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.

Spirituality v Religion

Joey Jones9 Comments

How important is spirituality in your life?

Maybe it should be Spirituality v Religion v A Bit of Both?

You see, to me religion is a structured system of belief and practice. There are sacred texts, rituals, and ceremonies. Communal worship a Thing.

Whereas spirituality is personal. A fluid relationship with mystery. A connection to nature and inner transformation. The soul.

The two can mix, I’m not naive enough to believe they can’t.

My belief is spirituality is present in everyone, but not always cultivated.

It’s more than important in my life

A holistic approach, methinks

Joey Jones2 Comments

How do you practice self-care?

There are so many facets to Self Care, it’s tricky to know where to start. I guess fuel. A balanced diet is the obvious way to go. Word on the street the Mediterraneans have it sorted. We all know crisps, cakes, biscuits and the like call to us from behind the kitchen cupboard door. So very hard to ignore. This week walnuts and pumpkin seeds went into my shopping bag as an alternative. A tad costly though.

Keeping hydrated is important to fend off lethargy. Extreme thirst can be quite deliberating.

Exercising the grey matter, whilst the rest of your body….rests.

A decent night’s sleep. Don’t we all crave this? Of course, should a cat have the audacity to tiptoe through the garden, Patches kicks off, waking up the whole neighborhood, who all have their windows open during this glorious weather.

Another element to self care could be presentation? Not going out like you’ve dressed in the dark….but comfortable and clean clothes always feel good, don’t they? And if you love what you’re wearing all the better!

Another thing to make you feel good? Has to be laughter. The more the merrier. Definitely the best medicine.

Talking of merrier, consuming zero alcohol is going to make your GP happy at least. Otherwise moderation is probably advisable.

To love and be loved. Fresh air, exercise, light… and if you have a spiritual vein, fabulous!

And now if you will excuse me I shall go and run a bubbly bath and light a scented candle, maybe a glass of something fizzy on the side. Oh, it’s only 10.58 am. Better not..

I wish for you the life you deserve ( revisited)

Joey Jones9 Comments

Yesterday I scribbled down some thoughts about an encounter I had with a power crazy individual. A farmer who really ‘ got off ‘ on killing things. He showed me how held his 12 bore shotgun ( read; dick extension) when he had a fox in sight…and the joy he felt as a kid killing rabbits. ( I’ve seen it reported many times that children who enjoy harming and killing animals often go on to hurt humans, especially domestic violence)

It sickened me what he was saying, but I listened, because that is what I used to do when I was collecting info for my local Sabs. Since I’ve moved to this area I’ve not seen a hunt out, causing havoc wherever they go, which is fine by me.

The worst thing we have here is a cyclist meet, every Wednesday morning in the market square….and that really p*sses Patches off… 😂

P.S Thank you Mae and Pat for your comments on the draft that got published in error. I quickly deleted it when I realised what I’d done ( I felt a fool allowing a scribble to go public) so your comments went with it. What I should have done is just edit it, so sorry about that, but thank you so much for showing interest. x x

That which Cannot Be Bought

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How do you waste the most time every day?

The Green Tent

Summer has spread a cool, green tent

Upon the bare poles of this tree;

Where ’tis a joy to sit all day,

And hear the small birds’ melody;

To see the sheep stand bolt upright,

Nibbling at grass almost their height.

And much I marvel much how men

Can waste their fleeting days in greed;

That one man should desire more gold

Than twenty men should truly need;

For is not this green tent more sweet

Than any chamber of the great?

This tent, which I spend my day,

Was made at Nature’s cost, not mine;

And when night comes, and I must sleep,

No matter if my room be fine

Or common, for Content and Health

Can sleep without the power of wealth.

By W.H. Davies 1871-1940

” The time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted ” …….. John Lennon 1940-1980

Out with the old, in with the new..

Joey Jones5 Comments

Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?

There is at least one advantage to being ‘ of a certain age’, that if you’re lucky you have a vast back catalogue of stuff to recall.

WordPress, what a joy this has been. I originally picked up blogging again as free time allowed me the luxury.

I felt I was becoming keen to start unpacking dusty memories, thoughts and beliefs which had been firmly put behind closed doors in my mind, for the longest time.

Decluttering is cathartic. Empowering. Nature fills a void, they say, so I’m curious to know what will come along to begin filling those spaces becoming vacant in my head. Mustn’t leave them vacant for too long 🥳

These are Daily Prompts not assignments so we do have a licence to digress ..

However I will say potatoes. Jersey Mids, Lily used to call them. Royals. Jersey Royals. She cooked them to perfection every single time. How can that be so difficult?I hear you remark. Last night I boiled some and they ended up water-logged, so easy to do. The house smelt of mint for a while though, so all was not lost.

Thank you Lily. I loved your rock cakes too.

In fact I have many memories of eating at your house. Stories for another time ❤️

A Fierce Kind of Grace

Joey Jones2 Comments

Who is your favorite historical figure?

William Morris, without a shadow of a doubt! English textile designer, artist, writer, poet, social activist/political figure.

This wonderful man was the founding force behind the Arts & Crafts Movement.

He grew up with a deep love of story telling and nature and his whole creative life was dedicated to honest materials and visible  craftsmanship He believed beauty wasn’t’t just a luxury for the elite, but for all.

He was quietly radical and was deeply opposed to the soullessness of mass-production coming out of the Industrial Revolution. He was keen to return to handmade, beautiful and meaningful.

Together with his close friend Edward Burne-Jones and the Pre-Raphaelite movement, they shaped the landscape of Victorian Britain.

William Morris 1834~ 1896

Dear John

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Write about your first crush

It wasn’t a crush per se, but there was this lad in my class at primary school…He had a radiance, a broad smile which reached his eyes. Saying he was ‘ nice’, sounds a bit lame, but he was.

Mind yer language …Part One

Joey Jones6 Comments

Words, the use of, language and communication these are things which stir me and today this passion has had a life of its own.

I took Patches to a local Country Park. It was hot to be out with the boy, but there was enough shade for him to have a mooch about.

There were two young  lads, athletes, chatting about a run. They were just taking a breather as we walked through the gate. I could not help myself but to listen to what they had to say. My boy was inspecting every blade of grass, what else was I supposed to do?

‘ I smoked him bruv’. How I refrained from a little laugh out loud is beyond me. But it was music to my ears. Gold. This conversation at that moment was gold.

They were about to move on at the same time as said dog was ready to explore elsewhere. I couldn’t help myself. I called out ( not too loudly, is it possible to call out, not too loudly. Is that an oxymoron?) ‘ That was lovely ‘ I smoked him bruv’ I repeated. They stopped and both smiled. ‘ We’re Gen Z’ one laughed ,’ have a good day’, he added. ‘ I’m a boomer’ I kinda whispered, as they disappeared around the corner. What a lovely exchange between humans. Maybe you had to be there?

to be continued….

The land of fire and ice….

Joey Jones6 Comments

What countries do you want to visit?

WordPress, had you asked this question twenty plus years ago the answer would have been Syria and/or Lebanon. Today it’s Iceland.

Despite being a tad freaked out by extreme weather conditions/ natural disasters and that volcanoes and earthquakes are not uncommon in this region, I think the pluses will outweigh the negatives…she says…nervously.

Fjords and waterfalls, mossy cliffs and black sand beaches. Thermal springs and glaciers, Puffin colonies and the Arctic Fox. Oh did I mention the light is pretty spectacular? – itself considered a muse by artists and photographers.

A two and a half hour skip and jump from the UK. 850ish miles. So near and yet so far. So far from anything I have witnessed in my life before.

Not sure about the cuisine though; fish stew, lamb soup, dried fish…Mmm…May need to pack my own lunch?

A rich inner life? Edit….

Joey Jones4 Comments

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

Curiosity, Yeah, I’m naturally curious….about everything.

Edit; I’m considering changing this to Observant.

Curiosity is a wonderful thing, to be interested, stay interested in the world around us. To keep learning. The ‘ Every day’s a school day’ vibe is a good one…but I think Observant pips it to the post ….or maybe a vivid imagination? Nooo, I’ll stop right here. Observant it is.