Life!

Do you need a break? From what?

Take a break…. Lunch? No

What then?

Less stress, more rest….

But things keep going on

Coming at me

Bashing my mind

Thumping. My. Body

Some of it my own fault

But lost without my soulmate.

Tired and alone

Just want to stop the world

And get off

Leave the trolls behind

Hibernate, hide from. Life.

Not giving up

Just relaxing.

Worry

How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?

I was going along, minding my own business, when things started to go wrong. You know that you want to carry on the same way as you have done for decades, but it’s impossible.

Life is a process of getting older, bits don’t exactly drop off, but they stop working properly. Illness and health can have a massive impact. Sometimes you can feel better, other times you feel worse and that causes problems and pressure to deal with.

Youth is a wonderful thing but it’s over so soon and we don’t appreciate it until its gone. The trouble is, if you enjoy your youth you might not last to see old age!

Decluttering

Something on your “to-do list” that never gets done.

I haven’t lost my marbles, yet!

Or any other thing!

To spring clean or not?

But my stuff is mine

It comforts me

Makes me feel whole.

It’s there on my list

Things to do

Choose books to keep

And to loose.

But I can’t move

I am stuck

In sadness and grief

Unable to change my life.

Work computer

Write about your first computer.

I had a work computer before one at home. The screen was covered in green writing to add information. There were no pictures, you had to use a mouse and keyboard. If you wanted to get on the Internet you had to use a modem. That made funny squeaky noises when it commented. I remember we had to defragment the computer every few months. That meant spending ages waiting for all the files on the computer to defragment. But you had to watch it so you could click a button at the end. I also remember you had to send information by fax.

Cycling

What are your favorite sports to watch and play?

I love cycling, it’s been a while since I did any, but I still love it on TV. The tour de France, the tour of Britain, the Vuelta, I try and catch all of them when I can.

I think Mark Cavendish was a brilliant sprinter. He won more stages than any other cyclist in the history of the tour. I think it was 35 over 15 years. He’s from the isle of Man and represented it well.

I like the female tours aswell but they aren’t as well publicised and I’m not sure who the best racers are.

I remember riding down hills and trying to keep up with my hubby who was very fast. He even came third in a big race once against tricyclists. He was the real cyclist, but I’m glad he got me into the sport.

Christine

Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.

From ancestry.com

Variations ChristinaKhristine

Christie

From ancestry.com

“The name Christine has its origins in the English language and carries the meaning Follower of Christ. It is a feminine name derived from the masculine name Christian, which itself originates from the Greek word christianos. The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages and has since remained widely used in various cultures around the world.”

And yet when I looked up WordPress free image library to find something to illustrate this only four pictures appear. This was the prettiest one, but really not relevant!

I suppose the name has always had some influence on me, even though I don’t really call myself Christian I follow a lot of Christianity’s rules. I believe in compassion, care, equality, freedom, respect, charity. I think the world needs to try and work towards all these things.

Maybe being called Christine is like nominative determinism, the name pushes you into certain paths? I don’t know but I think it influenced me.

Driving to Plymouth

Think back on your most memorable road trip.

Can be wet and windy!

In the 1980’s we went to visit a friend from college for the first time. It was a journey we would make every couple of years until  he moved up to the North of England.

We lived in the Midlands and I’d learnt to drive about 6 months before. I was driving a Morris Marina.

We took the M6 then M5 motorways until it ran out and changed to an A road. We stopped off for breakfast at a service station because the journey was about 240 miles. I hadn’t been on a motorway very often and as we came out of the service station  I ended up on the North bound slip road! I did something illegal. I reversed back down the road and then took the South road!

Luckily the route was very simple, we got to Plymouth, and the house we were visiting was a few hundred yards away from the motorway junction. I remember we took bicycles on the roof of the car so the rest of the week was spent cycling to beaches and visiting various interesting places. The trip back was uneventful!

This was pre satnav and we used maps to navigate. To be honest I still use an A to Z if I want to find somewhere. But my driving is restricted to short journeys these days.

An AI filter business

Come up with a crazy business idea.

I’m getting irritated about seeing silly AI spoofs coming up on my social media feed. Most of them are about aliens or apocalyptic situations. Or non scientific ideas wrapped up in fakery to mislead people so my idea ™ (©) for a business would be an app to block them. Just press the button for a small charge and all fake AI and CGI would be removed from your feed, I think it might be an award winning idea.

A striped tee shirt

Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?

I miss that tee shirt

It was orange and white

I felt like a pirate

Fun to play in.

I was only a child

Wore it forever

But it wore through

Holes in the cotton

But wouldn’t let it go!

Eventually grew out of it

My mom used it to dust!

A hundred?

What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

Not me!

Old, not a word I dread, as long as my mind and body continue to work. I want to keep going. I don’t think there is anything after life, I seriously doubt it, so I want to be me for as long as I can.

Health is the problem. Co-morbidities are flung at me at a rapid rate. One thing or another to take tablets for, carefully balanced to keep me going. Unless the pharmacy can’t get my pills, they are out of stock, suppliers let them down. Almost every month there is a problem where I’m left owed something.

After all that I would like to leave a legacy of my art. I hope my paintings won’t get thrown out, maybe I can keep going for seberal more years. I will try.