Ten Things about Ten Years Ago

This week for the top ten, Tamara at Part-time Working Hockey Mom has asked us to think about what we were doing ten years ago in 2008. I've really had to rack my brains for this one and look back at photos to see a bit of what we were up to.

1. I began a new job in January 2008 as a Palliative Care Lecturer Practitioner. Big title for a specialist nurse who also did education. Loved this job but I never got over the nerves when I was presenting.

2. Our brats, Princess Cookie Cat and Muffin Monster were only four years old and still liked each other enough to sit together.

3. Mum and Aunty Chris came to the UK for a holiday and we had a wonderful time with them, including taking them to Scotland for a week. (We were living in greater London at the time.)

4. I joined Facebook in 2008, finally getting on board with the Social Media trend. This was my profile picture in 2008 which was taken at the wedding of a doctor I worked with.

5. A really historic moment took place in this year - Barack Obama became the first black president of the United States.

6. We discovered a fabulous Bed & Breakfast in Deddington Oxfordshire, The Old Post House. It was dog friendly and the lovely hostess had dogs as well. We stayed there a few times over the years as it was perfectly situated for exploring the Cotswolds or just relaxing in the local area. Down the street there was the fantastic Crown & Tuns which basically serves pies - big, scrummy pies.

7. Even though it was season 7, this was the year that I got hooked on American Idol. The eventual winner this year was David Cook, which was totally the right choice. Here's his audition that started his journey through the show.

8. The film Cloverfield was in the cinemas and there were reports that it was making people feel sick because of how it was filmed. My beloved decided to go and see it with his youngest, and not that long into the film he rang me from the car as he'd had to leave due to feeling sick - Jamie was fine and stayed for the whole film.

9. We visited the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire which consists of several features but the one I liked the best was the Kings Men, which is thought to have been erected in 2,500bc. The really interesting legend around this circle of stones is that you can never count the same number of stones, and this proved true as I counted them at least three time, getting a different number each time.

10. We took our gorgeous Bertie Boo to the beach for the first time and it took us a little while to convince him to go in the water - he didn't know what to do with the waves.

There you have a snapshot of our 2008 - it feels like forever ago. Before you go make sure that you hop over to Tamara's Blog to see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their list.

Until next time have a really wonderful week.

Pamela & Ken

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A Brainstorming Top Ten and some Friendly Fill Ins

Today I'm catching up with Top Ten and the Friendly Fill Ins - enjoy.

This week for Top Ten Thursday (I know I'm very late) Tamara at Part-time Working Hockey Mom has asked us to brainstorm an upcoming project: top ten ideas on how to remodel your terrace, how to fit in more exercise into your days or how to pimp your blog,...?

My project is to make sure we're getting all our nutrients and and include more veggies that we've not had before in our pescatarian (fish eating vegetarians) diet.

1. I've recently bought a fabulous chart that outlines nutrients and the veggies they're found in, which I plan to stick to the wall where we do our food preparation.

2. Follow instagram accounts that share healthy vegetarian recipes. A great one that I've found is Vegetarian Eats.

3. Try new foods when out and about to see if it's something we'd want to experiment with at home. Something that I must try as I've seen it in several recipes, is Jackfruit.

4. Remember that a lot of vitamins and minerals can be found in seeds which are really easy to add to all sorts of things.

5. Lots of people always assume that we find it difficult to get enough protein as we don't eat meat anymore, but there are lots of other ways to get this very important nutrient, nuts being one of my favourites especially in the form of peanut or cashew butter.

6. The other important mineral that is a little harder to get is iron, though you'd be surprised how much iron is in vegetarian foods. This Website gives details of the different foods and how much iron is in them. The other factor with plant based iron is that it's important to try and optimise the absorption by eating vit C rich foods with your iron ones, and avoid tea or coffee at mealtimes.

7. Another thing I'd like to do to perk up our diet is to try some new vegetables in our meals. One of the supermarkets we were at recently had some veggies that I'd never seen before so I'm definitely going to google some recipes and try them. 

8. Explore more health food shops to find new and unusual things to eat. We've got some seaweed noodles in the cupboard that we need to try - they're black and full of healthiness.

9. In project eat better we need to not become too obsessed with what we're eating that we lose the joy of food.

10. Never forget that chocolate and coffee have lots of really important nutrients in them, especially the feel good nutrient that it would be silly to live without.

Have you got any projects that you need to undertake? Before you leave today, make sure you hop over to Tamara's Blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with.

Now it's onto Friday's Friendly Fill Ins which is hosted by 15andmeowing.com and Four-Legged Furballs, visit their blogs to see other bloggers answers. The bits in bold are provided for us and the rest is purely me.

  

1. My beloved brings out the best in me as he always has faith in my abilities even when I don't.

2. Animal cruelty and neglect makes me grumpier than Grumpy Cat and more morose than Eeyore. I'll never understand the mentality of people that can hurt an animal, especially cats as they are such beautiful creatures (but then I'm a bit biased).

Lord Rocky Horror - much chubbier than when we adopted him.

3. If money grew on trees, I would buy us a house and take in lots of animals that need a good home.

4. I have a fear of spiders and heights when I'm in a car which I know is a bit bizarre. Spiders is a sensible fear as lots of them in Australia are very poisonous, but the car thing is a bit odd as I'm fine with heights otherwise. 

That's it for today, if you've enjoyed this post why don't you join us next week on Thursday or Friday or both.

Until next time, have a really wonderful week.

Pamela & Ken

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Top Ten Thursday - There's a New President in Town

This week's top ten is a political one (oh no I hear you cry). Tamara at Part-time Working Hockey Mom has given us the following guidelines:

"Today let's assume President Trump is out. Impeachment and removal from office, boom. For some reason Mr Pence doesn't automatically take over - it's you who's in charge now. List the top ten priorities you're tackling first."

Where to start...........

1. Healthcare: making healthcare available to everyone no matter their income or social status. I'm not sure how you would change the messed up system that exists now, but it's just so wrong that people in a low socioeconomic area who can't afford health insurance can't get medical care when needed without practically going bankrupt.

2. LGBTQ Rights: I would reinstate the guidance that included transgender people under the civil rights act and protected transgender children in schools. I would make sure that the LGBTQ community were very visible on the White House Website (my predecessor removed all mention of them), and during Pride month the White House would be lit up with a rainbow. Just like Justin Trudeau in Canada I would attend Pride events to show that my administration was a true ally and friend.

3. Education: work to improve education standards across the land, making sure that there is the same high standards no matter where a child goes to school. Included in this would be giving more money for the quality of school lunches as he who shall not be named has reduced this. Before and after school activities should also be in place for those children whose parents have to work long hours.

4. Environment: climate change does exist and I would make sure we joined back up with all the sensible countries who are trying to do something about this. Fuel efficiency standards would be implemented, along with a national campaign to help people think about how they can help the environment by reducing their carbon footprint. I would reinstate the bans on plastic bottles in national parks, lead bullets, and lead sinkers in fishing, and give back all the land that has been removed from national parks. I would definitely ban drilling for oil in the arctic and try and find some way that any future republicans couldn't reverse this. I could go on for ages on the environment as he who shall not be named obviously has no regard for mother nature and how we need this planet to survive if we want to keep living on it.

5. Hunting: this law broke my heart when it was brought in - hunters in Alaska are now allowed to hunt hibernating bears and wolves, kill their babies, and use much more aggressive hunting methods. This law will be one of the first to be corrected as any fair minded person must see how wrong this is.

6. HIV/AIDS: reinstate funding for research and support both nationally and internationally.

7. White House Staff: I would definitely want George Stephanopoulos as my communications director - he did a fantastic job for Bill Clinton at the start of his presidency and he has the charisma needed. I'd definitely have roles for Ellen and Oprah, incredibly strong women who so many people look up to.

8. Guns: I was watching a show about America recently and one of the people on it made the statement, "the only way to stop gun violence is to give more people guns". Is it just me or does that make no sense whatsoever. Under my administration gun ownership would not be allowed until 18, and there will be very strict rules involved. Handguns will be banned (except for policemen and military) as well as military grade weapons like some of the ones that have been used in mass shootings. There will be stringent checks which follow the UK's guidance; 'Gun owners ... must meet background checks, which involve a review of a person's criminal record, mental illness, alcoholism, drug addiction, and references regarding mental state, home life, and attitudes toward guns. Licenses must be renewed every five years, although they can be revoked earlier if police find that someone's gun ownership poses public safety risks or a person no longer has a good reason for the license.' (Vox).

9. Twitter: this will be banned from the White House unless my communications director is using it to promote the good we are doing as an administration.

10. Redecorate: we will need to remove any of the tackyness that has been put there by the family that must not be named, and introduce some comfort and colour to different parts of the house. I'll also have to make sure that it is very cat friendly, and apart from our three furbies, I'm sure it's time for a president of the United States to begin taking in abandoned cats.

There you have my priorities - what would be yours? Before you go, make sure you hop over to Tamara's Blog to see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for when they take office.

Until next time, enjoy the last few weeks of summer (or winter) wherever you are in this wonderful world.

Pamela & Ken
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Top Ten Thursday - Summer Time

This week, Tamara from Part-time Working Hockey Mom, has asked us to list the top ten things we did, enjoyed, read, ate, experienced,... this summer! It's been an amazing summer here in the Scottish Highlands with days and days of glorious sunshine - it would have been even nicer if I didn't have to work. Still, we managed to cram quite a few great things in over the past couple of months and I'm going to share a few of them with you now.

1. Not far from us is a lovely fruit farm and we, along with many other people, took advantage of their pick your own service, spending a lovely hour picking strawberries and raspberries. We ate some that night with cream and icing sugar, but the rest went in the freezer for use in smoothies.

2. On one of the very hot days we went to Carrbridge for lunch and then we watched some very brave lads jumping off the old stone bridge into the river below.

3. On visits to any beaches we did our bit for the planet and picked up any plastic we came across. We nearly always find shotgun cartridges no matter where we are.

4. Of course there were several visits to old graveyards and the overgrown ones look particularly lovely at this time of the year as they are very green and vibrant.

5. Like the big kids that we are we went to the circus when it came to town and sat in the front row. It was great fun and there were some very talented acrobats and strength performers.

6. For the first time ever we went camping for a night together. Yes we've done glamping but that's where everything is provided for you, so this was a little different. We quite enjoyed it except for the size of the tent - we couldn't stand up in it so maneuvering around was quite a challenge and we also had Bramble Jelly with us. I'd definitely do it again if we had a bigger tent.

7. We attended an art class together which was really interesting and fun.

8. Bramble Jelly Sassypants loves swimming so with the hot weather we've had she was even more eager to get in the water wherever we were. One day whilst I was at work even my beloved stripped down to his boxers and went in with her.

9. The brats, aka Lord Rocky Horror and Princess Cookie Cat, continue to provide us with lots of love and laughter no matter what time of the year it is.

10. The best thing about summer?? Being able to get out more in this beautiful part of the world with my wonderful husband - it's been a fabulous summer so far.

How's your summer been if you're in the northern hemisphere, and I hope those of you in the south aren't having too cold a winter. Before you go, make sure that you hop over to Tamara's Blog to see what my fellow bloggers have been up to this summer.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and lets all pray that the farmers in Australia get some rain.

Pamela & Ken

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Top Ten Thursday Scavenger Hunt on Friday

The last Thursday of the month is Photo Scavenger Hunt time. Here are the items we were supposed to take pictures of, which are chosen by our host for this blog hop, Tamara at Part-time Working Hockey Mom:

1. Clouds
2. Fly Amanita
3. Sunflowers
4. Peppers
5. Native American
6. Airplane
7. Ice Cream
8. Bridge
9. Letters
10. Bricks

1. Clouds - a beautiful sunset turned the clouds a variety of colours.

2. Fly Amanita - okay, who else just got a quizzical look on their face and wondered if it was an exotic airline company? After consulting Mr Google I discovered that it is the really pretty but very poisonous toadstool that looks like it's out of a fairytale. Thankfully I took a photo of some last year when we were in Glen Shee, and of course a friendly unicorn had to get in the picture.

3. Sunflowers - love these bright, beautiful flowers and they always make me smile.

4. Peppers - my first instinct was to take a picture of some capsicums, but then I decided that pepper jars was more original.

5. Native American - this gorgeously decorated motorbike was at last years Thunder in the Glens which is held every year in August in Aviemore.

6. Airplane - this is a really fun mailbox that is part of the novelty mailbox trail in Tasmania.

7. Ice Cream - blue icecream so I'm thinking it was probably bubblegum flavour or candyfloss flavour.

8. Bridge - there are so many old bridges dotted around the highlands that we are often pulling the car over so that we can take pictures and explore a little.

9. Letters - I love how the people who make snickers have put different words on them to make your enjoyment of chocolate a little humorous. This one makes me smile as miffed is such a great word. 

10. Bricks - when we visit really old places like this graveyard and the remains of a very old church, I always place my hand on the old bricks to see if I can feel any vibrations from the past. I also like to imagine all the things those walls have seen.

Hope you've enjoyed my interpretation of the photo scavenger hunt, and why don't you come and join us. Before you go, make sure you hop over to Tamara's blog to see what my fellow bloggers have come up with.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and have a wonderful week.

Pamela & Ken

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Top Ten Thursday - Mishaps & Clumsiness

For today's top ten Thursday, Tamara at Part-time Working Hockey Mom has given the following instructions:

" This kind of sh** only happens to me" - like trying to push open a door that clearly says PULL. Or writing down your childhood phone number on an application form.

Today let's list your top ten mishaps and help me feel better about my own clumsiness!"

Now this is an area that I really excel at so the list was very easy.

1. A few years ago we hired a lovely little cottage in Portknockie (Scotland), and a few days in I fell from the top of the stairs to the bottom. Thankfully my (very padded) bottom took most of the brunt, but I had some spectacular bruises for a while.

2. One year when we were in Tasmania we went for a day out to Strahan on the west coast so that I could show Ken around. We parked the car, got out, and a few seconds later I tripped over a bollard and skidded across the tarmac on my hands and knees. So the main part of the town that Ken got to see was the tourist information centre where they had a first aid kit and my beloved patched me up. It was very painful.

3. Two years ago at work I missed the step about three from the bottom of the stairs and ended up sprawled across the floor in front of several centre visitors who were there to get support from me. I tore my trousers, took skin off my knees, and felt very embarrassed.

4. When I lived in Sydney, I tripped over my nephew's baby gate, landing very heavily and stylishly on my knees. Actually it's a wonder my knees still function with the amount of times I've abused them.

5. Last year as I was getting out of the shower I had a very spectacular fall, ended up in Accident and Emergency, and had to have three weeks off work due to torn ligaments in my leg and wrist.

6. One night in the nurses home when I was a student nurse we were attempting to put one of my friends in the bath fully clothed (we were a little crazy). Our first thought was to put her in the bath and turn on the shower, but when the shower didn't work, we put the plug in the bath and turned the taps on. Anyway, after we'd finished our shenanigans we all went to bed, and unbeknown to us the shower decided to come on during the night and the plug was still in the bath!!! We awoke to a very flooded third floor and some had leaked down to the second floor. The hospital had to get big industrial fans in to try and dry the place out and we had to live with the wet smell for ages. We also had to come up with a plausible explanation for the flood that didn't implicate any of us - I think we managed it.

7. When I was at primary school, for the school evening for the parents, my class was doing a gymnastics demonstration. I was meant to run, jump on the trampet, and then do a perfectly executed somersault over the vault. Instead, I ran, jumped on the trampet and then decided to sit on the vault before getting off and running off stage very quickly.

8. I am the person who asks the blind man if he saw something!!

9. I am the nurse who has had to go through the contents of a rubbish skip to find a pair of false teeth that had been thrown out with some rubbish. (I did find them so that made the stinkyness worthwhile).

And the pièce de résistance of my mishaps:

10. I am also the nurse who was trying to take an unconscious persons false teeth out, tugging on them very strongly, when the family walked in and asked me what I was doing as the lady had all her own teeth.

There you have it, just a few of my mishaps and clumsiness over the years - I could probably do a top 100 with lots of them being from my over 30 years as a nurse.

Before you go make sure you hop over to Tamara's Blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their list.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and I hope everything is going well in your world.

Pamela & Ken

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Top Ten Thursday - Soccer

As it's the world cup, this week Tamara at Part-time Working Hockey Mom has asked us to do our Top Ten Thursday on the theme of soccer:

"Could care less, love it, live it? What team are you rooting for? Who's going to win the FIFA World Cup 2018? Who's your favorite player?"

I'm not particularly keen on soccer so here are some random thoughts that I have around the so called 'beautiful' game.  

1. Australia - I know that they aren't good enough yet to win the world cup but I always support them and live in hope that one day it will happen. Once we got knocked out I was supporting anyone but England.

2. Scotland - poor Ken's country didn't make it to the world cup so he was also supporting anyone but England (do you sense a bit of a theme here).

3. Wimps - basically that's what most players are. They can barely get touched and they're rolling around on the ground as if they've been hit by a bus. I think this meme shows the difference between soccer players and other sports people.

4. Overpaid - on the BBC Sports Website there is a great calculator that lets you compare your salary to top footballers. Lionel Messi who plays for Barcelona would take only 14 minutes to earn my weekly salary and it would take me 729 years to earn his yearly salary. That just seems a little bit obscene when you think of how much could be done with that money.

5. Fans - I've never been to a soccer game and one of the reasons why is the fact that fans have to be seperated at the match and often get let out of different ends of the stadium at different times so as to not create any problems. As someone who has been to Aussie Rules Games, Rugby League, and Rugby Union games where everyone sits together and there is good natured banter throughout the match, this animosity towards the other teams fans just seems very strange to me.

6. Sweepstakes - at work we had a sweepstakes where you pay a couple of pounds and then draw teams out. Whoever has the winning team gets the takings. I picked out Uruguay and Denmark and then I cheated by looking and pulled out Australia - no one minded as they had no worries about Australia winning. Sadly all my teams are now out of the competition.

7. Jose Mourinho - when he came to England's Premier League as manager of Chelsea in 2004 it was like a breath of fresh air. His overconfidence, his accent, his fashion sense, and of course his smoldering eyes - I actually paid attention when he was being interviewed. This clip shows the infamous press conference which meant that he would forever be known as the special one.

 

8. The Offside Rule - several people have tried to explain this to me over the years with no success, except for one. This person ingeniously used the analogy of shopping during a sale with the till being the goal, and getting to the till part of the game. I can't remember everything they said, but I do remember it finally making sense to me.

9. Media Saturation - it really shocks me how much time on the news and space in the papers that soccer takes up. There can be Grand Prix races, the Tour de France, and other significant sporting events, and they may not even make the news and the papers may include just a couple of lines.

10. Diving - no, I don't mean the stylish kind off a high board into water. I mean when a soccer player suddenly throws themselves on the ground when they've barely been touched and sometimes not touched at all. The aim, apart from being a really bad role model to children, is to get a penalty or get a player on the opposite team sent off. There are some players that take their diving to Academy Award acting ability, and I really wish more referees would give out red cards when it happens.

So, have you been glued to the world cup or like me will you be glad when it's over. Before you go, make sure you hop over to Tamara's Blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their lists.

Until next time, have a great week, and I'm now cheering for Croatia to win.

Pamela & Ken

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Top Ten Thursday - Canada & USA

This week for top ten Thursday Tamara at Part-time Working Hockey Mom has given the following guidelines: "Just like this it's July, and in the first week of July there are two important national days going on: July 1st: Canada Day and July 4, Independence Day, so let's honor those two countries, shall we? Let's talk about the top ten things that we (dis)like about the U.S. and Canada, differences that strike us, whatever comes to mind!"

I'm choosing to do all positive things about the two countries as I think if I went for the one glaringly awful thing about the USA I would end up being here all day. How fitting that the awful thing is arriving in the UK on Friday the 13th for his first visit since becoming president.

I've split my list of things I love about the two countries into two:

Canada

1. Peanut Butter - this wonderful substance that I love on toast, or in a sandwich, or on a banana, or in icecream, and I could go on and on. It was apparently invented by a pharmacist for people that were struggling to eat solid foods.

2. Kiefer Sutherland - such a great actor and so many great films. The Lost Boys, Young Guns, Flatliners, The Three Musketeers, and A Few Good Men to name just a few. He's also done some great tv series including Touch and 24 - a very versatile actor.

3. Celine Dion - I don't care if it's not considered cool, but I'm a huge fan. Her concert in Sydney that I saw was amazing, and she is so lovely.

4. Maple Syrup - the wonderful sticky scrummy sweetness of a lake of maple syrup on top of pancakes with vanilla icecream. Fabulous.

5. Justin Trudeau - Canada's Prime Minister and how wonderful to see a world leader that actually seems to be in touch with the people he serves.

USA

6. The Internet - this one doesn't need any explanation, as you're using it to read this.

7. Crime Dramas - this is something that the Americans do so well especially with shows like CSI, any of the Law and Orders, Criminal Minds, and Scorpion.

8. Ellen Degeneres - this clip of Ellen receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom explains perfectly why I think she is one of the best things about the USA.

9. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - I remember the first time I had one of these incredibly delicious treats (I know I'm very sad) when the first UK branch opened in Harrods in London. As we waited in line to buy a doughnut we were given a free original glazed one and I was hooked. It's probably a good thing that there isn't an outlet in the Highlands as I love them way too much.

10. Sitcoms - there are some great comedic sitcoms that have come out of the USA, and if I had to choose my favourite three they would be; Seinfeld, Friends, and The Big Band Theory.

How about you? Are there things you love about the two countries, or are the anti North America?

Before you go make sure you hop over to Tamara's Blog to see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their lists.

Until next time, and hopefully it won't be a week this time, be good, stay safe, and be kind to yourself.

Pamela & Ken
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P.S: Lord Rocky Horror looking like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth - so innocent and yet so full of character.

Top Ten Thursday - June Scavenger Hunt

It's time for the June photo scavenger hunt which is part of the Top Ten Thursday blog hop hosted by Tamara at Part-time Working Hockey Mom. These are the ten things that we have to find:

1. Guidepost
2. Cow
3. Worship
4. Pancakes
5. Cool
6. Hot
7. Stairs
8. Chains
9. Flags
10. Ribbons

Here are my interpretations:

1. Guidepost - this is my beloved's contribution to the scavenger hunt this week, and I think he found two very interesting guideposts, one with great Scottish place names on it, and the other pointing to a burial ground.

2. Cow - this is one of three Highland Cows that live in a field near us. They belong to a posh hotel and it's a great tourist attraction, with people always wanting to take photos of them. Recently one of the cows escaped from the field and went for a wander through a local housing estate - it's picture was put on Facebook with it standing on someone's lawn.

3. Worship - this is St Demhan's Cross (or in gaelic, Crois Naoimh Demhan) which is thought to be a Pictish standing stone that has been recycled by the Christians in about the 10th century. The theory is that with it's simple carved cross it would have been used as a focus for worship with people gathering around it to listen to a preacher.

4. Pancakes - I love pancakes but hadn't had any for ages, so the scavenger hunt was a perfect opportunity to buy some and have them with salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Very scrummy.

5. Cool - in our fridge are two lovely cans of Baileys iced coffee and I think this weekend may be the perfect time to drink them as the weather is very, very warm.

6. Hot - no matter what the weather our crazy puppy dog Bramble Jelly still runs around like mad and then ends up looking very hot. I tried to catch her tongue hanging out even further but she was panting so quickly that I couldn't get it.

7. Stairs - when we enter the house after being out anywhere, Bramble Jelly runs to the landing and wants me to make a fuss of her, even though we've just been together. Sometimes Lord Rocky Horror lurks around to see if he can whack Bramble as she runs past.

8. Chains - in the January Scavenger Hunt for beads I had a picture of my necklaces in a bit of a tangle. My beloved managed to untangle them for me and they now hang happily with my other necklaces which include many chains.

9. Flags - we overlook the Nairn Golf Club which was founded in 1887, and in front of the clubhouse are three flags. The Scottish (of course), the British (sort of understandable), and the American (I have no idea why).

10. Ribbons - getting this photo gave me the perfect excuse to go into my favourite shop, Hobbycraft, and as usual I came out with things that I didn't realise I needed. There are so many pretty ribbons on display, and these ones would be really lovely wrapped around a jar of homemade jam.

I hope you enjoyed my offerings for this month's hunt, and why don't you join us in the future. Before you go, make sure you hop over to Tamara's Blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their pictures.

Until next time, be good, and stay safe wherever you are in this huge world.

Pamela & Ken

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Top Ten Thursday - Magically Drawn

Welcome to this week's top ten Thursday which is a blog hop hosted by Tamara - Part-time Working Hockey Mom and this week the theme is all those things we feel we're magically drawn to: "stuff", foods, people, locations,... what are yours?

1. Ancient History - I love walking around ancient sites especially if they involve standing stones. As I walk amongst the stones I always touch them and wonder about the people who put them in place and what they really meant to them. Today, as it was the summer solstice, we visited Clava Cairns which are over 4,000 years old.

2. Cats - cats are definitely my spirit animal as no matter where we are, if we see one I have to have a chat to them.

3. Street Art - there are so many extremely talented people in this world and I love how street art has become more mainstream.

 

4. Doors - do you ever look at a door and wonder what is behind it. They fascinate me and I have many photos of these magical portals.

5. Glitter & Shiny Sparkly things - Ken often calls me a Magpie as I am drawn to shop displays that have lots of bling in them, or stalls that are selling costume jewellery, glittery bags, and basically anything that shines.

6. Statues - It's so wonderful when out wandering and we come across really unusual statues. We often debate what message the sculptor was trying to get across.

7. Donkeys (and horses) - whenever we see donkeys or horses, and if it's safe to do so, Ken will slow the car down or pull over so that I can have a moment with these beautiful creatures. Such soulful eyes and beautifully soft muzzles.

8. Fairy Lights - these make anything look magical. We have quite a few fairy lights around our home, wrapped around the stairs, across my dressing table, inside glass lanterns, and one set inside a decorative birdcage.

9. Tattoos - I haven't got any of my own, but I often wonder why people have the tattoos they have. Some are awful, but others are stunning and real pieces of art. The below is the arm of a waitress who served me a couple of years ago - I did ask if I could take the photo.

10. Stationary - when we moved to the Highlands I was devastated to find that there wasn't a branch of Paperchase here and I got slightly over excited when we were in Aberdeen last year and found one there. Whenever we are walking around shops and we are coming close to a stationary shop my beloved always tries to steer me away from them as he knows I'll be drawn into them. I can never have too many journals, pens, and cards.

What do you find yourself drawn to? Until next time, be good, stay safe, and make sure you hop over to Tamara's Blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with.

Pamela & Ken

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P.S: It goes without saying that I am always magically drawn to my beloved. 💕💕