Sunday Thoughts

Welcome to what feels like the 100th edition of January 2024 Sunday Thoughts! I hope you are all keeping well, and if you live in Ireland, I hope that you’ve battened down the hatches ahead of Storm Isha, that’s meant to be arriving today.

I feel like this year has been my most anti-social to date. I haven’t met up with anyone outside of the family since mid-December, and I’m actually OK with that. I had signed up to do a course locally, but I was getting quite anxious just thinking about going so I cancelled. I hope whenever I do have to meet people again that I remember how to behave!

My painting mojo has gone running, I am painting but not as much, and they are awful. I’ve turned to reading, and have read three books so far this month, which is a record for me. The last one I read was The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella, it’s a very different read for me as it’s a romantic comedy, and no one gets killed! I really enjoyed it though, and I’d forgotten how much I like Sophie’s writing.

I have a new favourite hobby if you can call it a hobby. Due to being snowed in we were starting to run out of things, so I went to the depths of the freezer (I sound like an artic explorer), and I found half a banana bread! Happy days! I was pure excited to have it for my breakfast. Now I’ve started cutting ‘nice’ bread in half and putting it in the freezer, I know I’ll forget about it and get a lovely surprise at some stage in the future. So far, I have a blue cheese loaf in there (it’s from the Sligo Farmer’s Market and it’s unreal!), I also have a Baker Boys/Shells Bakery brown seeded loaf (another treat). Future me will be delighted.

Himself did drive me down to the village in the ice, when we were down to about an inch of milk and one toilet roll. I can drive but I hate going out in the ice/snow. I’m not brave enough. All was grand, of course, but we live on a hill and I was traumatised by the car sliding back onto the drive. When I get very anxious I can’t speak, I do this kind of weird humming – and that’s what I did – himself found it hilarious! I takes me back to driving through the Dartford Tunnel in a skateboard of a car – with a lorry one side of me and a concrete wall the other! Anyway we were grand, but I did have to have a shot of Tequila when I got home!

I’ve just finished watching Hullraisers, it’s a great comedy show set it Hull, and it’s on Channel 4 so you can get it on the app (no subscription). I hope they do a Season 3 because I really loved all the characters and thought it was very funny. My Netflix subscription is almost at an end, and I probably won’t renew it because it’s not as good as it used to be. I did watch American Nightmare on Netflix, and I’m totally shocked by it, the level of police incompetency and corruption was beyond belief. If you get a chance watch it or look it up.

Before Christmas I bought a plant from Erritt Nursery at The Courtyard Market in Boyle and I’m totally fascinated by it, there are three succulents in the pot, and one of them has grown a limb and looks like it’s reaching over to the other plant. It’s so cute, although I did read that it might be lacking sunlight, and I really hope that’s not the case, it’s in the window but maybe I’ll have to get it a sunlamp or something.

I bought a little Jack Russell solar light, I had bought a pug one when Puggly died, and this one is for Rocket-dog. I’ve put it beside Puggly’s one in the little memorial garden. I have to place Rocket’s ashes there at some stage, but I’m not ready for that yet, and I want to get a nice plant to go there too. All in good time, I’ll do it when I’m ready.

That’s about my lot for today. Stay warm and safe, and thanks, as always for reading.