Finished by 3.30pm and long holidays! Myth.

Joey Jones4 Comments

What makes a teacher great?

They turn up, day in day out, despite the odds against them.

There must be days when they feel they have chosen the right career path. Moments when it all seems worthwhile, but I wonder how many moments like that there are?  Kind words from a parent, a pat on the back from a superior/colleague, a child who has been struggling with something and then ‘ gets it’, a thank you.

These people do not go home at 3.30 pm and enjoy endless stress-free wholesome holiday breaks.

There are lessons to plan, homework to be set, and piles of books to mark. A board of governors to contend with, endless assessors sitting in to criticise and disgruntled parents  to appease. Then there may be  a head teacher who is not supportive? Professional development courses to attend..

.. and that’s on top of the daily teaching of a class that may or may not be attentive or even want to be there. There are strugglers who need extra help, maybe the bright kids who become easily bored and then disruptive and, importantly, the children they worry about.

Plus, the teachers have their own personal lives, maybe medical issues and  difficulties they have to push to one side.

They need to be patient and kind, nurturing and enthusiastic every single day.

It’s a big ask to put all this pressure on their shoulders.

‘You cannot be serious!’

Joey Jones5 Comments

Have you ever had surgery? What for?

It’s another summer’s day in England. It’s a bit overcast and breezy, but warm. The dog has had his walk and is now eating his breakfast. The blackbirds are kicking off, so I’d better feed them and then decide what I’m going to do with my day.

Oh, I know what I’ll do, I’ll go and participate in today’s Daily Prompt on WordPress. I shall write about any medical procedures I may have had and then go read about everyone else’s.

Ah, but before I do that, there is a wall of wet paint I must watch dry.

*You cannot be serious ‘. In 1981, tennis player John McEnroe shouted this at the.umpire during a dispute, and for some reason, we have not forgotten it.

Today’s arrival

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What are your daily habits?

‘ It’s no bad thing to celebrate a simple life’ JJ Tolkien 1892- 1973

The Guest House~Rumi

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning, a new arrival.

A joy, a depression,  a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

of some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

as a guide from beyond.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

Jalal-al-Din Muhammad Rumi 1207~1273

Think Global Act Local

Joey Jones15 Comments

Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

Aren’t we all trying to make the world a better place? By doing the right things to pay our rent for having this beautiful world to live in? ( Of course, it could be perfectly beautiful if it wasn’t for the absolute carnage Man is managing to bring to pretty much aspect of it.

I do my best daily; use a glass of water instead of having the tap running, whilst I clean my teeth.

A shower instead of a bath.

Boil just enough water for what I need.

Not eating meat or fish is my choice. I am aware that the water footprint for meat production is staggering.

Cold water washing is OK by me, with just an occasional hot wash, when necessary.

Of late, I’ve stopped buying anything new, instead enjoying what I already have or browsing charity shops if I feel in need of retail therapy.

Having said that if something has/needs to be bought new I will always support local/small businesses.

Being Earth-conscious is really important to me on a daily basis, but I do have one thing to work on, which needs improvement, and that is turning off at the mains, anything electrical. Must try harder. I will try harder,as of now!

A South Indian breakfast ( revisited)

Joey Jones5 Comments

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

There is nothing on this Earth which beats a South Indian breakfast. Forget the toast and cereals, what they offer is an absolute feast.

Idli, dosa, samba and pongal. Pongal my most favourite ever!

I shall post a picture of it now in it’s cooking form, but what is then added to that totally rocks. I have some great photos of the whole shebang, but before I head off to find some, there are things I need to do…..

Oh, my beloved pongal. A dish made with rice and lentils cooked in boiling milk. Tempered with ghee, black pepper, ginger,curry leaves, cumin, and hing. Then topped with cashew nuts. Oh my goodness. Heaven sent!

You could also have a dosa. A thin savoury crepe, made with a fermented batter of ground black gram and rice.

There are also Idlis. A kind of savoury rice cake.

To accompany these dishes, there is Sambar. A thin lentil and vegetable soup, consisting of what is available; okra, tomatoes, egg plant, carrots. There is a wide choice of what it can be made of. Plus, the addition of Tamarind gives it an amazing zing!

Added to the feast can be coriander and/or coconut chutney.

And should you feel a bit peckish mid-morning, there will always be someone on the street to  provide you with Vardi ( a savoury lentil doughnut) and a glass of chai.

A digression…Written yesterday

I dropped my phone today and totally wrecked it. Nothing, nada, a digital life completely wiped ( luckily, I have a tablet with some stuff on, which helps. But I need to now get my new device up and running. It’s my own fault. Until recently I had one of those black shockproof cases on it….but the other day I decided to take that off and enjoy the beautiful pale green back of it. Big mistake!… Anyways, because the device is destroyed I can’t transfer the data. ( Yes, I’ve lost some lovely photos, those I’ve taken and some sent to me) Sooo, I have to sort it manually. It may take a while. However, I didn’t want to miss today’s prompt. What I will do is come back and fill in the details of this amazing banquet offered at breakfast time in Chennai.

I’ve not eaten this in 20 years, but my goodness, I will never forget it!

I don’t expect you to come back to the edited version, later..but I want to honour this food with at least a little write-up.

P.S. I’ve not had time to read what you guys have written today, but I’ll get there. When the sun goes down and the birds are saying goodnight, the hood will be quiet and peaceful…and then you will have my full attention x

First up best dressed

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If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

A short n sweet answer to our daily prompt ..

A French/Belgian (they produce the best) linen top, of some description. The thermoregulation it provides will keep me warm in winter and cool in summer.

High waisted straight leg jeans, for ultimate comfort.

And some new Sambas/whatever, as mine have seen better days.

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