dailyprompt

What foods would you like to make?

None if I had my way and I had a personal chef to do it for me.

I hate food shopping; I hate having to decide what to eat for dinner and I despise all cooking programmes that show me that I’m not a very good or imaginative cook.

I’m happy with my roast Chicken dinners, my special rice pudding, my special trifle and I’m happy with my fruit loaf and scones.

I do like Christmas food but we tend to go to out to family now so I can put my feet up and enjoy someone else doing the cooking.

When I watch, which is rarely) cookery programmes, I can’t help but wonder how many kitchens have the ingredients to actually make one of their dishes. How do they come up with the ideas and how expensive a dish would be.

So I’ve no ambitions to be anything other than a simple homely cook.

There ‘s always a take away nearby or a nice restaurant if I do fancy a change.

Dogs or cats?

I’ve never had a cat so I can’t really speak in favour or against, although I must add I don’t like the way cats look at you and I’ve always be slightly scared when I’ve come across one.

We don’t have a dog but we have four granddoggies.

Olly, Poppy, Luna and Ivy.

We have become boarding kennels as over the year as the family head off on breaks, some long, some short and the Allan kennels are much cheaper than the alternative.

Luckily the dogs are happy coming to us and settle down very quickly, apart from one ( Ivy) who will only settle down to sleep in her own home. So many nights of no sleep ensue as she won’t settle resulting with in two tired pensioners in need of a good nights sleep.

On the other hand Luna heads up to the spare bedroom. She settles down on the bed and that’s her until Gordon gets his face licked around 8 and then she settles down beside him for another doze.

Poppy ( aged 16) sleeps on the floor beside the bed and doesn’t move. I sometimes check to see she is still alive.

Olly is ..well Olly. A mad dog who will bring a leaf and lay it at your feet for you to play fetch. Too much for us to handle so he goes to proper kennels.

They all have their individual personalities and we love to see them coming but after a week we are also glad to see them going.

Which activities make you lose track of time?

What is time?

: the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues :

I must admit that there are few occasions that make me lose track of time. Maybe because my day is a bit like ground hog day in that every day is much the same.

However, social media is my downfall. Facebook, Twitter (X) and other social media sites are like a rabbit hole. Click on one story or tweet and that leads you to another and another and ….

I like to follow up replies to posts. There you can gauge what the consensus is on any topic or breaking story.

Before I know it an hour has passed and I have lost all sense of time.

Otherwise I’m quite time conscious. Meals at the same times. Walk same time most days and I like to be on time for appointments so I really don’t lose track of time on too many occasions

You can follow me on @apallan on Twitter.

What bothers you and why?

‘Doesn’t bother me’ is a well worn phrase but I think people are too polite to say when things really do bother them. I’ll try to keep to trivial things cause life is too serious at the moment and we need a bit of levity.

It bothers me that even though the toilets in my house have easy close lids, many don’t close the lid.

It bothers me that when grandkids visit they take all my diet cokes and leave empty tins sitting around

It bothers me the way my husband fills the dishwasher but I hold my tongue ( most times) and say nothing.

It bothers me that drivers have no problem parking on the pavements so close to the hedges that I have to go on the road to pass.

It bothers me that dog owners lift their dog poo and then throw it in the nearest hedge.

It bothers me that dog owners ignore signs that say ‘dogs should be kept on a lead at all times.’

It bothers me that football gets so much attention and that losing can result in domestic violence. Ok, thats a serious one.

It bothers me that some citizens of the USA can be stupid enough to think that the orange one would make a good President!

Finally it bothers me that so many things bother me and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. 😜

List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain.

What is the full meaning of certain?

WITHOUT DOUBT

‘having no doubt or knowing exactly that something is true, or known’

Things that I know to be true and I emphasise that I know. Others may disagree;

1. I know that the world is round and not flat.

2. Nature is amazing and we are destroying it with global warming.

3. My love for my family is real and I would do anything for them.

4. There are many evil people in this world who only care about themselves.

5. We are not advancing as a society. Hunger, homelessness abound, despite the number of billionaires and millionaires in the world.

6. There are a number of autocrats who are trying to change the world order. Trump is a would-be dictator.

7. I know death is certain but there is little we can do about it. So get on with life.

8. I am certain that we have free will and are not guided by a god.

9. Thoughts and prayers do not work.

10. I’m certain about the other 9 until proven otherwise. Lol

Are you seeking security or adventure?

Well certainly at my age it has to be security. I’ve never been very adventurous. Well, I say never, but I suppose I took a risk in the sixties when I met and fell in love with a boy from across the religious divide. A no-no in Northern Ireland. Lost a lot of my security being in neither communities. But it was worth the risk and we are still together 60 years later.

Over the years I was always terrified of something happening to my family and as a result played it safe, not taking any risks like climbing Mount Everest or swimming the channel. Lol

Now I love the security of being in my own home, living vicariously through my children and grandchildren’s adventures ( and they do love their adventures)

My husband who travelled the world as part of his job is also content to stay put, play golf and travel within a safe distance of home .

So, all and all I’ve settled for security. My days of adventures long gone but I’m content and very happy with that situation.

As I see family almost every day I would have to be more creative and invite someone I’d never met but admired or was curious about.

First on my list would be Graham Norton. An Irish celebrity and author whose books I have read ( well, listened to on audiobooks) and loved every one of them. I imagine he would be a great guest regaling my other invitees with funny stories about the celebrities he had interviewed.

Next would be Elvis Presley. Image after enjoying an amazing dinner ( if I say so myself) being entertained by Elvis.

To add a bit of history Joan of Arc might warrant an invite. I’d like to hear from her about life in the 13th century. Did she really believe that she had Devine guidance? In all likelihood she would reveal that she indeed had mental health problems and was bipolar. Nevertheless her tales of battle would be intriguing.

My fourth and final guest would have to be Cleopatra who could regale us with tales of Ancient Egypt.Would be interesting to see how beautiful she was and how she was able to rule as a woman in a patriarchal society. I imagine her stories would be like that of a modern soap opera.

So that’s it. My guests for dinner. A motley crew but I’d sure have something to talk about at subsequent dinner parties.😀

If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?

What do you think gets better with age?

That’s a hard one. Looking at myself and my ageing journey there are lots of positives and quite a few negatives.

On the positive side, I no longer care about how others see me. I don’t set out to annoy anyone but I don’t suffer fools gladly. When I was younger I didn’t have the courage to speak up when I found myself disagreeing with others. So my confidence and belief in myself has gotten better with age.

My relationship with friends is stronger because at 75 they have remained true friends. Unfortunately some have passed away and that is one of the things that doesn’t improve with age, the sense of loss.

Physically my hearing has deteriorated to the extent that I need hearing aids. I have dental implants and I’m physically worth a fortune, a bit like the bionic woman. Thankfully my sight is excellent. No prescription glasses.

I’m lucky that I’ve reached this age, so to sum up all I can say is that ageing doesn’t always get better with age as there are so many problem with the NHS but I’m one of the lucky ones so fingers crossed.

Reading this back it doesn’t seem very positive but maybe like a good wine I’ve matured with age without realising it but there is a theory that

‘Aging changes wine, but does not categorically improve or worsen it.’

What time do you go to bed and wake up currently?

I go to bed anytime between 12 pm and 1 am. However could be 2am or 3 am or even later before I fall asleep.

As soon as I get into bed I settle down with my phone and scroll social media. Then half an hour reading, followed by a bit more scrolling.

When I final settle down to sleep my brain doesn’t comply. Things that happened during the day or events from the past are there to keep me awake and tossing and turning. I know sleep is on the way when I start imaging bizarre scenarios.

Once I get to sleep I usually sleep quite sound until my husband wakes me, usually about 10-30 with my breakfast. Croissant, fruit , tea and of course my tablets.

Sometimes I’ll doze for a short time but usually it’s straight on to Twitter and Facebook or Words with Friends to catch up on events that may have happened while I slept.

Then it’s up, a shower and I’m on the go till midnight when I repeat it all over again.

Continue reading Not a Morning Person

A good neighbour is someone who is friendly, respectful and keeps their property in good repair. Happy to take parcels in when you’re not at home. They are people who you can depend on in an emergency and who are happy to take the time to have a chat. They also mind their own business and don’t get involved in neighbour hood disputes.

My neighbours are lovely and I’ve never had any problems with them. One side I consider friends.