I am mum and love my two boys to pieces......a verse today for each of them.....
Proud by Sue Levesley Boy I never thought you would ever succeed especially with that big additional need Autism was your label you give your best to be able I couldn't be anymore proud Your world is one that fascinates we have little idea of what your future awaits There may be days of frustration without any co operation I refuse to be anything but proud In this life we will endeavour to laugh whether it be here or in your own little gaff You'll continue to grow with experience I know I'll continue to be evermore proud School Report by Sue Levesley Today I received your school report feelings of disappointment I had to abort Joy was what I was feeling in seeing you so proudly succeedin' Today was a good day for your report From english, maths, history, photography, and computer science you will, in life join many an alliance Your future is bright and ambitions in sight Today you just smashed your report Don't fret about your exams dear go and face them without any fear You have my love and support unconditionally, without any thought Today I was so happy with your report I'm going to be writing a few poems on a Thursday from next week so keep reading and thank you for your support. Catch you tomorrow for Free From Friday.
0 Comments
I spend half my time thinking ' What did I say that for?' or 'that just sounds silly'. Those classic lines and phrases that question the world and what it's all about. I find I'm saying them more and more and when living with someone with Autism it's not good, things can be taken quite literally and this can lead to much confusion with some phrases. Such as...... Blind as a Bat - Now as far as I know, and I am no nature expert, I believe bats have good vision, I've definitely not seen any bats with glasses or bumping into trees and things. I mean I don't actually see many to be honest but I've watched those nature programmes and a bit of David Attenborough and I would know if bats were blind. Dave would have told me. Daft as a Brush - Brushes are not daft, they are genius's in their own right. Would you stick your head down a toilet if pushed? No you wouldn't, they do a good job and we should respect the brush!! Paint brushes are fabulous and very artistic whether it's creating a masterpiece or decorating......there is no daftness there. Faff About - love the word 'faff'. It means to dither or fuss. Everyone faff's at some point. Next time you get a bit of road rage, instead of swearing and using abusive language try saying 'what ya faffing about at? it doesn't have the same effect but you'll feel better I promise. Make a Clean Breast of It - to make a full disclosure, to confess and start again. That's the sensible meaning but making a clean breast of it for me is brushing the crumbs from my chest when I've eaten a biscuit. sweep away, hey presto......clean breasts!!! The Bee's Knees - why??? Bees don't have knees so why would you say someone or something is the bees knees if bees knees don't exist. That's just daft. How many bees have you seen with knees? They would look really funny kneeling down on the job, extracting the pollen. You would get old bees buying knee pads or bees using the cushions in churches to pray on......that's just silly now. Shit for Brains - oh excuse my language! Love this though, it's so much funnier than calling someone stupid. I have shit for brains sometimes when I walk into a room and can't remember what I went in for. Great phrase and actually does make me giggle everytime I say it. Happy as Larry - who the heck is Larry? He must be a happy chappy that's all I can say, I like Larry. A little Bird told me - excuse me? what bird told you what? Birds don't talk do they? It's that secret that someone told you and the messenger of that secret suddenly takes on the form of a bird or maybe it's google in the form of a parrot. Forget Alexa, unless you consider Alexa to be 'your bird' as in your woman.....then you can say a little bird told me. Cool as a Cucumber - It's ok, I'm feeling fine, I'm as cool as a cucumber. Cucumbers kept in fridge are very cool and great in a salad so great phrase. Cucumbers rule and are cool. A hot cucumber just wouldn't be right would it? Doesn't have the same ring to it either. last one..... A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss - is someone who doesn't settle in one place for very long. No wonder Mick Jagger still looks good and is still going well. He probably doesn't stay still long enough to gather any moss. If any of the Rolling Stones start looking a bit fluffy and a. bit green then just move them around a bit. Ten of my favourite phrases, still leave me wondering why we say them and tend to create funny looks from my children when I use them. It's good fun using the English language sometimes. We all have our favourite sayings....what's yours? Leave a comment if you fancy sharing. Thanks for reading, catch you tomorrow. Well it's come to the end of another term with Rock Choir and what a fabulous time we've had. We have a little break and then start on another six week term. I've missed last weeks session due to a dental appointment, I know!! who gives the dentist priority over Rock Choir?? I must have been bonkers to have arranged that. Oh lets just think about it? Dentist or Singing ermmm choir wins every time and I should go and have serious words with myself, sorry Mr Dentist but it won't be happening again.
The great thing about Rock Choir though, well one of many great things is that if you can't get to your usual session you can go to another one and there are quite a few to choose from in our area. No extra cost, so you could actually, if you fancied, go to about six sessions a week well here in Derby/Nottingham you could. I have so got to try that one week.....think it could be quite funny. You can also go to any other Rock Choir session in the country as well so if you find yourself on a holiday or having a break and don't want to miss anything you can find the local choir in that location and off you pop. Fellow Rockies always make you feel welcome wherever you go. So what did we learn this term? We have warmed the old vocal pipes with One Direction's 'History', 'Uptown Girl' for me, it has to be Billy Joel but you can go for the cheesy Westlife cover because cheese is ok and finally 'Love Will Find a Way'. There again different versions with Billy Porter's version taken from the 'First Wives Club' soundtrack or Celine Dion sang this on her 'Let's Talk About Love' album amongst many more versions I'm sure. All sounding really good and I am enjoying singing them. There is a really amusing moment when we get given the titles songs we are going are going to learn for that term, it can be a case of 'oh love that' or 'oooooh not so sure', not very often comes the response 'oh bloomin hate that' but if it does the Rock Choir arrangement seems to make you think again. The odd time I have thought I wasn't sure and wasn't keen on the original but woah have had my mind changed. We are just about to find out what the new songs are for next term so will wait in anticipation. Anticipation? That's sensible talk for 'arrrrrrrghhhh I'm so excited, tell me now what I'm gonna be singing' I originally joined Rock Choir to have some 'me time' and so glad I did as it takes me away from my busy life to just stop, sing and most of all have some fun. Everyone should do it. Singing is a great stress reliever so if your thinking 'oh I'd quite like a go at all this' go to www.rockchoir.com and sign up for a free taster session. From next week I'm going to make Monday's 'Music Monday' because I do love all kinds of music so hope you enjoy it. Back for more tomorrow though with 'Teapot Tuesday' I've been out researching places to drink tea and eat cake, it was hell but sometime has got to let you know all this stuff......but where did I go?.......Well come back and see tomorrow. bye bye for now and remember - sing it and sing it out LOUD!!! In search of a brew and some food, my friend and I decided to seek out nourishment at a local garden centre cafe but before we did we wondered, quite accidentally into the aquarium section......like you do.
I had goldfish a few years ago, you know that time when your kids want a pet of some sort and you end up looking after it yourself, I have nice rabbit too now which I was begged to get, good job I love her. Fish though, wow.....they are so relaxing to watch, I was a bit hypnotised by them and very chilled. In fact we spent quite a while in this section taking in all the different types of fish and being swept away with the bubbling noise of the filters in the tanks. There were some very elaborate tanks in all sizes and for a wide range of prices. If you have children they have a childs starter kit, which they have made a bit funky now with cartoon stickers and a backdrop. You could almost be in training to work on stage production with one of these babies, I bet the fish are thinking, 'nooooo please don't give me the pink princess tank or the spongebob theme, it's all too much'. In our day you got a round glass fish bowl, water and fish, none of this plant stuff, gravel or a filter and some need a heater. Glass fishbowls are now used as table decorations at weddings, I have known a bride to ditch the flower option and actually have goldfish in the bowls instead which I think makes great entertainment, all good as long as you are not eating anything fishy at the reception, I mean try looking it in the eye and then eating one of it's mates. That brings me onto fish eyes, I know.......stay with me........ We came across the blind cavefish......that's after shouting out 'ohhhh these ones have got no eyes'. Three blind fish just swimming around and despite their lack of vision, doing it all quite well. I have never seen these fishy's before and we kind of fell for them. You see, being parents of children with additional needs it was like an instant bond just kicked in. My friend is animal mad and has quite a few pets as it is and was thinking about some fish to add to the family. When you start to venture into the aquarium world it can become quite pricey there are some lovely units with super accessories which would all add to a very visual calming experience me thinks. Do you know what would be lovely? A cafe in an aquarium. I could quite happily sit have a brew and watching this lovely fish just swimming around. I hope someone lets me know if somewhere like this does exist because I'm going there!! So at present we had to come away, yes we left the three musketeers behind. We came to the conclusion my friend would home all three, we were not leaving anyone behind, they could have been brothers or sisters or just bessie mates......we are all staying together! The hunt for a nice home and furnishings is being researched and it's a case of getting those sorted and we may return to rescue these blind beauties, but I suppose I will say, on this story, it is 'to be continued'. Blind Cavies part 2 - The Sequel- Coming Soon!! In my head I was doing the proper cinema voice then, you know the one, deep, thrilling, dramatic voice. There it is, another school day.....we did take ourselves for a brew eventually and some lunch. If you're as intrigued as we were by these fish there is more information about Blind Cave Fish and how to care for them at www.thespruce.com/blind-cave-fish-1381831 Take care for now and I'll will catch you tomorrow.....thanks for reading. I had a brilliant night out last night, did I go pubbing or clubbing, have too many ciders and a kebab on the way home? No I went to Derby University for an Audience with Richard Gerver and loved every minute., and for me every bit exciting.
If you don't know about Richard, he is one of the most inspirational speakers I personally have listened to for along time. To quote from his website at www.richardgerver.com 'Richard is one of the most celebrated speakers in the world. His insights into change and leadership have seen him work with organisations from Google to Harrods and Deloitte to Technicolor. His influence has led to him advising the Hilary Clinton campaign, the music industry and Olympic and elite sports organisations throughout the world. His mantra remains the same: systems and structures change nothing; people do'. I first met Richard when he was head teacher at my son's primary school. It was a fantastic environment for the kids and for the staff who worked there. Awards galore this man has received for his teaching but aside from that he had great respect from his pupils, a good rapport with the parents, a good team around him and together it unleashed the secret of what good schooling was all about. My boys left the school around the same time he decided to leave education an start out on his new adventure. We moved from the area after the break down of my marriage but If he ever reads this I just want to thank him for being a part of my sons education, they had the best start and I couldn't have had better support especially with my eldest son with his Autism. It was a learning curve for us all but what was nice about the school was that every child was treated as an individual. Richard knew every single child, their background, what made them tick and he went to see every child in the classroom on their birthday armed with stickers and a smile. Great memories which I'll treasure. I think this was probably the first time I had seen Richard in a good many years but I've followed his travels on social media and purchased his book 'Simple Thinking'. It is a great book and well worth a read if you fancy a burst of inspiration. Good positive thinking from a man who oozes common sense and manages to make you change the way you think and how you can make improvements in your life for the better. Nobody is going to make a difference in your life but YOU! It made me think of that feeling you get when you've watched a brilliant feel good film, you walk out of that cinema with your head held high with the attitude you could take on the world and be as strong as Rocky or go to 'infinity and beyond' like Buzz Lightyear. That's how I was last night, ready for a change and thinking 'yes I can' rather than the slightly less confident 'oh no I can't do that' and finding a million reasons why something isn't possible. I'm not going to give away the content of his talk or any details from his book as I wouldn't want to spoil the experience of seeing or reading it all for yourself. However I did grab some great advice about inspiring our young people for the future which is very handy when you've got two teenagers especially one who is just going through the career advice stage and facing GCSE's. I feel I've got this! I'm going to take this advice because the foundations Richard installed in them at five or six years old, I trust will be just as good at fourteen and sixteen. It just all made sense to me and whether you're in education, a parent like me or even a big mega MD of a huge big company be prepared to be empowered and aim higher especially after being 'Gerverised'. Go now and buy a copy of his books, go to his website and read all about him.....there's a brew for you if you go and see him talk.....I really didn't just go for the free tea! Honest!! At no point did the advert for the event say 'come along and catch up with Mr Gerver and oh by the way Sue there's a free brew in it as well' it was just a lovely added bonus. Anyway thank you so much for reading you lovely lot and I'll catch you tomorrow..... Happy happy happy!! It was International Day of Happiness today. Mind you if you looked out of your window today it wasn't happy weather, not here anyway, it poured down with rain. no not that fine drizzly stuff, proper, full on rain. When it's an official happy day though, you just have to find your sunshine somewhere else.
What makes us happy? Well for me, lots of things.... A Brew - of course it does....a freshly made pot of tea or a good quality mug of coffee. I say pot of tea and not cup because one cup is just never enough. Keep it flowing. I cannot literally refuse a brew of any kind, 'Sue would you like a brew?' yes yes yes yes and yes. If you offer and I say no, I'm ill and I need to seek professional help. Food - I'm putting food in general because it covers a multitude of sins. Freshly baked cake makes me happy with a big dollop of cream on the side. in fact desserts like lemon meringue, cheesecake, my mother in laws strawberry trifle (yes I still have access), all put a smile on my face. I haven't baked bread for a while but the smell of fresh baked bread is beautiful, if you don't bake just loiter around a supermarket bakery and take a nice deep breath in. Chocolate is a happy food too, my favourite is a big bar of Galaxy, just heaven! Minstrels and chocolate buttons (giant ones) yum yum. Prosecco - it's bubbly, makes me feel a bit posh like I'm drinking champagne and it makes me a bit giggly. I don't tend to drink much alcohol these days but this would have to be my happy tipple. Sunshine - ohh the feel of warmth and the sunny rays are great aren't they? Gives you such a good feeling and such a welcome after a dark cold miserable winter. We start drinking icy cold drinks and wear less clothes. Switch the heating off and move from the sofa to the beer garden at the local pub. Laughing - I know! It goes well with being happy. I love to laugh from a small girly giggle to a big belly laugh that hurts and makes tears stream from your eyes. Comedians make me happy, the great late Victoria Wood was my favourite, Billy Connolly has very nearly split my sides from laughing, also Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Kay and many more. A nice walk - Love to have a walk, the exercise is good for oneself. If I go on my own I pop some tunes on and get a good pace on to burn some calories or if I go with my eldest son we talk Thomas the Tank and all his friends around the park. We've walked for miles going through all the episodes and talking Disney Pixar. It certainly blows the cobwebs away a good walk. Freshly Cut Grass - I don't like the chore of cutting my own grass, in fact not much of a gardener at all but love it when out and about, it's a sign that spring is here and summer is around the corner. Not good for everyone as it makes people sneezy. Family & Friends - These peeps make me happy the most. I love a family get together, a meal or my dads barbecues are just the best. My kids make me smile and laugh even when they're a bit moody, teenagers eh? It's funny when I'm just about to get frustrated about their teenage ways, I have this massive flashback and remember what I was like and then it all makes sense. It's like going through it all again when you have kids. I love a get together with my pals as well, usually over a brew. I was arranging a catch up with one of my friends this week and she said ' what time and which Costa?' Just made me chuckle. She knows me so well. Music - my big love....I love to put my headphones on and completely lose myself in music land. For me it's my stress reliever, my diva making moment and drives me through my exercise. I sing along like I don't care or sometimes just relax and listen. Love everything from classical to rock and it is truly my happy place. Not sure what I would do without music, it's medicine and therapy rolled into one. Like the song says ' music was my first love and it will be my last' a classic five minute belter by John Miles and if that doesn't get played at my funeral, I will come back and haunt you....in a scary way. I love 'Here comes the Sun' by Nina Simone and my son asked me what my favourite song was the other day and I said 'In my Life' by The Beatles.....all good feely good songs.....might have to have a desert islands disc post one day. And that's just a few things that make me happy, there are many more as I am a happy person, well most of the time. We all have our moments and I have off days and days that are a complete contrast to all these things but that's just life. We have to have a balance to enable to feel happiness again. It's a strong emotion that needs a bit of encouragement to come out and play some days but just think of your favourite things, yes just like Julie Andrews told us to do in The Sound of Music and feel happy!! Catch you tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday.....thanks for reading. We have all done it at sometime surely? When you feel a bit under the weather or you have an ongoing health issue and it just won't go away. What's the first thing we do? Do we reach for the phone and reach out to our qualified professional GP? No we turn to Google.
(other search engines are available but I'm going to refer to google). We do probably end up at the doctor's eventually but in an attempt to save the NHS's precious time we put on our white coats, pop a stethoscope on and go for a bit of self diagnosis. I Google everything, if someone asks me a question and I don't know the answer, I am that person who says 'wait one moment' and I'm there on it as quick as the internet can take me. Sometimes I've even looked as though I'm emailing or sending an important text but then finish and return to a conversation with the whole of the answer and enough information to write a thesis on it. It looks impressive and first until someone rumbles me, 'you googled that didn't you?'......yep ok ya got me!!! So you start with a headache or some symptoms that resemble a common cold and by the time you've got through a dozen medical webpages you've got a dreadful illness for which there is no cure. Then you start googling how to make a Will and then before you know you're on itunes making a playlist of all the songs you want playing at your funeral. This is when it probably wasn't the best idea to look. There are so many illness's that have very similar symptoms and you can get in a pickle if you are not sure what you are doing or looking for. You can end up being more stressed and adding high blood pressure to the mix if you didn't have it before. For minor ailments it can be quite handy to look on the internet such as the best way to take out a splinter or remedies for a cold, we can even find holistic or natural ways to solve our problems without the use of expensive creams or the need to take strong painkillers. If we google too much about our health we end up with spammy emails in your junk box offering things some of us are not requiring at his moment in time or have not even thought of like a years supply of viagra for a discounted rate or penis enlargement. Last time I looked I didn't really need that or have I ever googled it (honestly). The last time I visited my GP I actually did ask him what he thought of the whole self diagnosis - googling your symptoms thing and he did confirm that for minor issues it's fine but it is always best to seek advice from a doctor. A good idea to confirm your own professional diagnosis or change it completely into something a bit more realistic. He did however give me a trusted website to go on and he did say it was one they use at that surgery which is www.patient.co.uk This kind of got me thinking that if they go on a website and look up our symptoms so it's all aright then. I think they understand now that with all this technology and with the internet being so easily accesable that it is inevitable that we will seek advice but what's important is to still back it up with a professional opinion. A lot of health issues come down to common sense really, it will either get better or get worse and if it does worsen then that's the time to take action. The internet is a very informative place and you do get your answers a lot of the time but sometimes nothing beats talking things over with other humans, family and friends can be good sources of information and support in all health concerns, yes even in the delicate areas too. My doctor also said to never be worried about going, they would rather see you than not, that's what they are there for. I know we are in very confusing troubled times with the NHS with so many cuts and in some areas it is difficult to get an appointment, some surgeries are better than others but they are there and do a mighty fine job. Stay safe, stay healthy and join me for a bit of gluten free info tomorrow, I can google that it, it will be fine or even better, use my own experiences to share with you. Thanks for reading...... So what goes with a nice brew?? .......that's right a biscuit, but when does a biscuit become a cookie or a cookie become a biscuit?
Apparently if its soft and chewy its a cookie and if baked until crisp, that's when it becomes a biscuit. Now I've only taken rough advice from Wikipedia so it's an open debate, I am in no means a cookie cooking expert. I am however an expert in eating them. I have successfully made gluten free cookies but the king of cookie tasting goes to my youngest son. He knows the perfect cookie and he likes then soft and doughy, if it snaps in two with a crispy feel, that's it! It's back to cookie school for you sunshine. It's got to be a chocolate chip cookie as well, all chocolate is acceptable, plain, milk and white. I'm sorry but putting fruit in cookies is a failed attempt to make them healthy. It's like saying I can't have a calorie filled cookie but oh hang on a minute it's got fruit in so it's all ok and healthy. I'm getting my five a day, yeah your five a day wrapped in sugar. If you're going to have the sugar than go to the max and add the chocolate chips for goodness sake. Is it dunkable? By dunkable we mean 'can we place the cookie in our brew and then eat it? Well yes you can but I wouldn't class it as a dunking option, it just doesn't absorb the brew in the correct way for me. Digestives are the best, followed by Rich Teas, and Malted Milk. Oh my gluten days, I do miss them sometimes. Gluten free biscuits do not hold well in the dunking process, they lack elasticity anyway so adding liquid, well it's a disaster from the start. I used to dunk all sorts in my brew, just to see if it worked. There's no right or wrong, be free and open with your dunking. The real test though is how long can you dunk before it falls in your brew? This is where I think digestives rule as they hold the liquid quite well but you have to time it to perfection. When you get that 'splosh' and your biscuit has fallen, it's just sooooo annoying isn't it? You just had to wait those few more seconds!! Now you have to decide whether you try and fish it out straight away or just leave it to sink to the bottom, finish your brew and then eat it with a teaspoon after. Yeah go on, admit it, you've done it too, you can't waste biscuits like that. So what is the nations favourite biscuit? According to most of the information on the world wide web it's the following:
What do we think? I'm happy with that. I tell you what though I could happily throw out the ginger nut for those Hovis Digestives, oh they were heaven and perfectly dunkable. Jammie dodgers, I've always loved but find them a lot more chewy nowadays but that might be my old persons teeth talking. Back to the classic cookie though, there are great varieties in all the major supermarkets, we picked these babies up (from the photo) at 'Millies Cookies' in the Intu Centre, Derby. They passed the seal of approval here for texture. My mum was with me today and asked the lady behind the counter if they were soft cookies. We had not experienced her cookies before and she was a little stunned as if she was now serving people who had never tasted a cookie in their life and she looked as if we should know that all cookies should be soft in the middle. I felt her pain. Lovely fresh cookies though in all sorts of flavours, yes with fruit as well. They can even write a message on a big cookie for you as well. I'm thinking of one for my boy, that says ' to the fussy cookie monster'. He's just a young man who knows what he wants and won't settle for less, he'll go far, I hope, otherwise we'll just be here eating cookies for the rest of our days. You can also buy Millies lovely cookies online at www.milliescookies.com I hope that's made you all very hungry now as it has me and I do quite fancy a snack.....happy cookie munching and biscuit dunking. Catch you for more fun tomorrow....... It sounds like something from the sixties but no Holi is a Hindu Spring Festival known as the 'Festival of Colours' or 'Festival of Love'. 'The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships'. (Wikipedia). People come together and smear each other with colour and drench each other with the use of water guns and water balloons. Everyone gets involved from rich, poor, men, women, the young and elderly, they get together in parks and public places, play music, laugh and chat.
What a beautiful event. I only came across it as I was Googling something and the Google sign was all white until you clicked on it and then you could fill it with colour. I'm so easily pleased but I feel it's another school day. I think a lot can be learnt from other cultures and religions and what's wrong with being multicultural? Terrorism has a lot to blame and has made us cautious, a terrorist hides behind a religion and creates hatred. Most religions are peaceful and should enable us to live side by side as human beings. This is where I launch into Yoda's speech from Star Wars and quote the classic line 'fear is the path to the dark side, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering'. Wouldn't it be nice if peace ruled and we all got along nicely? I like the idea of visiting other countries, embracing their culture and learning a new language, it's fun and very educational. We all resemble different colours, we like different things and that's good. if we all liked the same things the world would be a very boring place. One colour being celebrated this weekend was the colour of country music with the fifth Country 2 Country Music Festival which ran over 3 days in 3 different venues around the UK - London, Glasgow and Dublin. Love it or hate it, it's like Christmas for Country fans. The likes of Brad Paisley, Reba McEntire, Marty Stuart and The Zac Brown Band all graced the stages and by the sound of it on the little pop up station on Radio 2 Country they stormed it. Like all genres of music you find your way by experimenting with all sounds, some like the more traditional Country & Western sound and there's the new or modern Country. We are now gaining more and more successful British artists now such as The Shires and Ward Thomas. I know!! some say they border on pop and are not country at all but y'all see I don't like labels and categories much. If I like a tune, it has great lyrics and it hangs around in my head its cool, whatever genre and whoever the artist. Personally I love all types of music from Abba to ZZTop and like the festival of colours we should just celebrate all music and come together and unite in this troubled world. Ohhh remember the old coca-cola advert when everyone came together from different nations and sang the New Seekers hit 'I'd like to Teach the World to Sing'. You young'ns will have to 'You Tube' it. It's fabulous and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside or makes you want to just go and drink lots of coca-cola. I've enjoyed learning about such a lovely tradition and hope you have too, remember to colour the world and it's ok to colour outside the lines. Be happy, love, live and forgive - life is way too short. Catch you tomorrow......... The world is full of human beings all just rushing about these days, no body seems to have time to wait or have any patience anymore. I saw a dog the other day, trying to have a pee up a lamp post. No sooner had the poor pooch cocked it's leg, it was dragged off by it's owner with lead in one hand, mobile phone in other........the dog looked up as if to say 'put that phone down and let me wee for goodness sake'.
That's what happened to me this morning. The phone bit, not the wee bit. There I was at the local Shell garage, and I thought I'd use my 'fill and go' app. I got shouted at by the van driver behind me for being on my phone. I can see he probably thought I might have been sending some important emails or text messages while he sat behind me waiting but as if I would do that!! If you've not seen it, the service works via the Shell Motorist app. Choose a pump on the forecourt, and from inside your vehicle scan the QR code or key in the pump code. The app activates the pump and you can simply Fill Up & Go. Once finished, a receipt will be automatically sent to your phone. For more details go to www.shell.co.uk It's great if there is a queue in the shop or if you have a small human in the car. I would have loved this when I had my babies. Makes it so much easier than having to disturb baby, especially if they have just nodded off. I know what you're thinking as well, about the safety issue and that it is unsafe to use your phone at a petrol station but they do allow it as long as you stay in the car while using the app. It doesn't seem very effective if there is a queue on the forecourt though as you do have to just wait a couple of minutes to register the pump and get it going. Customers using it could do with a flag you put on the roof of your car just to let impatient white van drivers that your not sexting your current squeeze but actually doing your best to fill up and go without any hassle. That's it you see, maybe we've been given too much technology that it's made everything very fast, flash and convenient so much so that we find it impossible to wait. Most of this impatience I do find, takes place on the road. I must be frustrating to some as I do tend to chug along to the speed limit but only because I got a speeding ticket and it cost me a fortune. I got caught 2mph over the limit in a hire car. Not only did I have to pay the speeding fine but also a premium to the car rental company and to go on a speed awareness course. They are funny things! A room full of stubborn sulky drivers who don't know why they are there as they consider themselves to be the perfect driver. My speeding offence was in Wales so I didn't even get caught in this country, maybe I thought that shouldn't count. It was quite informative and a good reminder of what I really should be paying attention to on the road. Since then I really do try and keep to the limit now but sometimes I feel like I'm the only one. Wouldn't it be nice if we all slowed down a bit, left more time for journey's, and just chilled out more. It should be compulsory to do Yoga, you can't have road rage while your trying to balance your emotions and tie yourself in knots. I don't recommend driving while doing Yoga but maybe me and angry van man could have just got our mats out and yoga'd it out rather than me using my alternative sign language. I do apologise to him, he probably just wanted to get on his way. He was actually very lucky I wasn't gasping for a Costa Express or that I needed to go into the shop and get a load of travel snacks, soft drink and a road atlas. So make a change and relax, slow down and lets all be nice to each other. I'll catch you tomorrow for Free from Friday........ |
What to Buy WednesdayFrom May 2020 I will be writing a poem about something I may have purchased or would like to purchase. Archives
May 2020
Categories
All
|