Cathy Le Feuvre

Treasures Among the Stones

In recent months I've begun to collect sea glass.

If you don't know what that is ... well, sea glass is bits of glass which have washed up onto beaches!

When you find a piece of sea glass it's not just a thing of beauty to behold, but it has it's own story to tell! 

At some point the glass was probably part of a bottle or something else fashioned of glass and who knows where it came from in the world? The sea currents could have brought it from far-off oceans and coasts until it is finally broken up into the smaller pieces that pitch up on our Jersey beaches.

After being battered about in the waves and on the sands, probably for many years, it's usually smooth, not jagged ... although at times I do find 'newer' pieces which are a bit lethal and which, obviously, go straight into the bin! So my sea glass hunting is also helping to clean the sand to prevent accidents to unsuspecting bare feet.

Here in my home island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, sea glass has often been used to create beautiful things. Some artists work sea glass into their pictures and create fabulous jewellery from the items which can be discovered on our many beaches. 

I've been doing quite a lot of sea swimming and walking on beaches in the last few years as I've tried to handle the stresses of life, changing circumstances and the ensuing mental health challenges that have come my way, and this year I've begun searching for sea glass.

Inspired by a canvas that a friend gave me as a Christmas gift - an image of a festive tree created out of pale green, bluish, clear and white sea glass - I decided (as you do, even if you're not an artist) ...' I could do that!' 

And so at times, I find myself wandering up and down beaches, looking for the little bits of glass among the stones and detritus which the tide has washed up. And, as a result, I'm amassing a little store of pretty glass ... much of it clear and milky, some blues and greens of various shades. All different shapes and sizes.

Recently I took a walk at La Mare Beach in St Clement on the east coast of Jersey and beyond to the area called Le Dicq, which I know is good for sea glass and also little bits of pottery including blue and white ceramics from a piece of crockery which at some point probably graced a kitchen dresser or a dining table. 

It was low tide, and not quite sunset,  a perfect time for sea glass hunting, and apart from a few other walkers I had the beach to myself. I'd had a pretty stressful 24 hours so I needed to clear my head and, to be honest, I wasn't confident of finding much glass. I'm a person of Christian faith, and I was listening to some encouraging music which assured me that in the storms of life I have a friend who is there for me - Jesus Christ - and that nothing is impossible with God, even when we are faced by uncertainty and what we may consider insurmountable problems.

At first, I only found a couple of little pieces of sea glass. But the closer I looked, the further I walked, suddenly I began to spot more ... and more ... and more.

A small piece of glass hidden among the stones on the shore, a shard on its own in the sand, and then a few quite large pieces smoothed and shaped from years of weather and wearing just sitting there waiting to be discovered.

And it occurred to me that sea glass and sea glass hunting is like life, and like my journey of faith.

Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with the challenges of life, and worried about the future, that I miss the beauty of the moment. I miss the sparkling treasure sitting there, right in front of me, just waiting to be discovered and used for something new and beautiful.

When I looked closely, even at a pile of stone and rocks and seaweed, suddenly a tiny piece of glass would sparkle in the setting sun over the beach. I was reminded that sometimes I might have to sift through some of the challenges of life to find beauty. I might have to ignore the detritus of my life to find moments of joy and love and hope. I  might have to keep looking and keep looking for the good ... but trusting that it's there to be found!

The interesting thing about sea glass hunting is the more you look for it, the more you see. I walked probably half a mile up the beach and then turned around, following mostly the same route I had taken on the walk up ... and yet as I made my way back to the carpark and my vehicle, I spotted glass I had missed the first time around.

Maybe that was because I was looking more intently now, or perhaps because I was looking at the beach, and the race of stones and rocks on the shore, from a slightly different angle. I'm sure you're getting my drift on this ... sometimes we miss joy and peace and hope and beauty but then, when we return to the situation, and maybe look at life with a different mindset or from a different angle, we find all those treasures in exactly the places we may have missed them before!

It also occurred to me that once the tide has come in again, once the water has shifted things around and churned things up, it will leave more treasures on the sand, and new beautiful objects that wash up on that tide. But the water may also uncover and reveal bits of sea glass which may be hidden tight now but once the piles of stones and rocks and seaweed are moved around, they are there ... to be discovered.

As I walked along that beach, listening to my inspirational music, I found myself asking God to help me ... to help me not to obsess so much about the challenges and rocks in my life but to seek out the beautiful things, the hope and the miracles which may be just waiting for me if I can but see them. If I but look for them! If I make myself aware that they may be there!

Some people call this talking to God  'praying' ... not in the way that you might pray in a church or a temple, which can sometimes be rather formal, but just having a 'chat'. Not just talking to God but also listening. Most importantly ... listening.

And so, on this particular sea glass hunt I clearly heard God's voice as I walked and talked with and listened to him.

I heard him say ... something like this...

'Look for the beautiful things, they are there but may be hidden.'

'Your life may be full of rocks but, like the tide, my love can wash away those challenges if you let me do so, and treasures and happiness and insights and joys which at the moment may be hidden in your grief, confusion, uncertainty and hurt will be uncovered, will be there ready for you to discover.'

In the end, I gathered quite a little hoard of lovely sea glass on my walk, to add to my collection at home - and one day I will create something beautiful. At the moment I don't know what that will be ... perhaps, as in life, we don't need to plan everything meticulously in advance but just see what comes when we are ready to create! 

There are Treasures Among the Stones of life ... perhaps we just need to look more intently and patiently, to try to see beyond the rocks in our lives and instead be alert to the blessings that are granted to us and believe ... a Better Life is on the way!

And, as if to prove His promises, at the end of the day I was blessed with one of God's most beautiful creations ... a most glorious sunset!

How great is that?

Caution! World Under Repair

It's New Year's Eve 2020.

And if you weren't already aware, we're at the end of ... here we go ... I'll say it .... 'a very strange year'!

There - that's done! 

I could say much about the different ways we've learned to live, the things we've missed out on, the expectations dashed, the woes of the past almost 12 months during which a microscopic virus has locked us in, locked us out! Of life, of love, of the things and people and activities and experiences we love.

But I won't! Done that, been there, along with millions of others who have put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard this year!

I'll just tell you about a walk I took this lunchtime which, weirdly, turned out to be a bit of an analogy for life as we travel from 2020 into 2021. 

I live in a lovely place called Jersey - it's one of the Channel Islands, just off the coast of France, but British - and walks on the beach, or at least along the coastline, are my favourite!

One of my usual walks is from West Park, St Helier, to First Tower and back ... not more than a mile or two all told, but bracing on a winter's day!

I set out in the sunshine but we've been having a lot of showers recently and right at the start of my walk I spotted a rainbow.

Not a massive arc in the sky, but certainly a rainbow ... the kind which popped up in the early days of the pandemic in windows and on pebbles on the beach, drawn by unknown people as a symbol of hope in the darkness.

And straightaway I was filled with a strange optimism.

 

Yes, the sky was dark on the horizon, clouds still full of rain, ominous over Elizabeth Castle on the little islet in St Aubin's Bay,  but the sky above was strikingly blue.

2020 might have been full of gloom but in all that there has also been some brightness. Remember how we all pulled together in those early days, to keep ourselves safe, to keep others safe?  Remember how we kept our distance, washed our hands, wore our masks ?Remember how we clapped for our carers at 8pm on a Thursday evening, showing our appreciation for all those who were caring for us in hospitals and care homes, serving us in the shops and on public transport ? Keeping our communities working ? Saying 'thank you' to those who are usually forgotten but who, for a while, we realised were the real heroes of our communities.

But I looked into those dark clouds and was reminded  that it's not over yet. The second spike of this wretched coronavirus is hitting us hard not just here in Jersey but across the world. People are still sick, dying in vast numbers, isolating. Some people are still unfortunately not behaving like we are in the midst of a global pandemic. Some seem to have forgotten the sacrifices of the early months of this year, and the ongoing sacrifices that some are still making to ensure the ones they love stay safe. For some of us that means still working from home after nearly a year, forgoing the company of even our close family at Christmas and New Year and on birthdays and other special anniversaries. 

But as I peered into the horizon I spotted something really beautiful ... like a golden line just on the sealine, under the cloud. Just where the sun was hitting the water.

And then I looked up ... there IS blue sky overhead.

Could I equate that to the Covid-19 vaccines which are on the way ?

Perhaps! That's one way of looking at it.

But maybe it's about more  than that. 

It reminded me that when we pull together and remember that others matter as much as ourselves, maybe sometimes more than ourselves, we can get a handle on this! We did it in the spring and summer of 2020 and then we lost focus. We thought we could relax. We believed that we were invincible. We were wrong!

Along the seafront in St Aubin's Bay in Jersey the pink granite seawalls have recently taken a battering from the storms, the high seas, the winds of winter. They are hardy and strong, but even they couldn't stand the onslaught of nature.

But they are being repaired - even on New Year's Eve the guys were out doing their stuff to rebuild these beautiful defences.  It's not a job that will be completed overnight. It must be done with precision and care to ensure that the wall survives when the storms come again, as we know they will! 

As we enter 2021 I am reminded that we are in this for the long haul. Our World is 'Under Repair'!

We are not there yet. Even with the much acclaimed and longed for vaccines, we still have a long way to go. We still need to wear masks, keep our distances, endlessly sanitise our hands. There's no letting up. 

But if we all pull together, try to forgo our personal agendas and think of the wider common good, then with the added bonus of the vaccines, we may find that this coming year will be healthier and better than the last. We need to stay alert and not forget the year that was 2020. There are lessons in that there time for us all! 

The storm is still there ... over the horizon ... and it will come back I'm sure. But the blues skies are overhead! 

Happy New Year everyone! Stay safe! 

*All pictures /images by Cathy Le Feuvre

                                                                                                                                                      

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just About Sales?

You might think this is a trivial issue -  but something is bothering me!

If I'm perfectly honest, it's been lurking in the back of my head for a little while, but only in recent weeks have I started to articulate my thoughts.

SO why haven't I come out and spoken about it before? Well for one thing, I don't want to appear thick. Is this, I ask myself, something about which I should KNOW, instinctively?

Secondly, I don't want to seem ungrateful at what is being provided for me. And I certainly don't want people to think I don't want to look after myself, because - of course - I do!

What is it occupying my time and thoughts?

Well.... it's the HUGE range of TOOTHPASTE which is on the market!

Just watching the TV I've become aware of this phenomenon. There's...

• Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth
• Toothpaste which Whitens your Teeth
• Toothpaste which is designed to ensure the gaps in between your teeth are clean, as well as the parts of the teeth which can be seen by the world
• Toothpaste to combat tooth DECAY!
• Toothpaste which stops GUM DISEASE!
• Toothpaste which ensures the enamel on our teeth doesn't disappear
• Toothpaste which gets rid of that scourge of us all - PLAQUE!
• Toothpaste which irradicates that other source of terrible shame - TARTAR!

That's just for starters. I'm sure you can add more.

Just strolling down the aisle of my local supermarket today, I was once again reminded of all the different types of toothpaste available to me. White, green, pink, striped. Minty and unflavoured. There are gels, and pastes, and even powders! It's all so confusing!

Returning home, I was determined to do more than just be competely baffled. So I turned to that trusty aide - my computer. Here's where my problems really started. There are literally hundreds (if not more) websites devoted to teeth, toothpaste and all things orally hygenic!

Some are just informational, others more educational. There are those which are designed for younger teeth, some are historical and just plain scary,  others just a bit of fun. Toothpaste, it appears,  can be used for much more than whitening/saving/cleaning your teeth!

I know that the arrival of toothpaste in our world means that, generally speaking, the dental health of the globe has improved considerably. No longer, as in the past, do people need to devise wooden pegs for false teeth which were, apparently, available and in use (in Japan at least) until the early part of the 20th century. Now THAT's scary!

But really - do we have to have QUITE such a range of options on the toothpaste front? Is the vast numbers of pastes, gels and more on the Toothpaste shelves at the supermarket more to do with sales and advertising than anything else?

AND SO WE COME TO THE QUESTION WHICH HAS BEEN BOTHERING ME FOR A WHILE ....

Why can't we have a toothpaste which Whitens, ensures Good Sensitivity, protects Gums, fights Tooth Decay, Plaque and Tartar, cleans the secret and hidden parts of our mouths as well as the bits on public display, freshens our breath and does everything we want it to do - all in ONE PRODUCT?

It is, I'm guessing, not entirely because the producers of dental products are committed to the general improvement of the dental world. I'm GUESSING that there may be something in it for the conglomerates who sell the products. I know - I'm such a cynic!

I'm also guessing that if ... if .... someone was to produce that ONE SINGLE PRODUCT which did everything we'd ever want and need in a toothpaste, there would be no requirement for the plethora of expensive dental product advertisements. We would all be happy with our little tube of DO IT ALL TOOTHPASTE and the advertising industry wouldn't have to spend endless hours coming up with slogans and jingles, sourcing people with already perfect teeth to show us how our teeth should really be, and dentists happy to promote one particular brand.

Yes, I guess with the development of that one perfect toothpaste there would be a lot of people out of work! That's the way of the world!

I've nothing (much) against the worlds of product development and advertising....but sometimes it all seems a bit pointless, doesn't it?

I am sure there will be those out there who will want to comment on why (scientifically) we need all the different pastes and gels and liquids, and powders. There may be some wanting to defend the members of the advertising industry who spend days, weeks and even months in a room devising new ways of selling another new product to the unsuspecting general public. And, of course, there will be those who will wish to champion the different manufacturers of toothpaste who need to keep producing new products to keep us all happy.

You can see why I've been loathe to come out on the subject before.

It's not that I don't care about my teeth - I am actually a fantatical brusher! It's not that I'm unintelligent, but really the science behind toothpaste is beyond me, I'm not ashamed to admit it!

And, of course, I'm very very grateful for toothpaste. In previous centuries I might already be toothless and having to gum all my food to death, or having to use bits of stick to scrape the nasties off my nashers. I might have had to turn to the kitchen where baking soda on a rag would have had  to suffice for teeth scrubbing, or I might have had to clean out the fireplace to get some woodash to smear on - actually, I've discovered, some still swear by those remedies. If I was not so fortunate as to be able to afford toothpaste I might be with the many millions in the world today who still use sugar cane and other twigs to clean their teeth, or just don't bother with oral hygeine because it's more important to eat and ensure their children eat!

But - and this is where I enter the world of imagination and fantasy and my mind begins to roam once again.  I wonder if we might ever return to a more simple time when toothpaste was just for cleaning teeth - nothing more, nothing less? No hype, no complicated science, no guilt. Just toothpaste!

 

 

 

 

 

The Joys of Weird Train Journeys!

Sometimes London commuting just surpasses itself for oddly weirdness!

Take my journey home this evening, for instance.

I worked late in the office and arrived at London Marylebone well in time for the 840pm train north into the Buckinghamshire countryside. As one of the first to board an empty train I was guaranteed a seat. The other early  occupant .... a woman who appeared to be grinding her teeth incessantly.  I sat slightly away from her.

The carriage gradually filled up. A very pale young woman with blond dreadlocks, or perhaps just VERY MESSY hair, sat opposite Teeth Grinding Woman. A young man sat down next to me and immediately opened a bag of what smelt like a bag of pork scratchings!

More weary, bleary eyed travellers staggered onto the train. An older man slumped into a seat opposite mine and immediately opened an even smellier sandwich which, if I'm not mistaken, was packed full of egg and something else....heavens knows what....

840 approached. The train driver announced our imminent departure .... at least, I think he did....his announcement was SO QUIET it was barely there. Mr Egg Sandwich made a loud phone call to someone and chomped away at his dinner.

841 -  a second announcement. Not, this time from the inaudible driver but rather from a young, VERY loud alternative who sounded slightly .... intoxicated, slurring his way through some strange excuses for the late departure.

'Sorry we're going to be late. The 837 has to go first and we have to wait until it goes. It still hasn't gone....Sorry about that....... TARA'.

Yes, you read right!

This teenage member of staff (if indeed he was a member of the train staff and not some random person who had decided to highjack the announcements) signed off with a perky 'TA...RA'. To get the full impact you need to say this final  word with a broad Birmingham / Midlands accent.

843 - still stationary and back comes the softly spoken driver with his own apology for the late departure. Very polite, very quiet, very factual.... at least I think it was....hard to say....could hardly hear it.

844  - Loud announcer  comes  back. 'Once again, SO SORRY for the late departure...etc....etc. We'll be off soon....etc etc'

That confirmed it! The two were actually competing.... who could make the worst train announcements in the world? I started giggling. People glared. The more they frowned at me, the more I struggled to keep from laughing out loud. Mr Egg Sandwich chomped away. Across the  carriage there was the sound of teeth grinding.

845 - train pulls out. Mr Egg Sandwich finished his meal and settled down for a post-dinner nap. Seriously, within seconds he was SNORING FOR ENGLAND.

Heads turned, people looked embarrassed and buried their heads in their bags of pork scratchings and continued to grind teeth. The train proceeded. Loud and inappropriate announcer was gone, older quiet driver remained, barely announcing the approaches to the many stations on what seemed to be the longest ride home I've ever taken. 

Oh the joys of Chiltern Trains and mid evening commuting out of London on a cold, windy, winter's evening accompanied by the strangest set of fellow travellers! 

Halloween - a perfect marketing opportunity

We can't escape it. It's everywhere.

Greetings cards, costumes, masks, cobwebs and spiders,  skulls and skeletons. Themed television and radio programmes. Shop staff wearing witches hats. Products stacked on the shelves of our supermarkets - cakes, sweets, candied apples  -  all  in bright orange and black paper wrapping and boxes.  

Halloween!

At this point the sky goes dark and there's a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder.

If I hear one more version of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' I think I'll go mad. And this coming from an avid Michael fan!

On the surface it all just a bit of fun. A chance for parties, for dressing up, for eating lots of sweets, dunking for apples. An opportunity for little groups of  children to prance around the neighbourhood in fancy dress to knock on doors and shout 'Trick or Treat?' and then open their little bags to accept handfuls of candy. It's like a scene out of an old American movie.

Which is exactly where all this comes from.

If you look up 'Halloween' or 'Hallowe'en' online you'll read that it's 'an annual holiday observed on October 31, which commonly includes actvities such as trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories and watching horror films.' (Wikipedia)

Although activities like 'trick or treating' do have roots in the past, this  'celebration' of Halloween is relatively modern, and largely American in the form we have it today.  

Until just a few years ago, Halloween was a quirky night which we in the UK looked at with fascination from afar,  a little perplexed as to why our American friends apparently embraced it so joyfully. Now, it seems, we in Britain are doing the same - at least that's what a visit to the shops and supermarket this week would have us believe.

Many of us remain sceptical, especially from a religious perspective. Is it just harmless 'fun' or will this annual emphasis create an unhealthy interest in witchcraft and the occult? Should those religious among us be encouraging our own children to attend 'Light' parties rather than celebrations of death,  and all things spooky? Is there anything really wrong with a little harmless fright once a year?

I'm not going to get into the religious arguments here - but for the record, 'Hallowe'en' is the night before All Hallows Day - or All Saints Day -  an annual  Christian celebration which honours all the saints, known and unknown, each November 1st. Traditionally, the Church  held a vigil on All Hallows' Eve when worshippers would prepare themselves with prayers and fasting prior to the feast day itself. The name derives from the Old English 'hallowed' meaning holy or sanctified.(BBC website)

A long way from spooks and ghoulies, fancy dress costumes, masks and facemakeup, parties, witches, skeletons and skulls, weird rituals like 'trick or treating', the annual fright fest.

But - let's face it - a bunch of people solemnly attending church to celebrate the lives of good people who have gone before us and fasting ahead of a holy day hardly makes for a good greetings card or party theme. It won't sell many bags of sweets or cakes wrapped in orange and gold boxes. It's hardly likely to be the next theme for a Hollywood block buster.

Pure and simple, the 'modern' invention of Hallowee is an excellent marketing opportunity. A chance for the shops to make some autumn sales just before the big Christmas push, for television marketeers to sell ads around the late night scary movies.

Do I sound slightly cynical? You bet I am! Why else would we encourage our children to annually dress up as ghosts and  witches, and pretend to be dead people and even undead people - zombies? Why else would we, this one day of the year, encourage them to visit the neighbours and knock on the doors of complete strangers and allow them to threaten them with some prank or nasty consequence unless they hand over sweeties/treats?  If they did all this at any other time of year we'd be concerned about their morale and even spiritual welfare.

I'm all for a bit of fun. I'm just not sure that Halloween really is much fun. I think I'll wait for a week and 'celebrate' that essentially British custom of burning an effigy of a man on a big bonfire while enjoying a fireworks display! Guy Fawkes Night here I come!

Fearless or Fearful?

Most mornings, weather permitting, when I'm working at home I try to get out and talk a walk before I start my day. Otherwise it's tempting to just roll from the bedroom to the office, via the kitchen and bathroom, and before you know it the whole day has passed and you've barely seen the sunshine outside.

I would like  to say that I jog but I don't. I would also love to be able to tell you that I 'Power Walk' but that also would be untrue. While I do try to pace quickly enough to get my heart beating faster and I often build up a slight sweat, many days my morning walk more resembles a swift stroll as I enjoy the countryside, mediate and pray, think and  try to clear my head ready for the day that faces me.

When you're working predominantly on your own, any human contact is vital, I find, to keep one sane.  So the morning walk is also a good opportunity to share a smile or a greeting with others I meet on the way, or a chance to chat to neighbours, to remind myself that life still exists outside my office space.

I tend to see the same people en route. There's the elderly man walking back from the local shop with a fresh newspaper clutched firmly in his hand.  There's the fit looking middle aged woman on her daily morning jog, earphones drowning out the world as she listens intently to her music while she pounds the pavement. Invariably she's frowning slightly and looks rather overheated, and I often wonder if she's actually enjoying herself or whether that's just the way her face is.

I pass a tennis club and meet people walking from their cars to the courts, smartly dressed in designer tennis outfits. I often encounter animal lovers taking their dogs for a morning constitutional. And there's the kindly looking gentleman who politely doffs his cap as we share a 'Good Morning' outside his house. 

I sometimes see parents/grandparents and their children and in particular one young woman, and two young boys on their silver scooters.

I turn a corner and here comes the first little lad. He's always  ahead of the other two. He's on his scooter, zipping along with confidence and a huge smile, his eyes bright with excitement, expertly (or so it seems) missing the little potholes in the pathway, and the occasional tree root.  Barely looking down, always looking ahead. Fearless and confident.  

Then comes Mum (or it might be the nanny) walking briskly behind,  occasionally calling out to the child ahead of her -  'Stop at the corner!'

And finally, taking up the rear in the little convoy, a second small boy. He's also on a scooter, but the contrast could not be more different between him and his brother, for I'm assuming that's what they are - they might even be twins, they look quite similar, although this second child is slightly taller.

He's very careful and tentative, as he slowly paddles along on his scooter, hardly taking his eyes off the path ahead, gripping the handle bars, gritting his teeth, wobbling. No flinging back of his head as he sails up the road with a grin on his face, rather a grim determination to stay upright. Fearful, cautious.

One fearful, one fearless. And it's got me to thinking - which one am I?

Do I face the world with trepidation, always anxious about what's lying ahead, looking intently for the cracks in the road which might trip me up, too afraid and careful to look up and see the road that stretches ahead of me ? Stopping at every tiny obstacle for fear that I might be hurt.

Or am I inclined to occasionally take a risk, pick up a bit of speed,  fling my head back and laugh into the morning, to enjoy the sunshine on my face and the smell of freshly mown grass? To put aside, for just a little while, the worries of life? To thank God for just being alive! To just BE, in that moment.

I'm not saying that I have to be one, or the other - I guess most of us are somewhere inbetween. We all have responsibilities and people who depend on us, but I just wonder, are we sometimes so intent on our business of living that, like the frowning jogger, we appear to lose the joy of that life? Just as the fearless little lad needs to stop at the corner to avoid getting run over in the traffic, we can't be entirely carefree, I know that.  But could we all just be a little more fearless? Take a few more chances? To enjoy life just a little more?

Of course,  I might have it completely wrong. The second little lad may just be learning to ride his scooter and I'll soon see him also whizzing along with his brother, just as confident and fearless.

I hope so.

 

You've heard of the Borrowers? What about 'Tomorrowers'?

I'm sure most home-workers, freelancers working from home or home-based consultants will agree that one of the most difficult challenges (apart from actually getting work) is discipline. It's very easy, when you work most days in your little office in your spare bedroom or from the shed in the bottom of your garden, to let things slip. I've heard of home-workers who find it's lunchtime and they are still in their PJs. Not that that's happened to me (!) and I've also never found myself sitting endlessly at the computer only to suddenly realise that it's midafternoon and I've forgotten to take a lunch break. Not me! No!

Working alone and at home means the word 'distraction' takes on a whole new meaning. If you're not careful, that little piece of internet research you planned this morning can turn into a half day of web surfing while the jobs you had planned - the ones you've written on your whiteboard, or pinned to your cork noticeboard - are left undone. There's always the 'have another cup of tea' distraction and knowing that the TV is in the room next door, or downstairs, is also a temptation. If you're not careful 'I'll just catch the news while I have this cup of coffee' becomes several hours of mind-numbingly tedious Daytime TV - all, of course, in the name of 'research'. 

However, not all 'distractions' turn out to be unworthy. Yesterday I tuned into the BBC 1 TV quiz show 'Pointless' - it's on at 5.15pm so I don't feel quite so bad if I catch it as theoretically the working day IS nearly over (!) for most normal human beings.

If you don't know the show... the blurb says it's a 'Quiz in which contestants try to score as few points as possible by plumbing the depths of their general knowledge to come up with the answers no-one else can think of...' Basically the winner is the duo who gets the LEAST amount of points ... fantastic!

Back to yesterday - and one category in the quiz ...."name words which end in '...ower'...."

I leave you to draw up your list. One guy (a cool vicar) came up with 'overpower' and that was 'pointless'. At the end of the round, co-host Richard Osman (the main host is comedian Alexander Armstrong) then gave examples of other 'pointless' answers the guests COULD have given.

And one was .....

'TOMORROWER'

I'd never heard of it,  but it is in the dictionary. I checked - Mariam Webster!

'Tomorrower' means 'putting off to tomorrow things that you should do today'. It's another word for 'Procrastinator' - which means 'to put off intentionally and habitually' and 'to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done'.

Note the important words in the definition - 'intentionally' and 'habitually'. To be a 'tomorrower' it appears you have to KNOW that you're procrastinating and do it often.

So ... no excuses.... if you're juggling several contracts and jobs, and are inclined to flitter and flutter between different tasks and subjects on any particular day, and as a result are not getting anything completed, it might not be because you have a low boredom threshold. You might be a Tomorrower.

So the question is - Am I a 'tomorrower?' Well, I hope not. But it is easy as a home-worker, especially if you're not working to any deadlines or timelines and you haven't set yourself specific targets, to become something resembling a 'tomorrower'. It's certainly worth reminding yourself from time to time, to ensure you DON'T get off track. I've stuck a little note on my cork noticeboard (which sits alongside my whiteboard work planner). I look up and the bright orange notelet asks me the question 'Are YOU a Tomorrower'?

However,  if I am - if you are - then we're in good company. In my research into the word this morning I noted, from the Oxford English Dictionary, that the word 'tomorrower' comes up in letter from the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge to his wife. In 1810 he wrote: 

'He is as great a to-morrower to the full as your poor husband.'

Now where's that cup of tea?

 

Don't forget to .... Say Thanks!

 
It all started last winter in the coffee shop at my local railway station.

Bundled up against the cold, heavy coat and scarf, gloves and my usual winter woolly hat - I stood patiently in line for my morning cup of latte, looking forward to enjoying the hot beverage on the train into London.

'Excuse me, Madam.' I heard a quiet voice  in my ear. 'I hope you don't mind me saying so, but your hat is on inside out!'

Dressing in the midwinter gloom, I hadn't realised that my dark brown woollen cap was, indeed, inside out. But the gentleman standing behind me in the queue had noticed the rather obvious big, flapping white label on the top of my head.

Now, you might think this would make me awfully embarrasased. Well,  at the time, I was just really grateful to this kind stranger who had taken time to mention the fact to me. You see, it saved me from travelling on the train and  on the London Tube, and then walking a distance to the office looking rather silly with my inside-out hat on. I thanked him, the train came and I've never seen him since.

Which got me to thinking - it's little random acts of kindness which make the world a nicer place. There's been a lot of thinking around Random Acts of Kindness recently, but how about 'random acts/expressions of thankfulness' for those little kindnesses ?

It's taken a while but I've now started a bit of campaign to get more people to say 'thank you' - not just to people (family, friends, colleagues, even total strangers) but also to the world / God/ the universe for the good things that come our way, for little kindnesses received.

I just feel many of us go around sometimes having a bit of moan about life when really, there is so much, and so many people, to be thankful for. If you think it all sounds a bit sentimental - well, what's wrong with that? There was a time when common courtesy was to say 'thanks' routinely, write thank you letters for gifts received, and be just a little bit more appreciative of life in general.

I don't know whether it's because we all live in a more cynical world or because many of us are just too busy chasing our tails, our jobs, our success, our need to improve our lot, and worrying about the state of our finances, the world economy and our place in it all, that we sometimes forget the little pleasures in life. It's a cliche, I know, but do we really take time to 'smell the roses', or in my case, the early morning coffee?

I've started quite simply, on Facebook - the page is called 'Don't forget to .... Say Thanks!'  - and I'm hoping that lots of people will log on, 'like' the page and then recommend to others. But more importantly, use the 'Don't Forget to .... Say Thanks!' page to post their own thankful messages!

We'll see how it goes. I may start another website too - but in the meantime, please click on the widget on my front page, or on the picture below to log on the Facebook page.

 

So - let's give it go and see how far this thanks thing can travel.

THANKS!

 

Scan and Shop or maybe not!

I like to try new things, stretch myself, experience the unusual. And, in the absence of something much more exciting at the moment, today I did try something for the first time. Grocery shopping needed doing, and I'd always wondered what the Scan and Shop devices that loads of people people seem to use were all about. The supermarket wasn't that busy so I decided to give it a go.

With no one around to ask, I watched another customer register - swiping in her 'loyalty card' and then picking up the scanner which lit up on a rack. So that was how to do it. Simple.

With no obvious big signs to tell me what to do next or what to expect, I just followed my instinct. After a few false starts I got the hang of the scanner device, which sat neatly in a specially devised cradle at the front of the trolley. I'd always thought that was there to hang my handbag on! The scanning and shopping went well. I felt quite proud of myself, and more importantly I could keep track of what I was spending. Excellent in these economically straightened times.

There were a couple of items which could not scan - loose fruit and so forth - but the little scanner device kindly informed me that these would be scanned at the till. Marvellous.

Trolley loaded, I approached a till. Unloaded all my items, as usual, onto the conveyor belt, and waited. Okay, so I should probably have been more observant at the front of the store by the Scanning Device Storage Unit and what I later discovered was a specially designated Scan and Shop area, but my excitement at trying this 'new' technology was rather overwhelming. I must have missed it.

I waited for my turn at the till. On approaching the very helpful staff member, I explained that I had one of these scanners and wondered what to do next. He wasn't quite sure - he doesn't often do the tills - so he turned to a colleague.

'Oh you can't pay here!' the woman said. 'There's the Scan and Shop area at the front. You have to go there!'

As all my shopping was on the conveyor belt by this time, all neatly ordered as usual for packing - fruit and veg, dried goods, cold stuff that needs going in a cooler bag, I asked the obvious question.

'Could I not just pay for it here?'

The woman at the next till, who by this time had ambled over to my area, was insistent. Absolutely not, my purchases were in the computer and it would all go horribly wrong if I didn't follow through with the system. I'd have been better off asking to alter the Space Time Continuum!

Now, it wasn't that I felt foolish - I was, after all, a Scan and Shop virgin. How was I to know how the system worked? But the woman who delivered the devastating news that I would have to pack up my little trolley again and trudge down to the Scan and Shop special area, obviously took me for a fool. No, a moron. How had I not been born with the knowledge of how to Scan and Shop? Somewhere something had been missing from my education.

Fortunately Michael, my original till person, was terribly apologetic and helped me restack my trolley.

So now I was back at Scan and Shop. First I checked to see what signs were actually up there. Yes, there were warnings displayed, although not prominently, I would say. 

I entered the Scan and Shop area to discover that what I had let myself in for was actually 'self service' payment.  But it wasn't as simple as that. It was self service with a twist! First, my scanning device needed 'priming' as this was my first time as a Scanner and Shopper. Then, of course, there were the loose items which I had not been able to scan - my single lemon, a bunch of bananas and some fresh broccoli.

So I did need assistance, after all. The staff member who helped me was very encouraging. She could, I believe, feel my frustration and pain. Well, actually I told her I thought the system was a bit mad and pointless ....and I quickly exited the store with all my items in a trolley, in no order, no bags packed, feeling rather inept. Apparently the idea is that you pack your bags as you go along! How was one to know? I've been grocery shopping all my adult life and this experience left me feeling like a novice!

How could the excitement of trying something new turn so disastrous? All I had wanted was a little difference in my life.

I darted to my car, where I surreptitiously packed my bags under cover of my boot / trunk. It was while doing this that I realised that there is a fundamental flaw in the system. What was there to stop Scanners and Shoppers popping a few additional items into their trolley without scanning? In my Tesco store it would have been easy to get away with an item of two unpaid for - not much checking was done at all on the number of items I had with me when I departed ever so quickly, head bowed in shame. Not that I would do that of course.... but ..... some might.

At least there were few people in the supermarket at the time to see my anguish and humiliation. Imagine the horror if I tried this for the first time on a Saturday when the shop is heaving with people, kids screaming for sweeties, parents getting hot under the collar with all the stress. They would have hated me in the Scan and Shop payment area, not knowing what I was doing and holding everything up!

So, despite the encouragement of that final assistant who helped me make sense of the Scan and Shop payment system, I have to say I think that I may go back to my usual practice of throwing items randomly  into the trolley and standing in the queue for a till.

NO MORE SCAN AND SHOP FOR ME!

And if I want to keep track of the bill as I go along, perhaps next time I'll just take my handy little old-fashioned calculator !