• 18 things for 2018
  • 2015 Challenge – 52 in 52
  • 2016 challenge – 52 new things
  • 2017 Challenge – 17 things
  • Bucket List – Done and dusted
  • Bucket List – Still to do
  • This is Me – May 2015
  • This was Me – August 2014

RuthsArc

~ Looking forward, looking back & enjoying now.

RuthsArc

Tag Archives: curiosity

Obvious things but ….

17 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, making changes

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astronomy, curiosity, me

… I hadn’t thought of this …

I know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Here, the sun is in the northern part of the sky. Estate agents comment on the benefits of a north facing aspect.

So, when looking at it, the sun moves from right to left across the sky. That’s going to mess with my sense of direction and inbuilt navigation.

Tonight, it’s a clear night and I could see Orion, but it was upside-down to my usual view.

.. or this …

In an emergency, my instinct is to dial 999. I just heard a news report of a serious house fire and that a mother called triple zero. I’ll have to remember 000 and hope I never need to use it.

Our journey around the Circle Line

04 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in days out, my place

≈ 2 Comments

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architecture, curiosity, day out, London

I’ve lived in London almost all of my life and have been travelling on the Underground since my teens.

Yesterday, Aussie Mate and I completed one of those long held, quirky, fascinations, to travel around the circle line, just for the sake of it, not because we had to actually get anywhere.

Back in the day, the Circle Line Challenge was a pub crawl, to have a drink at every station. But there are 27 stations on this line!

Being older and wiser (?) we created our own bespoke Circle Line Challenge, some coffee stops, some stops to take tourist photos, walking some sections, and yes, alcoholic drinks at some stations. We did exit and / or enter every station, taking a photo of the station sign as we went.

Challenge

We started at VICTORIA at 10.20 am and took the clockwise route to SLOANE SQUARE. The jewellers Tiffany and Cartier overlook the square. We began our day with a civilised breakfast and cup of English Tea in a nice French style cafe that was extremely busy at this hour of the morning. Business meetings, casual brunch gatherings. We people watched and noticed the expensive cars driving by.

Back on the westbound train, we got off at SOUTH KENSINGTON and walked above ground to the next station, GLOUCESTER ROAD. The properties in this area are blocks of five storey houses, with steps up to the front doors and steps down to the basement entrances. They reflect the historical “upstairs, downstairs” era, some down separated into flats with multiple doorbells.

The station buildings themselves are fascinating, ornate, dating back to 1868 with the opening of the Metropolitan Railway. As a modern day contrast, we looking in the window of the Lamborghini showroom opposite South Ken station.

Outside

We took the train, now heading northwards, to HIGH STREET KENSINGTON, a well know shopping street. The fashion market was a famous trend setter back in the 80’s. We found a coffee shop and stopped for a macchiato before getting back on the train.

At NOTTING HILL GATE we turned a corner into a street of antique shops, windows of ornate furniture, chandeliers. The Kensington Wine Bar beckoned to us, so at the 5th station and past midday, we had our first alcoholic drink.

Our walk to BAYSWATER was delightful. The sun came out and the wide open space of Kensington Gardens was alive with snow drops and a very tame robin, hopping on the bushes, happy to be photographed. We got back on the train to the next station.

PADDINGTON is famous for a certain fictional bear, so we wandered around the huge main line station, the city’s link to the west country of England. We found the expected references to the bear, a seat, a small statue.

But the main thing we wanted to find here, was the Statue to the Unknown Soldier, a large bronze statue of a British First World War soldier, dressed in battle gear, a helmet, woollen scarf, a greatcoat, who is looking down, reading a letter from home. This is a stunning war memorial of the Great Western Railway, for their staff who gave their lives in the Great War. In recent months it has inspired a project, where people from the UK and abroad have written letters to this soldier, as part of the WWI 100th anniversary commemorations. Thousands of letters have been received and are available to read online. Very moving.

Paddington Collage

We got back on the train, now heading eastbound, to EDGWARE ROAD. From here we walked along the busy Marylebone Road, past seven storey red brick Victorian apartment buildings, art deco blocks, offices and residential buildings. Madame Tussaud’s wax works museum has been on this road since 1835.

We detoured at BAKER STREET to find the fictional address of Sherlock Homes at 221B Baker Street. A crowd was gathered, queueing for their turn to have a photo taken in front of the front door. A Sherlock Homes Museum is next door.

An unexpected treat on Baker Street, was the window of the “Transport for London” Lost Property Office, which contained some objects left on the tube and buses over the years.

Baker St Collage

The train then took us to GREAT PORTLAND STREET. This is a unusual station, sited in the middle of a traffic island. This station opened in 1863 and is a Grade II listed building. This section of circle line between Paddington and Farringdon, is the oldest underground passenger railway in the world. Just around the corner from the station is the beautiful Georgian crescent of townhouses. Regents Park and London Zoo are across the road to the north.

Back on the train to EUSTON SQUARE, we then walked along Euston Road, past the British Library, and the recently refurbished St Pancras Hotel, where we stopped for a cocktail and snacks in the hotel bar. The bar looked out to the Eurostar platforms and the huge “Meeting Place” statue.

St Pancras Collage

KINGS CROSS ST PANCRAS is a shared tube station for the two main line stations that cover the north of England, Scotland. We’re almost half way round. This is turning into a long blog post, but please stay with me.

We got back on the train to FARRINGDON where we had a different view of the station below the exit walkways. The walk to BARBICAN was fascinating, through different eras of history. We started by walking through Smithfield Meat Market built in 1829, destroyed by bombs during the Second World War but still in use today. The iron fencing and gates are original and believed to be in original Victorian colours. Across the street is St Bart’s Hospital and church, the oldest hospital in Europe, still on the same site since 1123. The church is often used in films, including “Four Weddings and a Funeral”. We walked along backstreets that were part of Roman London to the 1960’s built Barbican of today.

City

We got off the train at MOORGATE and had a glass of wine in a pub I used to frequent regularly during my working life here in the square mile City of London. There are pubs on every corner in this part of London.

Back on the train again to LIVERPOOL STREET, (the main line station for the east of England) where we walked through Spitalfields Market, now a refurbished area of restaurants, food stalls, free staring market stalls and permanent shops. This is an interesting mix of residential area on the border of the the influential finance and city work areas. It was now dark and 6pm so we had another glass of wine and some sliders, near my old office at ALDGATE. The circle line was now heading southward.

Another hop on the train to TOWER HILL, where we had views of a full moon as we exited this station, and Tower Bridge and the Tower of London just over the road. Both iconic buildings looked great in their floodlights. At another pub, full of city workers, I opted for a coffee this time. We were now heading west again and on the last leg of our journey.

One of the exits of MONUMENT station is right beside the tower that is the monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is the tallest free standing stone column in the world and when it was constructed in 1677 it was originally designed to be a telescope as well as a monument.

A short walk took us to CANNON STREET then train to MANSION HOUSE where we got out to view St Paul’s Cathedral in the night light, and had a quick stop in a pub to warm up. We were now drinking shorts, before getting back on the train.

At BLACKFRIARS we went into a pub that we have often driven past. It is called the Blackfriar and is an art nouveau pub dating back to 1905, with friars depicted in reliefs, sculptures and mosaics. A very unusual interior.

The train took us to TEMPLE station, which is to the south of the Law Courts and legal district of London. We walked along the Embankment, overlooking the River Thames, to EMBANKMENT station. We had views of the river, the London Eye. We passed Cleopatra’s Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk given to the UK in 1819. The needle is flanked by two sphinxes, one showing holes and damage from a First World War bomb.

Embankment Collage

At Embankment, we had another glass of wine in Gordon’s Wine Bar, a 19th century bar deep in the vaults below street level. A great atmosphere but very crowded. I’ll write a separate post about some of our favourite London bars and pubs.

We were flagging by the time we got off the train at WESTMINSTER and took the exit to get photos of Big Ben. We heard the familiar chime as the clock tower showed 9pm.

We got back on the train to ST JAMES’S PARK and had a final glass of wine and shared platters in a pub opposite the station. We relaxed for a while, knowing that we were at the end of our challenge. The pedometer on my iphone stated we had walked 33,522 paces, no wonder we felt tired.

We finally got off the train at VICTORIA, twelve hours after we started this adventure. It was a great day. We paced ourselves and enjoyed every stop, every walk. We saw some favourite spots in London and found some new ones, some unexpected treats. Our Circle Line Challenge completed with 1 cup of tea, 2 coffees, 1 cocktail, 2 malibu’s and 5 glasses of wine.

Platforms Collage

A day at The Old Bailey – misconduct, assault and murder.

13 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in days out, photography

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architecture, curiosity, day out, London, photos

What a fascinating day.

We went to The Old Bailey today, to observe the proceedings from the public galleries. We didn’t know what specific trials were taking place. Online information simply stated the case number, the defendant’s name and courtroom number.

We walked around the outside of this iconic building, on the site of Newgate Prison, taking the attached photos. It was a lucky fluke to have blue skies for a short time, as we’d left home in the rain and it was raining again when courts adjourned for lunch. The public galleries are open daily between 10am and 1pm, again between 2pm and 4pm.

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Thanks to Trip Advisor, we knew food, drink, electronic gadgets including mobile phones were not allowed in the building, so we left our phones at a reputable letting agency across the street, for a £1 fee. After queuing outside for a while, family members were allowed inside first, then we followed, going through security checks at the door. We did not get to see the beautiful ornate Grand Hall, we used a back entrance with access solely to the public galleries, a plain ordinary staircase and corridors.

Once inside, courts are arranged on three floors. Court officials advised what trials were in session and were happy to answer general questions. Initially, there was only one court occupied, so that is where we started. Throughout the day, we observed three different trials and followed the proceedings for an hour or more, in each courtroom. The process is slow, precise, exact.

Trial A – misconduct in public office
This courtroom was a hive of activity, presided over by a judge in wig and red robes.
Facing the judge were three rows of seats for legal counsel, occupied by eighteen people, twelve gowned and wigged.
The dock was on the back wall, facing the judge. Three men sat in this glassed area, along with a security man.
The jury, which consisted of six men and six women, mixed ages, sat at right angels, near the front of the court.
There were five people in the press seats, also on the side wall, towards the back.
Our view from the gallery was high-up, facing the jury. We had sight of the witness box below us, but not sure what else was beneath our seats.

We heard the prosecution counsel set out their case. The evidence included various news articles published by The Sun newspaper back in 2007 and the amounts paid to informants. We learned afterwards that there were in fact, six defendants, each having two counsel representatives, hence the crowded courtroom. The defendants were either public officials or journalists and the trial related to the “phone hacking” investigations of “Operation Elveden”.

There was a constant rustle of paper and pages being turned, with each counsel having half a dozen thick binders of paperwork in front of them. Jurors shared one binder between two. There were separate files of colour coded timelines, all referred to by page and line numbers. Counsel and the judge had laptops too. After a while, we left this court room to see if other trials had begun for the day.

Trial B – indecent assault
The court had similar setup, this time with a female judge in black gown but only two counsel with an assistant each. There was much less paperwork involved in this trial.
The jury again consisted of six men and six women.
We heard the defence counsel question a protected witness, who sat behind a curtain. The defendant was a doctor while the witness was one of his patients.
The judge took more notes and interrupted several times to clarify points for her self and for the jury. There was detailed questioning back and forth to emphasise points in the witness statement and clarify anomalies.

Trial C – murder
We joined this trial after lunch. Same courtroom setup, male judge, four counsel and four assistants.
The jury in this case consisted of eight men and four women.
We heard the prosecution counsel question a witness, the murder victims widow. As she was a foreigner, all questions and answers went through a translator. Expecting slower progress with the translation process, we in fact learnt a lot about the murder incident in the hour and half we were in court. At one point, we were asked to leave, along with the jury, for a short break while legal questions took place. Again there was limited paperwork, but pages with layout of the murder scene, pictures of specific rooms and the murder weapon were referred to. This witness will return tomorrow for cross examination by the defence counsel.

It was a very interesting day, some trials more absorbing than others. I had sympathy for the jurors on the first trial. Once outside the Old Bailey when we were free to talk about the day and what we’d seen and heard, the trials occupied our discussion for several hours over lunch and our journey home.

I did jury service twenty five years ago, in a local court, on a drug smuggling case at Gatwick airport. The trial only lasted four days and i remember a lot of waiting around, initially to be called into a trial, to go through jury selection, then wait to be discharged mid way through the second week. I found it intriguing and the jury decision making process to be thought provoking. Twelve of us had sat thought the same trial, heard the same evidence and questioning, but had picked up different highlights and priorities. The ensuing debate was enlightening, even thought we eventually agreed on a verdict.

My experience of jury service was before the internet or today’s technology. I was amazed at the information I was able to access on the internet within a couple of minutes, on the defendants and the three trials that we viewed today.

Trial by jury was established in the UK in 1215 with a clause in the Magna Carta, determining the premise of “innocent until proven guilty” and “lawful judgement by his peers”.

An unusual free day out, highly recommended.

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Something new for the New Year

01 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, creativity, more to life

≈ 2 Comments

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curiosity, me

Rather than setting traditional new year resolutions, or having open ended ambitions on a bucket list, here’s a different idea.

52 Things in 52 Weeks.

There are other variations …..
101 in 1001 – 101 things in 1001 days. This seemed too long a timeframe for me.
30 by 30 – 30 thins by age 30. That boat sailed decades ago!

7 Things 4 2015
Learn to … a new skill or hobby?
Start … develop a habit
Stop … break a habit
Take a holiday to … where you’d most like to go
Find … what are you looking for?
Try … one new thing you want to try
Be more … a personal characteristic to improve

There are some great ideas on http://www.dayzeroproject.com

These ideas tie in with business world SMART objectives and goal setting – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound.

So here are my “52 in 52” – in no particular order –

1 ~ Visit Gibraltar
2 ~ Live in another country for 6 months minimum
3 ~ Drive a left hand drive car on the right hand side of the road
4 ~ Send a postcard every week for a year
5 ~ Join “postcrossing”
6 ~ Blog for a year
7 ~ Drive along Australia’s Great Ocean Road
8 ~ Visit Puddleduck Vineyard, Tasmania on a picnic day or duck race day
9 ~ Live by the sea
10 ~ Get a new job
11 ~ Do some voluntary work
12 ~ Visit Cradle Mountain National Park, Tasmania
13 ~ Complete 365 Photo a Day
14 ~ Make blueberry muffins
15 ~ Make a driftwood Christmas tree
16 ~ Complete “a sentence a day” journal
17 ~ Learn the Southern night sky
18 ~ See the Milky Way
19 ~ See moon rise over the ocean
20 ~ See moon set over the ocean
21 ~ Bake my own bread
22 ~ Skinny dip in the ocean
23 ~ Go to a drive in movie
24 ~ Participate in a protest
25 ~ Go to an Aussie Rules match
26 ~ Go to a rugby match
27 ~ Paint a picture
28 ~ Revisit MONA in Hobart
29 ~ Get to a healthy BMI and maintain it
30 ~ Visit Western Australia
31 ~ Send a message in a bottle
32 ~ Observe a court case at The Old Bailey, London
33 ~ Learn more photography techniques
34 ~ Learn more photo editing techniques
35 ~ Watch 10 movies that were made before I was born
36 ~ Take a moonlit walk on a beach
37 ~ Lie on my back in the rain and watch the drops fall
38 ~ Draw a picture / message in the sand on a beach
39 ~ Breakfast at the Duck and Waffle, Heron Tower in London
40 ~ Dinner at Garagistes restaurant in Hobart
41 ~ Hike on Mount Wellington, Hobart
42 ~ Re-read my original gap year journals from 1985
43 ~ Reduce my alcohol intake, alcohol free weekdays unless special occasion
44 ~ Visit Penitentiary Chapel in Hobart
45 ~ Regularly go to the local farmers market
46 ~ Make banana bread with C~M
47 ~ Complete London Underground Circle Line challenge – my own version
48 ~ Expand my Twitter network
49 ~ Expand my blog network and blogs I follow
50 ~ Organise my jewellery and wear items more often
51 ~ Sort out my wardrobe and be realistic
52 ~ Take a selfie every week for a year

Happy New Year to all.

An unexpected joy of old credit card statements

06 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, remembering / musing

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curiosity, day out, me

This week, we wanted to return a faulty kitchen item that we thought was still under guarantee. I couldn’t find the actual receipt so checked back on our credit card statements to determine when we bought it.

Ignoring the holiday items, flights, hotels, foreign restaurants and sightseeing…… ignoring the regular items on each statement, the groceries and petrol…… other items brought back many happy memories…..
~ day out at the Eden Project
~ delicious mussels at “Belgo” restaurant
~ the new pair of shoes back in the spring
~ the Pandora bead now blended with the dozen others on my bangle
~ a spontaneous afternoon glass of wine and snack at “The Swan at The Globe Theatre”, overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral and the Thames on a summer day
~ a visit to the Science Museum and a few items from their shop
~ an occasional Chinese meal from our local take away
~ gifts for family and friends
~ flowers ordered in UK, delivered to a friend in NZ
~ was it really that long ago since we cleared the garden and garage and hired a skip?
~ days out in Greenwich often with a drink at our favourite pub
~ a ladies lunch with my Mum, Aunt and cousins
~ an occasional item of clothing, oh I still love that blouse
~ a recommended paperback book from a bookstore, a change from my usual ebooks
~ an evening at the theatre

I wasn’t looking at the amounts on the statement, or the final balance. The stress of that has long gone. I was just looking at the descriptions and reliving fun times, happy feelings.

We expect certain things to evoke memories, photos, conversations, sometimes smells, sounds, music, but a credit card statement? When I approached this small task, I was not expecting a joyful review of my year.

And yes, it was still under guarantee and the shop exchanged it, no problem.

Mental challenges and daily photographs

30 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, creativity, more to life, remembering / musing

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curiosity, me, photos

Mid August I found a “photo a day” challenge on a blog and I decided to join the Facebook group. I challenged myself to post every day. Today I have completed my 100th consecutive day.

Friends are suggesting that I must have too much time on my hands if I’m able to post a photo relating to the daily word prompt but in reality it only takes a few moments.

The up side is the thought process to decide what to photograph, the inspiration of seeing other people’s interpretation of the prompt and seeing other people’s pictures. It has released a level of creativity that I certainly was not using in my working life. The prompts for the next day or two are in the back of my mind, and random ideas jump into my head. Some days it has been difficult to chose a particular idea or photo.

One day the prompt was “loud”. I thought of fireworks, balloons to be popped, music practice when the girls were younger (sax, trumpet, drums were definitely loud, keyboard and flute, less so), local church spire as thursday evening bell ringing practice is loud. I thought of volume buttons on tv, radio, stereo, iPhone, or all the cd’s sitting on shelves. The photo I finally posted was of a loud kids game that I found whilst sorting out a cupboard. Other people have posted photos of tools or machinery, loud colours, aeroplanes, motorbikes, noisy kids, as well as some of the ideas I had above.

I am looking at the world in a different way. When the prompt was “triangle” or stripes” I was seeing those shapes or patterns everywhere. I guess I have time to notice, my days are not such a rush now. Stripes – bannisters, the fence, socks and tops, book covers and ring binders, pencils lined up on the table, venetian blinds, a zebra crossing, lamp posts down the road, a row of trees in the park. Triangle – a piece of toast, the dogs ear, a broken paving slab, a give way sign, petals of a flower, triangles are everywhere in architecture, in bridges, buildings, windows. Other ideas were of kites, sailboats, pizza or cake slices and toblerone pieces.

Is this gestalt? The brain looking for sequences, repetitions, order. The need to straighten a hanging picture or mirror. When you think of buying a new car, you suddenly notice that model of car everywhere. With a prompt in mind, my brain is unconsciously searching for examples to group together. I’m happy to think of this photo a day challenge as positive mental stimulation, more enjoyable then a cryptic crosswords or a sudoku puzzle. It’s making me think outside of the box, away from the obvious. As I look back on three and a bit month’s of photos, it reflects my “journey” during these months, some reflection but also each day, right now.

Long may this happy snapping continue.

PAD lists 100 days

PAD August collage

PAD September collage

PAD October collage

PAD Nov collage

You’ve got to love the Irish logic

18 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me, days out

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curiosity, Ireland, me

The Irish have messed with my internal compass, with my sense of direction.

The tourist map showed north to the left.

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The first tourist information plinth we saw showed north to the right.

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My brain computes with north at the top. That was my excuse for getting lost occasionally whist walking around the city, and for getting cross with the sat nav lady when driving.

I’m not sure how my internal compass will work when we move to the southern hemisphere. A long undecided dilemma in our family……in Sydney, when walking along George Street, Pitt Street, Elizabeth Street or Macquarie Street , do you walk up to Circular Quay or down to the quay?…….. Up because you are heading north or down because it is downhill?

There were a few other quirky things we noticed in Belfast. We parked on the 2nd floor of a car park, walked down one flight of stairs and arrived at the ground floor…….?The following day we took the lift and it only had buttons for even number floors.

An odd comment came when we ordered two “eggs benedict” for breakfast. The waiter came back and said that they could only do one. We asked what ingredient they had run out of, to be told “poached eggs but we can do fried eggs for you.” That was when I started to worry about the food and how long ago the eggs had actually been cooked. We chose somewhere else for breakfast the next day, for fresh baked scones and muffins.

Antique or tat?

09 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by RuthsArc in creativity, days out

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curiosity, day out, London

What makes something valuable? It seems to be a very personal thing.

Last Sunday, we went to Portobello Road to experience the famous street market. We’d never been there before. It was a lovely sunny day. There was an eclectic mix of people browsing. There were quirky tourist shops and stalls, boutiques, vintage clothes, art, memorabilia and antiques all mixed along the road. It had a relaxed and friendly vibe, but unique, different from other market areas in London, such as Camden Lock, Covent Garden, Brick Lane or Borough Market. They all have their own feel and niche.

Portobello Road has been known for antiques since the 1950’s although the market itself goes back to early 1800’s. We walked past some lovely houses, in this Notting Hill area. A blue plaque marked George Orwell’s home in 1927.

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We enjoyed perusing the shops and stalls. However, when we got home we looked at our own possessions with different eyes. Especially the things we have decided not to store, but to give away, pass on or throw out.

We are keeping things for nostalgic reasons. We are packing some ornaments or things with sentimental connections. I haven’t sorted photos, I’ve just put them in a storage box. It would be nice to go through them all when both daughters are here. Clothes are interesting, and it is difficult to part with some old favourites, even though they are past their best. I guess some of our things could be classed as vintage and may be valuable if we had the time or inclination to sell them.

It seems one person’s tat can easily be another person’s antique. That is what makes us all interesting and individual and makes the world such a fascinating place.

As a contrast to Portobello Road, we went up to Camden Lock in the afternoon. It’s another great London market, which was very crowded, very loud. There were lots of arts and crafts along with food stalls of all description, which created a heady mix of aromas. The kids love the clothes, shoes, fashions that have originated here over the past forty years.

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No internet, what’s the problem?

17 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by RuthsArc in all about me

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curiosity, me

This morning we had internet problems. We then realized that we had no cable tv either. I phoned the customer service number for our cable / internet service provider and heard the automated message “We apologise for the technical issue in your area which we hope to resolve by 6.35pm.”

Ok, that’s fine. I am not a tech junkie, or a nerd. There are plenty of things I have to do today. I don’t watch day time tv. I can survive without facebook for a few hours.

I’ll just look at the news…. BBC and SMH
I can read our online subscription of The Times
I can listen to the new album that I pre-ordered on itunes
I can read the new free book on my kindle, that I bought on amazon last night
I can skype S~E in Sydney to see how she got on with first days of jury service
I can imessage C~M that her parcel has been delivered by “the ups man”.
I can email my query to work pension scheme
I can check the weather for tomorrow
I can check AUD to GBP exchange rate as I need to juggle birthday gifts for C~M
I can look at restaurant menus for Sunday lunch
I need to do some online banking
I can play angry birds or candy crush
I can update my blog
I can get creative with some photos on picmonkey
I can send a postcard with touchnote

Oh…..

I’ll have to listen to the news and music on the radio
Or go buy an actual news paper
Or listen to cd’s or music previously downloaded into my itunes library
Or read a real paper book of the shelf
Or text or phone my daughters
Or phone the pension people
Or play a card game, with a pack of cards
Or go into town to do my banking

So instead of the day I had planned
I did some gardening
I went to the gym and for a swim
I hand wrote some cards, went to the post office
I wrapped presents for C~M’s birthday
I drafted emails, to send later
I created this blog post to upload later

I relaxed without…..
The constant need to check for updates on facebook or twitter
The rings and beeps of a new email or imessage

The world went on regardless.

September Challenge

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by RuthsArc in making changes

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

curiosity, me

This is the beginning of my non-employment. I will need some structure to my days and to the weeks. I am not on holiday! I have things to do.

So I have a “to do” list, obviously. These are the key goals for the month.

Sort out some of our possessions every day
~ ~ Begin the “pack up our home” process
Take at least one possession out of the house each day
~ ~ Donate, pass it forward, sell, recycle or dump
Eat less, move more
~ ~ Daily walk, daily swim/gym/wii fit

Four days into the month and so far, so good 🙂

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