π€£π€£π€£π€£ππ I just had to share this…makes me want to dance around my room πππ if I had that much energy on Camino, I’d also be happy.
Archive for the ‘lifestyle’ Category
Watch “Happy (El Camino de Santiago Version)” on YouTube
Posted in Camino 2018, Fun Stuff, lifestyle, Travel, walking the camino, tagged I'm happy, walking the camino, youtube videos of the Camino on March 2, 2021| 2 Comments »
Homeless in my 60’s
Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, gratitude, It's my life, lifestyle, seaside towns of Britain, Travel, wealth and finance, tagged a place to stay, blogging about my travels, finding my own home, lifestyle on February 10, 2021| 16 Comments »
I have essentially been homeless for nearly 18 months now, staying in b&bs and guest houses between bookings since September 2019, with the occasional sleepover on my daughter’s couch.
My belongings have been in storage for much of that time. Some of the many boxes filled with stuff I’ve accumulated since I arrived in the UK and much of it brought over from South Africa in 2016 after I obtained my British citizenship.
Settling under the weight of my belongings has been tough. Walking the Camino taught me about just how little we really need to get by, but real life is not a Camino and so I find it hard to give up on ‘stuff’.
But on Monday I moved into a new place which I shall call home for the next 6 months at least. ‘Move in’ is a bit of a stretch of course since atm its just me and my suitcase πππ Due to the snow I’ve been unable to get to the storage unit anyway even though I want to, and was supposed to on Monday afternoon.
So meanwhile I’ve had to borrow teabags, blankets and a pillow from my daughter, and a blanket, water-bottle, heater and kettle from the landlord, who also kindly bought me some milk last night when went out to Waitrose. I already have my own tea mug to hand that I take to bookings because I loathe using the client’s mugs…some of which are just manky.
Today I’m having a pj day and staying in bed till after midday…I think I deserve it after 5 weeks of getting up at 6.45 every day ππππ₯±π₯±π₯± although I suspect my stomach may well get me out sooner….
But, since the ‘new place’ is essentially just a big room in a shared house, with separate, shared facilities, I will only be bringing over the essentials like my backpack and some extra clothes and my groceries plus bedlinen of course, and a towel. Its going to be so good to have some of my travel books as well…just to make it look homely. Of course pride of place goes to a framed photo of my grandson that travels around the country with me. That it always next to my bedside so that he’s the first thing I see each day π₯°π₯°
But the best of all is that once I’ve got all the stuff I want, to make life a bit more pleasant, I can just leave it all here when I leave for my next booking, and not have to stress about getting to the storage unit to leave or collect anything.
Its been really stressful and quite expensive having to look for a place to stay between bookings, but this place is a very reasonable rent and as I say, quite spacious. I’ve viewed so many rooms in the last 18 months and they’re all very small and expensive. My heartfelt thanks to my son-in-law who spotted the advert and alerted me to view.
So here it is…unadorned with my belongings as yet, except for a few odds and ends…the desk sold the place really…somewhere I can set up my computer – most important!!
There’s a little, unused, fireplace behind where I’m standing which I’ll fill with something decorative, and 2 small cupboards with hanging space and shelves.
So in all, and in comparison to what millions of other people around the world have to live in….its a palace…. albeit a feking cold palace atm π₯Άπ₯Άπ₯Ά even with the heater on, its cold, which is why I’m having a pj day…with a hotwater-bottle under my feet. Roll on summer ππ
Welcome home Cindy ππππ
Predictions
Posted in around the UK, Interesting articles, lifestyle, news from around the world, Travel, tagged predictions of the future, where will we be in 2030 on January 30, 2021| 8 Comments »
This is a really old article, but sometimes my random and accidental keywords take me to interesting places. I also tend to follow a string of articles, clicking from one link to another.
I recently read this article and thought I’d share it with you. It will be interesting to revisit this in what is now only 9 years time and see how much has transpired.
In the meantime, a couple of those predictions are already heading in the right direction, and one of those mentioned, teetered perilously close to the edge of an abyss – the prediction was almost too close for comfort.
I wonder what you think?
‘Picking up’ the good fight
Posted in around the UK, Health, lifestyle, news from around the world, plastic pollution, tagged avoiding plastic packaging, ban single use plastic, landfills sites, pacific ocean garbage patch, plastic pollution on January 23, 2021| 9 Comments »
Let me start off by saying “I hate plastic!”. Strong words, but I do, especially soft, non-reusable, single-use plastic. Personally I think the manufacturers of the stuff should now be sued for negligence (of the planet), wilful destruction (of the environment) and ‘man’slaughter of our animals and sea creatures. There have been so many innovative ideas and new materials created to replace plastic, that the manufacturers no long have an excuse. But of course, that’s not taking into account the oil industry, and the hedge-fund industry. They stand to lose billions of dollars if we stop making plastic.

The issue of soft, disposable, non-reusable plastic and the pollution and destruction they cause/d has been common knowledge and widely spoken about, written about, advertised and poor David Attenborough has been banging his head against the proverbial brick wall for years now. I understand that plastic has it’s uses and certainly the medical industry benefits hugely from soft pliable plastic, but that like other such industries should be the exception.
Think about all those MEGA TONS of plastic rubbish that gets exported from China to the west each year…all those plastic toys that break within a few weeks and even days…all the novelty toys, the junk that comes out of christmas crackers…that stuff all ends up in landfill or rivers or the ocean. We are quite literally choking the life out of our planet with junk. There is NO ‘away’. Just because we bin it or toss it, doesn’t mean it’s gone…it’s there for centuries.

If you live in a Western country, or any other country for that matter where you have a TV or access to a smart phone – YOU KNOW THAT PLASTIC KILLS. Think about the high incidence of child cancer in recent decades, and getting worse. About breast cancer, and bone cancer and any other cancer you can think of. I remember in the 70s maybe 1 in 10 people got cancer, now it’s 1 in 2!! Read that again ONE in TWO people now get cancer. Every year we donate millions to fund cancer research, to find a cure. This too has been going on for decades…they haven’t found ‘a cure’, they manage to cure a lot of people, but there is no cure for cancer per se. If they spent those millions on finding a solution, an alternative to plastic or the hundreds of deadly chemicals sprayed on our food each year…then we may get somewhere.

And that’s not taking into account the effect on our oceans…vital to our continued wellbeing. We’ve seen the footage of the whale trying to swallow the plastic bin, we’ve seen the endless number of whales and dolphins and seabirds and fish washed up dead or dying on our shores with kilograms of plastic in their gut. The sheer agony those creatures must have suffered is beyond comprehension.
And then there’s the fishing industry – destroying the very place they depend upon for their livelihoods.π€¬π€¬π€¬π€¬



And yet…..

I subscribe to the UK Rivers & Canal Trust newsletters and when I can, I contribute financially to support their work. I recently received this newsletter:
Every year an estimated 14 million pieces of plastic rubbish end up in and around our canals and rivers. Sadly we canβt clear all of this plastic up, so 500,000 of those pieces are washed out into the ocean, becoming part of a much bigger global problem.
If everyone who visited one of our waterways picked up just one piece of plastic, the water and towpaths would be clear within a year.
Pledge to fight plastic in your area
We’re (the Canal trust) asking if you and your family can make a pledge to do a litter pick along a towpath near you. We understand it might not be possible for you to meet up, or to get out and about right now. So please do wait until itβs safe and make sure you follow national and local government guidance. You can also read through ourΒ safety tipsΒ to get yourselves prepared.

It seems extraordinary to me that even after all these years, so much plastic pollution is still ending up in our waterways. Much as I despise how the manufacturers like to shove the responsibility for the pollution onto our shoulders (if there wasn’t any plastic…), we too have a responsibility to avoid buying the stuff. That said, its easier said than done. Its virtually impossible to buy anything without some form of plastic either attached to (clothing, shoes etc), wrapped in (food, magazines, products etc.) or transported in (think Amazon plastic wrapping). There are an uncountable number of ways plastic is used in our daily lives.

It’s a big fight, it’s a good fight, it’s a depressing fight because no matter what, no matter how much we ‘pick up’ today, tomorrow there will be more.

But it is a fight we need to continue. I remember in 2018 when my daughter was pregnant with her son, my 1st grandchild, I used to spend hours on the beach every day I was home between bookings, picking up 1,000 pieces of plastic. I never left, no matter the weather or my physical discomfort until I’d picked up 1000 pieces. And yet, 2 years later….
The above images were all taken during some of my walks along the Thanet (Kent) coastline in November year, the last 3 images from Pegwell Bay. This area is home to spectacular bird life and designated as a protected area under UK and EU legislation and is also considered a world class wetland.
If that is what is littering the tide line, I shudder to think what is entangled in the wild grasses and mud flats that get covered each day by the tide. The area where the birds that inhabit this area nest.
The Nature Reserve is a Ramsar Site of International Importance and yet its inundated with humans plastic pollution. On the day I was there, besides all the plastic in the above images, on the side of the pathway there was a pile of dog poo bags. π€¬π€¬π€¬ What is it with dog owners? Why don’t they dispose of the bags in the bins provided or take them home? And let’s not even think about cigarette smokers who throw their disgusting butts into the streets, on the beaches or out their car windows wherever they are. It’s ALL pollution
Will there ever be an end to this horrendous situation we humans have caused?


It is actually just disgusting and we are all responsible.
I just wish there was a solution, but so long as money and profit is more important than people, and people continue to buy convenience products in plastic, there is no hope.

It’s extraordinary…we supposedly put a man on the moon and yet we can’t solve the problem of pollution.

Travel Challenge – Day 5
Posted in around the UK, European travels, Fun Stuff, lifestyle, other peoples blog, Travel, tagged around the UK, South Downs Way, Travel, travel challenge 2020 on December 21, 2020| Leave a Comment »
I’ve been invited to participate in theΒ 2020 Travel ChallengeΒ by fellow travellers and Camino pilgrims http://wetanddustyroads.com Thank you π
I’m honoured to be nominated and will do my very best to live up to the challenge!!

The Travel Challenge involves posting one favorite travel picture for each day. Thatβs 10 days, 10 travel pictures, and 10 nominations, without any explanation. If you take up this challenge, then you also need to nominate someone each day.
Today, on the 5th day of the challenge, IΒ nominate https://ericotrips.wordpress.com
You’re under no obligation to accept, but if you do…..
You can post any of your favorite pictures from 2020β¦enjoy and happy travels!!
Travel Challenge – Day 4
Posted in around the UK, European travels, Fun Stuff, lifestyle, Travel, tagged around the UK, South Downs Way, Travel, travel challenge 2020 on December 21, 2020| Leave a Comment »
I’ve been invited to participate in the 2020 Travel Challenge by fellow travellers and Camino pilgrims http://wetanddustyroads.com Thank you π
I’m honoured to be nominated and will do my very best to live up to the challenge!!

The Travel Challenge involves posting one favorite travel picture for each day. Thatβs 10 days, 10 travel pictures, and 10 nominations, without any explanation. If you take up this challenge, then you also need to nominate someone each day.
Today, on the 4th day of the challenge, I nominate http://wanderingexplorer.travel.blog
You’re under no obligation to accept, but if you do…..
You can post any of your favorite pictures from 2020β¦enjoy and happy travels!!
Black Friday
Posted in lifestyle, Uncategorized, tagged black friday, consumerism, thanksgiving on November 27, 2020| 2 Comments »
Urgh. I hate this whole Black Friday corporate consumerism consumption.
It’s such a cynical ploy to make people spend money they don’t have on stuff they don’t need, πΈπΈπΈ while the companies behind the plot rub their hands in glee all the way to the bank as their coffers fill up and their shareholders pop the champagne, while the bankers celebrate…kerching, kerching, kerching…..interest!! π°π°π°π°
It’s a blight. Just watching the crush and the fighting as shoppers vie for items that even involves fisticuffs, is most unpleasant. Greed has an ugly face.
As you can tell, I’m not a fan π π
I did a Google search for the background and found this article in The Telegraph Here’s an excerpt…
How did Black Friday start?
The term “Black Friday” was actually first associated with financial crisis, not sales shopping.
Two Wall Street financiers Jim Fisk and Jay Gould, together bought a significant amount of US gold in the hope of the overall price soaring and in turn being able to sell it for huge profits.
On Friday 24 September, 1869, in what became referred to as “Black Friday”, the US gold market crashed and Fisk and Gould’s actions left Wall Street barons bankrupt.
It was not until later years that the post-Thanksgiving period became associated with the name.
I’m sure the corporations that take advantage of this must surely celebrate ‘Thanksgiving’ as in ‘thanks for giving us your money’. It is still associated with financial crisis….
No, I’m not a fan….
Bed merry-go-round
Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, lifestyle, Travel, tagged 100 beds, sleep in beds around the country, sleeping around, Travel, working as a carer on October 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Some years ago I thought it would be fun to keep photos of all the beds I sleep in. I called the blog 100 beds.
Little did I know it would eventually exceed 100 by a huge margin π€π€π€
My job as a Carer takes me all over the country, although not as far afield since 2019 as it used to…..a certain little boy put paid to my extended travels.
Of course Covid-19 has reared its ugly head and I was away for 7 weeks in March and April and from 9th November I’ll be away for another 6 weeks.
Every time I work away I get to sleep in a different bed….and the variety of beds is amazing. Some beds are lush with memory foam mattresses and luxurious linen and superb pillows. Others are single beds (my pet hate) with a mattress that was old during the time of Noah’s Ark π€ͺπ€ͺπ€ͺ
Inbetween jobs I stay in either a B&B or Guest House and occasionally I use Airbnb….these all offer a similar variety of beds and you just never know what you’re going to get.
Up until last month I was staying at a B&B that was a 5 minute walk from my daughter and her family, but they moved house and the host of the B&B went down the road of ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ and the last day I stayed there she gave me a stale hot cross bun and tepid tea and a cup that was less than clean at breakfast. Ergo time to part company.

So I looked around and found a Guest House in a good location and a 20 minute walk to the family.
So for the last 3 weeks I slept here

And for the next 7 nights, I’m sleeping here

For fun I created a short video of some of the beds I’ve slept in over the years
I have an amazing bed at the next job, tucked away at the back of the house, a room with a view, in a quiet courtyard and a lovely big comfy bed and that’s where I’ll be sleeping for 6 weeks.

And since it looks like I’ll be working for at least another 8 years, I’m guessing I’m going to be sleeping in quite a few beds more…..π΄ππ΄ππ΄π
I get to sleep around quite a lot π€π€π€«
11 years on WordPress
Posted in Fun Stuff, It's my life, lifestyle, Travel, tagged blogging with wordpress, Cindy's travels, happy 11th anniversary, notjustagranny on October 21, 2020| 6 Comments »
WordPress reminded me its notjustagranny’s 11th anniversary today…..11 years!! Can hardly believe it.
Mind you I was blogging well before that under a different url but that was a long time ago.
My blogging is mostly a hit and miss affair, and contrary to the advice of the gurus I haven’t been consistent. Mostly because I felt I had to log on via my laptop and that’s not always desirable or practical.
I did not want to blog via my phone and resisted going down that path for years. I found it time-consuming and tedious.
But technology has changed and its sooo much easier now to just get on with it.
Besides that, I recently logged off Facebook after watching the documentary Social Dilemma….voila, suddenly I have more time.
So without further ado and adon’t I’m now blogging more regularly via my phone….sorry π€£π€£π€£π€£
It’s much easier to upload photos and videos to wordpress media but sometimes I get too enthusiastic and upload too many and then I can’t remember which I have inserted and which I haven’t.
I’m sure there are hundreds of unattached photos in my media.
Anyway here’s my achievement award from wordpress…thanks folks
