Just one positive that I can think of, no 2 lol, the weather was a vast improvement on yesterday lovely and sunny, which meant I could walk today.
A lovely pair of boots that I had ordered arrived unexpectedly today, they weren’t due to arrive until the 24th. They are quite beautiful black ankle boots with lots of gold studs, they fit and are comfortable. Have a good evening all. 😁

☀️ Sunshine today! And a very brisk walk at lunchtime, rather brisker than I would have walked by myself but I was with someone fitter than I am (luckily short like me tho otherwise I never would have kept up). Up and over a hill and back at speed so I had trouble chatting normally – which is as a brisk walk is supposed to be!
🪴 Some random bigwig was touring the campus and we were warned he might come into the library (he did when I was at lunch so I missed seeing him, oh well). It was quite amusing seeing my boss tidying up, moving art and pot plants to prime positions, even straightening books on the shelves, yet denying it was because of the visitor. Yes Diane, you take down out-of-date posters and hide the old trolley in the storeroom every day…
🛏 I am so so tired, but it’s Friday night and I’m going to bed!

Happppy weekend folks! 💜
My time away from tv /internet means I’ve got a bit behind on all the news here. Need to do a catch up!
Meanwhile,been catching up face to face with the people around me,and making a start on reading the dozen or so books I bought in locko – but didn’t read!
*~ Just been chatting to a neighbour in his eighties. Still very active,still looking great ( tall and slim) still visiting family whenever he can in the States and Canada. It’s a funny positive,but I was very cheered to be talking to someone ten years older than myself….doesn’t happen that often these days!😀 …he’s a great example of,and role model for,how looking after your health through diet and exercise definitely pays off!
*~ Young friend has given birth to her little daughter a bit earlier than expected. Mum and Babe doing well! No name chosen as yet. She’s a little cherub.I think she would suit the name Phoebe!
*~ Received a “Daily Affirmation” in my inbox today,although I didn’t ask for it..it’s a good one though!
🌟🌟🌟🌟“I acknowledge my negative emotions but choose to focus on positive emotions. “ 🌟🌟🌟🌟

PS
XX
****I ve just come across a post from wayyyyyyy back,that I copied down coz it’s so good..I think it was from our good chum CALIFORNIA GIRL and it really is words of wisdom ( talking about sweet stuff and carbiness in general)so I thought I wd share it here.***….
“They aren’t a treat, they are stealth agents and they create and perpetuate a cascade of inflammation and high blood sugar leading to metabolic dysfunction and permanent high-insulin states in the body.
If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic or “just” fat, eating carbohydrate turns on, and keeps on, your insulin pump. When your insulin is high, you literally cannot break down fat for fuel. It “locks away” your fat and you are actually starving on a cellular level.
In addition, fats are critical for hundreds of biological activities in your body and brain and when you are eating carbohydrates, you are not allowing fats to fuel all those important processes.
So we would benefit from a different mind-set: why do we need to have carbohydrate to enjoy our holidays?
It’s an odd thing we do in our society, glorifying sweet stuff that actually just creates long term damage to our bodies.
If you decide to eat some sweet stuff, limit the amount and jump back on the BSD wagon as soon as you can”
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Three cheers for CALIF GIRL! XXX hip hip!XXX

🏅 My daughter came second in her acrobatic gymnastics trial, meaning she’s through to the State Final in three weeks! Very exciting. The top five there will go to Nationals.
💝 This morning I got most of my present shopping done for my husband’s birthday. Funny story tho, I had bought him a shirt a few weeks ago then forgot and bought another one almost exactly the same. So I took one back today and exchanged it for a different one. I got home to find him wearing the exact shirt I’d just picked out! I probably bought that one for him too… I clearly have a type.
🦠 I’ve been feeling very tired and run down, I didn’t know if it was from trying to work full time plus study plus family responsibilities, or diet (which has slipped badly lately), or if I had COVID again after finding out I’d spent a hour sitting helping someone who tested positive the next day. I tested and thankfully negative. And then I realised it’s that time of the month. So it’s probably all those things together – except COVID – and I can work on the diet and the TOM will pass and then it will be easier to cope with work and study. I have been working very hard but I just got 95% on my first assessment so it seems worth it. And after this week I’ll be back to three days a week at work. So I’ve just got to push through one more week.

We’ve popped over to a new page!
Though I didn’t contribute!
Just want to say ‘hello’.
I will post again soon
In the meantime it’s wonderful to ‘hear’ all your positives.
STAY POSITIVE no matter what life throws at you … we can all make it through.
Have a good week.

Today was my new Day1 (I’ve read about this on other threads) but now it looks like Day1 will need to begin again tomorrow!
That just about sums up my last five or six days!
I was reminded today of a saying …. “ If it’s a problem there will be a solution, if there is no solution then it’s not a problem, so no amount of worrying will fix it”. Well something like that anyway. I think I’ve just got myself into a low place lately but almost everything that’s making me low is out of my control sooooo…. just need to look to the positives ……
☎️☎️☎️ Had a wonderful, long, long chat with a dear friend earlier. Oh, I’ve obviously been in such a rut that I’ve not even noticed I’ve not spoken to friends for a while.
👫🥦🥑 Four friends joining us for dinner on Sunday evening so have been organising a menu. I’m making Thai but one guest doesn’t eat spice so plain roast chicken will be added to the menu, easy and can always use the leftovers. If the curry fails we can all have roast chicken! I made a green curry last week and used a new curry paste which wasn’t nice so it will be good to have a back-up ….. just in case!
👩🏻🧴🚿 Hair cut and coloured last week so I’m feeling brighter. Looking forward to washing it myself because I always prefer the way I blow my own hair.
Hope the start of a new week has been positive for everyone and even if the positives aren’t immediately obvious they are there …. sometimes we just need to dig really deep to find them.
Have a good evening.

Firstly, I’m really delighted to see that with a few extra contributors to our positives thread, we have flipped over to a new page. It seems to happen pretty much monthly at the moment.
Secondly, thank you to all those posting in the last few days, while I have been AWOL. It’s so heartening to see people sharing their positives.
V, totally understand what you mean about letting factors outside our control bring us down, think a lot of us are struggling on that front at the moment. I believe it’s really helpful to seek out the positives in our lives though … definitely lifts my spirits.

My positives over the last few days are ….
🌸 treated myself to a new mini orchid whilst shopping on Thursday… really cute little yellow one.
🐦 in the recent breaks in the weather, I’ve heard bird song 🎶 … such a delight.
😀 OH has almost finished building the new understairs storage. Will soon be able to clear the office bedroom, of the stuff we moved out of the living room last year.
🙂 heard from a friend who was made redundant a few months back, that at last he’s secured a new job … started today. 🤞🏻he’s had a good first day.
🌸 cut a small posy of spring flowers this morning, to bring some cheer to the living room.
🦶 treated myself to a home pedicure this afternoon.
🤸‍♀️ actually started the packing process for our trip to Turkey (or Turkiye as we now have to call it). The third bedroom is adrift with bags and things to go in them! Need to print out the packing list before I can start actually putting items in bags … job for tomorrow.
My look forward to for tomorrow is catching up with GS for lunch and maybe doing a little gardening.

Hope you are having a good day, with some positive you can share. Enjoy the rest of your day.

🐯I have a cute little toy giraffe in my bedroom, and I put her on my pillow whenever there is something I must remember to do before going to bed, like put the casserole in the fridge. Little Safari is impossible to miss and I never now wake in the morning or middle of the night remembering I’ve forgotten.
☺️ I got another compliment from a colleague who said I was very good at doing the story times (when we used to do them, before COVID). I really need to remember to compliment other people more, it feels so good to get one! I do appreciate other people, it sometimes just feels a bit awkward to say so. But worth it.
🥬 I had some leftover Vindaloo for lunch, no rice but way too spicy to have by itself so I had a bed of shredded lettuce and it was really good!

Hi and thank you for all your ‘positives’, they certainly help to lift my spirits.
Today I’ve made of a rough list of my positives as the day has gone on because otherwise I forget them.
So…..
👩🏻😀 Friend with mental health problems came for a cup of tea and a chat. Managed to make her smile and think of plans for the future. She’s improving week on week but she still has a way to go.
😌🎧 Meditated for the first time since last autumn. Can’t believe I’ve lapsed for so long but it was good, not perfect, but getting there.
🛏🎍Awaiting the delivery of a new ‘pillow spray’ as we speak. I’ve used the same one for a few years then tried the ‘deep sleep’ version which didn’t work for me. Last night I went back to the original and slept like a baby. Hoping the new one will have the same effect.
Have a good evening.

Verrano, I should so do that make a note, usually I’m sitting here thinking I did have some positives earlier but can’t remember what they were 😂
Today’s are:
I bought an oregano plant, have wanted one for ages, it’s planted out in the herb tub, which is made by a local man, out of half a Guinness barrel, that goes with 2 chairs also made out of Guinness barrels that we treated ourselves to last summer.
I went on my old route for my walk today past farms and up a lane, it was still fairly muddy but I could get up part of it, to find in a field a herd of deer. Got my phone out (no glasses) and tried to zoom in, looked up and they had scarpered. I caught sight of them on the way back and did get some pictures but couldn’t see them until I got home. Not a very good shot with tree and bushes in the way but you can see antlers. Definitely have to keep trying to get a good shot another day.
Natalie I took your advice and complimented a colleague this afternoon.

Hi everyone,just popping by to say…
*~ DD and I have got some kinda bug. Tested negative for covid so that’s a blessing 🙏 Don’t want Round Two of that!
*~ Met up with a friend yesterday,after two and a half years! But when we got together it felt like it was just days since we had last met up! Had a lovely time. Luckily it wasn’t til I got back home that I started to feel a bit ropey.
*~ While out yesterday,bought a notebook with a pretty cover and Make It Happen written on the front. Will use it every day to record those pesky carbs and cals – and my measurements! 👀
*~ I got this in an email today …

“Welcome, Blessed Springtime!
We greet you with arms outstretched to the brightening sky. The days are growing longer, and the world is waking up to us bringing bright colors and warmth. This time of year embodies change; rainbows appear often through the clouds nourishing our hopes for abundant water, and invigorating new growth all around us. We wish you spring blessings and inspiration for the warmer months ahead.
“Day and night, dark and light are equal in length. The trees’ hard “resting” buds are pliant again. Whorls, eggs, columns and frogs, motifs of ancient renewal populate our dreams and inscapes.
…As we perform our rituals of spring cleaning, throw off sluggishness and tonify our livers, we can hear birdsong from every room in the house. Ecstatic of heart again, we are like haiku writers trying to contain elation in just three lines.”
— excerpt Debra Hall © Mother Tongue Ink
Ps SUNY enjoy GS Lunch! x

Yowzer so sorry to hear you have a ‘bug’ hope you and DD recover very quickly.
Elle if I don’t write my positives down I just can’t remember them ! Sad! But there you go!
Anyway I do have positives, which I’ve written down …..
👴🧑‍🦲 Double joy two cousins ‘popped in’ to see us today. It’s so wonderful to get back to those ‘olden’ days when people ‘popped in ‘ without an invite just because they were passing. Oh how I’ve missed those days! But …. Hey … they are back 🙏🏻🙏🏻
🛏🍀New pillow spray worked really well. I don’t like the fragrance quite as much but I got a full 5 hours before I woke up for the bathroom( sorry if that’s too much formation). Then dropped back for another 2 hours.
🛫🏖 Managed to rearrange our flights to include a hotel for a trip in June. We will go back to a favourite hotel which I’m sure will feel welcoming and comfortable …. fingers crossed!
Hope tonight is good and peaceful and productive with lots of positives.

Hi V and everyone..just want to add..have you got a strange orangey glow in the sky! Apparently caused by a sandstorm elsewhere ( can’t remember where) Looks dead funky! Would love to go out for a walk,but too hot and weak! Nice to look out at it tho 💜

Elle, I love fresh herbs, they really lift a dish.so enjoy your oregano. Bees love oregano by the way, so they’ll be happy you have added it to you tub.
Yowser, so sorry you and your DD are poorly. Hope it passes soon and meanwhile, coddle yourself and rest up.
V, really pleased you’re making arrangements for a trip in June. Hope revisiting the hotel will be as splendid as before.

Positives for me are ….
🔔 DD is in Gibraltar with fiance and they have completed all the legal stuff necessary ahead of their wedding there on 1st June. All very exciting!
🖨 printed out the packing list for our Turkey trip … packing proper starts in earnest tomorrow.
🤒 OH was poorly last night with a stomach upset, but happily has been fine today.
👩‍🍼 gift arrived today for my mum on mother’s day, so I’ve been able to package it up ready to post off to her. Had been worried about how long it would take to arrive.
🏨🚉 final hotels and eurotunnel books made, so all travel arrangements finalised for the drive out to Turkey. On serious countdown now!

Whatever positives you can find for today, hope you will share them with us. Meanwhile, enjoy the rest of your day/evening.

🌒 In the book Pollyanna, the servant Nancy is saying she hates Mondays (washing day) but Pollyanna says she should be “gladdest” of all on Mondays – because it’s a whole week until another one! By that logic, I’m glad it’s Thursday (my late shift at work).
💼 My husband has an interview tomorrow for a promotion, so that is exciting.
🚲 He rode his bike to and from the station, which he hasn’t done for years, so I wouldn’t have to make an extra trip to drive him when I wasn’t going to work until later. And my daughter cooked dinner.

Sunny your trip is getting nearer 😁
Natalie, sending good luck to your hubby for his interview.
Last night I made some carrot bhajis to go with our curry (mostly because both Fiance and I accidentally doubled up on buying carrots), they were delicious, I have saved, frozen, some leftover ones to have with our takeaway curry for my birthday on Sunday.
I had a friend round for coffee this afternoon.
Fiance doesn’t have to work late like we though he had to.
As it is St Patrick’s Day, it is a bank holiday here so day off work.

Natalie, hope your hubby’s interview goes well. Lovely that he and your daughter have been so considerate as you’re on a different shift.
Elle, your carrot bhaji sound interesting …. and if I’m not around to say so at the time, have a happy birthday on Sunday. Yes, I’m on serious countdown to our trip now … 10 days from tomorrow, we’ll leave home on the first leg of our journey.
My Thursday positives are ….
📮 posted off mother’s day present and DIL’s birthday gift … another task ticked off my pre-trip to do list.
🌸 it really felt like spring today … warm, sunny and the birds 🐦 singing with gusto.
🐦 watched a wren flitting from shrub to shrub in my garden, seeking out bugs to eat … seemed to be finding some to peck at.
🍽 GS came over for dinner and a couple of beers. Says he’s enjoyed having the house to himself for the last couple of days, while his mum has been away. We’re going to get together again next week.
It’s felt like a good day today.
What positives did your day bring?

🐜 Last night near the end of my late shift, I saw an enormous ant on the filing cabinet next to my knee. It was all alone, but didn’t need company because it was almost the size of a wasp. Bull ants have a toxic and very painful sting (everything in Australia wants to kill you, and probably can). I foolishly wasted time to take a photo (it really was impressively huge) and it got away before I could squish it. I spent the rest of my shift paranoid trying to work while staying arms length away from the desk and constantly scanning the floor. This morning I warned my colleagues, we pulled out the filing cabinet, nothing. But an hour later there was a surprised profanity from Lynn, when the Uber-ant launched itself from hiding onto her foot (they jump). My positive is that she wasn’t stung and she squished it comprehensively, so I no longer have to live in fear.
Yes, a single ant.
📚 Another box of new books arrived at work. It’s like Christmas every day, working in a library.
🥩 Delicious steak for dinner.

Hello
Just one quick positive….
🕊🕊 Can’t find the birds I want but ….. woke up to birdsong this morning! First time in an age. Spring really is coming!
Have a good weekend.
Keep strong.
Take care.
See you next week.

Hi all! Calling by quickly,still poorly,but got a few positives xx
* ~ Fab moon tonight! So beautiful 💕
* ~ DD and I still testing negative for covid. Three tests each now ..both of us sneezing,shivery,then hot!
*~ My bed feels like the best place in the world to be at the moment! Sleeping a lot.
*~ SIL took DD down to the front to sit for ten mins and get a blow of fresh air coming off the river.
Have a good weekend guys! XX

Hope you and DD are starting to feel better Yowser.
Today was the first day I put my washing out on the line in the garden to dry, it must be spring
Had a nice random chat with a lady in her garden as I went past in my walk.
Meatballs for dinner tonight.

Thanks ELLE – MAE ! Yes we’re both a bit better now …still testing neg for covid so I guess we’ve got what used to be called in the “ good old days” ……‘ A bug that’s going round! ‘😀 xx
Nothing nicer than clothes that have dried outdoors on the line…lovely to watch them blow in the breeze!
OMG! SUNNY your trips coming so close!X
NATALIE I love your little giraffe idea!X
VERANO glad yr pillow sprays helping you sleep better X
*~ Gorgeous day today makes you feel so glad to be alive!
*~ Noticed recently that some people have put wreaths on their doors…like at Christmas? ..but spring flowers. So pretty,not sure if they’re for Easter or for spring. Also noticed some blue and yellow ribbons tied to trees and hedges,in solidarity with Ukraine 🇺🇦
*~ In bed now,not feeling too bad,but thank goodness for fans,I get so hot,then go shivery brrrr….
Listening to some local bands on YouTube. Beau used to put on gigs,so we got to know some of the local bands. They’re all such lovely guys and it was always nice to spend time with young people. Hasn’t happened because of locko etc and I miss them and their music….delighted to find that a local band Circa Waves have had some of their music featured on tv ads and in films. Good to see them get recognition.
💕💕💕💕 Hope everyone’s enjoying their weekend.💕💕💕💕 love to all xx

Gosh Natalie …. those ants sound horrendous!
V, springtime definitely shuffling in.
Yowser, hope you and DD are beginning to feel better now. Good news that you’re not fighting off covid.
Elle, hope you enjoyed the meatballs.

For me, the weekends pluses have been….
💃🕺dancing on date night…. only one more to go before our trip (yes, it’s coming round very quickly now)
🙂 packing is well advanced now … feeling very comfortable about it.
📱 long chat with a good friend …. always nice to catch up.
😀 visited eldest son and family last evening.
🌱☀️a really spring day today, warm with a gentle breeze.
🌹🌸 a great gardening session today….. lots of trimming, tidying, treating roses and planting up a new planter, etc.
It’s been a good weekend for me, hope your weekend has been a good one too.

Woooohoooooo! Love to hear about your dancing dates SUNNY!🕺💃
Happy Equinox everyone! Spring or autumn,yayyyyyyy! Let’s celebrate! 💚
The feeling in the air that spring is here,and summer is coming,times of blossoming and growth,permeates all of nature in the Northern Hemisphere,while in the Southern H,” fall” is on the way. I love the word ‘ fall’ it’s so descriptive of autumn!
Either hemisphere,it’s a new season,a fresh start, a time of things being equal and feeling balanced.
Wdnt it be great if the Equinox brought peace and balance to the chaotic happenings in the world for the last 3-4 weeks? 🙏
My positives for today…
*~ Went out to feed the foxes when it was growing dark and the birds were cheeping sleepily in the trees.💕
*~ Saw through DDs kitchen window as I passed,her and SIL cleaning up together ..I could hear them laughing and chatting. Worth more than all the riches in the world to see and hear them happy together 💜💚
*~ Long and witty email from friend in Holland..he always makes me chuckle!
*~ Hoping to go out for a drive tomorrow..whooopy doo! 🚗 think most of my germs have been vanquished now,fingers crossed! XX
Happy new week everyone,may it be a groovy one for all xx

My son and I seem to have caught the illness going around the contributors to these pages – does that make it a computer virus? Oh well, at least it’s not COVID! Positives though:
💝 It’s my husband’s birthday today! I wasn’t too sick to make him a special celebratory breakfast, and he’s only working a half day so he will be home early.
🎵 Sitting with my feet up watching last year’s Eurovision (again). My favourite was/is Norway’s Tix with Fallen Angel.
⏰ My smartwatch just reminded me to get up and move a bit, so I did.

Happy birthday Natalie’s hubby … and hope you and your son are fit and well again soon Natalie.
Enjoy your drive tomorrow, Yowser, there’s lots of spring blooms around now.

A fairly quiet day today, but still brought some positives …
📝 completed the April edition of our village newsletter. Always a bit of a relief to get the copy finalised.
🌸 lots of blossom around now, including a miniature tree I have in a container, which the bumble bees have been foraging.
🙂 GS messaged to say he begins his counselling journey tomorrow… so proud of him taking this courageous step for his mental health.

Three positives for a quiet day is pretty good I think. Hope you found a positive or two in your day as well.

Hello all.
Sorry for being absent for a while but thank you all for your positives they really help to keep me upbeat especially when things don’t go to plan.
My electric scooter is a bit sick but as I don’t use it too often it’s not a great problem except that the weather is so nice it would have been good to use it. Dishwasher wasn’t happy yesterday but we finally got it working again. Ordered a ‘faux’ orchid, I know you won’t think that’s a good idea Sunny, but thought it might save me having to constantly replace the real thing. Ordered it, waited 3 weeks, it arrived, horrendous, didn’t even take it out of the box, repacked it and returned it. Today I had to send a semi-threatening email to the seller for my refund, it came but not the whole amount! So, enough of my non-life threatening issues and to my positives …….
☀️🌤☀️Sun shining , what more can you ask for on a spring day.
👫👫 Friends here for dinner on Sunday night. It was so lovely to have people here. It seems so long since we last had a dinner party ….. well I guess that’s because it was! Hoping this was the first of many. I actually do have a few ‘social’ dates in my diary over the next week or so. All good.
🌷🌼🌷 Gift of wonderful spring flowers plus the shining sun makes today a day full of hope and renewal!
A few days, well nearly two weeks, of excess has been acknowledged and so I’m trying a 30 day free trial of Dietdoctor …. again! Been there, done that, didn’t work before, doubt it will work now but, hopefully it might help me to get my head back into the right space.
Have a good evening.
P.S. just 5 more sleeps before the longer days!

Good to see you back, V … sounds like you have some lovely social events to look forward to. Like you I’m excited that springtime really is making itself known.

Only a couple of positives from me for today…..
🧺 laundry almost up to date …. just one more load to do tomorrow
📞 chat with Mum … pleased to hear she has received the parcel I sent for mother’s day.

Looking forward to a belated birthday dinner for DD tomorrow evening … last catch up before we head of on our travels.
What positives came your way today?

🚗 My husband’s car was fixed yesterday (actually it turned out it was the key that was faulty, not the car) so I won’t have to drive him to and from the station every day yay!
📖 I decided, tossing and turning at 5 am, to drop one of my Uni subjects and just do one this semester. If life went smoothly I could cope with two, and I know it won’t be full time work plus extra driving plus sickness all the time, but life has shown me I have to allow for hiccups. Such a relief to make that decision.
✋ My daughter reminded me I’m allowed to say no when people ask me to do something when I’m feeling overwhelmed. So I did.

Hi everyone,it’s a gorgeous morning here,suns out,birds are singing…hope it’s same for all in this hemisphere,and hope our buddies in S Hem are having a lovely evening!
Just wanted to pass on this funny story a friend in Oz sent on to me..think she saw it on FB..hope it gives you a chuckle.xx
“I’ve been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.
When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they’re welcome.
Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.
She holds up a snapshot of an infant. ‘This is Luke, my baby brother, and I’m going to tell you about his birthday.’
‘First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom’s stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.’
She’s standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I’m trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.
‘Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts going, ‘Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!’ Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. ‘She walked around the house for, like an hour, ‘Oh, oh, oh!’ (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)
‘My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn’t have a sign on the car like the Domino’s man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.’ (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)
‘And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!’ (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)
‘Then the middle wife starts saying ‘push, push,’ and ‘breathe, breathe.
They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom’s play-center, so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there in the first place.’
Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat.
I’m sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it’s Show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another ‘Middle Wife’ comes along.
Now you have two choices…laugh and close this page or pass this along to someone else to spread the laughs. I know what I did!!!
Live every day as if it is your LAST chance to make someone happy!”
* I love that last line..
💚Live every day as if it’s your last chance to make someone happy!💚

WOW! WOW! WOW!
How powerful.
Thank you Yowzer.

Natalie, glad you are taking on board, that it’s okay to say no. Too often we prioritise the needs of others, over our own needs, so well done for taking back some control.
Great tale, Yowser, thanks for sharing … we all need a good laugh.

Soooo, positives …. let’s see …
🍽 lovely belated birthday meal for DD last evening. Good to have a catch up with them prior to OH and I heading off on our travels.
🌞👒 the sun had his hat on again today, so I got out to do a bit more in the garden.
🌱 some bulbs arrived this afternoon, so looking forward to some planting tomorrow.
My main look forward to for this Friday though, coffee with GS after college.

Really hope your day has had a few high points too … and that you have something good to look forward to tomorrow as well. Enjoy the rest of Thursday though.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The whole family is more or less well again which is lovely. Just a few residual coughs and sniffles. We all tested negative and I believe it was “just a cold”.
💉 I’m getting a flu shot next week. Hopefully that will ward off anything more serious.
📒 My daughter lost her L plate log book, must have fallen out of the car, she has to record 120 hours of driving practice and she’s only a couple of hours away from that, it included a safer drivers course and professional lessons along with all the hours driving with her dad. It could have been a disaster, or at least a huge hassle. But some lovely person found it and handed it in and we were able to collect it.

NATALIE glad you’re all better. DD and I have residual symptoms like you said,but nephew and wife have covid and greatnephew and his parents have..scarlet fever!🙄 Glad yr DD got her log book back 👏👏
SUNNY enjoy seeing GS today! And happy trails when you go in a few days time!
My positives..
~* Glorious weather. Even tho I’ve got a sore foot,just had to go for a walk. ( or a limp!) And glad I did as I bumped into SIL setting out for work,cycling along the riverside into the city centre. Also befriended a lovely very very affectionate cat..he looked very smart,sporting a black spotted collar and a dicky bow!
~* Today I adopted a donkey! He’s called Billy O and lives in a sanctuary with all his donkey pals ..they’re all gorgeous 💚
*~ Reading a fantastically interesting book,it’s fiction,set 100 years ago when people were dealing with the aftermath of the Great War,shortages,poverty.They also were dealing with Spanish Flu,which was what they called their pandemic.
They had it must worse than us in so many ways – for one thing,no hope of a vaccine.
I learnt that the word for influenza comes from the Italian “influenza delle stelle” ..“the influence of the stars”..Medieval Italians believed the illness proved that the heavens were governing our fate,that people were literally starcrossed.
Hence the books called The Pull of the Stars,written by Emma Donoghue,who also wrote Room which was made into a film.
Have a fab weekend everyone and keep positive! XX

Hello.
I always seem to be apologising lately! I’ve had a really bad ankle since Wednesday. I have loads of pins and plates in my ankle and lower leg. Wednesday I woke up to pain in my ankle, didn’t sleep Wednesday night so rang doctor Thursday who said if it’s no better by next Wednesday she’ll arrange an X-ray! Meanwhile it’s slightly easier today but I really would like to know what’s going on. We will see.
But I do still have to find positives ….
🛏🌙 Just two ‘sleeps’ till the clocks spring forward and the mornings get darker, please let me wake up after 5am!
🥦🥕 New steamer arrived this afternoon. We have used an electric steamer for maybe the last 15+ years and have treated ourselves to a new digital timer one. Looks flash but think it might take lots more maintenance! Will see tonight!
🧅🐟🥦 Salmon, cauliflower mash with butter and crème fraiche, and green beans for dinner tonight. I love this way of eating!
Sunny, if I don’t get back here before Monday …. travel safely …. enjoy. Keep in touch as and when. Hope your new home is progressing well. Take care.
Have a good weekend everyone.

Sorry I haven’t been around much this week, been busy. Still busy 😂 Just about to pack for going away for a few days tomorrow. Love to all, have a good weekend 😁

Enjoy your trip away ELLE-MAE! Hope weather stays good for you.X
VERANO so sorry you’re suffering with your ankle,wd be good if you could get X-ray sooner.Hope it continues to get easier.
Great to know the days will get longer and longer from Sunday! Enjoy yr dindins X

Natalie, glad you are all feeling better.
V, no need for apologies, hope you ankle will be more comfortable soon.
Elle, hope you have a wonderful break.
Yowser, didn’t know the origin of influenza … very interesting.
Haven’t posted positives for a couple of days, so thought I’d better get some logged today ….
🙂 enjoyed coffee with GS and a bit of a chat about his counselling. Humbled he feels able to talk a little bit about it with me.
🌸 shared some of the bulbs that arrived the other day with GS, as he likes to do a bit of gardening. Think he finds it therapeutic.
👰 younger DD came over to try on her wedding dress again. She was delighted it fits better, now that she has lost a few pounds.
🚗 paperwork done, packing done and car prepped for our journey. Just some last minute bits to sort tomorrow and then we’ll head off on the first leg of our road trip to Turkey, taking us to Kent for two nights with eldest DD, before crossing to France for the next stage.
Thank you for all the good wishes for our trip, very much appreciated. I’ll post again when I can, but might be a bit patchy. In the meantime, hope there will be plenty of others posting positives to keep the thread lively and vibrant. Have a great week everyone.

Hi everyone! Not much to say except,so very much to be grateful for..another lovely day weather wise,pink flowers blossoming on neighbours tree,a fab Mothers Day yesterday xx
And of course to SUNNY,how exciting,have a wonderful trip!
Everyone else,have a fantastic week! Love to all! XX

Ps heard a good mantra today
“ My decisions today will define my tomorrow “ 🥳 xx

Hello.
Hope you are all well. Just going through a very trying time at the moment so not leaving any positives, but, not feeling particularly negative. Will call back again tomorrow with some positives.
Have a good evening!

Sorry to hear that. Hope you’re ok V Sending hugs X 🌷💜

📚 One of the libraries in our network was destroyed in the floods in Lismore, (and it’s pouring again, and they’ve just had another flood warning for the town which must be so heartbreaking), we are doing our little bit by putting aside books we have duplicates of or aren’t needed here, to send to them once they have a dry building so they can at least start their collection again. I’ve been going through all the picture books in our children’s collection and have a few boxes worth set aside for them.
🐄 Homemade yogurt with chia and passionfruit.
👩‍🦰 Re-reading an Anne of Green Gables book, did someone say they are going to P.E. Island?

NATALIE Anne of Green Gables is one of my DDs favourite books! X

Trying again …. attempted to post positives last evening, but it got lost in the ether!
Natalie, how sad for your colleagues to lose their stock, but lovely you are able to put aside some replacement books, ready for them when they can start setting up again.
Yowser and V, hope you are both well and finding some positives again.
Soooo …. my positives, which hopefully will post okay this time ….
🚗 Good journey to Kent yesterday catching up with eldest DD and partner, before crossing to France tomorrow.
👰 youngest DD visited on Saturday, to try on her wedding dress again and it fits beautifully now that she has dropped a few lb.
💄 discovered last evening that I had managed to leave my make up bag at home😱. Consequently, bit of a shopping spree this morning for replacement items, managed to get all I needed.
🧶 also found hadn’t packed jumper or hankies for OH … managed to get both for him today too. Just as well as it’s quite chilly today.
Hope your days are bring positives your way and you’ll be posting some of them here. I’ll read and post when I can, but there will probably be some gaps in the coming week while we’re enrolled to Turkey.

Ok it’s Tuesday, a new week and a new start on another thread but no reason not to bring that new enthusiasm to this one too!
So, firstly thanks to everyone who is posting positives they are uplifting.
And so to my offering……
🩺💊🧦 My ankle finally seems to be settling down, so hopefully I can back to more normality now.
🚘🏨🛏 Booked a couple of nights away in early May in our favourite Yorkshire hotel. Something very much to look forward to especially as it includes a day at the races!
🍼🧸🪑 Grandchildren’s baby high chair no longer needed (sad!) so taken to several charity shops who wouldn’t take it. Just so happens an elderly couple outside the last shop said their daughter was needing a chair for her new arrival. Hopefully it’s gone to a good home, if not I hope the couple can get some money for it …. hopefully that’s not the case…. so many people needing a helping hand at the moment.
Not to end on a sad note tonight’s dinner is a ‘no cook meal’! Cottage pie from the freezer for OH, sea bass in the oven for me, reheated cauliflower mash and veg. Easy peasy!
Have a good evening.

Hi all xx!
SUNNY hope you’re in France now! One time after getting off ferry at Calais ( when young and foolish) and about to board a train to Switzerland,I had to run back to coffeeshop where I had left my bag on the back of a chair..luckily it was still there,had my passport,money,make up etc in it! Never mind the passport and money…A girl never wants to be without some make up!😀
VERANO I’m glad your ankle’s improved,does it mean you won’t need to go for X-ray tomorrow?
Good job with the high chair!👏👏
My pozzies…
*~ Still on my online diet,and have now read three books I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. Makes a refreshing change from staring at my iPad so much!
*~ After a lot of messing about,got some LF tests today before they start charging for them. Took several attempts to get the necessary codes online,then had to ring round to find a chemists who had some. ( Chemists number 4! )
*~ Also had to go to another chemists to get my prescription. Lady behind the counter brought out my “goody bag” (!) and said Are these for you? I said,Yes,and she said I can’t believe you’re 72.
That doesn’t happen v often these days so it made my day!🙂🙃

Thank you for all the positives, I love reading them while starting the day with a cup of tea.
💤 I’ve had a few disturbed nights coughing even though I was otherwise recovered from my cold, but last night I finally slept well so that was awesome.
📕 Yesterday a teacher of English as a Second Language asked if we had an easy version of Jane Eyre for a student – I was able to show her three at different levels, the easiest one with a CD to listen along to. She was delighted.
🖊 Today I have a day off which coincides with needing to work on an essay due next week, perhaps not the most delightful way to spend a day off but better than having an essay due and NO day off! And, very rare these days, I will be alone in the house most of the day. I love my family very much and love having them around, but I can count on the thumbs of one hand the times I’ve had time totally to myself in the past two years.
🍗 There is delicious chicken soup leftover for my lunch.

Hello.
Hope you are all well.
Today has been wet and miserable here but what a great excuse to start that ‘spring cleaning’!
So……
🧹🔪🧼 Started with my cutlery drawers. Didn’t take as long as I expected. The draw with the ‘gadgets’ in was easy. All those ‘great little gadgets’ that I’ve accumulated over the years were easily sorted….. if I couldn’t remember when I last used them, or even what I bought them for , into the bin they went! There weren’t too many.
Anyway, I now have the ‘bug’ ….
🪥🦠🪥Ordered sink and plug sanitisers, disinfectants and funny shaped cleaning implements. Looks like I’ll be busy for a few days.
🥦🐟🧅 Green beans, cauliflower mash and poached smoked haddock for dinner tonight. Just as an aside, and thinking about poaching my fish, I bought some bay leaves online. I just didn’t realise how light they are …. I have enough bay leaves to last not just my lifetime but probably my childrens’ too!
Have a nice evening.