tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18115562043875036662024-03-13T17:08:20.558-04:00Pink Sneakers on the GoNora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-67319402908159422842021-03-16T19:16:00.002-04:002021-05-05T09:46:29.413-04:00Confessions of a Cuckoo Clock in Quarantine - March Musings<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“One day I will be free”.</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <i> </i></span></span><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Each chirp echoes a melody. A symphony of “I’ve got to be Me”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whether alto, staccato or a trill, it’s more than just a shrill.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> A cappella of emotions set free. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s a fly by the night coup of pecking my way out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cramped. In a corner. In my cage. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To make matters worse, I’m just a tad claustrophobic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m leery of hopping off the edge. Do I dare peek around the ledge? <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To say that I’m trapped would be a disservice to propagandists of mistruths worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ve lived my entire life conversing with The Walls.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All four of them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The daily chitter chatter has reached a crescendo. Misunderstandings and squabbles around the clock. Rehashing the same old grievances. I’ve got to break free and spring my way out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Embroiled in a cold war of nuclear proportions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Isolated. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Frosty stares and icicles that maim. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They’ve shut me out. Their silence pains.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, IF you think that YOU have issues sequestered at home in Loco Lockdown, Think Again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s time to compare notes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oy vey.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here we go again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuckoo was clearly not having the best of days. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The incessant musings and incoherent ramblings of Chirp stuck in the Box were enough to make one go insane. Day in and day out, the nonsensical gibberish was right on schedule, hourly lamentations of “woe is me”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The conundrum is real. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are two of us imprisoned in this scenario. One is real and the other is clearly delusional. Crackers, if truth be told. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m mired in the sludge of quarantine quicksand. How to conquest the Everest? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rappelling my way out has been quite the challenge this pandemic year, and yes, I’m fully aware that my verb of choice has me propelling feet first in the opposite direction, but that is precisely my point. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s been a struggle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Confined in a space smaller than a suitcase is akin to suffocating in a jar, <i>sans</i> light, with the lid screwed tight. To make matters worse, the instructions on how to break out are pasted on the other side of the looking glass, ineligible digits of numerics and expiration dates. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Just another roadblock to add to the list. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Deciphering the code would take the equivalent of the next hundred years. And, who has that sort of time on their hands? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whoa, hold on a sec. Lucky me! I’m one of the zillions of disgruntled guests under lock and key serving time in The Lockdown Inn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s a test. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the scale of A to Fail, I’m borderline.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lunatic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Teetering on the precipice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The roadmap out is a puzzle of paths pointing in all sorts of directions of which way not to go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then there’s Cuckoo, bemused and twittering about the events of the day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Freedom of squawk. With a social media account. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They say that birds of a feather flock together.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And, so I ponder. Do I dare ask? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That. Dreaded. Question. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Are we one and the same?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s up for debate, but in the meantime, I’m shuttered at home with a cranky old bird that’s stark raving mad and I’ve got to break out for a gulp of fresh air.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The drama continues…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>N<i style="color: #7030a0; font-weight: bold;">ext post: In two or three weeks, sometime the w/o March 29</i></span><sup style="color: #7030a0; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">th</sup><span style="color: #7030a0; font-weight: bold;"><i> or w/o April 5</i></span><sup style="color: #7030a0; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">th</sup><span style="color: #7030a0; font-weight: bold;"><i>. It could be a tad earlier or it could be a bit of a wait. No one knows. It all depends upon the moods of Humour and Inspiration. That is, if they’ve not hi-tailed it across the pond, elated that they’ve received the </i></span></span></span><b><i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">freedom of vaccine and are now taking a well-deserved holiday from the monotony of routine. To say that I’m just a wee bit envious would be an understatement. Stay tuned!!</span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><b><i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><b><i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your reading!! </span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><b><i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><b><span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Update (as of May 1st): Next post will be up very soon. There was a tad bit of an </i></span><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><i>unforeseen </i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>delay. </i></span></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0ufR6v7b0U/YFE1yH6z0zI/AAAAAAAAFQk/jduCns_VWoEAnFHkJGGgGM7woLdXhskGACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/61D49067-8CAB-42CF-BD68-55891C357AE2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ObluAzeLe08/YFE2sAYcC5I/AAAAAAAAFQ0/t-i6tnsSnnUq-ONQ1pUWpIXr9ehsRlZjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/401321CF-27EF-49A2-958C-FFAB3CA615B1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ObluAzeLe08/YFE2sAYcC5I/AAAAAAAAFQ0/t-i6tnsSnnUq-ONQ1pUWpIXr9ehsRlZjwCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/401321CF-27EF-49A2-958C-FFAB3CA615B1.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></span></div><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><br /><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1-kn97YsPM/YFE2SmAD4wI/AAAAAAAAFQs/YIZ6uGyezI8W2jWTwYBL165dwNgqUH-qgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1136/95930807-BCDF-4D1B-AFA9-C974274C4A11.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1-kn97YsPM/YFE2SmAD4wI/AAAAAAAAFQs/YIZ6uGyezI8W2jWTwYBL165dwNgqUH-qgCLcBGAsYHQ/w360-h640/95930807-BCDF-4D1B-AFA9-C974274C4A11.png" width="360" /></a></b></span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b> </b></span></span></div><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uz3kzT1geSY/YFE4Eg8fEVI/AAAAAAAAFRE/9uLK48IS3jAZm-uFeZLNpbR1L69O4ADiACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/C18F95FD-32FA-4B25-BD89-35C52E1AF081.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uz3kzT1geSY/YFE4Eg8fEVI/AAAAAAAAFRE/9uLK48IS3jAZm-uFeZLNpbR1L69O4ADiACLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/C18F95FD-32FA-4B25-BD89-35C52E1AF081.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div></b></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;">Singing for my supper!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(112, 48, 160); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7fnVq_SzTfY/US6-_q_8-uI/AAAAAAAABLk/OmntWp9_4hcxeB8JlKbUCgEhXprJUgXNQCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/DSC00500.JPG"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7fnVq_SzTfY/US6-_q_8-uI/AAAAAAAABLk/OmntWp9_4hcxeB8JlKbUCgEhXprJUgXNQCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h480/DSC00500.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />So much to see and explore!<br /></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p>Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-48593269243982253702021-02-14T18:46:00.007-05:002021-02-15T10:08:22.607-05:00Confessions of a Cuckoo Clock in Quarantine: February Musings<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sometimes all that you need is a sip of solace and a mug of hot tea. Comfort in a cup. Not quite the same as a hug, nor a shoulder to unburden yourself on, but the next best thing that helps soothe and heal. I’m at a loss for words as to what exactly is in the forecast for 2021, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s not off to a promising start. First of all, the magic of Abracadabra failed to greet me on New Year’s morn, as guaranteed by <i>The Guild of Things Will Be Alright Association</i>. I suspect that this could have been Fake News, propaganda disseminated into the stratosphere, just to appease the discontented masses. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Fairies overslept, all right, nodding off and on throughout the night.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Their slumber hindered any hint of progress of crawling out of the Year of Isolation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Better Days Ahead was just another slogan plastered to the Wall of Don’t Roam Far Away from Home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sigh.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One month down, eleven more to go. I’ve spent the better part of January mopping up the mess on the kitchen floor. Buckets all lined up like ducks in a row, gushing and overflowing with what can only be classified as remnants of leftover sludge from a year we’re all so desperate to throw curbside. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But, let’s not get overly dramatic with the cinematics of yet another Emmy worthy performance of the mini-series, <i>“Tears, Fears and Uncertainties”.</i> After all, I’m sequestered in Le Apartment, with space at a premium, so I haven’t an inch of shelving left to display yet another statue. It’s best then, that this was a limited series, a year-long run of a show that should have been cancelled from the get-go. Who knew? But then, hindsight is 20/20. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The sequel has been put on hold. For now.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the meantime, I’ve got more pressing issues at hand. Contemplation is curled up in a corner pondering on how to heal and forge onwards, whilst Reflection is looking back, wondering how it all went so wrong. Time to get out the wipes and start anew. That is, if they’re back in stock. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The incessant chirping that continues to keep me up at night is yet another annoyance on my list of grievances. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tick tock. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Once I manage to get the state of the world under control, I’m determined to catch up with my reading. The bestseller, <i>“Confessions of a Cuckoo Clock Gone Mad”</i> has been flying off shelves this pandemic year and I’m eager to secure a signed copy. My bookshelf is groaning with a plethora of self-help manuals, all dog-eared and loaded with tips and tricks for digging out of quarantine quicksand.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Must compare chapters with Snoopy on <i>“It’s a Dark and Stormy Night”.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To add insult to injury, I came close to another wipeout, skidding and skating on my linoleum floor. That darn dust! But wait, there’s reason to celebrate…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Looks like the Fairies came through, after all.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><b><i><span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Come hang out with me in loco lockdown, as I count down the days in quarantine quicksand. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, and there should be, as I’m a wee bit (err…. A LOT) claustrophobic and am always searching for my way out of the darkness. There are better days ahead, some just a tad more challenging than others. All is good though, as the Fairies sprinkled a smidgen of glitter to help guide my way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><b><i><span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><b><i><span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next post: In two or three weeks, sometime either the w/o March 1<sup>st</sup> or the w/o March 8<sup>th</sup>, no one knows exactly when. It all depends upon the moods of Humour, Inspiration and Imagination. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><b><i><span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="color: #7030a0;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your reading!</span></i></b> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5pRYda5LQEo/YCmvBOrQzVI/AAAAAAAAFPQ/zbqXjheWYwwvmGyyOFTRxcjKDd0zxgGegCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/823D44AD-8CE2-4C81-97E8-4056D20DA5A9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5pRYda5LQEo/YCmvBOrQzVI/AAAAAAAAFPQ/zbqXjheWYwwvmGyyOFTRxcjKDd0zxgGegCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/823D44AD-8CE2-4C81-97E8-4056D20DA5A9.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yu9Gd_xBeYA/YCmxWPTm4FI/AAAAAAAAFPc/3b7X1kx2t68Z2vpkQF1ne-jb_EJDwQkxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/256A9FE9-B530-48A6-A108-29E10E28F38C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yu9Gd_xBeYA/YCmxWPTm4FI/AAAAAAAAFPc/3b7X1kx2t68Z2vpkQF1ne-jb_EJDwQkxgCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/256A9FE9-B530-48A6-A108-29E10E28F38C.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tlniIqMc3pQ/YCmx1CuTS5I/AAAAAAAAFPk/4joNJOe2jm8LrhTn3Jpnz52A2H3lihe8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/A05B9B8F-7535-4A42-85EA-DD4A2B38239B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tlniIqMc3pQ/YCmx1CuTS5I/AAAAAAAAFPk/4joNJOe2jm8LrhTn3Jpnz52A2H3lihe8wCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/A05B9B8F-7535-4A42-85EA-DD4A2B38239B.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGloPB7mTV8/YCm05zkT-BI/AAAAAAAAFPw/ken61NswBvgSLPwc5ovMcHT_BzzGRdVqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/4FADFBE0-36FC-499A-9E5B-8458C8474327.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGloPB7mTV8/YCm05zkT-BI/AAAAAAAAFPw/ken61NswBvgSLPwc5ovMcHT_BzzGRdVqwCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/4FADFBE0-36FC-499A-9E5B-8458C8474327.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-69778543732669021842021-01-24T21:07:00.022-05:002021-01-28T22:37:04.555-05:00Seahorses Dancing on Waves - Day 1 of Scribbling Towards the Light<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s the first day of the New Year and I must confess that I’m
somewhat of a discombobulated mess. I’m
not quite certain as to exactly what I expected would transpire once the hands
of time traversed the path of midnight and ushered in 2021. Plotting and dreaming of my escape from The Year
of Isolation, I envisioned a miraculous leap back into the “normal” of
yesteryear. Was it not so long ago since
we gathered, feasted, promenaded, embraced and – egad! – even paraded <i>sans</i> face coverings when out and about? It feels like a zillion time zones away, yet
it was almost 365 days from yesterday when the globe spiralled into the abyss
of the unknown.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">So much has changed.
Nothing remains the same. Yet,
it’s all so familiar in a strange sort of way.
I can’t even comprehend, let alone explain, the magnitude of it
all. It’s been quite the journey
navigating these uncharted waters. I’ve
spent weeks, not to mention months, drifting off course, struggling my way
upstream. The debris of splintered
paddles scattered every which where. Sink or swim was the mantra that I recited every day. The incessant rain
was quite the drain on my psyche and soul, unleashing the predictable torrent of you know what. The basement's now flooded and mopping will keep me occupied for the remainder of the month or at least until the floor caves in and I've then got an entirely new set of issues. At least I've a surplus of buckets...</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I expected a whole lot better from the month of January. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Surely I am not the only one hoping in haste. After all, we are only a few hours into the
calendar of new beginnings and Hope should be granted a chance. Optimism and the promise of a better tomorrow
loom on the horizon. Do I dare believe?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had envisioned a mirage of a miracle. A fairy dusting of Abracadabra to make
everything all right and re-set the pause button back to “normal” with an
instantaneous reversal of all of the tidings that had spilled sorrow into our now foreign world. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Was I asking for too much?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Welcome mat lay outside my door. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The De Novo to a brand new tomorrow.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet, no one was more disappointed than I when Hocus-pocus
did not knock on my door and greet me on New Year’s morn.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Looks like the fairies had overslept. Or, perhaps they were just following Stay at
Home orders to shelter indoors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nonetheless, the inevitable gush filled more than a few
buckets.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, dear reader, allow me the privilege to indulge in
back-paddling to the distant depth of the capsize, where I made the
acquaintance of one of Poseidon’s seafaring companions, a kindly old Seahorse that so graciously carried me on its shoulders through the tumultuous waters of
yesteryear.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The months long sojourn was an ebb and flow of whitecaps and resilience. The circling sharks added yet another element of suspense to my tale.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The boulders are no longer jagged, just pebbles on a sandy
beach, stepping-stones that have traversed the path of midnight.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Starting anew. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next blog post: In two or three weeks, sometime the w/o Feb 8<sup>th</sup>
or 15<sup>th</sup> or perhaps a tad earlier or later. No one knows. It all depends upon
my faithful old companions, Inspiration and Creativity. In the meantime, my daily meditations and
journal jottings are aids that help guide my way to new beginnings. Stay tuned for more of my series: Chronicles on Scribbling Towards the Light.</span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your
reading!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UShTO0XZ1pY/YA4Qrvv8rrI/AAAAAAAAFNs/7Ofm4L5iy3IoIiPD_UtHMkyjw3y_w_mcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5118.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UShTO0XZ1pY/YA4Qrvv8rrI/AAAAAAAAFNs/7Ofm4L5iy3IoIiPD_UtHMkyjw3y_w_mcQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_5118.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p>
<!--EndFragment--><div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2oiOVwvKefk/YA7qi5db5-I/AAAAAAAAFN4/dVGzAEuVyroPtC5_LhYJk3aZZEqBT-_hgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5035.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2oiOVwvKefk/YA7qi5db5-I/AAAAAAAAFN4/dVGzAEuVyroPtC5_LhYJk3aZZEqBT-_hgCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_5035.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iszDY0bbrNU/YA7q204vZ3I/AAAAAAAAFOA/OWApBBNE4ogDFdMuPSCq2kL6fUNrqg5DACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4931.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iszDY0bbrNU/YA7q204vZ3I/AAAAAAAAFOA/OWApBBNE4ogDFdMuPSCq2kL6fUNrqg5DACLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_4931.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pPWGMj5vRMg/YA7rHFVdS0I/AAAAAAAAFOI/AXldTD2IQoEREWeOGrscDzdzoA_H3SvCACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5076.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pPWGMj5vRMg/YA7rHFVdS0I/AAAAAAAAFOI/AXldTD2IQoEREWeOGrscDzdzoA_H3SvCACLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_5076.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJpgCYWzIzQ/YA7rdBJ22gI/AAAAAAAAFOQ/hRyy1FVKjIAVly57FtO8MZpCtuzrwWCEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5073.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJpgCYWzIzQ/YA7rdBJ22gI/AAAAAAAAFOQ/hRyy1FVKjIAVly57FtO8MZpCtuzrwWCEQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_5073.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-66119258106418468912021-01-01T18:55:00.006-05:002021-01-02T15:52:27.161-05:00Journalling Towards the Light<p> <span style="font-family: arial;">The countdown has officially begun.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s a stampede out there, or would be, if we were not all hunkered
down at home, sheltering from the rain of 2020.
Safe in our lockdown place, we grew to embrace an entirely new space. Working from home became the new norm. Zooming from room to room now part of the
daily routine. A hop around the globe in
minutes time, connecting with loved ones far and near. A huddle with memories in lieu of hugs would
just have to suffice. Who ever imagined
that cuddles and entwines would be so treasured and rare?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hindsight, of course, is 2020.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Once again, I’ve unintentionally veered off track. Typical.
It’s been that type of year. The
scuttle is real. The hunt for 2021 agendas is on and it’s a
marathon of a sprint to secure that coveted diary. Hourglasses, calendars and almanacs all lined
up in a row. There are truckloads of
lemons of malfunctioning 2020 agendas all piled up in the scrapyard of yesteryear. It’s immensely satisfying, not to mention,
gratifying, to finally kick those Chronicles of International Disaster to the
rubbish, where they now fester and wait their turn for curb side pickup.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hallelujah and Welcome 2021!</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As you might have guessed, dear reader, the agenda for this
week’s blog post was none other than keeping up with Time, hence my delight to
reveal this Year’s musings of heralding in the light.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pencils sharpened, quills dipped in inspirational ink, 365
days of blank pages await…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The hope of tomorrow is a dawn that has just traversed the
path of midnight. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let the healing begin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next post:
In two or three weeks, sometime the w/o January 10<sup>th</sup> or 17<sup>th</sup>,
perhaps a tad earlier. No one knows. The Quarantine
Series blog posts of 2020 have been retired (for the time being but will still re-appear from time to time) and have been replaced with the Scribbling
Towards the Light Chronicles. Stay tuned
for another year of reflection, contemplation, hope and gratitude. All, of course, generously sprinkled with a
touch of much needed laughter and humour (where applicable). </span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your
reading!</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rhqzCSsBRx8/X--04fYdXtI/AAAAAAAAFNQ/J_ZhYRWJzKoruEJG28rL2SHtyk_W8olGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1501.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rhqzCSsBRx8/X--04fYdXtI/AAAAAAAAFNQ/J_ZhYRWJzKoruEJG28rL2SHtyk_W8olGQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_1501.JPG" width="480" /></a></i></b></div><b><i><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></b><p></p>
<!--EndFragment-->Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-620638702508778932020-12-19T21:56:00.000-05:002020-12-19T21:56:31.889-05:00Quarantine Calendar: The Spin Cycle of Socks on Day Who Know What.<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> I’m trapped in a merry-go-round the clock ride with no
reprieve in sight, banging and clanging in a suds infused barrel that’s clearly
spiralled out of flight. I’m flailing,
failing miserably on navigating these uncharted waters. Not even a glimpse of a mirage or a
lighthouse beacon. I’ve either
apparently lost my mind or am stuck in the spin cycle yet once again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m right on course, that is, of course, if I’ve actually
drifted off course.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The map is one soggy mess, washed up shore on an island
that’s on the other side of somewhere. Or, was that on the precipice of nowhere?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">No one knows.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s no longer of use to me, as the border is shuttered and
I’m unable to paddle to the outskirts of the perimeter to retrieve the
waterlogged blueprint that could set me free.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the meantime, I’ve no choice but to cling on to the
remnants of my threadbare socks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Welcome to Day Who Knows What of 2020 Lockdown.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The automatic timer has apparently gone bust, a
malfunctioning lemon for which refunds have been piling up in the dust. And, there’s 28 more days of combustion and
confusion smirking in the wings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let the countdown begin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Re-set to renew. Or
was that anew? I knew this cleansing was
coming…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The dratted re-set button has a glitch of which I’ve no
control over until at least mid 2021. Another
whirl at wading out the storm. My
thoughts are tied up in knots, not to mention the tangled mess of my socks,
ravaged bits of colour and yarn scattered every which where.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pre-wash, Wash, Rinse and Spin have propelled my reality
into another dimension.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m all wrapped up in the saga of my skedaddled socks. They’ve taken a hike and scampered off to
whereabouts unknown. Just like me. Gone missing for the past three months. At least I’ve an excuse for my disappearance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sequestered at home for months on end, I’ve been itching for
a getaway, a change of scene and an escape from my unstructured routine. The monotony of the same old drudgery was weighing
on my soul and I was longing for a reprieve.
An outing. A diversion. A holiday.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Until the inevitable, yet predictable, sequence of events
spiralled me in an entirely different direction.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oi vey. Be mindful of
what you wish for.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">To make a long story short, one does not want to be caught
in a panic during a pandemic in which one embarks on an unexpected five-day
hospital stay. Nope. Nada.
Not me. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Ha! We’ll see about that!” chortled Chaos and sidekick
Topsy-turvy (formerly known as the Gremlins of Travel Disruption and now out of
a job due to Stay at Home orders). Ever
so clever, the enterprising chameleons repackaged their game and threw me for a
loop in the most unanticipated of ways. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next thing I knew, I was being wheeled out of Emergency,
having undergone surgery, with my bothersome old gallbladder kicked to the
curb.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ouch! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">My 4:00am summons to lounge at “Le Wellness Spa”, aka The
Curative Fix & Stich Holiday Inn, better known as The Hospital, had
fortuitously arrived, an invitation that I will forever be humbled and grateful
for. Enough said.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">A bucket-load of rejuvenation was the kick-start to a fresh
start…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Skating at the edge of the pond, I’ve slid off topic once
again. The spin cycle is almost complete
and one can only siesta for so long. The
Spring Equinox is just around the bend, heralding a mend with the promise of a
long-awaited vaccine. This celebratory news
is the healing salve of miraculous cheer for a year like none other.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the meantime, I’ve more immediate issues underfoot. There are icicles on my tootsies and I’m hopping
around barefoot. My dash to the dryer to
rescue those missing socks resulted in a tumble that left me with a few sore
ribs and a round of vertigo.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Touché 2020!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Those darned old stockings have hightailed it on a flight
out of here and have catapulted themselves into the New Year. Eager to cement new imprints of their
footprints, they’re always one step ahead. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As for me, I’m just rolling with the times.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The countdown has officially begun…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One more post to go before the leap into
2021. Next post: Sometime the w/o Dec 28<sup>th</sup>. Stay tuned for yet another posting of “The
Quarantine Series”, before I jump into the New Year and forge new imprints of a
brand new compilation of musings and impressions. </span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6XD-cgemSWQ/X966iXpAt6I/AAAAAAAAFNE/Ms9g8t_0Y28OeGfNTcJWcxkSIV3S8dCCACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6XD-cgemSWQ/X966iXpAt6I/AAAAAAAAFNE/Ms9g8t_0Y28OeGfNTcJWcxkSIV3S8dCCACLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_2031.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><o:p></o:p></i></b><p></p>
<!--EndFragment-->Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-78377404526112919932020-09-03T20:35:00.001-04:002020-12-19T17:00:50.809-05:00 Self-help guidebooks for Cuckoo Clocks: Week 19 in Loco Lockdown.<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s Week 19 in Loco Lockdown and I’ve got a lot on my
mind. I keep forgetting that it’s gone
missing, having wandered off to whereabouts unknown. I haven’t a clue as to where it currently
resides, perhaps somewhere more stable, where one is able to reflect and
subside on images of mirages. I must
confess that I’m in quite the bind, as I can’t remember what exactly I can’t
find in my chaotic mess. A self-help
book or two would certainly come in handy but, alas, those manuals are currently
out of stock, having gone out of print around the time when my mind took an
unexpected tumble off the shelf. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And, speaking of time, well, that’s a parallel story,
currently orbiting around my alternate universe. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not only do I fret about my sanity, but I’ve now had to
squander countless hours tracking down the hands of time. Whoever said, “Time Flies”, must not have
been privy to the uncharted flight path of the split seconds that randomly
shake up the structured order of our topsy-turvy world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And, since we’re on the topic on flying, thought that I
should skip that extra layer of fable for my tale.
After all, the clock is ticking.
The countdown has begun.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s just one issue.
My cuckoo clock has gone missing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">From what I’m able to surmise, there must have been one
quell of a scuffle. Remnants of feathers
and sand were scattered everywhere. An
abandoned hourglass was wedged in the crack near the edge of the ledge, forever
stuck in quarantine quicksand.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Looks like the patriarch of our flock has flown the coup and
bird-napped reliable Chirpy along for the ride.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Could it get any worse?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Day 142 was not going according to plan.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But, what’s a plan without an agenda and we all know that
2020 is a malfunctioning bust. It
kyboshed my long anticipated excursion to the land of lederhosen and
accordions, forcing me to abandon my one year sojourn. But, who’s counting, as the days all blend
into one. After all, we’re all
sequestered at home, lounging in pyjamas, engaging via board games on Zoom. I’m itching to get away, but alas, the border
is closed and there’s no way I’m able to jet away. The only other option to get out of town was
to sail in a different direction. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I
had no choice but to succumb to the lure of the trails of the Rain Forest. All signs pointed directly to: Amazon.ca.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, where was I? I
seem to have misplaced my train of thought.
Can’t recall what exactly I was hoping to convey as I’m slipping on
marbles in my frantic search for my missing glass slipper. Wait. Hold on a minute. It's Cuckoo that's gone AWOL. Whatever.
Either way, they’ve both taken a hike. I’m suspended in time, playing the guessing game.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And, since I’m on stand by, might as well sip on a martini
and indulge in some multi-layered Black Forest cake. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">My pumpkin is a tad delayed.
Must be stuck in rush-hour traffic…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next post:
In two weeks, sometime the w/o September 14<sup>th</sup>, Tuesday,
Wednesday or Thursday. Stay tuned for
more updates on going cuckoo in quarantine!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your
reading!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be on the lookout for Chirpy and all of those
missing cuckoo clocks!</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: arial;"><b><i>UPDATE: Ran into a roadblock or two, hence a tad bit of a disappearance for the past 3 months. Will update in latest post to be published Dec 19th, 20th or 21st. Stay tuned!</i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2bp-xhwTWw/X1BcNUkOpHI/AAAAAAAAFLk/vGikN7N7MuoLavb8dtGzP9SEMPNnRVG0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1136/fullsizeoutput_1006.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2bp-xhwTWw/X1BcNUkOpHI/AAAAAAAAFLk/vGikN7N7MuoLavb8dtGzP9SEMPNnRVG0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/fullsizeoutput_1006.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1kS40BoQIsg/X1BcqYX2y5I/AAAAAAAAFLs/6SaWV8rOidk0URYncMR0EiANzlai9q9BQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1136/fullsizeoutput_1007.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1kS40BoQIsg/X1BcqYX2y5I/AAAAAAAAFLs/6SaWV8rOidk0URYncMR0EiANzlai9q9BQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/fullsizeoutput_1007.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b></p>
<!--EndFragment-->Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-50661022900823729232020-08-18T23:57:00.002-04:002020-08-24T23:08:25.276-04:00A Crack in the Quarantine Bubble<p> <span style="font-family: arial;">It’s Week 18 in Loco Lockdown and it’s time to break
free. I’ve been sequestered for far too
long. Winter was just a flash of a
distant memory and the sizzle of the lazy, hazy days of summer will inevitably
drizzle into an autumn chill and then I’ll be stuck at home for the remainder
of the year. I’ve gone crackers under
the covers and am gasping for a breath of fresh air. I’ve got to crack open my snow-globe and
weather the storm. Make that escape and
flee.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s just one problem.
Those men in the white coats are trailing me. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ve long suspected that I’ve gone cuckoo in quarantine as
I’m forever slipping and sliding on all of those loose marbles that pop up in
the most inopportune of places. I’m
perpetually hopping a jig to a symphony of my own melody. And, let’s not forget all of my imaginary
friends, all clearly exempt from the two metre social distancing rules. Inspiration and Imagination brought Creativity
to the table, weaving tall tales and fables that entertained us to no end. And, of course, no banquet was complete
without the presence of that ever so debonair and charismatic Fly on the
Wall. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Those were the days.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But alas, restrictions are gradually being lifted, ushering
in a smidgen of normalcy to my edge of the pond. To make matters worse, I’ve run out of
essentials and need to replenish my hoard.
After all, I’m down to my very last square of you know what. Must shatter the ice, dip my toes in and test
the waters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">A sea of masks stared back at me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">My first train of thought was naught with fear. Are these hooligans who were caught in a jam
and are now on the lam? Perhaps I’m not
the only one on the run. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">A gamut of emotions peered through the plethora of face
coverings. Who are these faceless beings
with those expressive eyes? The saying
that “the eyes are the windows of the soul” couldn’t ring more true, as there
was no need for babble or small talk.
Their eyes spoke volumes. A collective
decibel of comprehension solidified our bond. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Out of sight, out of mind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s safety in numbers.
Catch me if you can.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The shattered shards of my splintered sphere were a
liberating breath of unfiltered air.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">My mask has set me free.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Might as well park
myself on the bench and crack open some nuts… <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next post:
In two weeks! Sometime the w/o
Aug 31<sup>st</sup>,either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday! Stay tuned for future updates on Stuck in
Quarantine Quagmire in Loco Lockdown.</span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your
reading!!</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDn3Z9YSHd4/Xzyi_dpzI_I/AAAAAAAAFLM/MHHVk0FqZYM2STs_B1m0Dv07KFTM3TFTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDn3Z9YSHd4/Xzyi_dpzI_I/AAAAAAAAFLM/MHHVk0FqZYM2STs_B1m0Dv07KFTM3TFTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1380.JPG" /></a></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6f8K9-LA3RY/XzygEzj06nI/AAAAAAAAFK8/2chvbtE97X4RpdZ5KoXguqr8mRAzBoAJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1366.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6f8K9-LA3RY/XzygEzj06nI/AAAAAAAAFK8/2chvbtE97X4RpdZ5KoXguqr8mRAzBoAJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1366.JPG" /></a></span></i></b> </div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3z3ewXlo3U/Xzyfsu84CTI/AAAAAAAAFKs/BJk16JTAuZ43VT0fnLxFXBe16WL7QZfcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1373.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3z3ewXlo3U/Xzyfsu84CTI/AAAAAAAAFKs/BJk16JTAuZ43VT0fnLxFXBe16WL7QZfcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1373.JPG" /></a></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"> </span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p>
<!--EndFragment-->Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-57613296967502177462020-08-06T10:47:00.001-04:002020-08-06T14:11:55.954-04:00Harvesting lemons in Loco Lockdown: Week 17
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s Week 217 in loco lockdown and I’ve a sneaking suspicion
that I’ve gone a tad bonkers. Not quite
over the edge but precariously close to hovering near the ledge. Insane would be too institutional of a term,
whilst out to lunch wraps it up in a nutshell.
I’ve lost track of time and yesterday could be today or today could be
tomorrow or tomorrow could be yesterday.
No one knows. It’s a problem. I could be off by two hundred or so weeks and
I wouldn’t have an inkling of a clue.
Not like there’s any rush in deciphering the truth but it would be
helpful to stick to a schedule and mark off the days. The quagmire of quarantine has jolted time to
a halt and a kick-start to the daily routine would be a much welcome reprieve.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that is where my conundrum begins. I must confess that my calendar’s a mess and
I’d like a fresh start. Would it be
asking too much to request a rewind to Dec 31, 2019? After all, I’ve purchased a lemon and I’d
like a refund.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">My defective 2020 agenda is a malfunctioning bust.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In retrospect, I should instead have snagged the discounted
2019 one that was on sale for a song.
But then again, hindsight is 20/20.
So, I’m now the disgruntled owner of an almanac that came up short. It’s a dud, collecting dust in the basement,
reluctant to come out of hiding and greet the day. It’s sequestered under the cobwebs,
concocting a scenario of plausibly believable explanations as to why it failed
to deliver. Guess it’ll be at least
another five months of sheltering under the covers before it makes its
enthusiastic leap into the New Year!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the meantime, I’m stuck at home, paying the price for its
shortcomings. The anticipation of 365
adventures took a turn of no return on Week 1 of Stay at Home orders. It heralded the start to 137 days of creation
in isolation, as I harvested lemons in my backyard. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Germinating <i>Lemgens</i>,
to be exact.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Lemgen - </i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Definition (as found
in Le Nik-tion-ary):<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Noun. Is an offshoot of the Word-Ling (Word-Lingo) family of up
and coming lexicons and phrases. A
relatively young word that sprung to life in early 2020. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Usage: Used primarily to express shock, disbelief
and frustration with the disruption of daily life and the broken promises of
one’s calendar, hence the reference to having acquired a lemon of an agenda.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Spelling variations: Lemon-genda, Limone-genda, Gen-Lem, Gen-Lemono.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Addendum: For more info on Word-Lings, take a peek at
my previous blog post.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Must skedaddle. Time
to sprinkle the latest batch of <i>Word-Lings</i>
with a splash of Limoncello!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next post:
In two weeks! The w/o August 17th,
either Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or thereabouts. Stay tuned for more updates on the latest
batch of Word-Lings. In the meantime,
stay home, stay safe and catch up with your reading!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Preview of a few new Word-Lings and Phrases:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">WordSing – Words that make you happy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">WordLock - Writer's block.</span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">CitronChill – Chilling in quarantine, cancelled plans, wish I was in the French Riviera. </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>LimoneChillo - Same meaning as CitronChill, with an added Italian twist for extra flair.</i></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: arial;"><b><i>It's a LemGen sort of day! OR It's a GenLem sort of day!</i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: arial;"><b><i>It's a LemChillo sort of day!</i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-opR3SFXvM/XywA_Fjb2_I/AAAAAAAAFJg/75NNK1mYD4ADCUtMVqe2dO-gsnqm3MSfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/133.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-opR3SFXvM/XywA_Fjb2_I/AAAAAAAAFJg/75NNK1mYD4ADCUtMVqe2dO-gsnqm3MSfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/133.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KMt9NXwKJEs/XywB2GMz_kI/AAAAAAAAFJs/D9Z6JN7GLOAATsU_ofKfiAO287zkTB2EACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/137.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KMt9NXwKJEs/XywB2GMz_kI/AAAAAAAAFJs/D9Z6JN7GLOAATsU_ofKfiAO287zkTB2EACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/137.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xfh6bvuM0CU/XywCJ7-5h2I/AAAAAAAAFJ0/iSQlv-Ir9C4L9KWeNCPGn6lAO1p80tPrACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/154.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xfh6bvuM0CU/XywCJ7-5h2I/AAAAAAAAFJ0/iSQlv-Ir9C4L9KWeNCPGn6lAO1p80tPrACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/154.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJM0r5TuCxI/XywCab91sjI/AAAAAAAAFJ8/6702W6-PyXoC6QXXtG1IxpQ0oFcoO-K_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/383.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJM0r5TuCxI/XywCab91sjI/AAAAAAAAFJ8/6702W6-PyXoC6QXXtG1IxpQ0oFcoO-K_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/383.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVwMAofVTnY/XywDb0rdPgI/AAAAAAAAFKI/XOGELS-ubu8PPs5TRPmat5IOjheMISGJACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/348.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVwMAofVTnY/XywDb0rdPgI/AAAAAAAAFKI/XOGELS-ubu8PPs5TRPmat5IOjheMISGJACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/348.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVIG64PGN6Y/XywD6ja4bMI/AAAAAAAAFKQ/rJtdxONL2AsCWmivr7nkTYmMoRKnmFd_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/268.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVIG64PGN6Y/XywD6ja4bMI/AAAAAAAAFKQ/rJtdxONL2AsCWmivr7nkTYmMoRKnmFd_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/268.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></i></b></div><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></b><p></p>
<!--EndFragment-->Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-56989446305237786492020-07-22T22:34:00.000-04:002020-07-23T00:22:23.474-04:00Germinating Words from Scratch.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s Week 16 in loco lockdown and oftentimes I question
whether I’ve managed to remain sane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps I’ve already crossed the bridge of no return but I’ve nary any
visual markers to gage my sojourn and there aren’t any manuals out there to
guide my way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that I can do is
sequester and play, since I’ve inadvertently stumbled into the Land of Cuckoo,
that wondrous space of a place of solace and refuge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Might as well test the waters and linger a
while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, I’m stuck at home with
nowhere else to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dipping my quill into the aqua potion was the first
start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The restorative ink has
extraordinary capabilities, able to reinvigorate and, most importantly, whisk
me away from the drudgery of every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And, voilà, next thing I know, I’m in Shangri-La, one with
the earth, plucking weeds and planting seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The gift of sunshine and H20 is a rejuvenating force, birthing life
anew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A splash of inspiration, a sprinkling of devotion and an
over-active imagination is all one needs to grow words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tiny sprouts of seedlings that blossom into
ideas that keep me up at night as I toss and turn over the strategic placement
of nouns and consonants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Verbs are another
story altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always on the go,
they’re non-stop movement, a flurry of restless activity one sprint ahead of
the tale; a collaborative team of 26 that work in tandem to spell out the
narrative of what is on their mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A watering can, a chant, a prayer and a smidgen of
hocus-pocus are the secret ingredients that flower my garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, Abracadabra, as if by magic, alongside
the marigolds and sunflowers, a batch of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Word-lings</i>
have germinated overnight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know what you’re thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>About The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Word-lings</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Being a wordsmith and linguist, I am fully aware that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Word-ling</i> is not an actual word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s made up, not real, but then again, so is
fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m beyond besotted with words
and the crucial role they play in weaving the fable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, I declare that there are NOT enough of
them in The Dictionary to facilitate the process of fabrication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I therefore propose that I lobby Webster’s
for an immediate amendment to include my newly hatched batch of terminologies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, I’ve a boatload of expertise in
dreaming up new lexicons and phrases, which seem to spring to life only when
I’m on the road exploring foreign locales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But alas, I’m trapped in the quagmire of Day 123 of
quarantine and I’m itching to hop on a plane to Spain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world will just have to wait for the next
crop of Nora-isms (aka <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Word-lings</i>) to
make their debut in the revised addendum to Le New and Improved Dictionary (To
be re-defined as The Nik-tion-ary, if truth be told).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Must dash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
landline’s a ringing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s Webster’s on
the line…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In two weeks or thereabouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
w/o August 3<sup>rd</sup>, sometime on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next blogs – Continuing the conversations with
my vintage turquoise writing machine; Watch out Webster’s! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New Word-lings are on their way!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your
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Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-4048642360322460872020-07-07T21:23:00.000-04:002020-07-07T22:32:26.755-04:00Awaiting a delivery from yesterday.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s Week 15 in loco lockdown and I’m stuck at home anticipating
the delivery of a parcel from yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s been quite the wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
marked the hours and it’s been more than 60 plus years, but who’s counting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, I’m in quarantine with nothing else
to do and nowhere to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s a decade
or six when you’re on the brink of conversing with history and swapping stories
with pen pals of generations long past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The thrill of unwrapping and mapping the narratives of my
fellow scribes from so long ago is an added bonus accompanying my long awaited
FedEx package.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My shipment has been in
transit for the better part of half a century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m giddy with glee to finally be privy to prying open the box that
encapsulates the musings of wordsmiths from a bygone era.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And voilà, as if on a magic carpet ride, on Day 112, my
vintage <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hermes Baby</i> finally landed on
my doorstep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let the click clacking begin!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The ding of the ping is music to my scrivener soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A blank piece of parchment rolled into the
carriage heralds the start to curating a legacy of art. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aligning the smorgasbord of ABC’s into a
cohesive order that threads the plot from beginning to end are the tasks
delegated to the symphony of keys that co-exist to create and please. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My slightly battered and well-loved writing machine is eager
to make my acquaintance and who am I to displease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let the introductions begin…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ve a lot in common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We both are originators, scribblers, linguists and poets, besotted with
the arrangement of words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enamoured, to
be exact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whether penning free verse, sonnets, Japanese Haiku or
ballad quatrains, our connectivity lies in our appreciation of the craft of
re-inventing and re-imagining experiences, not to mention, emotions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re soul mates, kindred spirits, long lost
sisters…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, Brother!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OK, now you’ve gone off the edge and “lost
the plot”, so enough of the Blah, Blah, Blah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You get the visual, dear Reader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Masterpiece
Theatre drama queen is on a roll yet once again…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, where was I?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was so caught up in the excitement that I momentarily
lapsed into reminiscing with yesterday, submerged in the delirium of catching
up with an ancient soul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And so I ponder and wonder whose home did my beloved writing
machine grace?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did she belong to a
be-speckled granny who lived in a shoe and pecked rhymes all of the time?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, was her owner a dapper young fellow who
pounded the pavement pedalling his freshly polished screenplay?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, a starry eyed 12 year old, eager to shoot
to Hollywood glory, envisioning his name on a star of fame in the land of make
believe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m not certain whether I’ll ever know the answer to that
question, yet it’s the magic of the mystery that keeps me peeking through the
window of not so long ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s my turn now to share the privilege and type out the
story…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The conversation with my 1957 turquoise/green typewriter continues….<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post will be published either w/o July 13<sup>th</sup>
or w/o July 20<sup>th</sup>, Tuesday or Wednesday or thereabouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your
reading!</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G8abmRFq0Dc/XwUb_ljGi3I/AAAAAAAAFIE/FkNT8mFrENoNnc7bC3-SQMO8Znb-qMz-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G8abmRFq0Dc/XwUb_ljGi3I/AAAAAAAAFIE/FkNT8mFrENoNnc7bC3-SQMO8Znb-qMz-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1238.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scribbling the dream.</td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-8680934904217285962020-06-25T17:56:00.000-04:002020-06-26T19:55:14.088-04:00Scrabble squabble wars in Week 14 of Quarantine<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s Week 14 and I have absolutely nothing to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Zero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zilch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m at a loss for words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve evaporated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vanished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve searched far and wide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
ideas no longer flow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adverbs abandoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nouns
deserted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vowels and adjectives are no longer
stars of the show, having embarked on a lark somewhere less stark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It hasn’t always been like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A </b>was playful and
jostled with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">C</b>, teasing her readers
with suspenseful tales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The relentless
flirting with both <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">D </b>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">E, </b>kept them guessing at what was meant
to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">K </b>and<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> L </b>had integral roles to play, padding
the middle with informative facts, hinting at clues that led the other
astray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Q </b>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">U</b> took turns
stirring the stew, whilst last, but not least, the letter <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Zed </b>threaded the plot and tied up loose ends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My alpha and beta’s have quit the cabaret, no longer a show
of spell, not tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Their exit sealed my fate, as I’m staring at a blank slate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The drama ensued the morning of Day 105 in loco
lockdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a scuffle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A squabble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Accusations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shouting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stomping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Doors slamming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dead silence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was caught in the middle with nowhere to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It all started with a game of scrabble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was meant to be an entertaining diversion
from the monotony of being stuck in the quagmire of the quarantine clock, yet
had I known of the hysterics to follow, I would have suggested a game of
solitaire instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The disagreement was trivial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beyond ludicrous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, how many versions of a word are
there to dispute?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently more than I
cared to know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The epic battle of the
War of the Words had just begun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
cauldron of long pent-up rivalries had boiled over into a scathing
knock-down-drag-out spat, scalding the e<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ver
so </i>fragile egos of the duelling duo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oy vey</i>. Here we go
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ms. Thesaurus and Le Dictionary were in it for the long haul
in the altercation of the century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, where am I? Sequestered at home with the lot of them; a bunch of raving
lunatics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It hasn’t always been like this, but three long months of
lockdown were enough to make anyone go insane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I concur with the both of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, they’re “family”, albeit a tad dysfunctional, but
nonetheless, I sympathize with their differing points of view. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ms. Thesaurus had quite the superiority complex, a bona-fide
show-off skilled at showcasing her vast repertoire of synonyms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
literal treasury of ideas and expressions, as well as countless versions of
opposing antonyms were more than enough to prove her point. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monsieur Dictionary was quite the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">je ne sais quoi</i> know-it-all, honoured to document all facets of a
word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Definitions, meanings and
pronunciations, just to name a few.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They used to work in tandem and were one heck of an
unstoppable team, a writer’s dream, but now all that they do is point fingers
and scream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two used to discourse, debate,
bounce ideas around and create in the good old days of far-away yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fracas started over the simplest of wordings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whether to go fishing, spend a weekend in Long Island, holiday
in Spain, take a siesta, frolic in the park or jubilee unapologetically once we’re
all set free.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are you kidding me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Give me a break!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To be continued…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In one or two weeks, the w/o June 29<sup>th</sup> or w/o July 5<sup>th</sup>,
either on Thursday or Friday or thereabouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stay tuned! Stay home, stay safe and catch up on your reading!!</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great place to contemplate</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dreaming of my favourite library</td></tr>
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Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-7821483448970335142020-06-17T22:51:00.000-04:002020-06-18T11:22:47.531-04:00Tick tock of the quarantine clock in Week 13 of Cabin Fever<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve had enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m so over this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t do this anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to go back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Week 13 in Quarantine was not starting out so well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You would think that by the 3rd month mark, I
would have adjusted and settled into my lockdown life, established a new
routine and taken it all in stream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead, I’m climbing the walls and wearing out the rug as I pace up and
down the hall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m claustrophobic, desperate to get out of this confining
space and break free. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, there’s nowhere to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And speaking about walls, I even befriended that ever so
chatty Fly on the wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was forever
buzzing around, yet I would pay him scant attention and swat him away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was hasty to judge in labelling him a
nuisance, let alone a pest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bored, he’s
been cooped up indoors, giddy with glee to chitchat with me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, we bonded over Chardonnay and
gossiped the days away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We caught up on
secrets, theories and all sorts of conspiracies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The preposterous tales of the liaisons and
intrigues of my neighbours were television dramas come to life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out that the incessant banging and
clanging reverberating from upstairs, startling me awake night after night,
were not the menacing machinations of Hannibal but the wonky dance moves of a
disco obsessed granny belting out the soundtrack to “I Will Survive”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oy vey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The dust bunnies were next in line to make my
acquaintance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were a happy-go-lucky
bunch that drifted from place to place, gathering followers along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far from shy, they popped up in every which
corner and enjoyed playing games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their
current fav: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hide & Seek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their
motto:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Catch me if you can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mr. Clean and Mrs. Comet were an inseparable team, full of
glimmer and hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always looking on the
bright side, their mantra of sparkle and shine was an inspiration of sunnier
days ahead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of this tidy and toil was taking quite the toll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bored with the monotony of spic and span, I
was desperate for a change of scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I had ants in my pants and I was itching to go fishing. Anywhere! </span>Should
I jet off to a snow-capped Alpine village or just lounge on a chaise
and sip champagne in Capri?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or perhaps camp
out by a lake closer to home and contemplate the wonder and the mystery of the secrets veiled in our galaxy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alas, the dream of the wild blue yonder was a taunt of a mirage dangling well
beyond my grasp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also a tad
far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have a car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My passport’s expired and the border is
closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, we’re in Day 89 of
lockdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How dare I forget?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A momentary lapse and a blip of a slip have cast me adrift, trapped in the grip of the quarantine clock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sigh…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nothing like trudging dejectedly back into the house, where
lo and behold, I came eyeball to eyeball with an unexpected visitor aka The
Mouse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eek!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In one week or two!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The w/o June
22<sup>nd</sup> or June 29<sup>th</sup>, either on Tuesday, Wednesday or thereabouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your
reading!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A journey of a thousand miles begins with a
single step.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l9KUPaxHEvs/XurAXFSn8ZI/AAAAAAAAFF8/7KD4hs55Lc422VSlL65UOxpaMmv_xuezQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_2156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l9KUPaxHEvs/XurAXFSn8ZI/AAAAAAAAFF8/7KD4hs55Lc422VSlL65UOxpaMmv_xuezQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2156.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bags packed! Next stop: Vacation!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8J5wsxaID0M/XurTQUTSlPI/AAAAAAAAFGI/ZfpB8lah97wnNzp2z2c0oD66mn9W0J9mACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_2141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8J5wsxaID0M/XurTQUTSlPI/AAAAAAAAFGI/ZfpB8lah97wnNzp2z2c0oD66mn9W0J9mACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2141.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packed for a year-long vay-cay anywhere!!!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNu4tbtEIzU/XurTxQESUuI/AAAAAAAAFGQ/gBdMs0IPNHUSen9K5gzvIdlU5jkhPZ2cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_2158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNu4tbtEIzU/XurTxQESUuI/AAAAAAAAFGQ/gBdMs0IPNHUSen9K5gzvIdlU5jkhPZ2cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2158.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How I miss schlepping luggage!!</td></tr>
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<br />Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-45869807507117095682020-06-09T18:36:00.000-04:002020-06-09T22:41:45.027-04:00Week 12 of Quarantine: A topsy-turvy tea party dilemma<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sequestered at home for months on end, I’ve spent countless
hours ruminating about everything under the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been questioning, analyzing, revising,
improvising and just trying to figure it all out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve either gone loco in lockdown or I’ve
stumbled into a parallel universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
world where the familiar is no longer similar to what it was the day before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps I’ve tripped and have fallen down the
rabbit hole close to where Alice made her acquaintance of the Mad Hatter and
The Hare. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Forever stuck in Time sipping tea at 18:00 o’clock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My new reality…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My world had turned upside down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Earl Grey is not my favoured choice of tipple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shelves were bare with no dark roast
anywhere. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My French Vanilla beans were nowhere
to be seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could only assume that
they were sheltering in the corner, whispering about conspiracies, hoaxes and
hidden agendas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea that secrets were being kept and
I had been excluded from the loop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It all started with a random text from The Kid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Auntie Nora, how do you spell the word
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dilemma</i>? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dilemma</i> with a double <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">M</b> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dilemna</i> with a silent <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">N</b>?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Simple enough, <i>non</i>? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Trick question, I thought. Surely
there are dictionaries to verify and I have far more pressing issues at
hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, there’s a pandemic out
there and I’m on the hunt for survival gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Who has the time to double-check spell-check when I’m immersed in a battle for victory, scrambling to secure enough PPE (personal protective equipment) to
tide me over for the next hundred years. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Might as well placate The Kid and sound
out the letters and get her off my back. After all, I’m a wordsmith
and spelling is my thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Linguistics is
right up my alley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My leisure time was
spent not on the playground but camped out in The Shrine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise known as The Library. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">D. I. L. E. M. N. A. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And don’t forget NOT to pronounce the
silent <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">N</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And just because I’m that type of
triple-checking sort of gal, thought I’d also look it up in The Dictionary just
to prove that I’m always right. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">D. I. L. E. M. M. A.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nooooooooo!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That can’t be real!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s a double <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MM</b>? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More like double
vision. Am I losing my mind or even worse, my sight? WHERE
is the silent <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">N</b>? Or, is
it so silent that it has forever disappeared, never to be heard from ever
again?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is going on? WHO changed
the spelling and WHY wasn’t I informed of this monumental shake-up of the
placement of these two consonants? Should I just chalk it up to an
ill-placed typo? Perhaps Webster’s has already discovered their
gaffe, re-ignited the presses and churned out truckloads of re-prints,
discretely re-stocking the shelves of bookstores and libraries worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Frantic, in a panic, my first thought
was to ring up DUW (Dictionaries United Worldwide) and petition for the
truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I clearly remember way back in September, decades of moons ago, my Grade 4 teacher explaining the intricacies of spelling
certain words, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dilemna</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first rule of thumb is to chant the
alphabet:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The letter <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">M</b> is followed by the letter <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">N</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To help solidify, do not pronounce <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DIL
- EM - NA</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice the silent <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">N</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Forever ingrained in my brain.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Really wish that I had kept a copy of
my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">out of print</i> tattered dictionary
so I that I could look up the correct spelling of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dilemna</i> and show the world the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The planet has gone bonkers and I’m
hunkered down in a bunker on the other side of the looking glass peering into a
sea of disbelief. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The clock chimed six.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to skedaddle and join the Mad Hatter and Hare for Chardonnay.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Addendum:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a
fascinating and informative read, I suggest that you Google The Mandela Effect
and decide for yourselves the strange phenomenon of false memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are two camps of people with
drastically differing opinions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Those who believe and those in the know. </span>And don’t
even get me started on the correct spelling of The Berenstein Bears, Jiffy peanut butter and the cartoon series Looney Toons! The list goes on and on and on...<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a week
or two!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometime the w/o June 15<sup>th</sup>
or w/o June 22<sup>nd</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On either
Tuesday or Wednesday or thereabouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stay tuned!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The tale of my topsy-turvy orbit continues...</span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your reading!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLeGXa8hS9g/Xt-1jrtVoeI/AAAAAAAAFE0/ABYhsrOHiF0swRy3ob8qEDug31gPdyOVACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLeGXa8hS9g/Xt-1jrtVoeI/AAAAAAAAFE0/ABYhsrOHiF0swRy3ob8qEDug31gPdyOVACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1017.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not everyone gets a special invite to the tea-party.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RIilnqfWwU0/Xt_7DpDRJHI/AAAAAAAAFFw/jENxFSc_DM4S-VJ9gshgjmcEjmWneSg9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_2728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RIilnqfWwU0/Xt_7DpDRJHI/AAAAAAAAFFw/jENxFSc_DM4S-VJ9gshgjmcEjmWneSg9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2728.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aabm_KdAil8/Xt_nWJtoLJI/AAAAAAAAFFk/pW-ukUl9_bkjfWULimBch-PtS8UF-Yk7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DSC07048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aabm_KdAil8/Xt_nWJtoLJI/AAAAAAAAFFk/pW-ukUl9_bkjfWULimBch-PtS8UF-Yk7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/DSC07048.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-81354301511112712282020-06-02T23:58:00.000-04:002020-06-03T22:30:51.940-04:00 Squabbles with Voices on Week 11 of Quarantine<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The squabbling, the name-calling, the pity parties and the
weeping were more than I was able to endure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The war of words had been simmering for weeks on end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Percolating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Brewing up a storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I was stuck smack dab in the middle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They all blamed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It was my fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t being fair. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I favoured one over the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t you see my point of view?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give me a chance to say what I please.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why don’t you listen to what I have to
say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freedom of speech!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s my turn to tell my side of the story! </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The constant digs and condemnations were enough to make me
go insane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The racket and the noise had reached their peak. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was at my breaking point, precariously close
to the precipice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flatmates from hell had
crossed the line and my gasket was about to blow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
could have been mean and kicked the bickering bunch to the curb, but then
they’d be homeless in the midst of a pandemic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not to mention the additional stress of Voodoo dolls and payback Karma
lurking menacingly in the shadows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite our differences and radically opposing opinions, the
roommates were family (albeit dysfunctional) and we had no other option but to
figure on out how to get along.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were not on the same page. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, what’s a writer to do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our radically opposing views of the world were cause for
consternation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The voice, perspective, style and tone all crucial elements to penning a story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The current Star of the show was raking in bucket-loads of
accolades, not to mention a whole lot of laughs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A spoonful of chuckles is all you need to banish the blues away. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laughter is the best medicine and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Humour </i>was on a roll.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve been leaning on her lately for much needed emotional
support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To help ease the anxiety and fear…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I understand my flatmates' frustration. They’ve been
ignored and shuttered inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m guilty
of favouring one over the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
haven’t given the others an opportunity to validate what they have to say.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had to make amends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And, in case you were wondering about the Roomies, I must confess that only one name is scribbled on my lease. After all, I reside alone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Contemplation</i> was
in quite the uncharacteristic rage, furious that her voice had been quelled. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joined at the hip with best
pal <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Reflection</i>, the two were an inspirational
team, pensive souls who spent countless hours ruminating the days away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Melancholy</i> was a
sorrowful sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> A nocturnal creature who used to</span> make its
presence known in the dread of night, was a shell of her former self. The cascade of tears, a constant reminder of impending doom and gloom. The end is near and there is so much uncertainty and fear. Non-stop wailing about her inability to express.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Positivity</i> was
clearly having a negative day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
meltdown was worthy of an Oscar or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always one to
champion the virtues of hope and optimism, my side-kick of happy vibes was in a
funk, unable to deliver her message of sunnier days ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Dancing in the shadows, waiting for her chance to shine.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To make a long story short, the dilemma of choosing is a
challenging task.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We eventually haggled out the bare bones of a rudimentary truce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The blank page of tomorrow has yet to be written.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whose voice will prevail in next week’s blog post?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The negotiations continue…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In one week or two!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The w/o June 8<sup>th</sup>,
either on Tuesday, Wednesday or thereabouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stay tuned!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Keep safe, catch up on your reading and be well,
my dear readers!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
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Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-79029881005403414502020-05-26T20:56:00.000-04:002020-05-26T20:56:04.984-04:00La Dolce Vita: What Day Is It?<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It really should be a no-brainer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, how difficult could it be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s only been a zillion or so hours since the
routine of 9 to 5 turned upside down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
used to spend time with seven of my closest chums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As with all relationships, there were the usual ups and downs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Exuding bucket-loads of joy and abandon, the carefree and
playful ones were my favourite companions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The remainder of the crew were creatures of a
different genre, spirited workhorses that worshipped the toil of 24/7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admired their passion, dedication to the
team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deluded by their spell, I inadvertently
fell into their snare. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Swamped and
overloaded, I didn’t stop producing until I came precariously close to dropping into the well of the unwell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The only one of our bunch that was stuck in the middle and
straddled the bridge between us all was the camel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Otherwise known as Wednesday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that was then and this is now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can’t even remember all of their names.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The countdown of life in quarantine had officially begun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At first, it was a novel change of routine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Swapping suit and hose for slippers and
pyjamas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The frantic rush for the next bus
a distant memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Squished like a
sardine with no room to breathe on the downtown train of hustle and bustle no
longer a part of my daily scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
let’s not forget coffee and spills on newly pressed Dolce, ruining my outfit of
exorbitantly priced Gabbana. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Were those really the good old days?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Saturday and Sunday were the stars of the show, raking in
accolades of praise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, they
promised an escape, an opportunity to kick back and indulge in cabernet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And who could argue with two entire days with
absolutely nothing to do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monday was the least appreciated member of the pack,
heralding a different sort of lockdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
five-day stint of working like a dog with a leash tied to my desk was not my
idea of fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tuesday fared a tad better,
scoring higher on the scale but nowhere near the cheers allocated to drum-roll
Thursday and Hallelujah Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that was then and this is now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s been three long months and I’m no longer able to
distinguish Sunday from Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
busier than ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve barely time for lounge
and Merlot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The days just blend into one
as I’m constantly on the run. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
calendar is jam-packed with an entirely new routine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wake with the crows, throw on my clothes and sprint to the
grocery store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stand in line for hours upon hours, hoping to score that lone packet of yeast and one, just one, <i>pleeeeese let it be there</i>, </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">container of anti-bacterial disinfecting wipes.</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">But the shelves are bare and I just stare at
nothing there.</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My new world requires a completely different set of
rituals:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t forget to wear your mask,
put on gloves, bring the wipes (that is, if you can find some) and measuring
tape to space out 2 metres between you and That Other Guy who isn’t wearing his
face covering. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The tables have turned and I’m still schlepping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toilet paper, that is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not luggage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dreaming of vacation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And summer in Capri.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">La dolce vita.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next blog:
Next week! The w/o June 1<sup>st</sup>
– Either Tuesday, Wednesday or thereabouts.
Stay safe, be well and catch up with your reading!</span></span></i></b><!--EndFragment-->
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dreaming of Capri</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RdsZEE2Gsv0/Xs208-BMHwI/AAAAAAAAFCo/oq1Dj6PQpTIqmeIPwni64JXiKRvTdI_NQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_3696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RdsZEE2Gsv0/Xs208-BMHwI/AAAAAAAAFCo/oq1Dj6PQpTIqmeIPwni64JXiKRvTdI_NQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_3696.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How I miss schlepping luggage up and down stairs!</td></tr>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new reality</td></tr>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-82wbtUOz_6A/V7UkaKn1S4I/AAAAAAAAEb4/SCy3-MMUdEo3xK4t0Pt101jMoGgViLGrwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSCN0438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-82wbtUOz_6A/V7UkaKn1S4I/AAAAAAAAEb4/SCy3-MMUdEo3xK4t0Pt101jMoGgViLGrwCPcBGAYYCw/s640/DSCN0438.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scribbling the days away...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-16475656958758868392020-05-19T18:17:00.000-04:002020-05-19T22:29:42.037-04:00Reining in my ponies as I contemplate the rain<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are we there yet?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Repeat three times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Start
with an exasperated sigh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add an eyeball
roll, just for dramatic effect. The
second time, make sure to accelerate your tone, and notch it up to just a
decibel below a yell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go for Gold in
exclamation number three and let your wail rip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’ll snag an Oscar if you throw the tantrum from hell, an Academy
Award performance that is guaranteed to make your head swell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Remember when you were a Kid, restless and fidgety, squished
with your siblings in the backseat of a (gasp!) station wagon <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sans</i> those restricting seatbelts? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Asking that annoying question over and over
and over again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You get the visual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those pointless games of counting cars, belching
out 1970’s sitcom lyrics, squabbling about stars, how to get to Mars, anything
really, just to pass the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m so
bored, there’s nothing to do and I’ve got to go pee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was that a lifetime or just a few decades ago? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Welcome home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shelter at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t leave home.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are these roadblocks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lessons?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or more?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s all in your perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m celebrating in the rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Conversing with the clouds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Poppa’s favourite expression was:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Whoa baby bird, hold on to your
horses!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A pony when I was five would
have been just as swell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another gem: “You can’t get far in your car without a spare
tire”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a Kid, I chalked up his
statement to the nonsensical ramblings of a Dad who refused to stop teaching about
stuff I barely understood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like, seriously,
who wants to get a flat tire?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just want to get there NOW,
ASAP!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, step on the petrol, would you
please?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Thunder and Lightning have a lot to say” was Pop’s most
profound declaration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In one ear and out the other…but those were the good old
days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Papa is no longer with us, yet his words resonate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I now understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m reminded of a Welsh proverb that an elderly gent consoled me with last August in Wales. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My marathon
sprint, albeit with burdensome luggage in tow, had resulted in an unexpected
scrape and tumble, leaving me stranded in the railway station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had missed my connecting train and had no other
option but to shelter and wait. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mwyaf y brys, mwyaf y rhwystr.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The greater the
hurry, the more obstacles there are.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few Welsh proverbs that make a whole lot of sense:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All waiting is long (Hir yw pob ymaros)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The kettle is boiling and I'm ready</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adversity brings knowledge and knowledge wisdom.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go slowly and go far.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tapping persistently breaks the stone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the song comes payment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guilty flee with no one chasing them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s raining old wives and walking sticks</span><span style="color: blue;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Next week! </span>Either Tuesday or Wednesday or thereabouts the w/o May 25th.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where the journey continues on a vintage caboose in Wales…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay home, stay safe and catch up with your reading! <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">Teg yw edrych tuag adref. </span></span></i></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">It is good to look homewards.</span><span style="color: blue;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pn59qxYZdtk/XsRDxGsMWMI/AAAAAAAAFA8/HtqXJVeA0agMvau6y4pzERPQ7ddJOWiagCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_4714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pn59qxYZdtk/XsRDxGsMWMI/AAAAAAAAFA8/HtqXJVeA0agMvau6y4pzERPQ7ddJOWiagCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_4714.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign says it all</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-373nWWNzmrk/XsREBWbgg_I/AAAAAAAAFBE/uFUEqAXz1rgnBgw-CnaGZbEYbJw9y1GXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_4367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-373nWWNzmrk/XsREBWbgg_I/AAAAAAAAFBE/uFUEqAXz1rgnBgw-CnaGZbEYbJw9y1GXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_4367.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All aboard!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNNAKfvVpfQ/XsRETFTYNdI/AAAAAAAAFBM/DhxGmoqZcSQgl4AfyWJcKyEDmwFANaarQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_4704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNNAKfvVpfQ/XsRETFTYNdI/AAAAAAAAFBM/DhxGmoqZcSQgl4AfyWJcKyEDmwFANaarQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_4704.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spectacular scenery of the Welsh countryside</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Qp69dMpavw/XsREqy0mhRI/AAAAAAAAFBU/uMCU3TuA0lsgeh_9J2F3QgWDMyNC2AYogCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_4417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Qp69dMpavw/XsREqy0mhRI/AAAAAAAAFBU/uMCU3TuA0lsgeh_9J2F3QgWDMyNC2AYogCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_4417.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eG_ExIB0o-Y/XsREze9_cvI/AAAAAAAAFBY/w8RrXk_GWXkmITDUcp75f7_SicU05SkhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/fullsizeoutput_ff9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eG_ExIB0o-Y/XsREze9_cvI/AAAAAAAAFBY/w8RrXk_GWXkmITDUcp75f7_SicU05SkhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/fullsizeoutput_ff9.jpeg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rwJuxdfd19g/XqhVt5DTJJI/AAAAAAAAE9g/_GezCmAGx4E1XZZLMr8Am9ogI-_Ba5VegCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSCN0434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rwJuxdfd19g/XqhVt5DTJJI/AAAAAAAAE9g/_GezCmAGx4E1XZZLMr8Am9ogI-_Ba5VegCPcBGAYYCw/s640/DSCN0434.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scribbling continues...</td></tr>
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Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-73462012628539253892020-05-12T23:39:00.000-04:002020-05-13T18:17:51.560-04:00Confessions from my Quarantine Kitchen<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve suddenly become obsessed with yeast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, lack of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Its complete disappearance from grocery shelves has left me on edge,
anxious about when the next shipment will arrive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is, IF it will arrive and IF I’ll be able
to snatch a batch of the highly coveted squares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What makes this statement even more ludicrous is the fact
that I’m not a baker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heck, I don’t even
cook, let alone own an apron or rolling pin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I subside on frozen pizza, nourishment that is
grown in tins and pre-packaged take-away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The odd veggie thrown in for good measure, blended with a handful of
vitamins more than fulfills the nutritional requirements listed on Canada’s
food group guideline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Add a splash of antioxidant infused Shiraz and I’m starting
to glow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, no need to deprive
myself of the benefits of age reversing resveratrol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, not like anyone is able to visit anytime
soon, but nevertheless, there still is hope for an outing in a distant tomorrow.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sequestered at home for weeks on end, I’ve been binging on
reruns of cooking shows, a much-needed distraction from devouring the grim
statistics of 24/7 news broadcasts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
real estate at a premium in Le Confining Apartment, I had no choice but to
venture into The Kitchen, just for a change of scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, where to start?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I own a toaster oven, a few pots and pans, a blender and a 1970’s
percolator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just don’t ask about the
stove. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and a set of Dutch patterned cups
purchased in the one and only shop that was open in Delft when all of the other
vendors were “Gesloten” (Closed) on a holiday Monday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But that was then and this is now. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shuttered shops and sheltering at home is the
“new normal” and I’m on the hunt for yeast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The need to knead is real and I’m in a quagmire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t get started. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where to begin?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I haven’t a clue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next thing I know, the kitchen’s a mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cupboards are bare, soup and sardines in
tins strewn everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m slipping on
dried beans, packets of vintage crackers and fossilized <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">who
knows what</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Came dreadfully close to
an unexpected hospital stay when an avalanche of canned corn almost knocked me
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My well-stocked pantry apparently expired in 1989.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a good sign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With my fleeting Martha moment now a shelved thought, I’ve
more pressing matters at heart – Kitchen Clean Up!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the chase for disinfectant and wipes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-evhbKQWZwMw/VS8VoVDKftI/AAAAAAAAD1w/0cDcol5baV8vlSpMAIpbNDt0SobVjByxACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-evhbKQWZwMw/VS8VoVDKftI/AAAAAAAAD1w/0cDcol5baV8vlSpMAIpbNDt0SobVjByxACPcBGAYYCw/s640/IMG_1546.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memories of Happy of not so long ago in Delft.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdRwOUULEsY/VS8I2UxgVII/AAAAAAAADz4/5YFCVQB8fqgpOmUEHbHfg73GGkWF5Q4NQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSC05632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdRwOUULEsY/VS8I2UxgVII/AAAAAAAADz4/5YFCVQB8fqgpOmUEHbHfg73GGkWF5Q4NQCPcBGAYYCw/s640/DSC05632.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closed. Shuttered. The sign says it all.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rwJuxdfd19g/XqhVt5DTJJI/AAAAAAAAE9g/_GezCmAGx4E1XZZLMr8Am9ogI-_Ba5VegCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSCN0434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rwJuxdfd19g/XqhVt5DTJJI/AAAAAAAAE9g/_GezCmAGx4E1XZZLMr8Am9ogI-_Ba5VegCPcBGAYYCw/s640/DSCN0434.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scribbling continues...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post: Sometime next week - The w/o May 18<sup>th</sup>,
either Tuesday or Wednesday or thereabouts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where the journey continues on a vintage
caboose in Wales…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Addendum:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>I was on the hunt for yeast this week and have
no idea what exactly sprouted my obsession to attempt to bake loaves. I'm a thinker and a scribbler, yet these quarantined times have left me </i></span></span></b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>surprised as I contemplate and reflect on a new tomorrow.</i></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i> </i></span><span style="color: blue;"><i>I felt compelled to share and that is why
this week’s blog post veered a tad off track and left me stuck in The Kitchen
instead of reminiscing about a vintage caboose ride in Wales.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The struggle and challenges of our new
quarantined reality are oftentimes overwhelming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, it is not all doom and gloom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all in this together and we will
persevere as we look forward to a new tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Penning my thoughts and sharing my perspective
(albeit with a touch of much needed humour) is what I need to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A bit of reflection, contemplation, a laugh
and a rhyme…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Till next time!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay home and stay safe, my dear readers!</span></span></i></b><!--EndFragment-->
Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-53330403949732065302020-05-05T22:49:00.000-04:002020-05-06T17:03:37.679-04:00A tale of a bar, a biker and a beagle in Wales<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Had I not spotted that doggy in the window, I would never
have hitched a ride on a vintage caboose en route to a village called Beddgelert
and paid tribute to a hound named Gelert.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It all started with a billboard directing us to “the
smallest bar in Wales”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Located mere
steps from a 13<sup>th</sup> century medieval fortress, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bar Bach </i>was a gem of a find in the Welsh town of Caernarfon - that is, if you are able to accurately pronounce
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must confess that I struggled to
correctly enunciate, repeatedly garbling this tongue twister of a name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like seriously, how challenging is it to say
“Kar-Nar-Von”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How and why Travel Bud and I ended up in a remote Welsh village is a
tale best told another day, so those details will just have to wait, as this
week’s scribble is about a biker and his dog that led us on a railway journey
back in time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whether a gimmick or a trick, the wording on the placard outside
the micro-pub worked like a charm and we had no choice but to saunter on
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rustic and intimate, the décor was a
mélange of wooden beams and stonework.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The crackling fireplace added yet another layer of cozy to the Inn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And, there we found Toby, lounging on a red leather covered
barrel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next thing you know, Travel Bud and I were indulging in some
Guinness and chatting up a storm with our newly found biker friend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Uh - oh! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Drat! Meant to say Fiddlesticks instead!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Under normal circumstances, there is no way in Hell that I
would strike up a convo with a heavily tattooed dude and not fear for my very
existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether you label me either a
princess or an overly skittish prude, the sight of a Harley Davidson motorcade
sends shivers of fear up my spine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But alas, first impressions are oftentimes misjudgements of
character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The bond between the burly biker and his four-legged companion
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gentleness and on his best behaviour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The pair had just returned from an excursion to the countryside, riding the
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recommended stop, a picturesque spot where dogs cavorted and played and the
home of a 13<sup>th</sup> century hound named Gelert. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And with a woof and a paw-shake, Toby bid us a slobbered adieu. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Come along for a ride in an old-fashioned caboose as the journey continues.....</span></span></span></i></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Post will be published in a week or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometime the w/o
May 11<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either Tuesday, Wednesday
or thereabouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></i></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay home, stay safe, catch
up on your reading and look up the Welsh folk-tale of Gelert, my friends!</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xNufkeR8ijI/XrIcrwbjsfI/AAAAAAAAE-I/i4ETTxO_5S4rwDLmNqikSv3jPl8RSrbMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_4350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xNufkeR8ijI/XrIcrwbjsfI/AAAAAAAAE-I/i4ETTxO_5S4rwDLmNqikSv3jPl8RSrbMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_4350.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Doggy in the window! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKbURLtuCYM/XrIc4RIBRAI/AAAAAAAAE-M/yEfJelhtEV0CZSPji6V9SuM-nYvp1IKYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_4346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKbURLtuCYM/XrIc4RIBRAI/AAAAAAAAE-M/yEfJelhtEV0CZSPji6V9SuM-nYvp1IKYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_4346.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No explanation needed.</td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The castle </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Choo-choo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guess where? NOT my living room!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gelert</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gelert and friend</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scribbling continues...</td></tr>
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Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-6590860616073405872020-04-28T17:30:00.000-04:002020-04-28T21:38:10.056-04:00Sandcastles at midnight<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The jolt of the chime should be classified a crime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The ewes have called it a night and scampered on home,
ravenous for their morning graze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>300
minutes past the witching hour and I’m waking with the crows, bleary-eyed and
oh-so weary. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m yearning for just a
smidgen of shut-eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not like I’m
asking for the moon, just a chunk of ZZZ’s to appease and help ease into the
monotony of 9 to 5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Shovelling sand in pyjamas is quite the tedious task, as I’m
building sandcastles in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stored
under the bed are the tools of my trade:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pails and scales in all shapes and sizes, taunting reminders of my sleep
deprived tales.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Never did I dream that I’d be watching the hands of time
crawl to a stall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must confess I’m a
discombobulated mess, my somnolent state flung into a whole new level of distress:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the nightmare of sleepwalking
the day away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Squinting through cobwebs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i><b>Next post: Next week, Tuesday or Wednesday May 5th or 6th or thereabouts. I'll update on my weekly reflections. Stay home and stay safe, my friends!</b></i></span></div>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRwGBgDFTLw/XqhMlHjElLI/AAAAAAAAE9M/KgAY5oM1cwcaPgHp_Lg21E5tRrSuL5C0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_4447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nRwGBgDFTLw/XqhMlHjElLI/AAAAAAAAE9M/KgAY5oM1cwcaPgHp_Lg21E5tRrSuL5C0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_4447.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHERE are the sheep????</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a sheep </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGuoC1BHuq4/XqiBA6kSjJI/AAAAAAAAE90/xKGkfTPsmtseW99nzGCYL8rSN3mCy5AqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Euro2014%2B430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGuoC1BHuq4/XqiBA6kSjJI/AAAAAAAAE90/xKGkfTPsmtseW99nzGCYL8rSN3mCy5AqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Euro2014%2B430.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picturesque and sleepy - De Haan Aan ZEEEEEEEEEEEE</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Fo2QmEelPo/XqiBsGTfwZI/AAAAAAAAE98/xC5OSNkfbHokKNWUBTA8_X8KagZW4SsqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Euro2014%2B419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Fo2QmEelPo/XqiBsGTfwZI/AAAAAAAAE98/xC5OSNkfbHokKNWUBTA8_X8KagZW4SsqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Euro2014%2B419.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resting from building sandcastles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scribbling memories not so long ago</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-52106427797446099782020-04-22T00:11:00.004-04:002020-04-22T00:11:54.716-04:00For the first couple of days...<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For the first couple
of days</i>, my thoughts were suspended in a bubble of disbelief, as I processed
the global news reports. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The statistics
were grim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost overnight, the world
was under mandatory lock-down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay
home, Stay safe and Stop the spread were now part of my daily vocabulary, as I
shut the door and sequestered indoors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The pause button had been activated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TIME and BUSY had nowhere to go, but isolate
at home and re-evaluate their former lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The countdown had begun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day One was a welcome break made bearable with a hint of a “holiday”
feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No work, minimal obligations, a
lot of naps and lounging all day in my pyjamas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What could be better than leisure and play?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were plenty of distractions on my “TO DO” list: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Organize, de-clutter, read, write, meditate, re-vamp
my blog and register for online classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My journal was crammed full of notes, ideas and inspiration. I was
psyched, eager to get started and Get up and Go from the comfort of my
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Such lofty ambitions!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I should have known better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day Two instead found me bundled in woollies on my couch,
clutching the remote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there I sat, eyes
glued to the TV, for the remainder of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By Day Five, I had no option but to trudge to the store for a vial of
soothing eye drops and a box of merlot to mellow my now-frazzled nerves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The start of Week Two (or was that Week Three?) was when full-blown
panic set on in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, channel
surfing 24/7 for weeks on end was taking its toll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was on edge, a mess and in distress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Catching up with daily Coronavirus updates on
the telly had become an obsession that had spun out of control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time was at a premium and it couldn’t be
“wasted” on other mundane activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Journaling, exercising and long-distance learning had to take a back
seat to the more important task of digesting the news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s as if my very existence depended upon these
minute-by-minute reports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My insatiable thirst
for answers became my main focus in life, as I questioned the how, why and what
of this worldwide pandemic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My anxiety level
skyrocketed as waves of sadness and despair submerged my soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A tsunami of tears unleashed my fears as I eventually came
to grips that I was not the only person who was straddling the dark side of the
tunnel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a light, be it ever so faint, but it is there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We just have to persevere and get to the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next blog post will be in one week, Tuesday or
Wednesday, the w/o April 27<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ll update further on my daily reflections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay home and Stay safe, my friends!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
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Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-81709092227507225712019-09-10T19:16:00.000-04:002019-11-07T14:37:45.263-05:00Scooting across the runway in Gibraltar <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Hey, you fancy dashing across an airstrip for a
Guinness?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An odd question, to say the least, but then, one
never knows what sort of hair-raising excursion Travel Bud Oz is apt to
suggest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The incessant rain in Spain had
been trailing us for three weeks straight and I was a discombobulated mess,
whose level of stress had come close to the edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The daily deluge of hail and sleet had taken
its toll on my formerly sunny self and I was desperate to escape the cascading
buckets of rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One more drop and I’ll surely go insane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, why not lift one’s spirits and jaunt into
another country?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, Gibraltar
was a stone’s throw away from Algeciras and it would be a hoot to scoot across
the runway from Spain into the UK. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You’re kidding, right?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nope.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">You have to skedaddle across an airstrip in
order to get into Gibraltar. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes and
hesitantly placed my pink-sneakered foot on the runway, I wouldn’t have
believed it either! The airstrip is closed several times a day in order to
accommodate airplanes that either take off or land on the runway. Uniquely shared
by both pedestrians and aircraft, this landing strip is definitely one of a
kind!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Yikes!! Exiting the bus in the Spanish
border town of La Linea, about a 45-minute journey from Algeciras, I came face
to face with the white lettered sign strategically placed at the entrance to
the runway, advising pedestrians to “<i>please cross quickly</i>”.
Needless to say, I was both intrigued and intimidated by the red plaque, warning
unsuspecting jaywalkers to be on the lookout for airplanes.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AIRFIELD AHEAD. You are now
crossing a live runway. Pedestrians are to keep within the white lines. Please
cross quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Trying to outrun the incessant rain in Barcelona,
Alicante and Algeciras, I now faced the challenge of having to also dodge
oncoming aircraft!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could it get any
worse?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yep, it could and it did, as the
second that I disembarked from the bus, I was submerged by a monsoon of a
tsunami and drenched from head to toe.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was no escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rain in Spain had once again stalked me
all the way from the plain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A soaking mess, I was a damsel in distress as I
had neither wellies nor a slicker to shield me from the elements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My flimsy protection was a battered and
broken brollie that had been hastily salvaged from the rubbish bin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Should I stay or should I go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no other option, only one, and that
was to R.U.N.!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scanning the open runway for oncoming aircraft,
I practically broke the sound barrier as I hightailed across the pavement,
lingering only long enough to get my passport stamped at the border.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whew!! Safe from wind shear and low-flying planes,
my mood brightened as I scanned the multitude of pubs, fish and chip stands and
shops that lined the streets. I could feel my heart rate accelerate as I
spotted the various British goods for sale in the shop windows. Look...there’s
Marks & Spencer’s and the ever so trendy Top Shop, a favourite haunt of Kate
Middleton. By crossing over into this British colony, I had now saved
myself a ton on airfare, as I didn’t have to jet to London to indulge in my
shopping addiction, as these labels were readily available to me right here and
now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Amazing how the allure of a new, limited-edition
designer handbag can elevate one’s mood and transform one from a miserable
drenched rat to a most agreeable and fabulous travel companion. Here’s to
enjoying that Guinness and spending every last sterling pound!!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1c304e; font-size: 12.0pt;">Come skedaddle across the runway
to Gibraltar and discover a flavour of Britain in the rain-soaked
Mediterranean...</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;">A few fascinating Pink Sneaker tidbits
of info about Gibraltar:</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;">The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht handed
Gibraltar over to the British, giving this Spanish territory monarchist
allegiance to the Queen.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This narrow peninsula is
less than 4 square miles and is called “the Rock”.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;">The massive limestone Rock jutting
out of the Strait of Gibraltar is an impressive 1400 feet high.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Spain and Gibraltar have a
somewhat uneasy alliance as this uniquely British colony is situated on the
edge of the Mediterranean and is surrounded by Spanish territory on all sides.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Rock is home to the famous
tail-less Barbary apes and according to legend, as long as the apes inhabit the
Rock, so will the Brits.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;">We were advised not to feed the
apes and to watch our belongings as the apes loved to snatch tourist’s
sunglasses, handbags and anything that they could get their grubby hands on. It
was good to know that I wasn’t the only one who had a satchel hoarding issue!</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;">If planning to stay overnight,
bring British three-pronged electrical appliances, as your European two-pronged
ones will be useless and will not work.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;">Exchange your Euros for British
Sterling and Pounds.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bring your passport with you, as
it is required in order to cross the border into Gibraltar.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;">This British colony is a VAT and
tax-free shopping mecca, catering to your inner shopaholic desires!</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last but not least and most
importantly...don’t shuffle or saunter at a leisurely pace when dashing across
the airstrip!!</span></span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-family: "verdana bold"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i>
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post: Mid-November.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adventures and escapades in the UK and Ireland coming soon!</span></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay tuned!!</span></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i>
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #660066; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-16968209501150940512019-07-15T19:39:00.000-04:002019-09-02T10:46:17.276-04:00When the sidewalk disappeared - A sprint along the Autostrada.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You
couldn’t exactly call it a promenade.
This was a trek, an amble of a meander that veered off the beaten track
- a slight diversion to our long-anticipated excursion of hiking and
sightseeing the trails that lined the Amalfi Coast. We were on a journey to appreciate and explore,
get off the grid and bathe in soothing limoncello rays. So what if Google maps inadvertently propelled
us in a far more challenging direction, on the path to somewhere but in
actuality to nowhere? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It
all depends upon your definition of nowhere, as nowhere is a destination all of
its own, with maps and signage all in its own foreign language – a discourse of
which we were not privy to, as it was terminology unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So
there we were, two middle aged women psyched to walk from Piano di Sorrento to
Positano, a 9 kilometre sojourn from Point A to Z.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A leisurely two hour stroll - if that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, so we thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little did we know that we would spend the
next couple of hours skirting trucks and buses, pawns in a deadly pinball game of
traffic dodge-ball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One point for
side-swiping, two for colliding and three for flat-lining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bulls-eye prize for a dead-on hit to be
awarded for the trucker splat of the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps
we were too enamoured by the aquamarine sky that we paid scant attention to the
trail we were treading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A painted kaleidoscope
of intoxicating hues and scents – violet and fuchsia inked bougainvillea as far
as the eye can see, fragrant blooms mingling with ocean mist, trees dripping
olives and lemons the size of grapefruits…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
gravel road had morphed from a pathway into a death-defying highway, lined with
concrete railings and signage cautioning way-ward wanderers to beware of
plunging 1,000 foot cliff-drops below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vrrrrroooom!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boom!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Schreech!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get out of the way!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vespas,
cars and trucks accelerating towards the finish line, tour buses navigating
treacherous hair-pin curves, the startled stares of the tour bus drivers
juxtaposed with the image of a pair of idiotic marathoners clinging to the
railings in an effort to shield themselves from oncoming traffic – just a few snapshots
of the sights and sounds of a fortuitous day in May when we stumbled onto the
freeway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It
goes without saying that we were in quite the pickle, seconds from being taken
out by a gigantic truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In hindsight,
perhaps we should have taken the advice of the astonished Italian pensioner who
had stopped to offer us a ride at the very start of our journey. Speaking
minimal English, he shook his head and declared that we were very <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“AT-LE-TI-CA”</i> to embark on such a
sojourn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In actuality, it was more like
“ST-UUUP-IDO”, if one must know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We
cringed in terror as every car, truck, bus and vespa tore on by, mercilessly
spitting gravel upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What had
initially commenced as an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“up close and
personal”</i> view of the spectacular panorama of the jagged vertical cliffs
and azure sea below, had quickly turned into a nightmare of our own
making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sensing that it was futile to
continue our trek, we entertained the thought of thumbing a ride with anyone who
would stop and offer us one. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wise old
man, where are you</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">now?</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You were right to shake your head in disbelief
upon hearing our ridiculously absurd plan to soldier onward towards town, a
feat so incomprehensible that it was one that only dim-witted adventure seekers
would venture to undertake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Screech!!</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rescued!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And just like in the movies, a knight in
shining armour via a sleek and shiny convertible rolled to a stop and commanded
us to get in the car. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pronto!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should we stay or should we go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our choices were few as we only had two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay put and we’re guaranteed to be
annihilated by a mega tour bus or take a risk, ditch the highway and hitch a
ride with a virtual stranger. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t
think twice as we clamoured into the vehicle, grateful to make the acquaintance
of Tony, on his way to Positano to meet up with the grandkids. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fortunately
for us, he was the real deal, a charming Italian gent, whose good deed of the
day just spiralled him up the karma stratosphere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So
concerned was Signore Tony for our safety, that he volunteered to drive us back
to Piano di Sorrento at the end of our sightseeing day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We politely declined his gracious offer,
insisting that we had learned our lesson and had already booked tickets on the
mega bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, we were anxious to
witness first-hand the skill and fortitude of the bus driver as he navigated
the twists and turns of the snaking lane-ways, all the while keeping an eagle
eye out for idiotic tourists out for a stroll. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just
another action packed day on the Autostrada. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IvYrbQrFDrQ/UWYdPnqt_sI/AAAAAAAABYI/u8RFeUwFZqUgUiDZ077c55zTanPTRFLkgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IvYrbQrFDrQ/UWYdPnqt_sI/AAAAAAAABYI/u8RFeUwFZqUgUiDZ077c55zTanPTRFLkgCPcBGAYYCw/s640/233.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting out - road is manageable at this point.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGXmsZ9Gnxk/UWYeUCFpk3I/AAAAAAAABYw/koHLIPcHhyoJZbLZIpG1FgCqlo-XWlnWgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGXmsZ9Gnxk/UWYeUCFpk3I/AAAAAAAABYw/koHLIPcHhyoJZbLZIpG1FgCqlo-XWlnWgCPcBGAYYCw/s640/243.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What happened to the sidewalk?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wnTprSFkxwM/UWYe00SPPxI/AAAAAAAABZA/JAOmK7fjuoEspEGdlSlHa-TTIyGYuaBTACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wnTprSFkxwM/UWYe00SPPxI/AAAAAAAABZA/JAOmK7fjuoEspEGdlSlHa-TTIyGYuaBTACPcBGAYYCw/s640/249.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Autostrada, here we come...no turning back now!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uaS0T0mLG2k/UWYir0pYzDI/AAAAAAAABaw/-bSyvxBWR9Qv7VKhCGffcBSdI_xioY_uACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uaS0T0mLG2k/UWYir0pYzDI/AAAAAAAABaw/-bSyvxBWR9Qv7VKhCGffcBSdI_xioY_uACPcBGAYYCw/s640/252.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Appreciating the view whilst on the lookout for trucks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0VD0ni-aAMs/UWYf6LtP5OI/AAAAAAAABZg/6g_NpuFhU8gYlsqYRygU_yu5tyzAismdACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0VD0ni-aAMs/UWYf6LtP5OI/AAAAAAAABZg/6g_NpuFhU8gYlsqYRygU_yu5tyzAismdACPcBGAYYCw/s640/262.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Tony's convertible - almost in Positano!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z4lN5YsRJZ4/UW9EhCHJ4HI/AAAAAAAABbo/Fg9byoApAnkIlL21lLONLWgte1mQOgdJACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z4lN5YsRJZ4/UW9EhCHJ4HI/AAAAAAAABbo/Fg9byoApAnkIlL21lLONLWgte1mQOgdJACPcBGAYYCw/s640/269.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yippee! Worth the precarious trek to get here....</td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next
post: Beginning of September – the weekend of September 7th, if not a tad earlier.
Stay tuned!</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-50286490951845592832019-06-16T19:12:00.000-04:002019-07-09T22:21:56.750-04:00Krakow: Cobblestones and history - It’s raining cats, dogs and pigeons!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If it’s not bone-chilling drizzle and torrential downpours
that cascade unwelcome buckets of H20 upon my long-anticipated holiday, then
it’s the droves of pigeons that scout me out and zoom in for the kill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not re-count how many hours I’ve spent
dodging squalling hordes of flapping wings of prey, only to end up cowering and
crouching under a random table, praying that my circling tormenters give up and
find another place to play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But no such luck, for I’m their hapless victim, easily
targeted from miles away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps my feather tarred frenemies are as enamoured of
architectural masterpieces in medieval town squares as I am, history buffs
appreciative of centuries old works of art, and it’s just happenstance that we
find ourselves congregating in the same old spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not likely, and their motives are
questionable at least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it’s the
intoxicating aroma of a mélange of brews and spices that entice them to the
table, ravenous to inhale whatever crudité is on offer on any given day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With palates ranging from garbage to gourmet, these
squawking trashcans are far from picky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anything is up for grabs and if it even remotely resembles an edible
crumble, no time is wasted on scrutinizing and within seconds flat it is
gobbled down splat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how
repulsive the odour and grime, why take a chance on dinner disappearing, and
try your luck on hopefully yummy grub by ingesting a few snails swimming in a
gravy of slime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Muck with a whole load
of yuck!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These birds with guts of sludge are far from shy, a skilfully
organized swarm of thieves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If one of
the bunch eagle eyes a meal, it’s a sure-fire guarantee that an army of
feathers instantaneously dives in for the steal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, there I stood, in Krakow’s cobblestone lined square,
decked out in my inclement weather armour, on the lookout for hovering flocks
of prey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dismal and grey, the heavens
were rumbling and drops the size of marbles splattered mercilessly on the
rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sneakers were soaked,
streaming tributaries with every drenched step. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few degrees short of sleet, the incessant
rain was an unwelcome tempest of twister and typhoon, a drain on my psyche as I
lamented on having bailed on a beach holiday in tropical St. Tropez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To make matters worse, there was nowhere to hide, as the instant
a bashful ray peeked out from behind the mist, the horde descended and a flood
of chaos set on in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two-legged bandits, beaks crammed full of rubbish, sprinting
on towards me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pigeons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or was that Pink Sneakers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In three/four weeks, the weekend of July 6th/13th or thereabouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned!</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OguAZPzLT6g/XQZVEE8bMLI/AAAAAAAAE3w/8WG5MbjkC-YzT-2D-kqfrfyZB33XZX2JACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OguAZPzLT6g/XQZVEE8bMLI/AAAAAAAAE3w/8WG5MbjkC-YzT-2D-kqfrfyZB33XZX2JACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1264.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture perfect after the rain</td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LhpvJyxWrMI/XQZV8NqCgDI/AAAAAAAAE4I/xNwOt47YoC8orRW-JnC9MI2wZBd9hZqWACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LhpvJyxWrMI/XQZV8NqCgDI/AAAAAAAAE4I/xNwOt47YoC8orRW-JnC9MI2wZBd9hZqWACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1235.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sightseeing before the rain<br />
<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meandering along the cobblestones</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite place </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yikes! What happened?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A musical melody for sunshine</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I will accept this rose!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubbles after the rain</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catching bubbles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here come the pigeons...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the lookout for some yummy grub</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who's afraid of those pesky pigeons? Not me!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gearing up for the RUN!</td></tr>
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Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-58946940091415743562019-06-01T23:23:00.000-04:002019-06-02T21:02:30.175-04:00Footprints, Imprints, Inspiration and Fate – Returning to Latvia <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s the little things that you remember and hold dear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stories shared and re-told time and time again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Footsteps re-traced along well-worn paths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Imprints of roads never traversed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet here I was, in my ancestral land, meandering the
cobblestone rues and reminiscing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Imagining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Appreciating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Understanding choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Questioning fate.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Constantly asking “Why” and “What if?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two powerful questions with answers both opaque and crystal
clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They say that in beauty there is also sorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I was looking ahead to tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because I was here, in the country of my mum and pap’s place
of birth, celebrating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Imagining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Appreciating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Understanding choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forgiving
fate.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crickets chirping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Chickens clucking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cows
grazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Birds serenading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ordinary. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Blooms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few weeks ago, I was asked a question:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Who inspires you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Someone famous?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
movie star?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An author, or perhaps a King?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not even close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The answer was simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The trails and paths traversed by ordinary people on their
extra-ordinary journeys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Each footprint leaves an imprint, a legacy and a memory to
share.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Generations lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Families dispersed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet, courage and resilience forges stoically on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How I long to once again hear the voices of my parents
recount the stories of their youth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am now here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Singing with my ancestors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their voices, loud and clear, are joined with
mine in melodic harmony.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was their story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now it is mine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Nora Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18440894891381906915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811556204387503666.post-15884866249293847652019-05-12T20:42:00.000-04:002019-05-13T10:10:01.179-04:00 Putniņš (little bird) on the Go - A serenade for lunch in Pūre<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The early bird gets the worm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But why settle for those unappetizing grubs when
you can instead feast like a hawk on Michelin five-star cuisine?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just takes a bit of talent, a whole lot of
dexterity and eagle-eyed courage to swoop and scoop your way to a smorgasbord
of gastronomic delights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world is
your oyster if you’re up for the challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just stake out your game and name your delectable prize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Putniņš</i> (little
bird) was on a mission:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To score some
dinner and take-away whatever is left over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, she’s got a family to feed, a nest full of hatchlings
squalling for their next meal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First
plan of action is to scope out the real deal and zero in on the steal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s in her best interest to reside within
close proximity to the next meal so that she can quickly zip in and out and be
back in seconds for the third and fourth course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As birds of a feather know, it’s all about location,
location, location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">City birds fare quite well, sitting pretty with a plethora
of dining options on offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pizza, sushi
and international cuisine cater to a melange of tastes, so if one’s tummy is
grumbling and if not that picky, a Big Mac is quite the yummy late night snack.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then there are the privileged ones, born with a silver spoon
in their beaks, where life is breezy and the snatching is easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether one fancies indulging in hors
d’oeuvres and crudités at black-tie events or feasting on fish and chips whilst
catching rays on a yacht at sea, the horn of plenty is far from empty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The country birds that make their home away from the hustle
and bustle of the frantic pace of 9 to 5 have no choice but to resort to
slightly more ingenious methods to grab dinner from your table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A plate of crumbs will not suffice and
pecking on grains of rice is just not nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hence, the highly recommended swoop and scoop preferred
method of snack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s as quick as one, two, three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Target.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Spotted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going in for the Snatch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A skilfully engineered swoop of a scoop of my late afternoon
brunch…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And there you have it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Putniņš</i> (little bird) dining
on the catch… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Side note:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I was a young lass, perhaps 4 or 5 years of age, I declared that my
new name was now Putniņš (little bird) and I would no longer answer to the name
of Nora.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My parents had no choice but to
comply and for the next year or two, I chirped and danced and pretended that I
was Putniņš (little bird) and all was magical in my Mary Poppins world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, when I travelled to Pūre on the
outskirts of Tukums (the birthplace of my mum) in Latvia, last summer, I found
it strangely comforting to be trailed by one persistent bird that was on a
mission to make her presence known. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had journeyed to Latvia numerous times before, but this was my first visit to
my mum’s place of birth in Pūre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
emotions were all over the map as I sought to re-trace my mum’s footsteps and
perhaps catch a glimpse of her soul as I meandered along the gravel path in
front of her childhood abode. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And with a melodic chirp of a serenade, Putniņš
(little bird) welcomed me home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next post:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In two/three weeks, the weekend of June 1<sup>st</sup>, or perhaps a tad
earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned!</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singing for my lunch and a welcome serenade</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Putniņš going in for the grab!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Score!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tasty first course. Now where's the main course?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gkZe2_8ifWs/XNhM2qQ8SYI/AAAAAAAAExo/rCQqnMYFXIME07b--NQJWqnHzsxtX-BIgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gkZe2_8ifWs/XNhM2qQ8SYI/AAAAAAAAExo/rCQqnMYFXIME07b--NQJWqnHzsxtX-BIgCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_2733.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storks! Storks! Storks were everywhere in Pūre</td></tr>
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