GOODBYE 2019 BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Hello Bloggets. I hope you are all doing well? Have you survived Christmas? We had a lovely time with our Son and Shamrock came over in the morning to exchange gifts. We both got some amazing presents. Hub received a really scary gift from our Son and I shall tell you more about that soon. But it’s one I am really dreading but Hub is rather excited. All three of us are to go somewhere in February to receive his gift.

 

My brother and sister in aw got me a lovely gift I love. Lots of perfumes and smellies from people and my friend Di bought me a top. I got totally spoiled from Hub as always. I got a beautiful ring it’s exquisite and matching earrings. He also bought me a very beautiful hairdryer. I got lots of candles and they smell so good. I received a beautiful card from our Son that was so special and one from my brother in law and my baby sister. Something I received through the post in the formation of a card, I will treasure for life.

 

Hub and I have eaten our way through Christmas and watched so much TV. It’s been so lovely and we have had a special time. Spent with the ones we love.

 

We are due to go out tonight to friends for New Year. I’m not sure what we are doing yet. I want to see some people our friends will all be there but I’m so not into large groups of people. I hope in my next blog, I will tell you we went.

 

In our news, two schools in England have turned down the bequest of over a million pounds. Someone has offered the schools to pay for scholarships for underprivileged white boys. We have a famous rapper who pays for black people to go to our top university here but sadly that same favour can’t be received for white boys though it’s said that white boys in the UK are not achieving as much as other kids of colour or white girls.

 

In Australia they are still going ahead with the fireworks despite the horrific bushfires over there. Out of respect I think they should have cancelled it this year. A poor firefighter died today and there are many families without their loved ones now because of all the fires. As for the animals? Oh, it’s so sad.

 

Did you hear about the swimming pool tragedy in Spain? A Pastor from the UK and his family of young daughter and 16-year-old Son were all killed in a pool at a hotel.

 

It’s so sad. And the authorities there are saying it’s because they couldn’t swim. But the wife and Mum says they all could swim. There are so many things in this story that don’t make sense. I can’t imagine the pain that poor lady is now going through.

 

We got a professional photograph of our two dogs on Saturday. We met with the photographer and his adorable wife. Such a lovely couple. The kind of people you don’t meet often. Hub really liked them and said he can imagine me and the photographer’s wife being really good friends, he says we are so alike.

I replied. “Intelligent, beautiful and fun?””

I have never seen my Hub speechless.

 

So, what has this year, meant for you?

It’s been the biggest mix of my life. from the most tragic occurrences to the most surprising gifts to worrying situations and back to gifts of something I have always dreamed about. But through thick and thin, I have thanked God had my closest loved ones near me. You certainly learn who your friends are when you are in need and at the end of the day, thank God for my family. Hub and our Son mean the world to me and they ar my world. I have been introduced to people I could only hope to know last year. Still no cure or treatment for my eye condition sadly and whilst there were parts of this year when I had thoughts of nothing happening in my life time with regards to help for sight, I have been reassured by my friends who are scientists that hope is not far away. Something in my life happened this year that was so good and this time last year I never even imagined it would be possible so, who knows, maybe next year I shall be writing about being able to see or at least have a date to visit a hospital to receive some kind of treatment.

 

As I write this, my Darling Son has just brought us a bottle of very expensive champagne. I wish he would save his money, but bless him, he is so kind. He wanted to thank us for the support we have given him this year. That is what parents do. We love him. He has a big few months ahead of him.

 

Lets head into 2020, with an open heart and a caring word for others. Look with new eyes and a fresh mind into other peoples lives. Try to look beneath the smiles of others. And I hope others will do the same for you.

 

A new year, a new start. Thank you to Molinda, Peggy, Sheila, Carrie Ann and my much-loved Louise. To Joel, William and Bill. To all of you who have been there over the past 12 months even if you have just cheered me up or made me think. James, thank you for the highest compliment you have no idea what your words meant to me.

 

If Christmas has been hard for you, it’s over now, a new start out with the old, in with the new.

 

To Kelly and Peter, I wish you the best health. Dorothy, I thought of you both this year. Hope you enjoyed your train journey. Vicki, Pauline, Patricia and my lovely friends who stop by to read this. Too many to write hear in fear of it looking like a telephone directory. Happy birthday to Red, Matthew and Brad.

      

 

 

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2019

It’s the Eve before Christmas and our house has its usual Christmas smells of delicious food. Hub and I have been cooking all day. An achievement we are always so proud of. Hub makes a meatloaf and his stuffing he also cooks his turkey. I have prepared a stuffing for Boy Wonder suitable for vegans and a stuffing for me and Hub. I have also prepared all of the vegetables. White cabbage, parsnips, baby carrots, turnip, sprouts and tomorrow we will do green beans and mushy peas. Mine and our Sons favourite part of Christmas dinner. Not many people in the UK have mushy peas for their Christmas lunch, just as they don’t have Yorkshire puddings, but I do. This year because our Son is a vegan, he won’t be having Yorkshires and Hub doesn’t like them, yep, that is so not normal how can anyone not love Yorkshire puddings? My lovely dear friend in Canada has them with her Christmas lunch and our Indian Neighbours and friends also cook them. I love that. We have mash potatoes and Roast Potatoes with rosemary. Hub also made himself pigs in blankets. Not something I talk about in front of my Son, even I feel awful saying it. But they are small sausages wrapped in Smokey streaky bacon. So, Hub will have a meat feast tomorrow for sure.

 

I have a vegetarian roast for me and our Son brought a parcel he got specially cooked by a chef yesterday. Bless him, after doing a 12-hour shift at work, he drove over an hour each way to pick up something this chef cooked for him. The guy wanted £25 for that plus a soft cheese he made, it’s a vegan cheese. But our boy gave the man £35. He is too kind, there is a tip and a tip… I bought our boy a vegan sausage reef that has a herb crumb over it so again, one meat eater, one vegetarian and one vegan for lunch. It’s remembering what not to add butter and eggs. I have vegan butter but for dessert, we have brandy sauce, BW will have to have vegan custard. With Christmas pudding. I also have BW a vegan mince pie, sweet mince. And he has vegan chocolate eclairs. Obviously not real chocolate unless it’s dark chocolate. They are frozen, just need to take them out of the freezer in the morning.

 

As I am writing this, we have beautiful hymns from Kings college. All the Chorister’s who go to that school, have a place in the best Universities in England.

 

This year is a better choir than I have ever heard before. Gosh it’s so beautiful. I can hardly hear the words on my computer as I am typing these words to you. Hub has it turned up really loud and we have speakers and a sound bar so you can        probably hear the carols from whatever country you are reading this from right now.

 

Hub has had his traditional sherry and I am about to light my candle for all the people we have lost over the years. This year, my school friend and a very close dear friend we miss so very much. I have pinecones that light up around my fire and they smell of cinnamon. In my conservatory, I have sprayed the glass with artificial snow. Our Son saw it yesterday and wouldn’t believe that I did it. Hahah. To be honest, I am amazed it has turned out OK, I tried to create stars on some windows, a Christmas tree on another, some windows have crosses and waves on another. Then I have done the final windows with spirals. I just close my eyes and try to imagine being able to see the glass and it’s worked. Now when it comes to cleaning the windows? Em, that may be a bigger job than I hope for. my brother in law is coming soon so, he may get that job. Haha.

 

Now there are words coming from our speakers Hub says is old English translated from Hebrew. I just said to him. In days gone by, how on earth did people translate languages into English? I mean, not that many people travelled abroad or came here, because it wasn’t as easy to travel then as it is now…

 

All gifts are wrapped nuts in shells are in the dishes along with shiny papered chocolates. Tangerines are in the fruit dish and cinnamon fills the house with the delight of Christmas. This is the first year we haven’t had our lovely carol singers at the door. Shame as they are stunning. They come every year. Same girls. Perhaps they are too old now…

 

We had a lovely weekend out with our son and his girlfriend. And tomorrow the four of us will open gifts and that will be it for another year. So much has happened this year, so much. Terrible things for us personally, but out of this year, has come some pretty amazing things too. Special. Gifts that money can’t buy and achievements that were way beyond our beliefs.

 

 

I pray next year will bring happiness for you, peace for those who right now are suffering. Freedom for those who are trapped right now and warm hugs for those who need them.

 

Later on, our Son will be wrapping his gifts to others last minute Charlie as always. We are blessed though to have such a lovely Son who we love so much. I am so grateful how much love my Husband shows him and all he has done for BW in the past few weeks. Our Son has a busy few weeks ahead of him and thanks to Hub, I’m hopeful he will achieve his dream.

 

Talking of Hub, he suggested today that next Christmas may be different and his suggestion does sound rather exciting, but personally I’m not quite convinced. But watch this space.

 

For those of you who are on your own tomorrow, as I always say, it’s one day and you are not the only person on your own. All we hear of are people getting together with their families, we don’t hear of all those who are by themselves, but there are so many. There are only the four of us tomorrow but for lunch only three as Sham is going out with her family to the pub and she is cooking dinner as her mother is working again. She works every year. It’s a shame as Christmas is a special day and her father is over from Ireland, he’s not young, if only she realised how important it is to have family especially your parents, I wish Hub and I had ours still but sadly this is too many Christmas’s without them. I hope they have a happy Christmas in heaven.

 

OK we have finished the hymns we now have the movie Wallace and Gromit.

Talk about variety?

 

I shall leave you with parcels of love and Christmas wishes. May they all come true. Thank you for your lovely emails and for all those who read my blogs. Thank you to all of those who dedicate Christmas day for others.    

Merry Christmas Bloggets.

 

 

Fiona Cummings 24/12/2019

 

DIARY OF THE LOCK IN AND NEW START BY FIONA CUMMINGS

It’s wild out there. That kind of heavy rain that is full of grit. Dirty rain. It’s also really windy. A blind person fogs. If we can’t hear, we can’t see. And guess who has to go out later? Me and the wonderful wagging one! It’s a twenty-minute walk there and the same back if, Waggs and I work it out and don’t get lost. A couple of weeks ago, we got so lost doing this route, but we have done it since and we were OK. Getting there it’s fine, it’s getting back there is not much of an indication for one of the kerbs and because of this, I’m not too sure when I have arrived on that kerb and it’s that kerb that I have to do a sharp right. If I miss that right by two and a half steps, and then turn right, I’m on a totally different path. And then it all goes very wrong. It took me over 45 minutes the other week to get home it should have taken twenty minutes. And today I can not afford to be late as I need to get home, pick up a couple of things then head out again. I thought I may have to do our post office but looks like I don’t now, but I do have a date with a lady with a scalpel!!!

 

My Son and I were chatting last night and he were saying how he is envious of his friends as they are all living abroad now. it’s the done thing, holidays are not good enough now, the kids need to live abroad for a year. I told him, since he was 16, he has been abroad to so many countries with friends, in the past two years he’s been to about six and is off to America again in the spring. For years his friends have been in the UK and had no holidays. But the grass is always greener. I also said that it’s not always what it seems. I mean, if you see pictures of the sunny surroundings of your pals, and you are in a very cold wet country, yes it’s going to look better there, he loves Los Angeles and he said if not for me and Hub, he would move there, and I said it sounds perfect there but they do have issues I’m sure like every perfect part of the world. Hub and I took our boy all over the world when he were a little boy too! Japan was his favourite he and Hub went there together whilst I dog sat back at home!

 

I understand why he would want to live abroad. I would if I won the lottery. But I’m sure I would miss little England. Especially all the accessibility we have to theatres, cinema’s and transport. Our home grocery shopping and audio for our TV programs. Our NHS has huge problems, but it’s all free.

 

Have you ever heard of scentsicle sticks? I think that is what they are called. They are really lovely. I’m probably the last person to have heard of these and always wondered what they are like, but never bought them as they are not cheap and there is never a description of what they are in my grocery shopping. But my friends Mum brought me a tin the other day and wow double wow. You are meant to hang them from your Christmas tree. But I have hung them on my wind chimes in the house. They smell absolutely amazing and I have had mine a few days now still smell beautiful. Warning, they come with a small pack of hooks, watch they don’t drop out of the tin as they are tiny and if pets get them, could be dangerous. But once they are on the sticks, and the sticks are out of reach of pets and children, remember children can climb, my Son did from the age of two…. They stay on the hooks in a safe way. But the hooks on their own, can be dangerous. They are more affective than any air freshener or cinnamon sticks.

 

Well what a busy week I have had every day been out somewhere. Oh, you would laugh, so, after a lovely time with my friend Artie, I met with my dear friend Geordie. We went to our pub we go to every week with other friends. Geordie and I were like drowned rats the rain was gross and plentiful. We got through the first door of the pub closing it behind us, keeping out Jack Frost. Got to the next door, my friend said, oh, no, there are no lights on. It looks closed. Oh, no surely not I replied? As we went to the outside door to go elsewhere, we couldn’t get out. Hahahahaha. She asked me, the person who is blind, Fiona, this is the door we came through, isn’t it? Well this part of the pub is all glass, so I said I thought so, as we frantically pushed and pulled every bit of glass, we kind of thought we were in there for the long run, wouldn’t be so bad but the blooming place was shut, we were stuck in a corridor. Now most of my friends have had what we call a lock in, normally that is when the land lord locks the doors keeping people in to drink under the table. We got the first lock in of our lives, in the porch way far from the bar…. Well we got out eventually, my friend hadn’t been pushing the door hard enough. Hahaha, I joked saying she was so hungry she was weak.

 

We headed off to another pub where there was a welcoming coal fire. A real Christmas tree and candles. The starters were delightful but my main course was absolutely disgusting, but the company was the best as always.

 

Well today is Friday the 13^th. I thought it was going to be a bad luck day for us, but our elections have taken part and I’m so pleased and totally relieved to say our PM has remained in place where he belongs and that stupid person from the Labour party is gone. Now let’s hope that the conservative PM Boris Johnson, is kind to all the Labour supporters who went against their Labour party for the first time in some areas in 100 years. Let’s hope Boris will show them, they ticked or crossed the right boxes.

 

A new start for our country, let’s live it and be kind to each other no sour grapes as the majority voted and we have to be respected. I hope time will tell those who voted for other parties, will be satisfied with what happened to our election yesterday.

 

Have a blessed weekend and to Mary, good luck for today. Kelly and Peter, thinking of you both and Jean and Ian, sending love!

 

 

 

 

   

  

COFFEE FOR CHRISTMAS IN N'o 10 BY FIONA CUMMINGS

 Good evening Bloggets. I hope I find you all well? Here I am in my sitting room. The house is smelling lovely of cinnamon. It’s so cold and damp outside but toasty warm in here.

 

I have been listening to Chopin, all day today I found it really relaxing. I sat with a coffee earlier after a long hard day of work and ate some delicious cake my lovely friends Mum brought me the other day. It is a fruit cake with marzipan, but not Christmas cake.

The combination of that with the fragrance of a warm cup of comforting coffee, was truly delightful.

 

Hub left early this morning even before the birds were woken by their cuckoo clock! He will return tomorrow night. He left wearing a Christmas jumper. His meeting today is jumper themed. A press of a button and he flashes. Haha. The funny thing is, he had to ask our lovely girl Friday yesterday if the lights were working. As he could be thinking he is flashing and he’s not. As long as he doesn’t get arrested…. It was a jumper our Son bought his Dad three Christmas’s ago. I think next year he should get a new one. I understand he has only worn it twice before today, but there comes a time when the same flashing isn’t funny anymore as you have seen it all before!!!

 

I got my nails painted yesterday. The polish is called grapefruit sparkle. It’s very light pink with well, sparkles….

 

Oh, I have so aged this year it’s really bothering me. For the first time in my life I have lines now on my face. I can feel two of them. I have been asking my friends how old I look and it’s awful. I look two years younger than I am. You may think that is OK, but a year ago, I looked according to the same friends, 8/9, years younger than my age. This year has been so tough, obviously it is showing and when you can’t see what you look like in the mirror, I don’t like it. But if I could see, I may like that less. Haha. A couple of my friends have Botox, but I would never have that, Polyfilla perhaps?

 

It’s said that skinny people look older as they wrinkle more, well, I’m far from skinny, so, lines etc, get lost please, go on, do one!

 

We went for a delicious Sunday lunch yesterday. Well, the day before yesterday as it’s now 2.43am.

Oh, it was so nice. Hub made me laugh he had Sherry Trifle for dessert, he was pretending he was drunk, he said it was a good job he wasn’t driving. Hahaha. I guess you could say he was blind drunk.  It was home made and he said the chef must have put half a bottle of sherry in the sponge.

 

Our girl Friday was with us and she is great, if she see’s something she tells us. There was a couple sitting on one of the sofa’s in the pub. She could see them from the restaurant of the pub where we were sitting. She said the lady had fallen asleep and when Girl Friday finished her dinner moving onto her dessert, she started to laugh saying the man, was asleep now. but then moments later, she looked up to see he now was like her, fast asleep but was cuddling her. Hahahahaha. Right in the middle of the pub. At what point does someone wake them up? Imagine if they both forgot where they were and it got a little fruity?

 

A quick warning. Dog owners. Please be careful what you are giving your dogs as treats. There are dog treats that are from China and are poisoning our dogs. If you do a little research you will find lists of all the dog treats that are so dangerous for our dogs and the scary thing is, our shops are still selling them.

 

In our news, it’s only two more sleeps before our huge election. This is the biggest since I have been able to vote. I have to say, I’m rather afraid of the outcome of this vote. It’s a case of getting our country to be strong like it used to be, taking control before we lose it to over population and dangerous debts, or watching Britain fall to it’s knees, being ruled by a man who is so devious I just don’t understand how people can not see what he is like. I understand people have voted for his party all of their years where by their votes legally count, but sadly since Tony Blair, Labour hasn’t been the same as the old Labour party!

 

I am sure it will come out one day soon, but there is something not to be trusted about Labours leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is 70 years old, but sounds so much older. He has a real meanness about him and I don’t understand how my very clever friends can’t see it? He is promising so much money but isn’t saying where he will get the money from and one of his people has suggested that the only way is to get our country into a huge debt, Labour isn’t any good for the economy. I’m not saying that our now PM Boris Johnson, who is 55 years old, is any good, but he really will make us strong like we used to be so many years ago. Long before I was born.

 

I grew up being from a labour family. I would be classed as a sinner now for even thinking of turning my back on the Labour party, but their policy scares me. They don’t want a cap on allowing as many people into our country who want to come in. where will we put all these people? Our school’s hospitals dentists and so on, are overcrowded as it is, they want to get rid of security services and weapons. Lay down and be walked all over. A while back, Jeremy wanted to tell our press how bad our trains are by saying he couldn’t even find a seat. He was pictured sitting on the floor of a train. It was proven afterwards that he walked by empty seats and sat on the floor just to try to put the Government down by saying look at our dreadful train services. He has been married three times, once I can understand, twice, but then three times? I know of many good people who have been married three times, but that is normally down to the fact that their spouses have either cheated on them or died.

 

His latest wife, is twenty years younger than him and is a millionaire who sells Mexican coffee to rich Brits, for obscene amounts of money whilst the labourers in Mexico, receive    less than £1 for a mid-sized bag of coffee.

 

Whilst their house is worth over one million pounds, I’m not sure how that is understanding the working class? One good thing about our now PM Boris, four years ago, he slept rough to raise awareness for London’s homeless. Though he has had a posh person’s upbringing, I don’t believe he is a snob. He isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty and he used to cycle everywhere rather than drive his car. He is clever but sadly is rubbish in my opinion in public speaking. For some, this may come across as a person who dithers. Personally, I like his policies it’s no good promising the earth people have to ask, where would all that money come from that Jeromy is offering. It’s like he just pulls out numbers from his head without thinking about the consequences and his now shadow secretary Diane Abbott, who is 66 is also known for her disastrous mathematical errors who by the way, had an affair with Corbyn some years ago.

 

I fear I will wake up on Friday the 13^th, feeling desperate learning that our new PM will be Corbyn. He is the first person wanting to be elected that actually scares me. Our mortgage will jump up in price so that so many people will have to sell their houses as they won’t be able to afford the repayments.

 

Corbyn has had many connections with the IRA and has had meetings with known terrorists. He has met up with people from Aran for example. If you read about the dreadful stabbings on our London bridge last week, that murderer got released from jail after only serving half of his time. Some rule to do with us being a part of the EU union. Boris wants to make sure that would never happen again. Jerry wants to let the terrorists free.

 

So, Hub and I shall be off on Thursday to vote. And we won’t be voting for Corbyn, and I hope to God people do lots of research before placing their crosses.

 

Well I guess I shall close the house now for the night and sleep. A busy week this next few days and a twenty minute walk each way later for me and it’s forecast for heavy rain. great. One wet dog.

 

My friend Arty is coming this week and I’m out another day with my other friend Geordie. In the   meanwhile, I’m cleaning out all of my kitchen cupboards, washing them checking what I have and throwing out other foods that I think are close to their sell by date. I know, not very good, I should have donated the food but I am not near any places that accept food.

 

After Christmas I have a funny story to tell you all. There seems to be one every year for me. But I think this year has been the funniest, but I can’t talk about it just yet. Remind me after the 25^th please?  My memory is like a civ.

 

And finally, this interesting quote.

  If you want something you have never had, you must be prepared to do something you’ve never done.

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the USA.

 

 

 

 

A LICENCE TO FLY #PoetryByFionaCummings

A LICENCE TO FLY

BY FIONA CUMMINGS

 

Heaven has welcomed another angel this year

Each frozen raindrop represents a tear

How we miss her, the pain we feel

Is it a nightmare, or is it real?

I imagine her, flying with her new wings

Following closely, the choir sings

In the distance, the old church bell rings

I think of her, perched up high

Watching down on us, from the starry sky

Floating by, on a fluffy cloud

Picking those out she loves, from a crowd

Making sure they are okay

Shaking her head at us for wanting her to stay

She knows we feel so much pain

If only she could tell us, one day we will meet again

But she was needed elsewhere

This makes us angry, as we miss her so

We ask the Lord, why she had to go

Inside her soul she did care

But her job on earth was done

She had more to give more to share

How fortunate are those souls who she now helps?

Walls of ice she will melt

Barriers she will break down

Picking up people who have found a frown

Making them feel like they belong

She is the gift giver who carries on

I just miss her very much

Each day I cry

But then I think of my angel, in the sky

Flying with her new wings

Feeding the birds, she loved as they sing

Crashing into the silver stars

Reaching up to the sun so far

A big smile, upon her face

As she learns to fly, in her new place

 

© Fiona Cummings

 

To my Dearest Vivi each day I ache for you.

 

 

CRISTMAS CALENDAR (YOU ARE NOT ALONE)

We are getting closer to what some may regard as a very sad time of the year. Christmas. December can be an extremely lonely time for those who either live on their own, or live in a family but feel so unaccompanied. You can be in a crowd of people but still feel that burning deep sadness that comes with loneliness.

 

Some of you may be suffering with a loss of someone or something. Your first Christmas without your eldest child, youngest child or only child.

 

For some it may be that time of year again when you are reminded you don’t have your loved ones near you because of whatever reason. What makes life worse is everyone around us seems to be so happy. They have places to go, people queuing up to be with them. At Christmas, intimacy just doesn’t fit in.

 

The pressure of having to be happy. Cheerful. Letting the world know where you are going, who you are going with, who you will be spending Christmas day with and the stress of wearing those sparkly Christmas clothes. Finding that special person, for some this year will be your first without your other half. That person you were to spend the rest of your life with. For some, you know that your spouse is with someone else. Leaving you feeling inadequate, hopeless, tearful and you can’t see the light at the end of this season.

 

One thing for sure, you are not alone. Only we don’t hear of those who are sad.

We are not allowed to be sad at Christmas in fear of being called party poopers or having pity parties. Don’t you hate that expression? Pity party? People who say that are purely ignorant and very cold to other people’s feelings.

Just because the person who said that, is a bad person, doesn’t mean you are bad.

 

Of course, I can suggest things to make you appear to be happy over Christmas, give you tips on acting skills! But that isn’t the real world. That isn’t the real you. And that won’t make you feel any better. Perhaps it will make those around you feel more exceptional, gets them off the hook of not feeling guilty about leaving you out again. For some you don’t want to be a part of a huge get together. You would rather be on your own, but being on your own, isn’t going to make you happy.

 

What will, make you happy? And why do you feel you should be much more cheerful for a month or a day out of a year? Or do you want to be happy all year around but feel more compelled to be all smiles and bows during Christmas?

 

Over the next coming weeks, I hope to keep you company. I have lived through a large happy family and the worst Christmas of my life; I have also been in your shoes even for a while I’m sure.

 

Together let’s kick off those shoes and put on a comfy pair of slippers and just keep it real.

I don’t like the F, word. I don’t do fake. And tonight, I was watching a finance program on TV when the financial advisor suggested something interesting to do with gifts. He said the best gift you could give someone is an agreement not to buy for each other. He said if someone gives you a very expensive gift, you feel compelled to spend the same amount on them. And the stress of searching for that special gift is immense. The relief of not having to fight your way through the Christmas cranky crowds because of your no gift agreement, must be such a relief.

 

How would you feel if you bought someone something that was for example, £45 and they spent the same on you, but you knew that the money they spent was the money they were going to buy their daughter a new much needed pair of school shoes?

 

Or whilst you are feasting on a banquet fit for a King, whilst your recipient of your wonderful gift is eating toast for their Christmas lunch? Because they have spent so much money on gifts for those who kindly bought them nice parcels.

 

Remember the nicest gift could be a home-made cake or special bread. Some cookies or the offer to take them out for a cup of coffee to keep them company and give them something to look forward to. Or what about fixing their fence you know they have wanted done for ages. Whatever your art is, drawing, painting, writing, playing a musical instrument for someone, something you have taken time to do for them. Hasn’t cost you much if anything, but will touch the heart of another.

 

Turn your skill into your gift.

 

© Fiona Cummings

 

 

 

THE WINTER FOREST @PoetryByFionaCummings

THE WINTER FORREST

BY FIONA CUMMINGS

 

Standing alone in a forest, far from home

I take in my seasonal surroundings, picking up a pinecone

The smell of wood, oh, it’s so good

Jack Frost bites at my fingertips

I’m sure the colour blue, paints my lips

And a rouge finds its way to my cheeks

How this forest has changed over the weeks

Forgetting Autumn, and it’s falling leaves

There were so many firtrees

To the eye they did please

But now all that’s left are roots

And muddy treads from winter boots

For the firs are out, to decorate houses

Beautiful Red Cedars, and spruces

  the silence of the forest

is so pure

and my soul has found a cure

a peaceful place, almost mystical

for this forest is for sure magical

 

© Fiona Cummings

 

 

BACK TO BEFORE BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Isn’t it funny if you are blind, it is presumed that you can read Braille? What if you can’t, what if you have just lost your sight and have not had chance or desire to learn such a difficult challenge like Braille, to sighted people, those dots may look easy, well when I had sight, I used to read Braille with my eyes. And I only read it on the quiet as I was not allowed to learn Braille at school. Now my aging fingers struggle to differentiate the dots especially now that most of it is written in what I call short hand. They call it contracted Braille.  Loads of dots clumped together to make one word. Rather than individual dots.

 

I just wish my Husband had the patients to teach me.

 

I really love board games but can not find anything that Hub and I could play. There are a few games if you know Braille will be possible or if you can see large print, but nothing if you are totally blind and don’t read Braille, well not that I can find. If you Bloggets know of any games that are possible apart from tactile domino’s, then please can you let me know? Either by my blog page or email me at

visionsforfuture@googlemail.com

 

Yesterday, was a day of huge disappointments but today is another day. As for last night? Oh, my goodness. Let me tell you

I have only got two experiences with Air BnB. My friend took her children to London all very young, all three of them. When they arrived, there was no house. They were stuck in London with three small children at night as they spent all afternoon trying to find a property that didn’t exist. My Son booked with that awful company two months ago and he has paid for the flights, carparking, transfers and passes into attractions. There are ten of them going. They booked a perfect apartment right in the centre. He was due to fly today at 7 am.

 

Last night at half five in the evening, the person who owns the apartment cancelled on the kids. Well my Son spent over three hours on the phone and Air BnB were absolutely shocking. So unhelpful. Also, the   money the friends all paid my Son to pay for the holiday will be transferred but they won’t see it in his bank until up to fifteen days.

 

Air BnB sent my Son a list of other properties, he called eight of them. All eight said no they wouldn’t take a group of ten young people. So that left two properties. One was lovely, but it was more than double what the first property was so not only did the kids have to find double the money, but they had to find all of the money as they refund wouldn’t be in the bank in time for them to rebook somewhere else. Then the second property was forty minutes out of the city. It also looked like in my Sons words, a crack house. There are ten of them so taxis would have to be taken and it looked like they were in the middle of nowhere. So, would there even be taxi’s? they would have to take three cars how much money would that be? Not to say anything about the time waisted in transit.

 

Well in the future I would tell everyone to give Air BnB a wide birth though I do have a friend who uses them all the time but two I have known now have had bad experiences.

 

Well after being up all night they booked a hotel. Thankfully all in the same place. But this means more money.

 

Not long been in with Waggatail. I fear she is really aging. She has a year and a half before she is due to retire from being a guide dog but the past couple of weeks, I have noticed a change in the way she works. Maybe it’s the cold, as it’s freezing, but let’s see, as tomorrow Hub and I are hoping to go to the park and she loves it there so see how old she is walking there?

 

There are so many different kinds of textures on our paths and roads at the moment. A combination between soggy leaves, soil that has turned into mud with the rain, stones that have been swept from gardens and the rough ground caused by bad weather. This is all new for this season. We as people who are blind have to feel with our feet as we walk a skill I am still learning. Our feet become our hands. Concrete turns to tarmac turns to pavestone’s that then finds gravel, grass and so on. Different textures give us clues where we are and where we are to go.

 

We listen and try to take in different smells to learn where we are. Passing perfume shops, food stores, our local grocery shop always smells of soap powder. Restaurants, coffee shops and so on. Different sounds we listen for. hairdressers with their hair dryers, vets with hopefully a barking dog as we pass the window and shopping trolleys as we walk towards our grocery store. Sounds like extractor fans and even around here there is an electric power box that makes a sound like a small generator. I hear the geese on our lake in the park and if we are really close, ducks landing on the water.

 

I have even learned the sounds of my neighbour’s cars. Different cars, different engines.

 

Now I just need to learn Braille. Gosh I wish I could get my brain there. So many people say there is no need for Braille these days, normally those people are with some sight. I can tell you Braille is so important.

1, a Braille watch is less intrusive. Sometimes in that boring lecture, meeting or visit with a friend/relative, you want to check out the time without having to let the whole room know what you are doing. If your watch isn’t voice active, then it helps.

 

2, to be able to read to your child at bedtime is a gift I never had sadly.

 

3, to be able to receive your bills in a format you can understand!

 

4, to know who your Christmas/birthday card is from if your friends/family send you one in Braille

 

5, at the workplace it’s good to be able to check notes during say, a conference/meeting, again not wanting to have a voice speaking to the rest of your colleagues!

 

6, to mark medication.

 

7, to be able to keep your paperwork in order in a labelled file. And of course, where we started earlier, to be able to play board games with the rest of your family.

 

  Can you imagine if people who ar blind say to sighted people? No need to be able to learn to read or write, as you can talk into your phones and even use voice activation on your lap tops? It wouldn’t happen, so, why should people who can’t see be told they shouldn’t read or write? And again, back to where I started, how people just presume that we automatically can read Braille, it amuses me as if when our sight goes, that old myth our hearing improves, so, our vision goes so we develop the skill of overnight knowing Braille?

 

If people who are with sight knew the hard work that is put into us using our cane, the training, the confidence building that goes on before we head out on our own in that big bad world, again, it’s not an overnight thing. This is something that is thought about sometimes for years. For me personally it took two years.  But my decision to get a guide dog took only a year. Both decisions were for someone else as if it was just for me, then I would be that person still sitting in my house waiting for someone to take me out. That is such a very sad situation where I still find myself in to some degree although we may have a white cane, at the end of the day, it’s a stick. It’s not a magical broom that will whisk you away to wherever you want to go. It won’t guide you; you have to guide the cane.

 

We may have a guide dog, again, 18 months of training for your new dog and five weeks training for us with the dog. Then a year of getting that partnership built up with you and your guide dog.

 

Back to before, if you know of any board games that can be played by someone who is blind with another blind person and one can’t read Braille, then please let me know?

 

Have a lovely weekend. X

 

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Hello Bloggets. A busy week. Not working this week just playing.  End of last week, I went to a huge Christmas craft fair with my friends. It was packed. We did the coffee break as one of the ladies Ann has to take a flask and give everyone their very own cup. Mine has palm trees on it. She makes me laugh as she always says the same thing. “Everyone out of four of us has their own cups so if we want another cup, we know whose cup is who’s.””

The funny thing is, there’s never enough coffee left to have another cup. Hahaha. Her heart is big though. I do feel so sorry for her. I think she may get used, though she does have a huge bite if she gets a hold of something. But it’s getting her to get a hold of the right things/people?

 

I bought some beautiful glass Christmas tree ornaments. They are so delicate.

I got some amazing candles. One smells like lemongrass the other is blueberry and vanilla and the third is my favourite, it’s one I bought last year. Gingerbread.

 

It was three stories of Christmas gifts and food. And the top floor is a restaurant. There were thousands of people there. After three hours of shopping, I was exhausted. Oh, it was embarrassing. There was a leather belt stall. I asked the man if he had a belt with a nice buckle. It was for Hub for Christmas. He replied, all our buckles are nice…. Silly man. I asked if he could show me? He said yes. Well, as he handed me a belt, he knocked his whole rack over. Hahahaha. I shouldn’t laugh, but 1, he should be able to hand a belt to someone without knocking his stock over. And 2, he shouldn’t have been cocky about his belt buckles, especially because they were the most boring buckles ever and as for the belts? Oh my, plain and simple. Well I handed him his belt back bending down to him on the ground as the poor man grabbed all of his belts. Normally I would have felt so bad, but I just thought he was arrogant.

 

Oh, there was a lovely man selling some stunning carved driftwood houses. They were fisherman cottages with a small boat and the detail was amazing. But they were tiny. And so expensive.

 Thursday night we went to the pub with our friends and on Saturday out again to watch some live music and have a delicious meal, again with friends. On Sunday, we went with my dear girl Friday to a huge Christmas market. Firstly, though she needed to swap an item of clothing at a shop. When she was otherwise occupied, she left me at the ladies clothing racks. Well I managed to find myself a beautiful warm long winter jumper. It’s so pretty but the best bit is, it’s thick and it was so reasonably priced.

 

The market had a ladies singing group, singing Christmas songs. They were lovely. The smells were stunning. Cinnamon, cloves, oranges and more. My girl Friday was great at describing things to me. She is sweet and we met friends there too. So, a perfect day in fact a full crafty week.

 

Hub and I had a lovely day and spent the evening with our Son and Shamrock.

And now back to normality, a dreadful meeting today and tomorrow. Our plumber on Wednesday and first day out again for fun on Thursday, though not sure where yet. And a quiet three weekends for the next few weeks ahead, no plans. I think we will be wrapping parcels for Christmas.   This is the first year ever I won’t be going crazy over Christmas. Normally the outside of my house is like those American movies we all love. I have everything outside in my front garden. As for my house? It’s like a winter wonderland. But this year is different. There has been so many losses for our little family this year and I’m so not feeling it! Who knows maybe I will change my mind, if you read back at my previous Christmas’s, you will see how I loved our decorating lighting up the street? Our neighbours used to laugh as we can’t see but we had the most lights and decs.

   

I will light a candle for all we have loved and for all those who have gone from our earth life and I think that will be the only light we have on this year. Again, let’s see.

 

December will be full of elections in the UK. God help us.

 

In our news 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 in the UK are at risk of malnutrition. Older people need to take in more calories. Protein is essential!

 

Climate change now. people are being encouraged not to fly abroad for a year. To help our environment. Do you think we are capable to do that? Did you hear about Sweden? They are said to have the best recycling system, so good they have ran out of rubbish. This is brilliant, A lovely proud country to be a part of, though not many people and very wealthy too, so, if any one can do it, they can?

 

That is one of the countries I would love to visit. In the future, far future.

 

Canada has lost 3 billion birds since 1970. Gosh this is really bad.

 

Our Prince Andrew is in deep trouble. Over the weekend, he dug himself in a bigger hole than what he was already in.

 

Hong Kong, gosh what will happen there? It’s like a horror movie watching our news.

 

Today is the birthday of a couple of Bloggets Allen and Honorato and it would have been Sylvia Plath’s 87^th birthday too.

Silvia Plath

She was a poet and novelist.  

 died when she was only 30. She was American but came to England to live and it is there where she is now buried. Sadly, she ended her own life. After so many, too many years of deep depression

 

I studied her when I was taking my English exam and though she didn’t write my style of poetry, I adored her work, those who know me, will understand why I like Plath’s poetry, its dark and deep. My kind of poem, just not style.

Well wherever you are Sylvia, I hope you are now happy.

Eating the nicest birthday cake and making wishes and dreams come true.

 

If it’s your birthday today, happy birthday to you too!

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

REVELATION 16 16 BY FIONA CUMMINGS

Good evening Bloggets. It’s heading towards the pumpkin hour here in little England. The news and friends have told me of the absolutely tragic nightmare our fellow people, are having not too far from where I live.

 

A question I shall ask you to ponder over. Are we facing Armageddon? The battle of the forces, the seasons? The devil and the deep blue sea and God and the Universe.

 

More floods in the north of England. When I was a child leading to adulthood, I never heard of floods other than the bible. As I got older, there was the odd one. Now, it’s more than once a year somewhere in our country, people are facing what I can only describe as a very depressing lifechanging time.

 

Can you imagine you go to bed then learn your house has four feet of water in it? Your home is now dangerous. Many reasons of course water contamination but also electrics. All of your furniture is damaged. Your cupboards in your kitchen are all full of water. No cooker. No fridge or freezer, washing machine and you are afraid to turn on a light in fear of getting electrocuted.  You have no heating. You are told for your life sake you must move out now.

 

If you are blind or disabled, how would you manage? Hub and I often worry about this. People with pets, who will take people, and their pets?

 

People not only have lost their houses and what is in them, all memories, but their business’s. now, insurance? Well if you live in an area that has a so called flood zone title, so, it has flooded before, you can’t get insurance. So, now what, you may have money in your bank, but is it enough?

 

 What if it happens again? So, that is if you are fortunate to be able to move back into your house once it dries out, but more people can’t move back in for not only a week, a month but over a year. So, what do you do in the meanwhile?

 

 This used to happen in third world countries, right? Not now. and then in parts of Africa, they haven’t seen rain in three years. Elephants are dying because of lack of water, and we have enough to deal with their sad awful situation. Global warming? Yes, for my American friend Randy, who is also a Blogget, it’s not just nature, this is happening because of mans greed. It will get worse. And it won’t stop in other countries. There are fires floods and storms so many more than ever before. Our world has been here for a very long time and this has not been seen before and if you live in a country where you have not seen such disasters, you are so lucky, but it’s coming unless we do something now before it really is, too late.

 

I was talking with my lovely Husband last night about humans. Saying how greedy we really are. How we are not happy with our own world, but we have to thieve from other planets. I mean, we are bringing water from planets and rocks too. We are not happy wit taking from our countryside, killing animals, our forests and jungles, but our skies and seas as well as our rivers. We dig underground. What is wrong with humans? We are the poison of life. thievery, thugs who pilfer for no other reason than greed. Do we really need gold? As for Coral, it’s dangerously low in Australia. We are removing more than is growing and in Australia they are coal mining which isn’t what we need in this day in age. People in our neighbourhood have more than one car per household. There is one family I know, a family of four, there are four cars for that one house. I was coming back home last week with a friend the traffic was so bad, I asked her how many people were in each car. She replied one in most of them. It was bumper to bumper. And America, do you really need enormous cars? Your gas is not expensive so I guess driving is easy for you, but your gas is suffocating our beautiful planet. Lights in our shops at night when the shops are closed, really? And, do we really need heating on in our shopping centres?  What is wrong with putting on a coat.

 

If we could reach up to the stars and pull them back to earth, we would. If we could chop away at the moon and bring it back to earth we would. No moon, no world. Why put such a high price on our moon? Our earth is so precious. We are so lucky as humans. But we take life for granted. Do you really need that light on? Can’t you turn your heating down a little? Do you need you’re a.C on so high? Are you able to pop to your shop by foot? Do you really need to take your car?

 

We are building more and more houses and shops stealing from the Greenland. Removing grass, trees. Making floods easier to rob our hard earned lifestyle. We are removing grass from our gardens and putting in place concrete and slate/gravel. There is nowhere for the rain to go to. No soil is left.

 

A lot of people are eating less and less meat. This is great for so many reasons, but also so much better for our environment.

 

Can our children save our earth? Or, will it be our children who go to the next planet and start all over again with brutal battles living in fear and once again realising that we have not learned any lessons in this world, this life. and what could our world have been like if not for greed. If not for evil. Deprivation is a word that I believe must be in our genetics. But every now and then, I come across an angel. A good kind person. Just like I did yesterday. So, why can’t we have this beautiful world for those people and all the people who have no respect for what we have been gifted, let them go off to Mars or somewhere!

 

© Fiona Cummings