Author: Joey Jones

Happily owned and trained by the rescue dog I adore. Enjoying and grateful for a peaceful life at long last. In England. She/her.

How very fascinating

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List your top 5 grocery store items.

Congratulations, WordPress! You have certainly excelled yourself! The mother of all assignments for us today.

‘Write your shopping list ‘

Yikes, this is surely going to be a post to draw the crowds.

OK, let’s do it. Coffee, number one every time. I would surely panic without this in the cupboard.

Then there is the oat milk to join said coffee. I’ve *kissed a lot of frogs to find my prince amongst the selection on the shelf of alternatives to milk. Some are absolutely rank, some not very nice, others at a push, a couple passable and my favourite. It was trial and error, but I got there.

Bread, prefably sourdough, but with not many slices in the bag, it can become costly to keep replacing every five minutes. Nice though!

Halloumi and/Feta. The culprits prevent me from being easily vegan. In fact it may have reached addiction level.

Chestnut mushrooms or Avocado’s.

And there you have it! Job done. Til the next time…

* For the uninitiated The Princess and the Frog is a children’s story book from way back when

A few words from Mary Walker

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Describe a man who has positively impacted your life.

This DP leads me to a sadness I have no wish to relive today.

So, as I love to do when there is an empty page below, I will fill it with words of others…

By Mary Walker, a contemporary poet from New Zealand

Freed

It was when the sun broke through
and danced through every raindrop,
turning gloom into something transcendent,
that I wondered
what if all that’s hard
just washed away?

What if the light came down
and freed us all
from guilt, regret and second-guessing?
What would there be
except light shining through water,
and each of us dancing?

So last year

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Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?

No picture had been painted in my mind’s eye for 2025 a year ago today.

I hadn’t begun blogging again, and I can’t pinpoint the moment the lights went back on. The first day of a new year seemed to be the obvious choice, but it took until February 1st.

It began quite tentatively, whilst I found my feet and then the Pneumonia train came hurtling down the track. I clearly hadn’t seen that coming, and it all but killed me, but I’ve lived to tell the tale.

Years in the past, when I had blogged, I hadn’t stumbled across the Daily Prompt. This time, it has helped a lot to begin unravelling reams of data/thoughts/ideas/observations/experiences that were stored in my head and clearly needed a sort out.

I certainly hadn’t planned to be where I am today on what WP tell me is a 320 day streak.

This photo decided on its own it wished to featured in today’s blog post, so I’ll let it be.

Patch n me have survived another year, and putting aside a chunky lottery win, I imagine we’ll just carry on into next year as we’re are. Inshallah, a friend would hastliy add.

Yes, all being well, we’ll both stay fit and well and in good spirits..as I hope you who’ve read this far will also do. Happy New 2026 to you all.💚

Living and learning

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What skills or lessons have you learned recently?

‘Every day is a school day‘ is pretty much a mantra for me.

I’ve this lifelong learning thing going on, where I just want to keep soaking up information. And there is so much out there to absorb.

Currently, I am keen to replace some taps in the bathroom and will soon be heading to YouTube for a tutorial. I’m prepared for it to take a while, and I may mess up initially, but I’ll get there.

This ongoing curiosity I hold probably explains why I am fascinated by screen time, which depicts in-depth exploration of true crime or medical procedures and the processes they go through to get results with the likes of CSI, the forensics, the technologies available to the professionals.

It goes far beyond voyeurism I’m totally captivated by every second, by everything they do.

There is a tv show. ‘ Show’ is totally the wrong word. It’s sounds flip. Programme, is better. Dr James Adeley a senior coroner for Lancashire with Cause of Death. Another is Inside the Ambulance and for tonight 2 new episodes of 24 Hours in Police Custody.

It could sound morbid if you didn’t know me and that I watch it like a student.

A student of eternal learning, the University of Life thing folk sometimes mention. But that’s where I am WP.

R & R

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What cities do you want to visit?

Hey, WP. Whilst I am sharing a life with Patch, I won’t be visiting any cities overseas anytime soon. Simple as. But London, yes, it will always sparkle for me.

If I could go back in time to Downtown  Amman, Jordan 20+ years ago, that would be good. I think these days I’d feel a tad vulnerable, though, with folk travelling through to hostile environments.

But the fact is, after a transient life, there is nothing better right now than to continue decompressing. It’s taking a remarkably long time to ‘ get over’ a lifetime of staying resilient.

To be still (for now) is kinda special

All cool this end

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Tell us about your first day at something

Patch presented me with a first today.

I had in mind something else to write about, but hey, a lie-in until 9.20am. And not just a lie but an actual sleep.

No biggie, you may be thinking?  But walk 6 months in my moccasins, and you’ll get the drift.

He often gets me up early doors, and often that’ll be me awake and chipper (ish). Or he’ll go back to bed but still be up before it’s light and expecting me to follow suit.

This morning? Whoa, what a treat. I let him out ( and he went quietly without waking the hood) at around 5am. That was cool, no probs, but then we settled back down and knew nothing until after 9 am. Yikes! That’s a first.

When we did go out, the sunshine  in a blue sky was waiting for us. The car had defrosted, and it was pretty mild all things considered.

Himself took the lead, and after inspecting some greenery came back to the car waiting for his chauffeur to get his steps ( caravan steps, that he needs to get in the back seat, or boot, whichever takes his fancy at that particular moment)

We head off and see/hear Santa and his brass band playing in The Square. ‘ In the bleak mid winter ‘no less. Words by the ever wonderful Christina Rossetti.

Out of the car and passing other peeps here and there, a smile, a ‘ hey’ or ‘good morning’ in one case a brief chat at the abundance of scarlet berries and another around why the Catkins are out.( We had no idea) It was lovely. The grass under our feet heavy with dew and sparkled in the sun. Surreal, explains it best. To be rested is sublime.

Joseph

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Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?

Tim Rice was only 20 years old and Andrew Lloyd Webber 17, when the seeds were sown for what was to become a blockbuster of a musical.

On the stage of a little primary school in Birmingham, UK, along with class mates, we performed a short fifteen minute oratorio of Joseph and The Amazing Coloured Dreamcoat.

I get taken straight back there to this day when I hear the opening line 🎶 ” I closed my eyes, drew back the curtain…” Beautiful.

The world premiere of their latest collaboration, Sherlock Holmes and the 12 days of Christmas was held at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre ( The Rep) on November 14th this year. Initially, for a short festive season only the show has been extended due to popular demand.

Oh, to be a Creative of such magnitude. One can only dream.

Come rain or shine

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What are your favorite physical activities or exercises?

Walking my dog three times a day 🐾🐾

Once again, WP, I find that I have an empty page now, so I can fill it with words of another. My favourite poets are mostly from a time gone by, but today something different.

FEATHERS


Each morning I walk the valley
treading the same worn path,
though no bird flies over the same way twice,
the bees attend different flowers,
cicadas sing where yesterday there were none,
and the hawk is scanning new trees.


A feather lies in wait for me,
having fallen from the sky.
No feather will fall in quite the same way;
not in this spot, from that height,
to be caught between two heads of rye.


The land looks the same each day
but is different in a thousand small ways.
We wake thinking one day is much like another,
that we are still who we were the day before,
or we can let ourselves be changed.


We are as new as the world we see;
what looks familiar is not.
Notice what is happening, be the response to your day.
Be delighted, be surprised,
expect feathers.

By Mary Walker, a contemporary poet from New Zealand

Judge thee not

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What is something others do that sparks your admiration?

Folk wisdom suggests you don’t know someone until you live with them. This I understand as people can be pretty clever at hiding their true selves.

I’ve never been a good judge of character, often someone turning out quite differently than I had initially/momentarily  thought/decided ( a lesson there for me about not being judgemental in the first place)

Having said that, there are things people do that sparks my admiration. In fact, there are lots of things, but to be generous of spirit, that is a truly fine quality to be admired and totally respected.