lake Victoria and Lake Bogoria and marvelling at the pink shorelines, which are flocks of flamingoes in reality.

It’s been over 20 years since I was able to see these sights with my own eyes… Maybe one day I can take my own little family, and share these marvels with them, too.

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