A Brief Post About Mam's Funeral

My Mam’s funeral was on August 22nd - three weeks to the day after she died.

 

It was a nice service, and – though there were some people who I wish had been able to come who weren’t able to – I’m pleased with who showed up, and some of those who couldn't make it sent flowers, which was nice.

 

The polebearers were my brothers, Wayne and Carl, my honorary cousin, Natalie, and a family friend who Mam was close to named Lee.  And I followed behind them with Mam’s Goddaughter, Shireen.

 

We had three songs played for Mam:

Elvis Presley – You Are Always On My Mind (because she loved Elvis Presley, and liked that song)

A version of Amazing Grace she’d particularly requested when she learned she was so sick

Dolly Parton – Shine Like The Sun (because she was particularly identifying with that song towards the end)

 

I’d planned on speaking, but in the end couldn’t do it, so had them share the following quote on my behalf:

 

It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things.

~Lemony Snicket

 

Wayne couldn’t bring himself to speak either.  Carl did speak though, and used these two quotes in what he said:

 

Picture a wave in the ocean. You can see it, measure it — its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through. It’s there and you can see it and you know what it is. It’s a wave. And then it crashes on the shore, and it’s gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be, for a little while. That’s one conception of death for a Buddhist. The wave returns to the ocean  — where it came from, and where it’s supposed to be.

~The Good Place

 

"If I die," he whispered in the dark, "dinna follow me. The bairns will need ye. Stay for them. I can wait."

~Outlander

 

 

Rest in peace, and goodbye, Mam.

A #Storm + Conversations, Organization, And Other Aspects Of My Week

We had a terrific thunderstorm on Tuesday.  It lasted a couple of hours, and the peels of thunder were impressive.  Unfortunately, since I was trying to finish up on the cooking call during the start of  the storm, and then eating dinner (we made enchiladas on the call this past week) and feeding the petkids during most of the rest, I didn’t give getting a video a thought until afterwards.

 

Yes, my dogs are calm enough during storms that I could get on and feed them even while an impressive storm was going on.  I don’t know if it’s the fact I enjoy the storms, or the fact my singing apparently has a soothing effect on dogs (to the point where my Mam has called me for me to sing to her dogs over the phone to calm them in the past).  But I used to sing to them during storms when they were scared as tiny puppies, and they learned not to be afraid of storms.  I used the same technique to teach them not to be so afraid of fireworks, and it’s only super loud ones that suddenly happen very close that they take notice of (and even then it’s just to bark a little before settling down again).

 

Anyway, besides the storm, it’s been a week of conversations and organization.  At least, that’s what it seems like; it definitely feels like conversations and organization has been the main theme of the past week.

 

Conversations, because I’ve been involved with at least one Zoom call every day, not to mention phone calls and messages I’ve been dealing with.  Nothing urgent.  Just one of those weeks where it seems the moment you sit down to have some quiet time the phone rings, or you remember you needed to talk to so-and-so about such-and-such and don’t want to forget again so figure you better send the message now – while you’re thinking about it.

 

Organization, because I de-cluttered and organized some stuff in the kitchen, needed to set up some Tweets to make sure they’ll go up on time for the ACB Crafters’ Twitter account, and some of those messages I needed to deal with were about needing to arrange and re-arrange some stuff for the schedule for the upcoming episodes of the cooking call I do with Herbie via the ACB.

 

To be honest, since there wasn’t much to deal with in the kitchen (just removing a few things I’d been given I knew I wouldn’t use, so wanted to box up to send somewhere where someone else could potentially use them, and re-organizing a few things once the spaces those things had taken up were empty) I feel like I’ve spent an awful lot of the past week glued to my phone or computer.

 

I mean, there were other aspects to my week: housework and other day to day chores, playtime and snuggles with Lilie and Logan, playtime with Artemis, some reading time (though not as much as I’d hoped to have, and a lot of it was done by making use of the option to enjoy an audiobook while doing housework – I did finish one book, and start two others though, one of which was the book for the 18^th and 19^th century book club) and working on some crochet (my blanket managed to gain another round).  I even managed to sneak in a bit of time to watch the first episode of “Wednesday” on Netflix with Kelly, which I’m enjoying so far, but will give you a proper opinion of once I’ve seen more than one episode of it.  But I definitely feel like I spent more time doing the things on my phone and computer than anything else combined, and am hoping the coming week involves a bit less computer and phone time, and a little more crafting, reading, and TV show watching.  Perhaps even some writing time? Though that might be too much to hope for when I'm still dealing with trying to tackle the organizing and de-cluttering project.  I can hope though, right?

So, how about you? How was your week?

The #Christmas Songs Book Tag - #AmReading

Cat over at The Strawberry Post did this tag right before Christmas last year, which I'm pretty sure I haven't done - I couldn't find it when I took a quick look in my old tag posts, and didn't remember having done it anyhow - which I wanted to do, since I love doing these things.  But I didn't have time to do it when Cat posted it, and by the time I would have been able to do it the holidays would have been over.  So, I decided to keep it to do in the run up to this Christmas instead.  Since it's now only a month until Christmas Day, I figure we're close enough to Christmas that I can do it now.

You can read Cat's post here.

If you want to do this tag too, either post your answers in the comments section below - whether via my blog, or via whatever social media platform you're reading this through - or do it on your own blog.  If you do the latter, please drop a link to your actual tag post below, so I can be sure to come check out your post, since I'd hate to miss it.  Either way, I'd love to read your answers.

For now though, here are the songs you need to match a book to, as well as my answers.

~

‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’: Favourite Bookish Couple
 

Jamie and Claire from Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series.

 

‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’: Name a book where a character is away from home (school, vacation etc)
 

Anyone who knows me knows I had to get this one in here somewhere.  And, hey, it does fit.  So I'm going with J K Rowling's "Harry Potter" series.  Though I love them all, my favourite of the series is "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" - just in case you want to know.

 

‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’: Name your favourite ‘little’ book (Children’s book, short story, novella, etc)
 

I'm sorry, but I have to pick two.  First, even though it's a sad one, I love "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Anderson.  For a more cheerful holiday story, it's got to be "The Bear Father Christmas Forgot" by Diana Kimpton.

 

‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’: What book(s) do you hope Santa brings you this year?
 

Any book I don't have from my to-read list.

 

‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’: Which book turned your nose read (made you cry)?
 

"Wolfbane" (Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness, #9) by Michelle Paver.  There were a couple of points where the book had me in tears for one reason or another, especially near the end.

 

‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’ Your favourite book/kind of book to read during the holidays
 

I love reading any kind of book at any time of the year.

 

‘We Three Kings’: Your favourite trilogy
 

Terry Pratchett's "Bromiliad" trilogy is one that's been a favourite of mine since I first heard of it when I was a child.

 

‘Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow’: A character you would love to be snowed in with
 

Aeson from Vera Nazarian's "Atlantis Grail" series.

 

‘Last Christmas’: A book that seriously let you down
 

"The Nox" by Joe White.  I thought it was going to be a great spooky Halloween read, and it wasn't at all what I hoped it would be, or expected it to be based on the reviews I read of it on Audible.
 

 ‘White Christmas’: An upcoming release you’re dreaming about
 

I'm not really dreaming about any specific upcoming release.  I don't tend to necessarily get excited about upcoming releases unless it's a new book by an author I know I love, and none are springing to mind right now.

My 2022 #SeptemberSmallThings Complete List - #Hygge & #Mindfulness

Last year Jo over at "How To Hygge The British Way" did a thing on her blog throughout September where she shared a small thing that gave her pleasure, she was grateful for, or she appreciated in a moment of mindfulness, each day, and I joined in because I thought it was an excellent idea.  So, when I saw she was doing it again this year, I decided to do it along with her again.  I've been posting the thing for each day on my Twitter account, but thought I'd do a round-up post here, both to gather them all together in one place and for the benefit of those not on Twitter.  Yeah, I know it's already basically the middle of October, but today is my first free Friday after September was completely over.  Anyway, what follows is my September small things list, as posted to Twitter throughout the month of September, reproduced here exactly as they appeared over there.

 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 1: accessible books.

I finally got a Bookshare account sorted out yesterday, and am already loving having access to a whole load of titles I otherwise may not have been able to find copies of in an accessible to me format.

 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 2: nap time.
Never underestimate a good nap! Especially if you’re someone like me who does not sleep well.
 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 3: rain.

I love the sound of rain, and it’s even more welcome after a hot and mostly dry Summer.

  

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 4: quiet time.
Everyone needs a bit of quiet time now and then.

 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 5: a nice cuppa.

I love my tea, and today I'm trying - and loving - one of the teas that came in this month's box from Bird & Blend Tea Co. It's called "Butter Brew" and tastes like butterscotch.

 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 6: tortoise playtime.
Spending time with Artemis is always a very hygge experience, and a great way to pause and relax briefly on an otherwise busy and chaotic day.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 7: thunderstorms.

We had an excellent storm here today, and I enjoyed listening to it. I find storms soothing to listen to, and they've been promising me this one for days. It came at a time when my soul needed to be soothed too.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 8: Free To Be Me.

The "Free To Be Me" call I do with Patty @bubbalee04 via the ACB Community is a fun way to spend part of my Thursdays each week.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 9: puppy snuggles.
I love snuggle time with our dogs. And they seem to love it too.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 10: tasty treats.

I treated myself to some vegan-friendly snacks and treats, and they arrived today.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 11: community karaoke.
ACB’s Weekly Community karaoke session happens early hours of Sunday morning for me, and it’s one of my favourite times of the week.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 12: a feeling of accomplishment.

I managed to check a lot of things off my to-do list today.  And It felt good.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 13: Herbie’s cooking corner.
I love cooking and baking, and doing it alongside a friend like Herbie @herbie_610 makes it even more enjoyable.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 14: community connect.
The call Kolby @kolbysongbird does on a Wednesday via the ACB community is always enjoyable. It’s something I look forward to every week.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 15: delight in others’ accomplishments.
It’s a wonderful feeling to see somebody making progress with a skill they want to learn, and to delight in knowing you were part of helping them achieve the progress they are so proud of making in learning it.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 16: quality time with loved ones.

Some days time with the person/people you love has to be your priority.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 17: helpful people.

There are times when people make that extra effort to make things easier for disabled people like me. Today was a day when I saw two examples of this kind of thing. Thank you @taralazar and @asda

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 18: singing just for fun.
Sometimes it’s fun to just sing whatever song you feel inspired to sing at that moment.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 19: a nice chat with friends.
Whether online or offline (whichever you feel more comfortable doing) it’s nice to have people you can spend time enjoying a cosy chat with.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 20: a successful baking experiment.

I had the challenge of making a dessert that mostly consists of dairy vegan for the cooking corner today, and am very happy with the results.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 21: a message from a friend.

It’s always nice when a friend takes a moment or two to reach out and send you a message, and – though I always appreciate them - some days I’m especially grateful for those messages.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 22: the Autumn equinox.

We’re now officially starting the half of the year I love most, so bring on the cooler weather!

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 23: a relaxing bubble bath.

It’s rare I get the time for a nice relaxing bubble bath, so when I do – like I did today - it makes it even more special.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 24: touching stories.

I’m listening to the 10,000 call celebration for the #ACB Community, and it’s so nice how the community has touched so many lives with the calls that are held every day. Hearing them makes me incredibly glad to be a part of it all.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 25: a warm blanket on a chilly evening.

I love snugly blankets! I’m a firm believer that you can never have too many blankets, and should have a choice as to which one – or ones – you’re going to snuggle in on a chilly evening.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 26: being there for a friend.

It’s a wonderful feeling when friends are there for you, of course.  But sometimes you need to be the one who’s there for them, and that’s a wonderful feeling too.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 27: creative fun.

Today was a day of creativity. First cooking a new to me recipe on the cooking corner, and then crafting with my Dad, with the day going to be ending with a crochet class.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 28: unicorn slippers.
If I’m going to have something on my feet because it’s a cold day, it should be something fun, right?

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 29: take-away.

Most days I’m happy to cook.  But some days – especially when it’s a very busy day – I’m grateful for the option to have someone else do the cooking for me.  Today was one of those days.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 30: making plans.
Today I am making plans and looking to the future regarding various calls and projects I’m involved with or working on. Seems like a good way to wrap up September and start heading into the last quarter of 2022.