89 Years OLD, (edited)

 It's 89 years today, when Elvis was born and he died July 1977. Since his death there have been many Elvis Festivals.. here in my home town of Porthcawl there is a big one every September

The town is full of Elvis lookalikes and the women are dressed as 1950s girls.

And as a 1950's girl I can vouch that their dresses with the net petticoats are just like ones I wore!

We went into town on the Saturday and there were Elvis singers all the way through the main street all singing their best. There was even a little tot about 4 singing with her dad, wish we had a video of her, because she was jolly good, singing the ahaas. We stood for ages watching.

They all compete in the Grand Pavilion in the evening and the best one is given a Trophy. 

It's a tremendous boost to the town's economy as its reckoned there are over 40,000 people visiting and some, who have never been here before come back for a holiday.

Quite a feat for our small town!

Do you remember Elvis? (Edited)

                                   Chrisxx

We will always remember 2023 for the floods.

 I don't know about you but my heart goes out to these poor people whose homes have been flooded. It seems we have had 40 days of rain. Rivers have burst their banks and the ground is water logged

First storm Gerrit and then Henk have pounded our land and they have caused havoc. 

To see people with their belongings out on the roads because they damaged, its unbelievable.

There is Government help and money but seeing your home that you've loved and looked after ruined must be heart breaking. I admire their hope to get back on their feet. It seems it can take a year or more for a house to dry out; just think 12 months out of your home and living in a temporary home with small children. I can't bear to think about it.

But its not just people, homes and business who have been affected but farmers too.  A hero sheep dog herded these sheep to some higher ground, but there have been many drowned and cows too.

But it will also  affect our food supplies here, where planted crops have been washed away. The floods of 2023 won't be forgotten for a long time.  

Have you been affected, we were fine, altho' there was a flood where the Meadow Lake spilled over onto the road, but no houses were near.

Chrisxx

Building work, but not us!

(Stock picture)

 When we moved into this bungalow, in this little cul de sac, we never imagined how much building work would be going on around us. 

But next door to the right of us and next door to him, both have worked on their properties ever since we moved here June 2021.. and the other side of us, next door but one, was sold and bought when we bought, but no one has  moved in there yet! 

One bungalow has become a house, and its a lovely shape now, with a roof sweeping down one side. And it seems that's been worked on since the first lock down 2018! 

The house that no one has moved into has been updated and enlarged, they're still doing it! The skips are handy as we have added some left over cement and bricks from our refurbed kitchen. The owner said we could, Dh would never had dumped stuff 'willy nilly.'

It may not seem much, but we have had lorries blocking the road when we wanted to go out.. that happened this morning when we wanted to leave at 9:00am to go to our SW meeting. When Dh told them we wanted to leave at 9:00. they said they'd be another 10 mins and indeed they were moving off, just before we wanted to leave. 

I wondered, if we had received the Christmas mince pies and bottle of wine from next door to make up for the inconvenience of his building vans for ever blocking our drive! 

Anyway we speak to all three owners, who are all very pleasant, but it will be nice when they have finished.. in the summer we could hear the builder's radios before we were really awake! Hope they all will be happy with their new enlarged homes!

What do you think?

Chrisxx

Good Choices!!

I've been out walking, I didn't really want to, but I did!

It was breezy and certainly woke me up but once I got going it was ok, but I really wanted to stay home in the warm and read, because the books I'd bought from WOBs had arrived.  We did sit in the car after and have a coffee from 'the Pod' and a Lotus Biscotti biscuit, which was crisp, tasty and delicious.. (we have had their Shortbread in the past) But being positive I wasn't denying myself anything, but being kind to myself with a 40 cal biscuit instead of a 120 cal one! That was a very good choice, I said!

And for our evening meal, we've had baked salmon and stir fry veg with courgetti rather than noodles. Dh is a dab hand at stir fry veg, flavoured with Chinese Rice Wine and light Soya Sauce, absolutely delicious and we were being very good to ourselves!

And tonight my 'in bed read' will be one of my new books.  I think I'll read this one first....

Can't wait to start it!

I'm sure it will be a good choice!

Have you been good to yourself today?

Chrisxx

Positive Affirmations?

 Although I'm not writing down New Year Resolutions I am noting down my positive affirmations, which are phrases, or ideas or thoughts that you tell yourself. 

 As a child you may have been told how well you've done something or how you were improving, so those affirmations spurred you on and gave you a feeling of contentment and happiness.. but as adults we don't always get these from others, so say them to yourself!

Some I learnt on a Self Confidence Course, when I was a teacher. When I first approached my Head Teacher to ask could I go on the course. He said, 'You don't need that Chris..' and I had to persuade him to let me go. And I'm so glad I did as it has propped me up all my later adult life.

Some are these.......

I'm a strong and capable person.

I believe in myself and my opinions are valid.

 I'm allowed to feel angry, sad or upset some times. 

I'm allowed to make mistakes, and they don't define me and I forgive myself for them.

I know my worth.

I'm proud of myself and my achievements.

So many ways to give yourself a positive boost, they certainly helped me on not very good days.

But also ways to say no without feeling you had to explain yourself..  that really helped me. Shame is,  I didn't know all this when I was young, or with my first husband.. but I did that Course and I read books. It gave me the courage to leave him and fight for my rights so that my divorce went in my favour. It allowed me to buy my own house and even though those first two years were hard, I did it!

I worked hard and got promotions, my being able to play the piano helped and I believed in myself. I ended up as a Deputy, and earned a good salary and it gave me the confidence to down size and pay off my mortgage early. And I haven't had to borrow money since. Something I'm very proud of.

But one thing I'm not doing very well is, I'm not being good to myself.. altho' I do look after myself really well and I buy what I like, clothes I like, have my hair and nails done regularly, really I want for nothing.. but I'm not doing myself any favours eating in a way, so that I gain weight.

So this year, I'm not saying I'll keep to a weight reducing food plan, or I am dieting, but instead I will say........ I will be good to myself and be nice to myself,  so it will benefit my health, which will mean I'll get my weight down.

I'm not going to let myself eat things that will not be good for my health. I will repeat the words.... I need to be good for my own sake, and I can do it! 

This is me four/five years ago, and even though I have followed a food plan I haven't lost a lot of weight in fact I've gained even more.

So I am going to be nice to myself; I am strong and I can do it!

(A photo update in a couple of months for comparison.)

Chrisxx

Happy New Year.

A New Year, hope its all you want it to be..

Be Happy.

Heathy 

and 

Content!

 Chrisxx

New Year Resolutions... Yes/No?

 I'm not making any new year resolutions but I am going to.....

Carrying on losing weight. (Trying)

Carry on learning Welsh. 

Reading books I like.

Clearing out stuff.

Walking regularly. 

Knitting socks.

Trying not to spend toooo much money on plants!

Generally the same as this past year, seems a bit boring, but no point saying I'll do something that I won't! What about you?

The Face Book reading group I belong to are doing a 24 Book Blast, where you choose 24 books that you own but haven't read and read them in 2024.. I do have books on my shelves I haven't read because I didn't like them, but I might try some this year. I bought them in Lock down and couldn't get into them, perhaps I could now?

But first I'm going to read the 4 books I bought from WOB, by Elizabeth Berg, the author I found this past year.

Durable Goods; The Pull of the Moon; The Story of Arthur Truluv; The Confession Club.. so I'm really looking forward to reading them. 

What about you? Resolutions?

Chrisxx

A very special, rare present!

 I do love Christmas, and these days my lovely husband does everything to make it a lovely time for me. So different to my childhood. I didn't have many presents as a child, it was post war (WW2) and money was short.. so every thing was scarce..One year I remember Father Christmas bringing me a red doll's pram, with a china faced doll, she was beautifully dressed. I never noticed that her dresses were made of material like that of my own dresses. One of my Aunty's was a seamstress and made all my dresses and my dolls clothes too! I must have been 5 so 1947?

I loved that pram and the doll whose name was Maureen, don't know where I got that name from, as no TV and so probably heard it. I was happy to walk with my other Aunty to the town later that week, me pushing my pram.  We met one of her friends, who was housekeeper to the local Dr. She said, she had a special present for me and put it under my doll's cover with a .....'shhhh don't show till you get home!'

And this was it... an orange.. I'd never seen one before, during the war there were none.

I'm sure it was delicious and shared between us all, my gran and two Aunties.. what joy! I've always loved oranges.

Do any of you have similar memories?

Chrisxx

Brrr but all for charity.

The Christmas Day Charity swim!

And these always standing by in case they were needed.

There are usually about 400 people doing this every year.

And these too making sure everyone is safe.. all volunteers working every day 24/7 

          All amazing wonderful people who do  this every year.

                It was cold and very wet!

Chrisxx

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

 

Hope everyone has  a wonderful day and that Santa's brought you loads of presents

Chrisxx