How are you feeling right now?
Didn’t expect that when my hubby went off to play golf yesterday he would do something to his knee that has left him in excruciating pain.
No sleep last night and now we are in A&E waiting in minor injuries for triage, though I have doubts it’s a minor injury.
So I’m feeling anxious.
You never know what’s in front of you.
Diagnosed with torn meniscus.
Home with painkillers and then probably an op.
Feeling a bit less anxious now he’s had a diagnosis.
What daily habit do you have that improves your quality of life?
I try to have a walk most days.
I’m lucky to have beautiful areas to walk in. Walking is good for the body and for the mind, taking in the views, the scenery and the wild life. I always have my iPhone camera ready to capture anything interesting.
Even if I feel tired, once I get my walking shoes on and walk for a few miles, I feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the more mundane tasks.
I write a diary on Facebook every evening for my followers and my walk always gives me something to write about and to show my photos.
A habit I will try and keep up for as long as I’m able.
What was the last thing you searched for online? Why were you looking for it?
After watching Wicked Little Letters on Netflix I checked online to find out if this was a film based on a real life happening.
Olivia Coleman is excellent in the role as Edith Swan, a repressed daughter who resorts to sending nasty letters to her neighbours and blames it on her neighbour Rose Gooding. If you don’t like bad language, don’t watch lol 😜
I discovered it is indeed based on a true story.
What is the true story behind Wicked Little Letters?
Wicked Little Letters is based on the real-life hate mail scandal, also known as the “Littlehampton letters,
set in the1930’s and involved four court cases and three prison sentences over almost three years. Edith Swan and Rose Gooding were neighbors living in Littlehampton.
I had thought the use of such bad language was a modern phenomenon but I was proved wrong.
So that was my last search online and it turned out to be very informative.
It also reminded me how real life trolls on social media can fire abuse at people with whom they disagree but unlike Edith they never get caught.
What TV shows did you watch as a kid?
Unless you lived in the UK and are over 65 you will not have heard of the children’s shows I watched as a child.
When I look back I realise how innocent we were in those days. Shows like Bill and Ben, the flower pot men and their friend Little Weed. Could you even imagine today’s toddlers watching? No special effects, just a few visible strings, added to the simplicity of the production.
Another favourite was the Wooden Tops and I can hardly keep a straight face telling you that they were a family of clothes pegs. Were the writers of children’s programmes on something in the fifties or where they just so confined to the resources they had.
However in our naivety in the fifties we loved the programmes and our favourite time was when my dad turned on the ancient black and white tv and we had 15 mins of flower pots talking to each other.
Maybe it’s time to bring them back. 😂
https://youtu.be/9JKKWJqFpBQ?feature=shared
What’s your favorite time of day?
By afternoon the aches and pains have subsided. I’m fully awake and have had a surge of energy.
I can choose how I spent the afternoon. A walk, lunch with friends. Housework 😡?
Usually a walk along the Lough. Home and watch a movie or read a book but normally a scroll through Twitter to catch up with the news and the gossip.
By that time I’m winding down. Tired and the aches and pains are gradually returning.
The life of a pensioner ☺️
What’s your favorite recipe?
Ingredients: Quantities will depend on how many you are serving.
Cooked chicken cut into pieces
Smoked salmon cut into pieces
Pasta
A carton of double cream
Butter
Parsley
On a frying pan melt a good chunk of butter and add chicken and salmon. Cook until salmon turns pink. Add cream and stir.
Cook pasta, drain and add to pan. Cook over a low heat stirring until well mixed.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and pepper.
Serve with fresh bread. 🥖
Enjoy.
Tell us about the last thing you got excited about.
That was yesterday. My grandson got his GCSEs results. Had been waiting for early morning for the call. A combination of A’s and B’s means he’s back to school for another two years.
I’m excited for his future. Will he be a solicitor like his brother or will he enter the caring profession like his sister who is studying Occupational therapy?
At the moment law seems to be the option.
So I’m excited for his future and I know whichever path he chooses he will be successful.
His sister brought him a basket of goodies to celebrate. 🥳
How would you design the city of the future?
What are peace lines?
‘The separation barriers in Northern Ireland that separate predominantly Irish republican or nationalist Catholic neighbourhoods from predominantly British loyalist or unionist Protestant neighbourhoods. They have been built at urban interface areas in Belfast and elsewhere.’
Coming from a divided city like Belfast where there are peace lines of almost 42 miles, my vision for a city of the future would be a city where all citizens integrated, regardless of religion or culture.
I can’t even fathom why they are called peace lines, as rather than keeping the peace, they drive communities further apart. My future city would do away with Catholic and Protestant housing and look to a future generation to heal the divide.
My city of the future would also see beautiful architecture from days gone by restored and maintained and an end to the many glass boxes and soulless buildings we have today.
My city of the future would be carless allowing citizens to breathe fresh air while shopping. Planting trees and wildflowers for ambiance and outside eating areas although the weather here doesn’t always allow for that.
However it is what it is and I love my city with all its peculiarities. It’s been my home since the sixties and I don’t think I could live anywhere else.
Where did your name come from?
My first name came from my great aunt Anna. I found out some years ago in the baptismal register of the church in which I was baptised that I too was initially to be called Anna. For whatever reason and maybe because I was baptised the day after I was born, no one was quite sure what I was to be called. Anyway the Anna was stroked out and replaced by Anne.
I’m not sure exactly when it became Ann but I changed it because I was continually being called Ann (ie). All my official records spell it Anne and it infuriates me.
Patricia was my mother’s second name so following tradition it became my second name.
Valerie … well I was born on 14th February …. Valentine’s Day so Valerie was added on.
My brothers all got Irish names and I ended up with such a plain name which has mostly died out in favour of more exotic names like Apple and Summer. Had I been able to choose my own name I think I would have opted for something more interesting but I’m stuck with it now and I couldn’t answer to anything else.
Ann is a Hebrew word meaning “ grace”.
What motivates you?
I guess there is something deep down in my psyche which enables me to keep going and motivates me every day to get out of bed.
I’m 75 and when I look around and see others of the same age who appear to have given up, it makes me more determined. My daily walks help tremendously plus playing Words with friends keeps the brain active
I do not want my brain to seize up through lack of stimulation. I have 4 grandchildren and through them I have a different perspective on life than my parents before me.
I love modern technology and social media. I have a Twitter (X) account Facebook and many others including TikTok.
I love to meet up with family and friends. I’m strongly motivated to helping people. I’m alway ready to reach out to someone in trouble.
Finally I’m motivated by my husband of 54 years who is active despite being in pain and keeps our garden looking pristine. Having our house looking well kept is a motivation for both of us and we are constantly up dating it.
I guess you either have it or you don’t.
CHATTER 