The penguins continue to face to their right apart from that one. A bit like Britain, possibly - the only one of the European Union countries not to sign whatever it was that about the Euro that the other 27 countries signed today. I know I ought to pay more attention to politics but it's all so depressing that I can't bear to. In addition, I've spent the evening doing my mother's Christmas cards for her and trying to dissaude her from telling me every detail she knows about the recipients - details that I already know and which make the card process five times as long. The good part of this is that I didn't have time to watch the news.I occasionally imagine historians of the future coming across blogs like mine in cyberspace and wondering if the writers had no idea of the problems in the world. Very little mention of politics, economics, famine, war... did these people live in a bubble of contentment, cats, patchwork and flowers? they would ask themselves. So just in case you're reading this in 200 years (hello! - have you invented non-fattening chocolate yet?) - alas, we do know about these things. We just don't like to dwell on them.
That Galaxy chocolate was memorably good, Daughter 2. It had soft toffee in the middle of it. And I'm sure it was packed with vitamins and flavenoids and anti-oxidants too. It was definitely the best thing to happen today.This has been one of those days when it's hard to achieve anything. (Most of my days are like this at the moment.) It's not my mother's fault, but somehow her doings take up a lot of my time. Today, for example, I checked her flat, phoned her doctor, went to the surgery to collect a prescription, was given the wrong one, went back again, was given the right one, took it to the pharmacy, waited 20 minutes, was given only some of the medicine because they'd forgotten about the other part, took Mum to the hairdresser, collected her, phoned her burglar alarm chap, received a phone call from him arranging when he's going to fit a new burglar alarm, phoned her bank to try to persuade it to send her new cheque book, was visited by the council removing the bath board, cushion and mattress cover that she doesn't want... not to mention the preparation of various meals and cups of tea and coffee and the discussions about Christmas cards, Christmas letters, change of address announcements, the state of the world, the state of her innards...
These are some of the reasons why I haven't made a patchwork quilt recently. Or at all.
And they're some of the reasons why I'm blogging. It's nice to make contact with the rest of the world, or at least a select portion of it that writes about cats, dogs, gardens and smiley things.
I am really enjoying reading your daily posts, Isabelle - though I do feel for you! Thank heavens for cats, chocolate and thoughtful children! x
ReplyDeleteI know well how time consuming all those things are, and they have to be done, no doubt about that! You and your mother are obviously very precious to each other, and your family relationships are so close and loving too.
ReplyDeleteThose walks with little N (?) obviously add to your joy in your family life.
I have really been enjoying your posts. I'm glad to see you're keeping busy ;) and I love the surprise of the advent prizes. Although, I would surely love to taste the yummy treats you show us. :) You seem like such a caring daughter-I hope I can be so patient when the time comes. Keep looking for those smiley things (I agree that politics is not one of those things! :)) Many hugs around the world to you. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd don't you wonder how you did all of these things when you were working? You're providing such an inspirational example for me Isabelle -- I know my time with my mom is just around the corner. I hope I can live up to your example.
ReplyDeleteYour posts may not be earth-shattering in the scheme of world events, but they are important in the life of you and your family.....and that, to my mind, counts for more.
ReplyDeleteI feel like that about world events much of the time. Something happens - I think "Now, I must concentrate on this, it will be important" then, by the time I've heard the same thing umpteen times, I've mentally switched off, and miss the bit that signals a vital development. It's not that I don't care. I really feel for the ordinary people involved, but I do think that in the 21st century we should have found a way of settling disputes without killing people. Maybe your historians of the future will wonder why we were still behaving like barbarians?
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, there is a place for celebrating the gentler things in life, be they pets, homes and gardens or penguin-scapes made with love.
Sounds horribly familiar, Isabelle - as you say, thank goodness for chocolate and daughters!
ReplyDeleteI love your posts and identify with your wayward penguin, I am ever out of step and going the wrong way.
ReplyDeleteAs to politics, I'm doing my best to ignore what's going on in this country and elsewhere. I'm so fed up that I probably won't vote next year for the first time in my life--a pox on both their houses!
But I love Christmas!
Be consoled that there is not a lot we ordinary ( speaking for my self here ) mortals can do about the greater scheme of things. Things political, finacial,and of Mother Nature all seem to be for greater powers to deal with. The best we/I can do is make sure my part of the bargain is taken care of. My family, friends, property and a few outside interests keeps me pretty busy. Mother Nature always has the last say...so go with the flow.
ReplyDeleteI know those days of helping the elders in the family are very taxing times...but I found very suddenly it was all over. They had died ( 3 in close sucession ) and I was glad I was able to know I had helped them when I still could.
Well, I'm with you on the blogging on a domestic scale, Isabelle - if I want to read political views, I look elsewhere (and I do!); it's the domestic detail, the personal, the familiar and often funny ups and downs of daily life, that really interest me. (At the same time, there are one or two terribly happy-clappy-skippy-smiley blogs around, that are so relentless in their gosh-life-is-super-wonderful stance that they alarm me, and I start to worry about their authors reaching a crash and burn crisis.) Carry on - chocolate, cats, family, penguins; what's not to like?
ReplyDelete