Category: Challenges
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Resilience: the gift that keeps giving . . .
I don’t know how a parent teaches resilience to their children, except by some sort of example. We’re pretty sure that ours have seen enough situations where we’re down, struggling, and have somehow managed to get back up on our feet and try again. Let’s say rather that we’ve certainly felt we’ve had our share…
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The joys of flexibility
Different people have different perspectives; these differences are something to revel in, aren’t they? What’s one person’s garden shed is another’s man-cave, is another’s family shebeen, is another’s bespoke glamping cabin by which a self-sustainable lifestyle could be financed. We’ve had people looking around the place for the past fortnight or so. Often the eventual…
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But umm, now what?
Ah yes, there’s a reason why all that stuff was up in the loft, out of sight and out of mind. Apparently, there’s nowhere else to put it! But up there, it was more than just out of mind; it was also inaccessible. With a little perseverance, and diligence, we can sort things out and…
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The joy of clearing
Today I shall extract the remaining bits and pieces from the loft room that you enter as you climb the steps. Our hedgerow wine bottles will be slowly consumed, or divested, thereafter. Although I don’t really have any idea where the last of this first stuff will go, when it all comes down, I can…
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Sharing a shortlist is fun . . .
Although my effort did not reach the vaunted heights of an actual cash prize (£50 for each of the chosen top four!), it was a delight this morning to see my little poem shortlisted among the top twenty submissions for this month’s Visual Verse challenge. As I mentioned in a previous joyful entry, I had…
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The joy of research
I’ve been embarked on a short story in historical fiction mode that’s taken me back to Viking times. Every Canadian knows, or should know, about the early voyages of Leif the Lucky and Eric the Red, as they explored the coast of the new country they called Vinland. An excavation at l’Anse aux Meadows, on…
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Whew! Bakery oven alight again . . .
Today we’re baking a bigger batch of bread than the usual weekly effort. I say ‘we’ but really my job is only to take care of the fire and then do the washing-up of the bowls. So when the fire has really taken hold of the hardwood logs (not nearly as fast as dry softwood…
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A morning tizz . . .
It’s been a little bit frenzied, this morning, as I had to make sure the access to the woodsheds was clear, that the woodsheds themselves were clear, and that all was ready for the dumpster truck to lift and deposit the load of hardwood within easy grasping distance for stacking. It took an hour and…
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The joy of challenges
Without some sort of stimulation, boredom soon sets in and we might feel aimless, unable to concentrate, enervated and de-motivated. Too much challenge and anxiety levels creep up to create discomfort. But just the right challenge and I’m away, throwing myself into the fray and revelling in the attempt to fulfill the task. I did…
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There’s nothing like a nice fire to warm us up . . .
Doubtless it’s primeval, going back to the ancient legends of fire and its control. Otherwise, we might venture into Greek mythology and thank Prometheus for bringing fire back to earth, for the comfort of us mortals. Certainly in Allendale, home of the annual Tar Bar’l parade and New Year’s Eve bonfire, fire has played an…
Roads to Joy 