Do you vote in political elections?
It was our local elections on Thursday. The candidate i like won. He lives in the neighborhood and gives a damn.
I was a bit alarmed at how well Reform did, overall.
Still feeling grim with this thing. Note to self. When asked if I want the pneumonia/flu jab, next time just say ‘ Yes please’.
What gives you direction in life?
I will follow
Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
‘ Count your blessings’. I tend to tell myself this quite a lot. It’s valid.
Whenever I feel a bit mizzy I will have a word with myself and say ‘ get a grip’.
It’s quite apt at the moment as I’ve been feeling quite unwell since last weekend. I was concerned and it wasn’t until I thought to myself I hadn’t felt this ill since I had COVID I wondered if that was it. I did a test but it was negative. So I guess it’s the flu of some description, that’s properly flooring me. Not very nice whatever it is. The paracetamol with caffeine has kicked in, allowing me to put pen to paper here. I’ve not contributed much to the Daily Prompt for a good few days.
Hopefully I’ll get my mojo back before too long. In the meantime I will count my blessings one by one, it’s nothing more serious..
What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?
Without doubt the holiday I love the most is the first day of a new year… The renewal. Feeling Spring on the horizon. Clean slate, fresh start, new chapter….What’s not to love?
Have you ever been camping?
Hey WordPress thank you for another Daily Prompt which I can answer quickly and without much thought.Yes, I went camping once, with the girl guides ( patrol leader of the Robins, I’ll have you know) when I was about 11. Not since then. Not my jam.
…..bit under the weather at the moment. Hope to be back soon, with a fuller page xxxx
When do you feel most productive?
Productivity is not on the menu for me today, I’m afraid.
What are your favorite emojis?
This jug, dated 1700BC, was unearthed in 2003 in an archeologically dig on the Turkish-Syrian border, but the smiley face was not revealed until this Hittite piece was restored in 2017. Word is it would have been used for drinking sherbet, a sweet drink….I wonder how they determined that?
🥳😂💓💗🤣😆🌄🌞😘😳😭😱🙄😎🇵🇸🇺🇦
What topics do you like to discuss?
It depends whom I’m talking to, where and when. If they are into animals and especially dogs we are by definition on the same page. If the welfare of animals, their rights and needs is something they are interested in, then we’re pretty much in the same paragraph, if not sentence.
A shared interest is always nice. Makes for an easy-going time. But it doesn’t have to be so. I love listening to a person with a passion for something. They way they light up and become animated, is great. So many years ago now I used to work along side a lad who loved rock climbing. Personally I would rather stick pins in my eyes, than try it…but to hear him chat on about his lastest adventure was quite something. Even the actions of holding on with his fingertips, he’d show me. That conversation must have made an impact, for me to remember it so vividly. A similar moment, but much more recently was a young talented designer/builder. Usually the quietest of young men, he came to life as he told me about his latest project. His enthusiasm was infectious and the positive vibe he excuded lifted my spirits.
I don’t enjoy being trapped in a room/area with lots of people. ( Weirdly it’s what I dream about the most, but usually set in a big building) as I struggle with small talk. Direct personal questions, horrible! On the other hand brief light-hearted banter with strangers I find enjoyable. Those seconds out of your day when you can share a mutual laugh or smile about something, as you cross paths.
Of course with old friends you don’t have to talk at all, if that suits the mood of the moment. Often sharing views on current affairs/ politics, health, nutrition, pollution, world leaders, the lack of clean water for all,for example. That long list of topics you could chat together about into the night. Or not.
So to directly answer the Prompt today I’d say dogs, dogs and more dogs….but if folk want to tell me about their families, their concerns, hopes, skills, opinions or dreams for the future, I’m all ears!
P.S. How does the picture I have posted today have anything to do with what I’ve written about? It doesn’t, but it’s pretty, eh?
When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?
Oh WordPress, really? Didn’t we do a ‘risk’ thing, yesterday?
Describe a risk you took that you do not regret.
Im not ready to share with you how I lost my eldest brother, or what happened a few months later which completely floored me. How close can one get to the edge without going over? R.I.P lovely man.
What I can tell you though is in the aftermath I took a risk accepting a job in Saudi Arabia ( why I did is a also for another time). It was a risk. I was flying into the unknown. A country so far removed from anything I had ever known before. Very very strange. I would be joining a Saudi family. Not safe and secure in some expat compound, but bam! right there in the middle of things. I stayed two years and learnt a different way of living. What an experience! This is a strict Muslim country and I can’t still couldnt decide where I was between Paganism and Buddhism.
Let me tell you about one image from that time which will never leave my mind. Once seen cannot be unseen.
It was a Friday, maybe the start of Ramadan, possibly Eid. So long ago now I can’t recall. ( 1999?) What I do remember is being in their family car, driven by the Sheikh on our way to the beach house. It never rains in Saudi. Well, it does, but not very often. On this particular day it was pouring down and along the road was carnage, as drivers and cars unable to cope with the onslaught of wet weather crashed into each other and/or simply veered right off the roadway.
We made to our destination safely and on arrival the first thing I saw was a goat tied to a tree. I must have said ‘ Aww’ out loud. The Sheikh turned to me and said ‘dont get too attached’. I let that wash and every chance I had that day I spent it with the goat. Yes, I am the sort of person who goes to a party and seeks out any animals in the vicinity, to spend the time with.
Being either a holiday or a weekend we were to repeat the trip next day. It was especially busy on arrival, so I didn’t notice if Goat was there or not. As ever the place was filled with cooking smells and through the glass doors I could see the girls preparing the long table with huge plates of food. It was always like this when we visited. They know how to put on a spread these guys. I had some time to myself so went into the kitchen to see everyone. Over time we had become friendly. They obviously had a lot going on, so I didn’t linger and get in the way. Thought the swing doors I took myself into the dining room..and there he was, Goat. Sitting upright on a silver platter, roasted. Whoa!
And I cannot unsee that, or forget how I felt.
Going to Saudi was a risk and I don’t regret it for a minute….but then
came the perfect escape. With the stars aligned, I was head-hunted for a job in the neighbouring country of Jordan. Off I went and never looked back.
IN THE BOOMER PIGEON HOLE? 
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