My Geography teacher

Posted on March 22, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1885, geo politics, Geography, Influence, Learning, Memory, School, teacherLeave a comment

Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

My geography teacher influenced me a great deal. I can’t remember his name and I gave up geography when I had to choose my subjects for my exams. I couldn’t carry on because the lessons clashed with art which was always going to be my main subject.

The reason for the influential effect was the thoughtfulness of the teacher. We learnt a broad range of things from the crops some countries grew, to vulcanism, plate tectonics, details of maps, and lots of other information. The lessons were interesting, the teacher got our attention. He explained things clearly, he was patient and understanding. We got an insight into the geo politics of the world.

I wish I could remember his name but despite my poor memory I think he was most influential.

Shot in the dark?

Posted on March 22, 2024March 22, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged athletes, Competition, Fun, fundraising, Life, Quiz, quizzing, special OlympicsLeave a comment

Just back from a quiz

I’ve just been out to a fundraising evening that was to support athletes who will be competing in the Special Olympics for the United kingdom.

It was fun, with cryptic questions to identify local place names “angry bird” was Heron Cross for instance.

The most difficult one was a percentage guessing game. These were the set called “a shot in the dark” . One question was what percentage of people of the Earth’s Population has ever been on a plane? I think the answer was 6%? There was a lot of debate in our team. You could get 3 points if you got the exact answer and 1 if you came within 5%. We did quite well and our team came third which for a group of strangers was pretty good.

I really enjoyed it and I’d like to do it again. I’d forgotten how much I like quizzes and how competitive I can be!

Spend more time with my cats

Posted on March 21, 2024 Posted in Cat, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Black and white cat, Cat, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1884, Fun, high jinks, Humour, Memory, Morning, Poem, Poetry, Rhyme, Time, Tuxedo catLeave a comment

What do you wish you could do more every day?

Get up in the morning with my cats

They are running around like bats

I mean silly rushing

Each one pushing

The boundaries of reason

But it’s the spring season

Jumping about then resting

And they’re always questing

To find a nook and cranny

To hide in like a canny

Cat, ready to pounce

Or at least flounce

Off in a huff

Which can be rough

To their friendly mate

Who’s left in a state

Of shock

After a sock

In the face with a paw

When they were calm before

Getting all het up

When they meet up

On the bed

They sort of see red

And chase

Yes that’s the case!

Hi jinks

When a claw sinks

In your nose

But it’s fun I suppose!

Esther’s prompt, Nostalgia

Posted on March 20, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged 1960's, 1970's, Esther Chilton, happiness, Life, Memory, Nostalgia, Prompt, Thinking, WritingLeave a comment

I really like writing to prompts.

Here’s a short response to the word Nostalgia:

Nostalgia hits me all the time now. I long to be back in simpler times. Old TV shows from the 60s and 70s remind me of past times when I thought adventure was real. Hero’s could do anything. Irony did not exist and no one suffered real hardship. Nostalgia is sneaky, comfy, mostly happy. If I could make life better I would create nostalgic bliss.

Air

Posted on March 18, 2024March 18, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Air, Art, Blue, Earth, Fine Art, Fire, Imagination, Painting, Time, WaterLeave a comment

A painting from a few years ago, a bit burry with camera shake. It’s one of four I did to represent Earth, Air, Fire and Water. It was a series I really enjoyed. Working with the flow of paint, allowing my imagination free rein. It’s acrylic on canvas. Two of the set had already been sold and I was thinking of painting replacement images. I wish I had, I’m not sure I ever will. X

I didn’t know you could sing like that?

Posted on March 18, 2024March 18, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged compliment, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1881, Friends, Memory, Music, Piano, Singing, voiceLeave a comment

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

I was with a friend on a training course once. We were in a hall with a piano and she decided to play. I started singing along, ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’.

Part way through another friend came in and complimented my friend for her singing, assuming that it had been her voice not mine. She pointed out it was me. He said something like, ‘oh I didn’t realise you could sing like that!’ and ‘you were very good!’. I wasn’t sure how to take it. Should singers look a certain way? But I think it was the best compliment because he judged it on my voice, not my appearance.

Car

Posted on March 17, 2024March 17, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged A to B, carbon footprint, cross country, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1880, Life, shared transport, Travel, varied geology4 Comments

You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?

Hopefully I could share the trip with a friend as I don’t drive far these days. Cross Country would be a limited journey, probably into Wales, the Peak District or a bit further afield to Devon or the Lake District.

We are very lucky to have beautiful countryside in the UK, I guess because it rains so much it keeps the plants watered most of the time. But things have got a bit worse over recent years with droughts and flooding.

The UK is about the same size as the American state of Texas, but the geology here is very varied, so you can enjoy all sorts of interesting and also historic places on this hypothetical cross country trip. From ancient monuments like Stonehenge, to Scottish battlefields and great mountains. I’d also recommend places like the Welsh village of Portmeirion, an Italianate style village on the coast near Snowdonia. It was built by an eccentric architect and appears in the 1960’s adventure series “The Prisoner” which is equally eccentric.

I would not use a plane, train or bus to travel, I prefer to stop when and where I want, so it can take a long time for me to get from A to B, (probably taking in C D and E at the same time). But these days I keep my carbon footprint low, so it’s not going to be a frequent thing. If I was young and healthy it would be by bike. I have fond memories of cycling through the English countryside, but that’s another story.

My friend

Posted on March 16, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Confidence, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1879, Friend, Life, Memory, Poem, PoetryLeave a comment

Who is the most confident person you know?

My friend was the most confident

Always full of go

Tackled problems

Always in the know…

I wish she was still around

But she left a while ago

To pastures new

With confidence

But no big ego!

I wished her luck

And said go with the flow!

Expensive

Posted on March 16, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged brake pipes, brakes, Car, Expensive, Life, old car, pre 2000, Repairs, Time, TravelLeave a comment

I just had to have work on my car. It had lots of problems with corroded brakes and break pipes, plus my old mechanic has retired. So I don’t think I got as much support as we have had for the last twenty years or so. My car is pre 2000 so parts are hard to get.

It’s worrying because I don’t think I will be able to afford to have it fixed again next year

It also has several advisories that show that there will be similar problems or worse next year. I will have to think outside the box. Really I think I need an automatic, I want to stay safe on the road.

Gratitude book

Posted on March 15, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1878, gratitude, Life, Memories, Poem, Poetry, Sadness, Thoughts4 Comments

What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?

My gratitude book it is blank

I feel like I’ve nothing to thank

Thinking all things are bad

When there is some good

But I keep on getting so sad…

I may try and fill in the blank

Pages with three thoughts a day

But it’s been so hard

To find the right way

I really don’t know what to say.

Words and drawings

For over a year

I collected my

Thoughts so dear

But then in December

Bad things I remember

Made me give up

On any small cheer.

I’ll start again one day

If my troubles do go away

My mind is in rubble

With no happy bubble

I hope that’s not how I will stay.

Mallaband-Brown

Category: Memories