2019 January – Moving, Snowscape, The Paw of Friendship

Happy New Year!

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.

Socrates

 

Moving

Well Socrates, it seems as if we will be ‘building the new’ in a new house fairly shortly.

In the meantime, this is a picture of me welcoming in the New Year.

I am doing this by thinking of all the chicken I am going to have this year.  Assuming Mum gets her act together.  She has been a bit flaky lately.

However, the supposedly good news is Mum has finally found us somewhere to live, when we have to move out of here.  She seems quite excited about it and is ‘making plans’ to rebuild the new place.

It all sounds a bit ominous to me if I’m honest.  Mum has a tendency to go off at the deep end and take on stuff she has no idea how to do.

Mum says, that’s what YouTube is for Saffon :)

Her DIY leaves a little to be desired tbh, however you can’t fault her enthusiasm I s’pose.  I expect I will have to look vaguely supportive.

There have been a few hiccups around timings which might prove interesting in the end.  Like we all have to move out of here on a particular date that has already been (legally) agreed but we might not be able to move into the new place until a bit later.

I’m not quite sure how that will work and Mum doesn’t know either.  She doesn’t seem too bothered.  She is leaving it to the lawyers to sort out.

I’m not convinced they’re that bothered either.

 

Snowscape

This is a picture of me enjoying the snow.  I like the snow. It is taking my mind off the house move.

 

And this is a picture of me being snuggly afterwards.

 

 

The Paw of Friendship

This is a picture of me acknowledging offspring #3.

The offspring is going to help us move.

Which is just as well if you ask me.

She has more sense than Mum.

 

 

Saffron’s recommendations this month:

Music: Texas – late 80’s alt rock band hailing from Glasgow.  Sharleen has a great voice.  Try these tracks on for size.  All good stuff.  Yes.

Black Eyed Boy

Say what You Want

I Don’t Want a Lover

In our Lifetime 

Inner Smile

When We are Together

Summer Son

 

Reading:  The Awakening by Kate Chopin, published by Herbert S Stone and Co

A seminal feminist novel about an 1890s New Orleans wife and mother who does not know how to live when she falls in love with another man. Illustrates the potential for the disruption female desire can pose to a traditional society.  Profound sympathy for the subject of desperation.

 

Film: Leaving Las Vegas, starring Nic Cage as an alcoholic who decides to go to Las Vegas and drink himself to death.    Semi autobiographical and very sadly the author of the original novel died of suicide after signing away the rights to the film. 

Critics suggest it is an unflinching view of addiction and dependency and an exhilaratingly dark view of destruction.  Nic won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for this, which O’Brien wasn’t there to see of course.  So very, very sad but glad for Nic.

 

In the news:

A new 10 year plan for the NHS is unveiled

aaaah Brexit, Theresa May describes her Plan B and her Govt survives a vote of no confidence

97 year old Duke of Edinburgh involved in a car crash, shocked but fine.

A plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala (RIP) crashes en-route from France to Cardiff.