Showing posts with label For Today.... Show all posts
Showing posts with label For Today.... Show all posts

Sunday, 15 November 2020

For Today...

 


It’s been a good while since I have done this - indeed I had no idea if the Blog hosting it continued...it does though, so I will follow the guidelines as always. 



Looking out of my window
It’s raining, and breezy. The beautiful golden autumn leaves of the birch trees are dancing and every now and again a particularly strong gust of wind sets the falling like snow onto the grass...

I am thinking
Random, scattered thoughts. The weather, that there is little nicer than being cosy indoors on a wet, chilly day...

I am thankful
For a day with no pressure to do anything in particular - we may go for a walk, there is a jigsaw to be done, sent by a friend, so if the weather doesn’t improve boredom will not be a threat!

One of my favourite things
Starting the day slowly, quietly. Tea, toast, a good book...

I am creating
I’m spending much of my time during the week currently working through the many old photos I have on backup drives - airshow from years ago where I ran out of time to go right through the shots before the next show came along - enjoying both the memories and also that I am producing new shots to share with those who appreciate them. 

I am wearing
Right now? Pyjamas still!

I am reading
I’ve been working my way through Diana Gabaldon’s marvellous “Outlander” series again from the beginning - wonderful characters, beautifully written. 

I am hoping
That we soon start to see better news relating to the Covid 19 virus which is still giving the U.K. as a whole such problems. The second wave is now gathering pace - England has been in our second lockdown now for just over a week - that is due to end in Early December but we can only wait, and hope, that it does...

I am learning
Better ways of doing some of the things I do to process my photos. I have an updated version of Photoshop - necessary because of our replacement laptop and it has some features which are new to me. 

In my kitchen
The slow cooker has been on overnight with a beef stew which we will have half of for lunch - the balance will be eaten during the week. We also have a full bag of red onions to make red onion marmalade with...once MrEH has tracked down the recipe we have used previously to good effect!

In my garden
The growing season is mostly over, here. We did well this year from our tiny space - a good crop of tomatoes from a few potted plants on the balcony. A steady supply of runner beans for several months - the last of those were eaten just last week. Kale - the plants are still there but they have now been rather badly attacked by a small but determined greyish sort of fly so we will probably get no more from those. 

Shared Quote
Not a quote as such, but just perhaps, some wisdom. 
You are enough as you are. You are not a work in progress. 


A moment from my day

A slow start...

Closing Notes
It’s a tough time for many of us at the moment. Shaken out of our usual routines - in some cases for quite literally months, and with little idea when (or indeed, if) we are likely to resume any sort of normality. A dismissive, “snarky” comment from an acquaintance this week brought home to me how important it is to recognise now that the shape of everybody’s stress looks different - for one person yes, it might be a stressful job, but for another it might be not having gainful employment. In the U.K. many people are like me, still furloughed - being paid a proportion of their working wage but effectively giving nothing in return - not a comfortable way to live, for most of us. At this time of year there is seasonal work out there for sure - but assuming we can live on our furlough wages, should we take that purely for occupation allowing that we know there are many more out there who need that employment to live on, and we would be taking opportunity from them? THAT doesn’t feel comfortable to me, either. Be kind. If your only response to something is to say something unpleasant, catty or spiteful, then please, just take a breath, step away and leave it unsaid. If someone makes such an unpleasant comment to you remember that it says more about them than you. Take note - reconsider that person’s place in your life, and consider whether it requires a reaction or whether you are better just to ignore it, and not give the perpetrator the attention  they are clearly craving. 

Robyn. 


Inspiration from The Simple Woman’s Daybook...


Sunday, 16 February 2014

For Today...

Joining in again with the Simple Woman's Daybook - I like this, it makes me think, and consider the small stuff. Sometimes we should all try to do that perhaps.

Outside my window...It's Wet, Wet WET! No, not that pop band from the 1980's - but the result of the endless soggy, miserable rainy weather that has been afflicting the UK since before Christmas.

I am thinking...about a planned a couple of days away, photographing RAF jet aircraft with my exciting new Camera lens!

I am thankful...that our home is on high enough ground that we're not affected by the flooding, and that friends and family are in a similar position, thank goodness.

In the kitchen... We've been baking! Flapjacks & muffins get made regularly for weekday breakfasts, and the bread machine has been whirring away making dough for a loaf to eat with soup for an easy tea tomorrow night.

I am wearing...my gorgeous cosy new teal-coloured fleece top. It's gently fitted so as not to give that "square" appearance that you sometimes get with those, and I just fell in love with the colour!

I am creating...online photo albums, mostly! I need to get the last set of Thames path walk photos up - I'm viewing that as a photographic, as well as a walking, project.

I am going...to Lincolnshire for two days, as mentioned above - well, weather permitting, anyway! Two days at RAF bases photographing (hopefully) Typhoons.

I am wondering...What the cause of the extreme weather REALLY is - there are people blaming "Climate Change" and others "Global Warming" but actually, I'm wondering whether in fact it's as simple as something called "Nature". The UK always has gone through changes in its climate - long before we started pumping all manner of chemicals into the air, or burning fossil fuels to the state of their near-extinction, just you ask the dinosaurs, so maybe in fact this is all a little less self-inflicted than we're being made to think?

I am reading...this... Wonky Horizons Blog and similar info on night photography...

I am hoping...that reading that (above) will mean some decent pics...!

I am looking forward to...Meeting a Twitter friend on Tuesday. She's another Aviation Photography fanatic - we seem to have masses in common so it will be lovely to actually come face to face at last!

I am learning...how to use my whizzy new 100-400mm lens. It is the very first "pro standard" lens I have ever bought brand new for myself and I'm extremely pleased with it already - it will simplify life this summer for aviation photography, saving me carrying 2 lenses and camera bodies to airshows.

Around the house...MrEH is engrossed in his Newspaper. There is music on, rather than the TV, as we're both doing other things. There is a pile of paperwork awaiting our attention but we're both studiously pretending that's not there.

I am pondering...what on EARTH one is meant to write here.

A favorite quote for today...I'll give you a song lyric, instead -
"Why is this world so full of hate
People dying everywhere
And we destroy what we create
People fighting for their human rights
 But we just go on saying ce'est la vie"
(There must be more to life than this - Freddie Mercury)

One of my favorite things...Currently it's the lens. You'd already guessed that, huh?! 

A few plans for the rest of the week: Work and photography, mainly! 

A peek into my day...

Long Tailed Tit at Amwell, Herts. 

Robyn

You can find all the other Simple Woman's Daybook entires over at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ - why not join in and give us a peek into your day, too?


Tuesday, 14 January 2014

For Today...

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...It's dark. well I imagine it is, the curtains are snugly pulled against the night.

I am thinking...how satisfying challenge-setting can be. We have several for this year, from our new mortgage target, to doing lots of walking!

I am thankful...for the fact that we have the resources to be able to tackle those challenges.

In the kitchen...There is the lingering smell of dinner - a slow-cooked beef stew using Ox Cheek. Some of the meat has been rescued to be turned into a ragu tomorrow night to have as cannelloni, AND there are leftovers of the stew for the night after, too!

I am wearing...Pyjamas, of course, and a large snuggly fleece. And cosy knitted boot-slippers. It's cold, you know!

I am creating...lists. A list of this year's walks, a list of the birds we've seen this year. I pretty much always have to-do lists on the go too!

I am going...adventuring! Thanks to the East Coast trains ticket sale we have a day trip to York booked, and I'm doing a day trip to Leeds, too. Total cost of all these tickets was just £30!

I am wondering...How much further we can get on our next walking section of the Thames Path - we got all the way from our starting point at Hampton Court to Richmond Bridge on Sunday - very exciting!

I am reading...Nella Last in the 1950's - one of the "Nella Last's Diary" Series, about a lady who kept Mass Observation diaries. The first book "Nella Last's War" was turned into a TV film - "Housewife 49" starring Victoria Wood.

 I am hoping...to keep the cash spent on groceries through February to an absolute minimum. I'll be posting about this challenge on the blog shortly.

I am looking forward to...so many things, this year!

I am learning... that the more you walk, the further you want to go. Who knew?!

Around the house...there  are many books waiting to be read - we got absolutely masses of them for christmas!

I am pondering...Where we need to park the car to do our next stretch of the Lea Valley Walk -we're hoping to do a "Walk out, train back" this time. Maybe sunday...

A favorite quote for today...Not a quote as such, instead the RAF's motto "Per Ardua ad Astra" - Through Struggles to the Stars"

One of my favorite things...Currently, my 50mm lens. Having used it for our long walk on Sunday I'm remembering why I like it so much!

A few plans for the rest of the week: A quick shopping trip, more walking, and hopefully some quiet time.

A peek into my day...This is actually a peek into my Sunday - the very flooded Thames Path just east of Hampton Court - and yes, that is the back of a bench you can see!






This post is of course part of the Simple Woman's daybook which can be found HERE

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

For Today...

Joining in with the Simple Womans Daybook for february...

Outside my window...it's dark, and the wind is gusting around the building, splattering raindrops against the window.

I am thinking...about our meal plan for the next few weeks - with my "Frugal February" plan being well underway, I'm trying to make the best use of the contents of freezers, larder and cupboards. So far though the results are looking like being very tasty!

I am thankful...for the resources I have to keep warm, and dry, and fed, and clothed, and entertained.

In the kitchen...Jars of marmalade are lined up, glowing gently while they wait to be stashed away in our storecupboard for future use.

I am wearing...Pyjama bottoms, a cosy fleece, and snuggly slipperboots. Not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination, but lovely and warm.

I am creating...a simplified life for myself in the course of this year. Planning to streamline, to declutter and to introduce various small changes which will improve my own life and that of our household.

I am going...to several Islands this year. Orkney in a couple of months, the Hebrides in late spring, and hopefully another trip to the Farne islands in the Summer, too!

I am wondering...how the hell we are going to get all the marmalade into the cupboard....

I am reading...unashamed Chick-Lit - Penny Vincenzi's The Decision. Half way through, and it's not a life-changer, but a good read nonetheless!

I am hoping...for a good nights sleep.

I am looking forward to...several planned weekends with cheery friends. A simple meeting in a pub this weekend, a group weekend out and about in London at the beginning of next month with some fab girls, and a close friend staying for a few days the following week.

I am learning...Schumann, Gluck, and Purcell...

Around the house...the dehumidifier is whirring away behind me. As essential part of life here in the winter, it helps keep the damp at bay!

I am pondering...the fact that Karma is a wonderful thing, everything does indeed come to she who waits, and without a shadow of a doubt, what goes around, comes around. Or, to paraphrase - if you treat people like crap on the way up, they will undoubtedly be laughing as you pass on the way back down again!

A favorite quote for today...not a quote at all - a piece of music for you instead. This is one of the pieces I'm learning to play on the clarinet currently http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-vrkhZwwqM

One of my favorite things...My camera - since it's repair by those clever chaps at the Canon service Centre it has been such a joy to use. Sometimes you don't realise that something isn't behaving itself entirely as it should be, until such time as the problems are fixed!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Today is the last day of my working week, so a walk, some decluttering, some beer, and some rugby will be the order of the day over the next few days!

A peek into my day...Not today, but last Saturday, and the rugby lads looking very smart in their new kit...

Harlow RUFC "Saints"

Robyn

Sunday, 21 October 2012

For Today...


FOR TODAY

Outside my window...darkness is falling, along with a gentle drizzle.

I am thinking... that as so often happens, I am trying to do too many things at once, and as a result am completing none of them!

I am thankful... that I have some fantastic friends - all of whom can add something of value to a debate or conversation.

In the kitchen... the bread machine will be on shortly, with dough for rolls for our lunches this week.

I am wearing... cow-print PJ bottoms and a warm, cosy fleece which cost me the princely sum of £1 in a charity shop!

 I am creating...This blog post!

 I am going...Absolutely nowhere! It is Sunday evening and I am staying right where I find myself. Warm & cosy.

 I am wondering...Which of my several "jobs-on-the-go" I should go on to next...

 I am reading... "When I heard the Bell" - the story of Britains second-worst peacetime disaster after the Titanic - involving a ship I bet none of you have ever even heard of - the Iolaire.

 I am hoping...for good weather next weekend for my trip down to Devon to see my Mum-In-Law.

 I am looking forward to...My trip down to Devon next weekend to see my Mum-In-Law!

 I am learning...to play the clarinet. Again. It would have been easier if I hadn't given it up for the last 30 years.

 Around the house...it's quiet - MrEH is out picking rosehips, sloes and crabapples. The cat is sleeping.

 I am pondering...Whether "pondering" is the same as "wondering", and if so, whether the question 6 above this one, and this one itself, should have the same answer?

 A favorite quote for today...Honestly? I'm not good on quotes. Sometimes one leaps out at me, but only sometimes - I don't have a fund of them handy for every occasion!

 One of my favorite things...The fantastic autumn colour around us at the moment.

 A few plans for the rest of the week: Work, clarinet lesson, fab train journey to Devon.

A peek into my day...




Why not join in with your own "For Today" over at The Simple Womans Daybook


Robyn


Wednesday, 9 May 2012

For Today...

I decided it was time to revisit the Simple Woman's Daybook - this is an exercise I like to do occasionally, it's a chance to stop, to reflect, to revisit.

 Outside my window...It's very nearly dark. The sky is an inky blue with just a hint of light left in it.

 I am thinking...of the jobs I need to do before bed tonight - a load of washing to the machine, and a quick clean round of the kitchen

 I am thankful...that there are no demands on my time this evening, other than those few jobs. Some TV, some internet browsing, some time for me.

 In the kitchen...it needs a clean! Aargh!

 I am wearing...comfy jeans. You can;t beat a pair of comfy jeans - you know, the ones you've had forever, so they fit just right.....

 I am creating...I have created, this time - my new website, which went live yesterday - it was a lot of work but I'm very pleased with the result.

 I am going...to meet with some lovely friends in Brighton this weekend - there will be wandering, and tea, and cake, and photos.......how exciting!

 I am wondering...what the weather will be like for our trip to the Hebrides, they've had far better weather than we have down here for the past little while....we're hoping that's not going to change before we get there!

 I am reading...City Girl by Patricia Scanlon. Unashamed chick-lit!

 I am hoping...for a good weekend, some sunshine would be nice!

 I am looking forward to...Brighton! Cake! Lovely company!

 I am learning...how to darn socks effectively.

 Around the house...HRH The Cat is looking for trouble - uh-oh!

 I am pondering...the best way to make a case for my iPad.

 A favorite quote for today...If you don't climb, you can't fall, but then you never get to see the view.

 One of my favorite things...my wedding ring - as seen in the photo below. We've been married 12 years this year, time's just flown!

 A few plans for the rest of the week: Some work, some fun, some tea, some cake, and possibly some darning.