A Birthday And A Bloggerversary

 

Yesterday (May 2^nd) was Kelly’s birthday.

 

So, belated happy birthday to him.

 

That makes today my bloggerversary.

 

It’s my 18^th bloggerversary, and the first thing I posted, back when I started my blog in 2006, was a belated birthday post for Kelly.

 

So, happy bloggerversary to me.

Of Blog Posts, Cards, Cuddly Toys, And The Clock

I’m sorry I’ve not been around the blogs lately.  Between struggling with energy levels, health issues being a constant thing I have to deal with, and dealing with the mental/emotional aspects of the past couple of months, I’ve not been very productive.  And our recent heatwave didn't help matters.  I’m trying to get back in to doing things – reading blogs being one of those things – but I’m having a rough time adjusting to how things are now.  I’ve popped by and read posts from time to time, but not commented, and I know I missed several posts.  So… Sorry.  And if there’s anything you spacifically hoped I wouldn’t miss, please tell me about it – or direct me to the post where I can read about it – in the comments section of this post.  Thanks.

 

*~*

 

I got a couple of nice cards from Deanna from Life WithDee.  One after she learned I’d been in hospital, and the other after she learned about my Mam’s death.  Here they are:

 

Thanks, Deanna.

 

*~*

 

Kelly got me a glittery pink unicorn cuddly toy as a get well present when I was in hospital.  Here I am holding it:

 

 

And my Mam brought me this bear holding a heart:

 

It turned out to be the last thing she ever brought any of us, since it was right after that she went in to hospital for the last time.  When we were sorting her stuff after she died, I grabbed the little pink teddy bear that was the last thing I ever brought her (which I got her during one of her recent hospital stays) and the two teddy bears are now sat together on one of the shelves that my cuddly toys are stored on.

 

*~*

 

 

Mam got this clock when I was really young – Maybe about five years old or so? She’s hung in my Mam’s home ever since.  I made it known years ago that when she died I wanted the clock, so now she’s mine.  I thought I’d share  her with you, and let you hear her chime the hour.

 

Yes, I did mean to say “she” and “her” in the previous paragraph.  Mam said she was a Grandmother clock, because she’s a small Grandfather clock, so she’s always been a “she” to us.

 

Anyway, here’s the video of her chiming the hour:

 

Looking Back At 2022 & Ahead To 2023

 

~Above photo shows Logan the Cavapoo on the back of the sofa, and was taken on December 30th 2022.

 

I know we're already almost a week in to January, but I wanted to post about my holiday celebrations first.  Now though, it's time to take a look back at 2022, and start thinking about the coming year.

*~*

I kept my goal list for 2022 practically non-existent.  Other than my plan to read 52 books as part of the Goodreads reading challenge, my plan for 2022 was to see where the year took me, and enjoy as many hygge moments throughout the year as possible; hygge being my word for 2022.

So, how did that work out?? 

2022 was an eventful year, and I never could have predicted how it turned out.  I think though, other than us losing the last of the rodent gang, Mollie the chinchilla, during the first half of the year (in April, to be exact) and some rough times healthwise (in particular dental disasters with infections that had me with mouth pain for a couple of months) it was a pretty good year.  I mean, there were definitely some rather stressful parts of it I'd like to forget, but there was enough of the good to stop me dwelling on those things, and to make me feel like 2022 wasn't too bad of a year.  Certainly not one of the best I've had, but most definitely not one of the worst either.

Unfortunately, though my website is now more up to date, writing took a bit of a backseat, with my only publications for this year being the "Poetry Treasures" and "Stand Together" anthologies I was involved with.  And I have yet to finish getting "Pawfect Pet Poems" and "Jelena" made available in audio (though both are listed on ACX in various stages of production).  I've been slowly working on writing things I plan to publish in the future, but writing sessions have been few and far between, and none of my works in progress ended up being finished in 2022, let alone published.  I'd hoped to have at least published one of them at some point during 2022, but I won't publish anything until it's ready and, as it stands at the moment, nothing new is even finished being written, let alone ready for publication.

However, that doesn't mean I didn't have a busy year.

 

I started getting involved with ACB (American Council of the Blind) Zoom calls in 2021, but ended up more involved than I ever could have imagined even wanting to be.  I'm now a trained Zoom host and Clubhouse moderator, and do both things regularly for ACB calls.  I've hosted for conventions and community-a-thons, helped teach skills with cooking and crafting, and am finishing up the year not only as an active participant and host, but also an ACB member at large, as well as a member of the ACB Crafters admin team, and part of the ACB Presents The Daily Schedule morning crew.  Not to mention, I've gotten to know some people through my work with the ACB who I now consider good friends.  I'm not a big fan of socializing usually, but apparently my reluctance to socialize doesn't extend to people who live inside my computer and phone.

Did I embrace my word of "Hygge" in 2022?Well, there were definitely times when I did.  Times when I put self care first, enjoyed a hygge moment by myself, with the petkids, or even with another person.  But I feel like I didn't embrace the concept as fully as I planned to.  I feel like I could have done more to make 2022 a hygge year for me.  Maybe I'd feel like that no matter how many hygge moments I enjoyed? Maybe I really could have done more? Who knows.  Either way, I feel like I was only partially successful in embracing my word for the year.  But a partial success is still a success, right? And I'll take what I can get when it comes to successes.

As for my reading goal: it was a slow reading year for me, but I did manage to read 52 books in 2022.  If you want to see what I read, you can see my year in books here.  Yes, it does take you to Goodreads, but you don't have to be a member to check it out.  It's just the easiest way for me to share all the information about what I read, which books I enjoyed and which I didn't, etc, since I record those things on Goodreads throughout the year when it's fresher in my mind.  So, for those who want to know what I read, and what I thought of those books, please check out that link to my year in books.

~

Now it's the start of another year.  We're starting 2023, and most people are setting goals and resolutions.  Or maybe picking words for the year.  But after some serious thought, I decided I didn't want to be among them.

 

So, that's why, other than setting my reading goal on Goodreads to 52 books again, I’m not making any any goals or plans for the coming year.  I’m not even picking a word for 2023.  There were some goals and words I considered, and there are some things I hope will happen in 2023.  But I ultimately decided I’m just going to forget about trying to make goals I may or may not be able to achieve, not worry about deciding on which of the words is right for me, and just see where the year takes me.

 

It just feels like the right way forward for me.

 

If you want to see where 2023 takes me, make sure you check back here each Friday for my weekly blog posts.

 

*~*

How about you? How was your 2022? Did you have any goals or resolutions? Did you have a word for the year? Do you have any of those things for 2023? Whatever the case, I'd love to hear about it in the comments, so please share.

Bookish #Christmas Tag - #AmReading

Here's another festive Christmas book tag I spotted on The Strawberry Post when Cat did it last year, so kept for this year, because I also thought it might be fun to do.  This tag is all about the most well known aspects of Christmas, and whether I could pair a book to them.

 

If you decide to play along, you can either leave your answers below, or play along on your own blog.  If you do the latter though, please make sure to let me know where I can read your answers, since I don't want to miss them, because I'd love to know what yours would be.

For now though, you can check out Cat's post here, and read on for both the questions and my answers.

~

Father Christmas: Name a book you received as a child and treasure to this day
 

That's easy.  It's got to be my copy of "The Bear Father Christmas Forgot" by Diana Kimpton.  I still have the braille copy my brother gave to me after I learned to read braille well enough to read it to him all those years ago.

 

The Ghost of Christmas Past: is there a book or series you like to revisit each year at Christmas time?
 

Appropriately, it's "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.  I love reading that every year.  "Winter Solstice" by Rosamunde Pilcher is another one I love to revisit around the holidays.

 

Christmas Tree: name a series that reaches new heights with every entry. 

 

Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series.
 

Friends and Family: name a book with fantastic characters.

 

There are loads I could pick for this one, and I really don't know where to start, so I'm not even going to try.  I mean, there are many books I've read without fantastic characters in them, but there are even more with fantastic characters, so how can I choose just one?

 

Decorations: name a book with a gorgeous cover you would proudly display on your shelves.
 

I was never really one to judge a book by its cover, and certainly don't consider covers these days when I can't see them.  I only care about covers when arranging for the covers of my own books to be produced.

 

Christmas Cards: name a book that carries a great message.

 

"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig.
 

 Ice and Snow: name a book that you were hoping to love but which ultimately left you feeling cold.
 

"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.
 

Christmas Lunch: name a book that was big and intimidating but oh so worth it in the end.
 

This is tricky, but one that comes to mind that I struggled to get in to at first but later felt it was worth it was "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War" by Max Brooks.  It's one I read back in 2019, if I'm remembering correctly how long ago I read it, but it's the one that comes to mind, so I'm going with it, since I can't think of a more recent read right now.

 

Mince Pies: name a book you found sweet and satisfying.
 

"Haunted Halloween Holiday" by Robbie Cheadle.
 

Presents: what book do you wish you could give everyone to read?
 

Whichever book is the one they want most from their to-read list.  After all, it's the fact you're reading rather than exactly what you're reading that's most important.  In other words, as long as people are enthusiastic about reading, I'd be happy for them to have  any book that will encourage that.

A Sunshine Blogger Award I Was Given Last Month

Cat over at The Strawberry Post was nominated for a Sunshine Blogger Award recently, and she nominated me for it.  You can check out Cat's post by clicking here.

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
2. Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate up to 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

~

So, first of all, thank you, Cat!

Secondly, here are the questions she asked me to answer, along with my responses:

1. If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?

I think I’d have to go with potatoes.  Because you can prepare them in all kinds of ways: baked, roasted, turned in to chips (fries) and so on.  Plus, I’m a big fan of potatoes, and eat them most days already.

 

2. Is there anything you like to collect?

I collect books, cuddly toys, and stones (as in gemstones, crystals, minerals, etc).

 

3. What is your favourite colour(s)?

My favourite colour is purple.

 

4. What hobbies do you have apart from blogging/reading?

Apart from blogging and reading, I also write poetry and children’s stories, do various crafts, watch movies and TV shows, listen to music, play roleplaying games, and play some other kinds of games (for example, I have recently become addicted to the Dice World app I was introduced to that I now have on my phone... You should check it out if you're a fan of games like Yatzi, Farkle, etc... If you do, let me know what your username is and I'll tell you mine so we can have a game of something).  I’m also interested in certain parts of history, and have a few other interests that randomly capture my attention from time to time. Not to mention everything I’m involved with in the ACB community these days.

 

5. If you could live in any time period in history which would it be and why?

There are several periods of history I’d like to visit, but as a general rule I’d rather it just be a visit.  If I had to pick one to live in though, I’d prefer the time period usually refered to as pre-historic times, when there weren’t so many people, and the people who existed still respected and took care of the Earth.  Yes, I’d be minus all the modern conveniences and technologies I rely on, and every day would be a fight for survival.  But at least my tribe would be working together to try and assure that survival, and the world would still be free of pollution.

 

6. What is your favourite animal(s)?

My absolute favourite animal is a lion, with a horse an incredibly close second.  I also love rats, and most other kinds of animals.  If it’s an animal, as long as it’s not spiders or creepy crawly bugs, I probably like it.  Yes, even snakes.

 

7. Which season is your favourite and why?

My favourite season – which I’m sure comes as no surprise to those who know me – is Winter, because it tends to be colder, and sometimes we get snow.  I can’t deal with heat very well, so bring on the chilly Winter days, and even colder Winter nights.

 

8. What music do you like to listen to?

I enjoy most kinds of music, and will listen to quite a variety depending on my mood, from Jazz to soft rock, and across multiple decades.  But country music is my favourite genre, and the one I’d pick if forced to choose one single music genre to name as my favourite.

 

9. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was young I wanted to be either a vet or a nursery (preschool) teacher, plus an author; I wanted to have a large family, work with either animals or young children, and write in my free time.  Though where I was finding free time between all the kids I planned on having and work, I have no idea.  But there you go.

 

10. If you were granted your own national holiday, how would people be told to spend/celebrate it?

It would be a national day of rest and relaxation, where people would be encouraged to spend some time doing things that they find relaxing; things that recharge them, replenish their souls, etc.  It would be up to them whether they do so alone or with people they’re close to, as well as whether they do things at home or not.  As long as they did something that made them happy, feel relaxed, etc.

 

For example: I would most likely spend it by myself at home, with a plentiful supply of tea and snacks, curled up somewhere reading.  I’d alternate between reading on my Braille display while listening to music (I’ve found classical piano music to be an excellent accompaniment to this) and listening to either an audiobook or a book on my Kindle while working on a craft project.

 

11. If you could live in any book which would it be and why?

 

If I could take liberties with this question and merge three books, I’d want to move Hogwarts to Narnia, and have a hobbit hole somewhere in that world.  That way I could go to Hogwarts, and during school holidays I could live in my hobbit hole and invite various talking animals over for tea.

 

However, if I absolutely had to choose one… This is harder.  But I think I’d go with Narnia, because of the talking animals and Aslan.  The Harry Potter books might be the ones I revisit most often, but the Chronicles of Narnia books contain a world I’d really love to be a part of.

 

~

 

I never tag people on these things any more.  Most people I’d want to give it to don’t do these kinds of things these days.  With that in mind, if you’re reading this post and want to join in; consider yourself tagged.  And you can answer the questions Cat gave to me – I’m sure she won’t mind me using those, and I can’t think of better ones.  Just be sure and make sure I know where to find your answers if you do this.