Grannymar

I have been tagged by Darlene of Darlene’s Hodgepodge to do a Meme.  Darlene began blogging at the very young age of 82!

YES! I did say 82.

Since then despite a fall and hip surgery she has returned to living alone and blogging. A very wise and humorous lady, I could learn plenty just sitting at Darlene’s feet.

The rules are to pick the book nearest to you, turn to page 161 and copy the fifth sentence. I know I have done this sort of thing before, but I do manage to read and complete at least one book a year! You don’t believe me?

Well here are just a few:

*
*
*

Seriously now the book to hand is ‘From here, you can’t see Paris’ by Michael Sanders. 

So to page 161, sentence five

Yes, I am of the generation when agriculture passes from the Middle Ages to what we see now.’

I am to tag five more people to play this game so the five I have chosen are:

• Ashok,
• Conrad,
• Magpie 11
• Marianna
• Ramana

They make me struggle and suffer while chewing my pen each week, so now it is my turn to torment them!

Have fun.

Rev. Jack was well loved by his entire congregation. I met him one bright and sunny September morning as he walked from the vicarage to his church for the morning service. He stopped to chat for a few moments and I welcomed him home from his month long summer holiday. He looked refreshed and relaxed and his face bore the glow of sunshine from days outdoors on his well deserved break.

As we chatted, a parishioner on her way to church stopped with words of welcome. “Morning Reverend! She said, adding “I am glad to see you back. That fellow we had while you were away waffled on forever; the dinner was burned every week. At least now we will have short sermons”. With that she went on her way into the churchyard.

“Not a very diplomatic lady”. I said

Smiling, Rev Jack looked at me and said “If I cannot say what I want, in 10 minutes; I am wasting my time, the congregation loses concentration and begins to shuffle about after that!”

I have often thought of those words when listening to speakers, be they clergymen, businessmen or politicians. Rev Jack is a very wise old man indeed!

While reading an epistle of a blog post the other day, I found myself struggling to keep up. I had the impression that the author was trying to use every word in the dictionary in his post. At least four times I had to go back and start over to make some sense of the piece on the screen. It made me think of Rev Jack’s words.

If that same author was restricted to a Post-it note, how would he deliver his message?

Are we writing for ourselves, or do we really have a message we want to share…..

Gaelikaa has surprised and humbled me with a gift. It is the lovely Splash Award she in turn received it from Mimi. We are all Irish bloggers - Mimi lives and writes in Ireland. Gaelikaa is married, living and raising her family in India while I live ‘Up there’ in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Like Gaelikaa I read and follow a very broad selection of Blogs that stretch from Australia, India, Africa, Europe, to America and Canada. The writers are both male and female and vary in age from 15 to 84 years young!

It is suggested to nominate and link up to 9 Blogs to receive the award.  Blogs that amuse, allure, bewitch, impress and inspire one on a regular basis. You all do that in your own special way, which is why I return so often. It would be impossible for me to name nine bloggers without leaving some very talented people out and not wanting to cause hurt or offence I leave it open, to whosoever would like to accept it.

Thank you gaelikaa for counting me in, may we all enjoy many years of visiting and inspiring eah other.

Today I reach Post No. 1,000.

I have been plodding away at this blogging lark for almost three years now. On two occasions during that time I almost stopped, like the grandfather clock, never to go again.  Once, not that long ago, I had even written a final closing post.  I saved it in draft form and slept on it for a night, knowing that if I had hit the publish button, the stubborn mule in me would not let me change my mind.  Two days later I deleted it.

Some days it is a struggle to find a crumb of inspiration, yet on others, ideas come tumbling forth as quickly as the weeds grow.  It is a rare day that there are no comments, a fact that constantly amazes me.

A question hangs over my head like a migraine.  How and why?  Maybe there are actually two questions and not one, so I will ask them again.

HOW and WHY did you find or manage to end up here in the land of Grannymar?

I know that at the very beginning Elly did plenty of plugging and pushing to get me the sympathy visitors.  Some were weaned off, but most lurk about in the background adding their tuppenceworth when the mood or topic catches their interest.  It is the people who have since trundled along from places far and wide that I am curious about.

Please don’t misunderstand me.  I am not looking for platitudes of praise.  I don’t want them!  I am actually trying to understand ME - myself, and what works and what doesn’t.  When I set days for particular topics it was great, I only needed to dip inside my head and pull out a recipe or a handful of handy hints that I learned at my mother’s side.  The barrel of tips and hints is almost empty and my days of entertaining seem few and far between so the experimenting with recipes somehow lost its gloss when cooking for one.  No need to worry, I do cook everyday and eat a good mixed diet.  Dishes for two, four or indeed six are still made at times, a plateful eaten when freshly cooked and the remainder portioned for the freezer.  That way I usually have a decent easy meal for days when the energy is low.  I never understood people who do not cook because they live alone.  It is the shortest road to depression and ill health.

So without further ado, let the singing begin, after all you can’t have a party without a song in your heart. While writing these words I heard ‘Jewellio the Glazier’ singing his little heart out about ‘all the girls he loved before’ (the greedy so-and-so!), and it inspired me to pen these words….

To All the friends I’ve made this way,
Who travelled here, I hope you’ll stay
I’m glad you came along
I dedicate this song
To All the friends I’ve met each day!

To all the friends I have addressed
And may I say you are the best
For helping me to grow
I owe a lot I know
To All the friends I’ve made this way

The winds of change are always blowing
And every time I try to stray
The comment box continues filling
Then I know I want to stay

To all of you who share my life
You keep me cool and save me strife
I’m glad you came along
I dedicate this song
To All the friends I’ve made each day

To all of you who cared for me
Who comment here so free-el-y
You live within my heart
I’ll always make you part
Of all the fun you share with me

The winds of change are always blowing
And every time I try to stray
The comment box continues filling
Then I know I want to stay

To All my friends you’ve made my day,
You travelled here, I hope you’ll stay
I’m glad you came along
I dedicate this song
To All the friends I’ve met each day!

To All my friends you’ve made my day,
You travelled here, I hope you’ll stay
I’m glad you came along
I dedicate this song
To All the friends I’ve met today!

Thank you, everyone!

Bikehikebabe  has become a very regular visitor to the party here.  I love her effervescent sense of fun.  I am sure she has a devilish twinkle in her eyes.  She makes me smile with every visit and I am envious of her lovely skin.

She has no blog of her own, which is rather a shame, but then if she had a blog, all the good gems would not be shared among us.  Now, bhb is a paid up member of the ‘Hippy Club’, about 1 month post Op for hip replacement.  I will be anxious for her tips to help me when my turn comes.

Jean Cheerful Monk has given bikehikebabe a page all to herself on which she tells us that she is an:

Everyday housewife, 4 adult kids (2 male, 2 female), physicist husband, likes to hike, backpack, bike, dance (any kind), ski, snowshoe, ice skate (Don’t do kayaking anymore.). Has problem living with smart husband / feeling stupid, but living life as I intended. (Age 75)

What a wonderful spirit!

On the post Out to Lunch last saturday bhb asked if Magpie11 was an 11yearold bird!

Magpie 11 provided the answer with a link to his blog - must send the bill for a the advertising

Once again bhb was back with the following comment:

Thanks for the link that explains Magpie11.

When I was in Ireland many years ago, I noticed that the bird (Magpie) was black & white. (I was told that D.D.T. killed all the smaller birds.) So were all the cats & dogs, black & white. This was in the farmland area. Also the cows were all black & white. They give richer milk. I don’t ever remember seeing a black & white cow in the U.S.

I asked what’s the name of the white weed that was so prolific. (Queen Anne’s Lace—I forgot). The farmer said it’s called “White Weed”.

Are all the animals Black & White?  I know we have black or white sheep in this part of the country.

Now I have decided to throw open these serious questions for all of you out there in this fair green Isle to cast an eye over and share your vast knowledge right here on my blog.

Friday posting will be at the later time of 5pm (GMT + 1:00)

We are now into week 2 of the ‘loose consortium’ and the subject today will be…..

~

~

Ah, why spoil the surprise… come back at five to see what topic Ashok has chosen for us.

In the meantime I am off to have a nice cup of coffee…

Don’t forget to visit:

• Ashok - India
• Conrad - USA &
• Ramana - Pune, India

for their take on the subject for today.

Sometimes I write a post and it ends right there!  No comment is added.

Thankfully that is not usually the case.  Most days the comments come rolling in with the conversation continuing throughout the day.  There are times where the banter goes forward and backward over a few days.  There is no telling what subject or topic will grab the attention of those who pause to read the mutterings here.

There are the regulars for whom a visit is as normal as daily breakfast, some catch up at a weekend, and there are the surprises - those who accidentally land here while searching for a topic, phrase or word.  It is something that always fascinates me.

One such post written over a year ago is a case in point.  The Radio was a journey back into my young life and the part the radio played during those far off times.  It stirred many memories and acted as a memory jog to other radio programmes down the years.  The chat lasted three days and then fell silent until a short revival in July, with another burst in October when Declan Hayden asked:

Does anyone know where I might track down the theme tune to Harbour Hotel, a radio programme on RTE Radio 1 in the 1970’s and finished about 1986 I think?

Alas nobody did and I suggested that Declan contact RTE. I have no idea if he did try that suggestion and since he left no URL I am unable to make contact.

Suddenly the post livened up again in December with several comments added to the discussion, again they were not Bloggers and I am not sure if the are lurking about still or have moved on to greener pastures.

Again silence.

Until yesterday!

When a fresh comment arrived..

SK (alas no URL) asked:

Declan
Did you manage to get the Harbour Hotel theme?
I have it if you want it

So Declan, if you are lurking please get in touch by leaving a comment either here or on the original post and I will try to pass your details to SK.  I normally only keep these details for a couple of days,

Wise Web Woman should be packing her case in readiness for her forthcoming trip to Ireland.  She arrives in on 30th May and next day she will be up bright and early to take part in the Flora Ladies Mini Marathon in Dublin City.  Oh for the energy!   So, if you are going along to watch the Girls strut their stuff you need two placards, one with ‘Wise Web Woman on it and the other for Patricia Anglican!

Meanwhile procrastinating instead of packing, WWW is gazing at the award she received from Gossamer Woman.

Now I like the sound of that…. reaching out and building bridges!

In the true spirit of blogging she passed the baton on and shared some bloggy goodness to people who in her own words:-

I admire and who reach out across boundaries with their sparkling honesty and truth:

Her list of nominees are:

• Tessa at Nuts and Mutton.
  Twilight at Twilight Starsong.
  Verna at Out of the Cube.
  Nick at Nickhereandnow.
  Grannymar at Grannymar.
  and
  Conor at Conorjte.

I think she made a mistake…. ’cause my name appears on that list among some wonderful people whose blogs I enjoy.  Thank you Wise Web Woman for the honour.

Sitting with thinking cap in place I scroll through my list of virtual friends to choose a half dozen deserving of this accolade…. It is so difficult as so many of you reach out and build bridges…

My choice this time are:-

Damien Mulley the father figure of blogging in Ireland, who shares time, information and link luv on a daily basis.  He is the brains behind the Irish Blog Awards and the Irish Web Awards, events that don’t just happen over night, but take months of planning and preparation to bring so many together for a fun filled evening in recognition of their peers.

Darragh Doyle alright so I am biased!  Darragh had the ‘Obama’ spirit long before we heard of Obama.  I sometimes wonder if he was born saying “Yes we can!  Yes I will!”  There are no doors in Darragh’s lexicon, if he wants to meet someone he walks right up there and says hello.  He meets people.  He introduces people and most of all he enjoys sharing people with all of us through his blog.

Lily’s Blog makes a refreshing read on a wide variety of topics and it is difficult to believe it only arrived on the scene in the last twelve months.  Lily, a busy wife & mother to the Collison Clan was the last member of the family to join the blogging world.  The boys keep her on her toes baking, blogging, twittering and following their escapades across the globe.

From the Magpie’s nest proves that nagging works. :roll:  Magpie11 has been a regular visitor here for a long time now, and from his observations and comments I felt he had what it took to feed a blog of his own.  Thankfully for once I was listened to and proved correct.  I particularly enjoy his cookery hints they are always tasty and tempting.

Stretching my long arms wide I will pick one blog from and easterly direction and one from the west to comple my half dozen.

Ramana’s Musings reach us all the way from Pune in India.  Ramana is an avid reader of everything from heavy tomes to the frivilous fripperance of Grannymar.  His blogroll stretches across the globe and he acknowledges every comment that he receives.  He has brought many visitors here to join in the fun and I have discovered many new blogs.

Leveraged Intelligence with Conrad (who hails from Kansas and now lives in California) at the helm is a fun place to play.  He introduces the subject and we are all invited to join the conversation, at times the visitors take over and Conrad can hardly get a look in.

Now it is your turn… go reach out and build six bridges!

I like Coffee!

Coffee is not just a drink.

I like iced coffee and Coffee Helps & the Coffee Maker.  They are people.  They are Bloggers & Twitterers that I have met in real life.

iced coffee takes great photos.  The Coffee Maker makes great coffee & Coffee Helps tells great stories of her travels around Europe.

Hailey from Coffee Helps is home in Norn Iron for a couple of weeks and I was anxious to catch up for a real live chat.  The word soon spread, and on Thursday evening Hails, D@\/e, Nelly, Hannah, Ed Hillan and I gathered for coffee and a good old chat.  Topics covered cats, dogs, chickens, a nasty fox and a clarinet.  Mother’s, mothers-in-law and prospective unions were in the ring too.  We touched travel, troubles, politics and blogging, the craic was mighty and the laughter rang from the rafters.  A very enjoyable evening indeed.

Now when is the next one….

Belfast Flickr Group are meeting at noon and The Waterfront Hall is in our sights today.

I might be missing for some time.

Lily wrote about words in hard covers, Alexia talked about words in mac-wearing hardbacks, and Tommy told us of his love for crafting words.  Now it is my turn

I love words, but….

It takes me a month of Sundays to read a paragraph and two months of Sundays to write one.  The words misbehave and jump up and down the page like a naughty schoolboy.  Words with more letters than I have fingers are impossible for me to read, say or understand.  I need silence and no interruption when reading something important,

I do read books, but it can take 12 months for me to finish one, if you don’t believe me just ask Elly.

When I was young all words were committed to paper with an ink pen.  Misspelling and ink blots were there for eternity and enough to intimidate me from writing for life.  Ink blots always happened near the end of the page and if the letter or exercise was important it had to be discarded and begun all over again on a new page.  The memory of an Aunt who returned childish letters and envelopes with red correction marks on them many months after they were posted had the totally opposite effect to that which she intended.  To this day I fear a blank page.

With my introduction to computers backspacing and spellcheck became my firm friends.  No more smudges or blotches to mar my work.  The chance to make changes and correct major mistakes and move sentences or paragraphs to a more suitable place was worth more than any Lottery prize.

There are many well educated Bloggers out there whose work I look forward to and enjoy, while there are others who write in such a complicated way that I have no hope of ever understanding the message they wish to convey.  There is room for everyone and no obligation to read every blog

I have read blog posts complaining about and almost condemning bad grammar, punctuation and misspelling.  The authors never seem to realise how hurtful such a post can be, no allowance is made for the effort or indeed courage it takes for some people to hit that publish button.  Not everyone has reached or is capable of reaching A* grades.  There is room for everyone.

If everyone had a Ph.D, who would empty the bins?  There is room for everyone.

The recent story going the rounds of the Irish Blogworld of 500+ people queuing in Grafton Street, Dublin for a sales assistant vacancy in a Londis convenience store is a wake up call.  I wonder how many people in that queue had completed a university degree.  I am sure they were wishing that There is room for everyone.

UPDATE: Follow up post on this subject at Magpie’s Nest