Tag: World

Happy Thanksgiving

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We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK. It comes from the arrival of settlers in the USA and their survival despite the conditions there. I don’t know much about its history, it seems like many of the same treats and foods for Christmas are eaten during Thanksgiving. I know people make their way home to be with family and friends.

I have been to Plymouth in Devon, England, where the Mayflower left to go to America, but there is some argument about where it first set out from, and I believe there was another ship due to travel across the ocean, but it was in such poor condition that it did not go. I’m interested in the history of the celebration, and the variations between it and Christmas or other winter celebrations. I wonder if it’s similar to our harvest festivals earlier in autumn?

Mushrooms or fungi?

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A plethora of fungi in the garden today, not sure what they are, but we have an old tree stump and I think these are growing on its roots? I need to clear away all the empty flowerpots, give them a good wash so we can pot plants on in the spring. We spent a couple of hours planting pyracantha and roses next to the old hedge, hoping they grow up nice and spiky.

One armed pressups

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What’s something most people don’t know about you?

When I was young I read that the world record for one armed pressups was one. It was a fun fact in a comic I used to read. I asked my mom to watch me and I did two, my Mom said it was closer to 2 1/2 so we wrote in explaining what I had done.

A few, weeks later I bought the comic and opened it up only to find a cartoon of a muscular man in sports gear collapsed on the floor, and a cartoon of a young girl in running gear smiling as she continued to do one armed pressups. The little write up below explained what I had done! I was amazed and proud to find the little article!

It was never ratified, I never held an official world record, but it was an amazing experience. I cut the article out and carries it round in my purse until it fell apart! Not many people know this about me!

Getting organised

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What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?

I’ve been disorganised and muddled for a while. I need to get some semblance of organisation back in my life.

So, I am trying to use my diary more, and not ignore it. I’ve got into the habit of moving things on instead of doing things. I’ve got to stop. I think I mustn’t overload myself with plans.

My main problem is procrastination. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, I get worried about how I’m going to get something done, that leads to anxiety, and I find it easier not to do the thing that needs doing.

Life has a way of getting involved, things crop up and stop you in your tracks. Pain and anxiety mix into a cocktail of disasters. The world spins you round the wrong way and everything gets out of kilter.

So now I have to start getting over things, I need to break my fears down into achievable goals, or I will just sink into a deeper mess. Getting organised is definitely my number one priority.

No sleep

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Nothing helped last night, counting backwards, trying breathing techniques, listening to the radio on very quietly. I couldn’t get comfortable, the bed cover was wrinkled, I kept getting cramp.

I’m surrounded by three cats, one on an armchair, one on the settee, which was getting in the way of my legs, one on the cat tree. I just realised they are being supportive. I know it sounds strange, but they have become much more attentive since my injury.

I’m going to make a warm decaff coffee and try and sleep…

And yet I’m just listening to the awful news about the flooding in Libya and the Earthquake in Morocco. My problem is nothing compared with that. The world is a cruel place.

Poverty

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If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

I wish I didn’t need to use the word poverty, in this country and about the rest of the world.

Poverty can be relative, a millionaire can feel poor in relation to a billionaire. But that’s not real. Or someone who lives in a first world nation can struggle to survive on a very low income, having to chose between heating and eating.

But I think true poverty is in countries wracked by famine, war, sickness or all three. When starvation is rife, and children are stunted by lack of food and clean water.

And yet there are eighty men in the world that own the same amount of money as half the world’s population. That’s 80 : 4,000,000,000. Each one has an average amount of money equal to 50,000,000 individuals.

If only our world was not so unequal. I’m not talking about complete equality, people would fight to the death over that, but perhaps a bit more generous support for the poor and more taxes for the rich. Perhaps charitable foundations to spread food and medicine, to reduce wars, to care for one another. I know that trickle down economics does not work. The trickle is stemmed by the slightly less wealthy. But somehow we must change things, stop poverty, be fair, and tackle the climate change to which is having the most detrimental effect on the poorest in society.

So instead of poverty my new word would be fairness.

Eye see the world

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A doodle, I liked it, only a simple finger painting exploiting the tools in Artrage.. I might do more to this, but I just left it as it is for now.

I wonder what coming generations will think about how we treated the world they will inherit. Weather forecasts are saying southern European countries will experience the hottest summer temperatures this weekend, up to 48.9°C, about 113°F. About 60,000 excess deaths in Europe were recorded last year from heat related causes. What are we doing?!

So keep your eyes on the world and do your best to cut global emissions. Thanks.

2000 emails

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I finally got my email to work, not on my phone, but on my PC. Help! I found around 3800 emails..

I have deleted about 2000 of them. Mainly notifications from WordPress about all the wonderful blogs here! I think there are about 30 to 40 emails I need to action. Mainly to apologise for not getting back in touch.

A few times I caught the wrong bit of the line of the email (missing the delete box) that clears the ones due to be deleted. At one stage I’d got up to 200 pending deletions! I gave up then, my arm was too painful and shaking to be able to concentrate. Will do more tomorrow… First world problems… I will try and continue to be tenacious.

Butterflies and Moths

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Will we still have butterflies in a few years?

Soon there should be butterflies and moths flying round the buddlea bushes in the garden. But they, and other insects, have plummeted in numbers over the last few decades. Whether this is due to changes in climate, where their food stuffs emerge earlier than they used to and are not available to them. Or because their food plants are removed or not replaced. Or because insecticides like nicotinamides are being used when they are linked with insect deaths? Why don’t we see sense and try and limit increases in Carbon dioxide? Reduce insecticide use and stop being so destructive.

The bible says man shall have dominion over the animals and plants of the world. I wish that read responsibility for their care? We are the guardians of the Earth. We outnumber everything else and our behaviour is appalling in so many things. We should learn to support the Earth more.