All posts tagged: life

Down, But Not Out

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I’ve neglected my blog for the past few weeks. Brexit Blues and middle-age health woes are to blame, and I’m fairly certain the former lead to the latter. Less than six months to go and I have no idea if I can trade past March of next year. Do I stockpile? Do I wind down? Do I renew the lease on my premises? What do I tell my employees? My customers? It’s no wonder I’ve not felt my best. But even in this rather dark time, I’ve been enjoying things I’m looking forward to sharing here. I’ve tried some fabulous new vegan meat substitutes; bought a beautiful dress from an ethical designer; and discovered a glass water bottle I love. I will post reviews on all of these soon.    

Learning Baritone Ukulele

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Back in January 2014, at the ripe old age of 46, I decide to learn to play ukulele.  I’d read that learning a musical instrument could help ward off dementia, and with my short-term memory fading quickly, I went to the music shop and bought a little concert ukulele, and within a few hours, I was hooked.  Seriously hooked.  I quickly graduated to the warmer tones of a tenor ukulele, and a few months later, a baritone. I rarely play anything other than baritone these days, and while I’m not sure it’s helped my failing memory, it has made me a much happier person.  As I am completely self-taught, there is a great satisfaction in having learned something by myself with only my own enthusiasm and the love of the instrument to keep me going. The first thing I did was teach myself six chords – G, C, Am, F, Em, and D.  You’d be surprised how many songs you can play with these.  I then downloaded a program called iRehearse which – and I say …

Dates

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I do not enjoy marking time, but my brain seems to love it.  No matter how hard I try, I can’t get past ‘a year ago today’ or ‘this time last year,’ and it’s especially hard in June. So I’m off to stare at sand and sea for a couple of days.  It is true that salt water (in many forms) has a restorative effect.

Oysters

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I believe the secret to good food photography is to take the picture before hoovering up the dish.  I hadn’t had oysters in about seven years, and I’m not a food photographer. They were amazing!