The Witty Blackboard

I don't spend all my time lurking round at Archie's, honest, but I couldn't resist burgling another brilliant jewel from him. To admire the other loot I have recently pinched, have a look at Saturday's post.

Anyway, Surviving the World has been going for a few years but it's new to me. Almost as wonderful as the mighty xkcd, here are a couple of funnies that caught my eye - this one is far too close to home, as I am getting about five hours sleep just now with all the damn daylight. And don't get me started on winter here...



And this one is for my Trivial Pursuit snob son:



My son may be 21 but he still tantrums if he doesn't win at Trivial Pursuit, especially if his mother wins by knowing the answers to all the pink questions...hee-hee.

Officially the Cutest Thing on the Web Today

Pinched from the usually curmudgeonly Archie, this is the cutest thing you will see all week. So long as you ignore the soundtrack, I defy you not to go "ah" yourself, especially near the end. Bliss! Thanks Archie!

Turning Gear Boxes Into Plant Pots

My father, who was affable but whose political views were somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun, used to say, when anyone under the age of 30 came out with some liberal view on the world, "You'll grow out of it". This, of course, would send the victim into paroxyms of furious frustration and effectively put an end to any sensible debate, my father grinning with unconcealed glee at another argument won, another young pretender defeated. He was firmly of the opinion that people might start out as left-wing, wishy-washy liberals but, as they grew up and 'matured', the common sense appeal of conservatism would work its magic and everyone would ultimately come round to his way of thinking. Those that didn't were weirdy-beardies or feminists and thus, apart from being good for an entertaining debate, could be ignored.

Maybe out of spite, my views have gone in the opposite direction. I was very conventional and establishment as a young woman, and find myself becoming more radical the older I get.

For example, a few weeks ago, when I was in my non-blogging state, I saw this news item about a government proposal to charge companies, and possibly individuals for using their own workplace parking spaces. Initially I was outraged at this further interference by the Government in our everyday lives. In fact, I decided, if I ran one of the companies I would rather get rid of the car park altogether and turn it into a nice garden before I paid them a penny to park at my own place of work...and then an outrageous idea began to bloom in my head. What if all the car parks in cities were turned into public gardens? Would that be such a bad idea? In fact, wouldn't that be an absolutely gorgeous idea?

We have become so used to the idea of car as king that we seem willing to sacrifice everything in its name. Don't get me wrong, I love my car and I love the freedom that it brings. But just imagine what it would be like if we reversed the trend to pave paradise and turned car parks into gardens. Isn't that a lovely thought? Didn't it put a smile on your face, just for a second? Why couldn't we do it? And pay some attention to the pedestrian - the old, the young and the poor - give them something back to say thank you for putting up with our fumes and our noise and our speed these last thirty years. We'd all benefit because, after all, we are all pedestrians some time.

It makes me smile to think of the furious arguments I would have now with my father, if he was still around, knowing that his now well-into-middle-age daughter was letting him down by having such juvenile thoughts.

This Quiz is Even Better...

Okay, okay, I'm doing anything to avoid writing a proper post. But I really, really like this Blog Things quiz. Based on the Enneagram system of personality typing, the questions are interesting but not too testing

You Are 4: The Individualist

You are sensitive and intuitive, with others and yourself. You are creative and dreamy... plus dramatic and unpredictable. You're emotionally honest, real, and easily hurt. Totally expressive, others always know exactly how you feel. At Your Best: You are inspired, artistic, and introspective. You know what you're thinking, and you can communicate it well. At Your Worst: You are melancholy, alienated, and withdrawn. Your Fixation: Envy Your Primary Fear: To have no identity Your Primary Desire: To find yourself Other Number 4's: Alanis Morisette, Johnny Depp, J.D. Salinger, Jim Morrison, and Anne Rice.

What Number Are You?

Any other 4s out there?

Yes, But What Do You Look Like On The Inside?

The thing about being away for such a long time is that you have so many stories to catch up with. I can't decide which one to start with so I've given up and gone for a quiz instead, courtesy of Blog Things.

Your Soul is Welcoming

You are a warm hearted and open minded person. It's easy for you to forgive and forget. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds. You believe that people see you as larger than life and important. While this is true, they also think you're a bit full of yourself. Your near future is still unknown, and a little scary. You'll get through wild times - and you'll textually enjoy it. For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

These quizzes are complete tosh, of course, but this one was scarily accurate...maybe I'll try it again, answer completely randomly and see how I come out...How's your soul?

Puddock's Back!

Hello everybody! After a break of, I am surprised to see, nearly three months, I am dipping my webbed toe back into the waters of Blog Ocean.

It seems that many of us need to take some time out from blogging every now and then, either because real life intervenes, because we want to think about the direction of our blogs, or we are disturbed by the weirder side of the internet knocking on our cyber door. My reason was all of these and none of these, if that makes sense. I guess I just wanted to test whether blogging was still as important to me as it was when I first began, when it was, almost literally, a life saver.

A blogging buddy had written an interesting post in which she said that a cyber hug was never going to be as good as a real hug, and she really hit the nail on the head, I think.

Anyway, I'm BACK! I was going to post the most life-affirming, stick it to the man, antidote to the thieving political class thing I've seen in months - the Susan Boyle audition for Britain's Got Talent but Youtube won't let me embed it. Here's the link instead, in case you are the last person on the planet not to have seen it or you just want cheering up.

Susan Boyle Cheers Up the Nation

Gone Fishin'

I'm taking a break from blogging for a while but I will still be lurking around everyone else's blogs, no doubt, so I won't be completely gone. Happy Spring everyone!

All Around My Hat...

I have finally given in and accepted that I am middle-aged and gone out and bought a hat.

Not a glamorous feathers-and-froth wedding hat but a sensible, waxed cotton, keep-your-head-warm-whatever-you-look-like hat.



And, do you know, I'm already in love with it. I wore it to walk the dog yesterday and was completely snug in the cold wind. I fully expect to be signing up for a Saga tour, buying one of those cosy foot warmers, and ditching the frothy nightwear in favour of red flannel any day now.

The mad thing is that I don't mind. Could it possibly be that I am growing old gracefully?

Which Star Sign SHOULD You Be?

I am a Leo but really...

You Should Be An Aquarius

What's good about you: philosophical and idealistic, you are a great thinker What's bad about you: you require a lot of space - it's hard to get close to you. In love: you're quirky and playful, but you hate to be smothered. In friendship, you're: likely to have many acquaintances and very few good friends Your ideal job: pilot, snow boarder, or science fiction writer Your sense of fashion: unconventional, unique outfits that turn heads You like to pig out on: anything with garlic or unique spices

What Sign Should You Be?

I agree with almost all of this - not sure about the snow boarding but everything else IS or SHOULD BE me!

Death Wish?

I have decided to move this post to my other blog, Rosehip or Prune? I felt that the things I was saying in it were too upsetting for the young and the normal who read this blog. Most people cannot bear to think about death, theirs or their loved ones', and I forgot that. I also wanted to develop my thoughts further and would have felt constrained here, so mosey on over to Rosehip if you aren't scared to peer inside my brain, otherwise here is a lovely picture instead...

Too Old, Too Thick or Too Boring?

Well, that little dream was nice while it lasted. After weeks of excitement and nervousness, waiting for the universities to decide if they wanted me as a student, the oracles have spoken and it is not good news - 4 rejections out of 5.

You can make 5 applications through UCAS, so I applied to three Scottish universities, two different courses at two of them, plus the third one. This last one has offered me a place but I don't think I'll take it. It was my third choice and I've had a couple of months to think about the reality of attending each Uni every day for four years. To get to this particular place, I'd have had to live in the city or have a pretty long commute - not what I'm looking for. And I really wanted to go either of the other two.

I am gutted. I knew that the courses are always heavily oversubscribed and that there were no guarantees. Nevertheless, it is dispiriting to know that my degree, my school grades, my Open University points and my passion for philosophy were not enough for them, especially as I am studying a distance learning module in that very subject with one of the rejectors at this very moment (not any more, I'm not - I've just withdrawn.)

So it's back to the drawing board. You'll forgive me if I go into a corner with my dog and a tub of ice cream for a while...

Protecting My Tribe

I've been struggling with a dilemma recently, now resolved, and I thought it was worth sharing with you all.

I now live alone, except for my little old dog. Pets are, as anyone who has them knows, a tie at the best of times. At holiday time, you either bung them in boarding kennels or take them with you. Even working can be an issue, as leaving them shut up in the house for eight or nine hours every day does not seem like a great way to treat a dog. Most of my friends who are out at work all day choose not to have dogs.

I've been lucky enough to based at home for many years, so have got used to fitting my needs in around those of husband and child as well as dogs. But now, it's just me and the dog, and I've been getting extremely itchy feet.

My dog was diagnosed with doggy dementia last year and so cannot be put into kennels any more. I was delighted that we got several short trips away last year, either to wonderful, understanding friends or to the rare hotel that takes dogs.

But I want to do more than have an odd night away. I want to go on proper holiday. I want to explore. I want to find a new place to live. The latest frustration was when I passed an audition for a radio quiz show - very exciting! Then I discovered the recording was to be 500 miles away and would need two nights away. My lovely son could dogsit for one night but not two. My dog is too batty to leave with any of my friends - what to do, what to do? I racked my brains for weeks.

I went through all the options. I talked it through with friends and family. And this is where it starts to get difficult. Almost everyone was of the opinion that I shouldn't be allowing the needs of a mere animal to be outweighing my own. I'm not sure what they expected me to do. Mind you, I'm pretty sure one or two of them would have had her whisked down to the vets before you could say Jack Russell. It was put to me that I was being overly sentimental about her or even that I was using her as an excuse for not going to the broadcast.

I was pretty confident that neither of these was the case. All I was facing was the same issue that any carer faces - restrictions on one's freedom because of the needs of the beloved one cares for. I decided that I had only two options - either take her with me on this long journey and try to turn it into a mini holiday or withdraw from the quiz and have another go another year.

I decided to withdraw. The journey would have been stressful for both of us and having her with me would have distracted from the experience of the quiz. I can enter the competition in a year or two so I am not losing anything. In the meantime I can keep on giving her as calm and happy a life as I can.

I haven't had a moment's regret since I withdrew. And then yesterday, by way of reward, I saw this scene:



After the dark depths of winter, the Sun had at last crept above the hill and was shining full into the house. My little old lady of a dog lay curled up in its warmth, sleeping contentedly. What a wonderful sight. I knew then without a doubt that I had made the right decision. She may 'only' be a dog but she has a right to a full and decent life. She is part of my tribe. I'm doing for her no more and no less than I'd do for my granny. There will come a time when her life no longer brings her pleasure and I will have to make the dreaded decision but in the meantime we'll carry on as we are, living a little more quietly than I would like but still enjoying walks and cuddles and licks and the occasional magic moment in the Sun.