Tag: Share Your World 2019

Some Silly Questions:

Is it better to suspect something (bad or hurtful) and not know or to have your worst fears confirmed by sure knowledge?

Sometimes one and sometimes the other.  I can be a bit of an ostrich and sometimes prefer not to know things that seem scary to me. It’s probably better to know and take steps to deal with a problem but if for example, someone doesn’t like me, do I really need to know that?

What makes you laugh aloud?   Crack up?   Laugh until your sides split?   When was the last time you had a great big belly laugh?

Never ask me “when was the last time you did so and so” because unless it was in the last week or so I probably won’t remember. Naomi and I often have conversations where we both end up laughing out loud over some silly thing, don’t ask for examples, I can’t think of any.

I also find there are some books that make me laugh out loud. That tends to make people look at you funny if you are on the bus. Whenever I read Gerald Durrell’s “The Picnic” or “My Family and Other Animals” I always laugh out loud. Emily Kimbrough’s travel stories usually have the same effect.

Do you suppose Noah had woodpeckers in the ark?  If he did, where did he keep them?   Apologies to the Darwinians in the crowd…this is merely for fun, okay?

Well, if he was taking two of every kind of creature he had to didn’t he? And there are still woodpeckers.  I guess he had an onboard aviary as you would not want all those birds flying around pooping on everyone. Did they have wire in Noah’s day? Could two woodpeckers do major damage to a sturdily built ark in 40 days and 40 nights? Maybe God just told the woodpeckers to be good. (I believe in evolution but I like the story of Noah’s Ark even though it’s totally impractical.)

Why is “Charlie” short for “Charles when they are the same number of letters?

In this case when people say “short for” I think they really mean that it is an informal term for the name Charles. Chas would be short for Charles I guess.

Thankful, Joyful, Grateful

What happened in your world this past week that made you feel thankful, joyful or grateful?

It was my birthday yesterday and I received a few cards, yes some people still send them, and good wishes from friends and family.  I was grateful they remembered. We had a nice sunny day on Saturday for our big sale at the Op Shop which I was thankful for as I was working outside. It was a really pleasant day until I got home and turned on the TV for the election results. I haven’t felt joyful since.

Questions:

What social stigma does society need to get over already?

There are plenty but I’m going to say poverty. There are many people who are poor through no fault of their own and people need to stop judging them without knowing their circumstances.

What was the last photo you took?

I took a batch of photos of dolls I was fixing up to go back to the Op Shop. This was the last one of the batch.

 When was the last time you snooped and found something or found out something you wish you hadn’t?

So long ago that I don’t remember what it was. I don’t look at other people’s phones or read their mail and I try not to overhear conversations that were not meant for my ears. If people are saying bad things about me I don’t need to hear it.

What’s the most comfortable bed or chair you’ve ever slept in?

The last bed David and I bought was to replace an ageing queen sized bed. That one was very comfortable but he had broken the wooden frame three times and frankly, I had got tired of mending it.  I also got tired of trying to sleep in the 30 centimetres or so left when he was fully spread out. I know it was 30 centimetres because one night I measured it.

So I convinced him we needed a larger bed. We bought a king sized bed with a pillow top mattress and it was so comfortable. I was sorry to let it go but it made no sense to me to keep it after he died. It was just too big for me alone. I sold it to some friends and they loved it.

 

Can being grateful change Your World?

Yes, I believe so. Being grateful puts things in perspective and reminds me that no matter what is going on in my life there are good things in it. If I only focused on the negative things I would be unhappy a lot more often.

 

Sharing My World This Week

I’m late to the party this week.  Yesterday I went to Hobart and because of that didn’t spend my Tuesday morning working on these questions. Still better late than never right?

1. Do you believe in soul mates? If so, do you think there is only one person meant to share that bond with you, out there in the world?  (credit to Cyranny of Cyranny’s Cove)

I really don’t know how to answer this. It’s wonderful to have someone in your life that you feel such a bond with but rather sad to think that if you lost that person you would never have another relationship like that. Some people could be lucky to find such a person twice.

2. Ice cream cone, shake or other ice cream concoction?

Ice cream is good whether it is a cone/cornet, sundae, thick shake or in a dish at home. My very favourite type which I try to treat myself to at least once every summer is a Viking Cone which is locally made Valhalla ice cream and fresh fruit, either raspberries, strawberries or blueberries or for the chocolate lovers Rocky Road or the Zappa Jaffa, chocolate and orange. My favourites are the fruit ones though. The best time for me to get one is usually during the week between Christmas and New Year when there is always a stall at the Taste of Tasmania and a van somewhere on the waterfront but you can get one any Saturday at Salamanca Market. They are not cheap but soooo worth it.

 

3. What would be the hat to end all hats? What could you wear on your head that would make people stop what they are doing and stare in awe and amazement?

I’m not a great one for hats, I wear one when I go to the cricket or somewhere else where I know I will be out in the sun all day but I don’t really like “Hat Hair”. I remember mum and I having fun when department stores still had a hat department in the 1970s. We would go and look at the hats and try them on but rarely buy. This may be why we no longer have hat departments in our stores. Too many customers laughing at the hats.

The other place to wear an outrageous hat would be at the Melbourne Cup where it is a bit of a tradition but I no longer follow horse racing. It’s a cruel industry.

4. What would be the worst “buy one get one free” sale of all time?

I’d be here all day trying to think of the very worst ever but I think those red baseball caps that say “Make (insert name of country) Great Again would be on the list. Or for Aussie readers, red budgie smugglers as worn by a certain ex-PM are also pretty gross.

Gratitude

Bonus Question.   Please share a moment of gratitude that you experienced during the past week. 

Last week my “garden guys” Jason and Brodie told me that they were selling part of their business and would no longer be coming to Geeveston. They have been doing the garden for six years and I am sorry to see them go and grateful for all they have done for me.  Not only did they transform my garden into a place I really enjoy spending time but they have always been willing to help out with other things, moving a heavy piece of furniture, changing a lightbulb that I can’t reach and even capturing birds that had flown down the chimney or into the house on a couple of occasions.  You don’t get service like that everywhere. Here you can see some of the major jobs they did over the past five years.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

QUESTIONS:

If you could interview anyone from your life living or dead, but not a celebrity, who would it be and why?
I know some very interesting people whose stories I love listening to. Some local friends who are a few years older than me. They all have stories to tell about the different jobs they have done, places they have been to and the people they’ve met. I’d also nominate my mum who used to tell us lots of stories about living in Egypt and India when she was a girl, about life in England during WWII and all sorts of other things that I never tired of hearing about.

Mum with her family, I think this was around 1925 or thereabouts. Mum is the curly haired one in the middle.

As a child, did you have a nickname?  Did you carry that with you throughout life or was it only in childhood that you used it? 
No, I didn’t have a nickname. Some kids who had not heard my unusual name before found it amusing to call me Verandah but I didn’t share their amusement and it didn’t last past the fourth grade as far as I recall.

Give us three words that describe you: 
Stubborn, Introverted, Independent

 Sneaking into a second movie at the theatre (if you go to a movie house)?  Is that wrong or just harmless ‘fun’? 
I don’t even know how you do that but it sounds dishonest.

 If you had a time machine would you go back to the past or forward into the future?  Why? 
I already went back. See?

April Gratitude:

I’m grateful for having ten days off from the Op Shop over Easter and ANZAC day to recharge my batteries.

QUESTIONS:

1. Guns?   Are you pro or con?  Explain your point of view.

Definitely con. In Australia, we have stricter gun laws than the USA and I think that we are better for it.

Of course, we still have shootings from time to time, there are unstable people everywhere, but nowhere near as frequently as you do in the USA. Thank goodness we don’t yet need metal detectors in our schools and we are not dominated by the wishes of an organisation like the NRA.

I understand that some people like to shoot for sporting reasons or to hunt. Neither are my thing but I think that’s  OK as long as their weapons and ammo are properly secured when not in use; and as long as the hunters intend to eat what they shoot. I don’t believe anyone who is not in the military or possibly police needs an assault rifle. You can hardly call shooting animals with those sporting anyway. What I find disturbing about the gun culture in America is the casual way that people often seem to have guns in their homes, in handbags or drawers where a child can easily get hold of them. It disturbs me that people who are a lot like me would consider shooting another person in cold blood and if you wouldn’t do it why even have a gun? This is something I feel quite strongly about and I know that many won’t agree with me.

 

2. How would your country change if everyone, regardless of age, could vote?

First of all, I think that everyone eligible should vote. If you don’t vote when you have the opportunity you can’t complain about the outcome. Australians are about to vote and while it is compulsory for us I hope that people vote properly so it will count. Should everyone vote? Well, I think you have to understand what you are voting for or against. Children are more politically aware now than when I was a child and perhaps you could make an argument for the 16-18-year-old group being allowed a say but not a baby vote. That would just be a second vote for parents or other interested parties and not a true reflection of the situation. I’m also concerned that some younger people may see an election as something like a reality TV show where you vote on personalities and not on policies. Policies are dull but the results of them will be what we have to live with for the term of the next government.

I want to be careful here because I’ve recently been reading about the Women’s Vote and the attitudes of men towards the idea that we were intelligent enough and aware enough to vote a century ago. However, I don’t feel I can justify votes for very young children. I do think that if more young people voted we might elect governments who cared more about climate change but the under-thirties in this country have a poor voting record in the past decade or so and that would need to change.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/the-frant-if-you-don-t-enrol-you-can-t-complain

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/i-like-my-fries-hot-not-my-planet-the-schoolstrike4climate-signs-you-can-t-miss_1

3. What’s your cure for hiccups?

I try holding my breath but generally, I just wait for them to go away.

4. What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

Hmm, maybe Siberia but I can remember spending a night sleeping in a sleeping bag in a train carriage in Peterborough in country South Australia when I was in my twenties and although I doubt the temperature was below freezing that must have been one of the coldest nights of my life. I was in my twenties then. Or maybe in the desert near Uluru a decade or so later when we spent a night in a cabin.

Gratitude

If you would like, share a story, a photo or some thoughts on you may be thankful for this week! 

We’re having some lovely autumn days when it’s pleasant to be out of doors.

I’m looking forward to a week’s break over Easter as our shop will be closed and tired volunteers will be enjoying some downtime.

 

 

Sharing My World This Week

What is the best pick me up that you know of?  To shake you out of the blues?

Comfort food like chocolate is good but I also find that my surroundings help a lot. When David was in the hospital for months I found that no matter how blue I was feeling the beauty around me as I travelled up to Hobart on the bus to see him lifted my spirits. Sitting in my garden enjoying the flowers, the birds and my pets makes me feel good too.

What would be the title of your memoir?

I’m not going to take this entirely seriously but perhaps “Diary of a Doll Lover” or even “Reflections of a Rail Fan” as those have been my lifelong interests.

Where do you like to go when you eat out?

I don’t have one specific place that I like to go but I like places that serve simple but tasty food. I’m not interested in restaurants where the food is pretty to look at but you are still hungry after eating it. I like a place with a nice ambience, a pretty view out the window or a fireplace or interesting decor. I don’t like restaurants that are noisy because for me going out for a meal is a social occasion and I want to be able to enjoy conversation with my companions not be straining to hear or listening to awful music. Lastly, I like places who don’t rush you out the door as soon as you have finished because they want to clear up.

Do you believe in luck?

Yes, I do believe in luck but I don’t rely on it.

Aside from necessities, what is one thing you couldn’t go a day without?

Solitude. Having to be around people all day, every day would be very stressful. I enjoy my days at the Op Shop interacting with customers and spending time with my fellow volunteers. I enjoy coffee or lunch with friends but I am always glad to get home and know I have the rest of the day to myself.