Unusual Hobbies - #BEDN Day Seven

Great start to the Blogging Challenge – I have missed two days already! In fairness I have had a busy couple of days and now #1 son has come to visit from University so I am enjoying his company for a few precious hours!

I am sad that I missed the ‘Firework’ prompt. I thought long and hard about how I had no interesting (read ‘in focus’) firework pictures. Instead I had a post all planned out about Guy Fawkes and how pictures of his pre and post torture signatures had inspired my rather gruesome interest in mediaeval torture instruments. Now, don’t get me wrong – I wasn't interested in a weird way, more a horrified fascination... I realise now I am digging a hole so maybe I should move on to a different prompt!

Before and After - Image from Google Images

Today’s is ‘Unusual Hobbies’ (which could include the above?) Hmm – I have lots of hobbies. In fact I drive my family to distraction by my short attention span when it comes to trying new things. In fairness I like to dabble and will, more often than not, come back to something when it once again takes my fancy. I did try asking them what they considered to be my most unusual hobby and these were the answers I got:

Who could not love a face like this? Most of my family apparently...

• ·         Taxidermy – I have quite a collection and have had a go at a few things myself. I also have a few specimens in the freezer which is always good for a laugh when my daughter is trying to find the fish fingers! (joke) 
• ·         Spinning wool – I have been trying to teach myself to spin yarn on a wheel. I'm not great but it’s quite therapeutic. The problem is I am not very good at knitting.
• ·         Collecting Ugly Cats – My Mum used to collect Crested China and had a beautiful display case full of it. I never quite got into it in the same way but did discover that there are a number of quite startling cats produced so I limited my collection to these lovely creatures. I have to keep them in my room though as no one else seems to appreciate their happy faces!
• ·         Bee Keeping – possibly not that unusual but it is usually a talking point when people find out.

 

Well I guess this post will have either intrigued or scared people – I think I might be a bit worried to ask which!

Onwards and Upwards...

Bluebells - good for the spirit!

Well – it’s been a pretty difficult few weeks here. Don’t really want to go into much detail but to top everything we lost our beautiful cat Hincapie. He has left a hole a mile wide in our lives, he was the noisiest, most demanding cat I think I have ever met but the house is so very quiet without him :(

Mr Noisy 

I thought long and hard about this post and how I don’t want my blog to appear a whole picture of rainbows and unicorns. We all have shit happen in our lives and it would be a false picture to paint otherwise. However, I have sat back and given it some thought and I have also had some fabulous things happen in amongst the crap and as I am a (mostly) optimistic and glass most defiantly half full kind of girl I thought I would concentrate on the joy and loveliness and not the rubbish and sadness. (reading back this sentence I saw that spell check had changed ‘definately’ into ‘defiantly’ and hell, I’m not going to change it back!!)

The bluebells have been out in the woods both locally and at work. I have spent a lovely couple of evenings out with friends walking and enjoying them and making up for being so damn antisocial lately. I am also grateful that friends have supported me feeling a bit rubbish and not my usual self at all (sorry to you all for that!)

Beautiful friends in beautiful surroundings! Counting my blessings.

I have had dinner out with other friends that I have not seen for a long time. One of them is now winging her way to California for 5 years and I am so glad that we caught up before she left. Lots of reminiscing and laughs!

More laughs with friends!

DH and I celebrated 23 whole years of being stuck with each other. We spent a day touring Salisbury where we saw the Magna Carta at Salisbury Cathedral, had a meal out and then went to see Old Wardour Castle to get at least a little value from our underused English Heritage memberships...

The reflections in the font water were stunning.

My favourite find - historical graffiti!

Usually I get to do the bunny ears.

How I feel sometimes!

We have been cracking on with the garden and allotment – not managing to quite keep up with the weeds and growth of grass but putting up a brave fight.

Mostly I have decided that being positive is a good thing and that I have a great deal to still be grateful for, no matter how things might sometimes appear otherwise!

Looking for the good things....

Normal service will be resumed shortly :)