2009

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As many other people have been doing recently, I've been mentally reviewing the past year. The early part of it wasn't very good for me as I was unwell and it took me sometime to get back on my feet again. After that things looked up. We managed to bring a long-running project to a successful conclusion in that my Significant Other and I sold the house that we'd been renting out for a number of years with the help of a very efficient estate agent. Learned about twitter this year and started to do my own blog, initially once a day and then less frequently about every alternate day. My son managed to get through his first year of university whilst also working in a part-time job and having to move flats earlier in the year. Was disappointed that I didn't do more creative writing which was a goal I had set myself earlier in the year but did manage to do most of the concerts at the end of the year. I wonder what opportunities 2010 will bring.

Caulrophobia

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What, I can hear you ask is caulrophobia. Apparently it is the fear of clowns that is more common than I thought and is often sparked off by a traumatic event in childhood, possibly at a circus. For myself, I have just never found clowns particularly funny. Their slapstick humour is too often predictable and even unkind to one of their number. Also I wonder what is behind the carefully constructed mask, which is just too cheerful to be true and sometimes can even seem slightly sinister. Although I wouldn't actually go and shoot a clown like Seeley Booth did in an episode of Bones, neither do I feel comfortable around them.

Christmas

Image by caruba via Flickr

So another Christmas is over. For our family, I think that it was the best one we've had for some time. Our son visited us and we had fun, played games and ate and drank too much. We were also lucky with the weather and managed an informal game of football on Christmas Eve. Today is also beautifully mild and sunny. I hope that it lasts.

Blog Images

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For a week now I've had problems loading images from a program onto my blog and in the meantime, I've had to rely on my own photographic abilities for images. I contacted the people concerned about the problem and now today, the images are loading again. I should like to thank all those concerned with sorting out the problem. Thank you Zemanta for your time and trouble.

Last Christmas Concert for 2009

Last night I sang in the last Christmas Concert for 2009. The concert was fairly well attended by a small but appreciative audience and was followed by refreshments and hot drinks. We were lucky in the weather too, that it was dry if a bit cold.

December Snow

Throughout much of the UK there has been a lot of snow in the past 48 hours. Down here in Cornwall it's been fairly clear. We did have a flurry of snow last night which settled for a while but has now been cleared away by the rain. My son in Plymouth had much more snow and it was quite icy there.

Deer

OK, so reindeer they're not but they look happy and inquisitive and are probably much happier at the prospect of not having to pull a heavy sleigh full of presents. This was a photo I took when I was in Ireland where the deer are semi-wild.

Chess

My father tried to teach me chess when I was a child but I had neither the patience nor stamina to become any good at it. I have seen many chess sets of various designs before, but the first time I saw a giant chess set was when I went to Millstreet Country Park in Ireland, last year. There was beautiful countryside there as well. It was part of a concert tour we were doing in Ireland in the spring.

Birds of Prey

I love birds of prey. There is something magnificent about watching them soar high in the air searching for food and calling to their mates. In Cornwall our most common bird of prey is the Buzzard and we often have them nesting nearby to where we live. You can hear them calling during the winter months and see them flying with their newly fledged young in the early summer.

Sunny Days

Sometimes, in winter, when the weather seems gloomy, cold and when the days are drawing in, I have a yearning for sushine and warmth. So here I've included a picture of sea and sunshine to keep us all going!

Isles of Scilly

A few years ago I visited the Abbey Gardens on Tresco on the Isles of Scilly (off the coast of Cornwall, UK). We were blessed with the weather which was warm and sunny. The gardens were quite beautiful and the birds there very tame and would come right over to receive food. The whole day was a lovely experience and I hope that in the future I can return to the Scillies and visit Tresco again.

Christmas Concert

Last night I sang my first Christmas Concert of the season. This time of year tends to get a bit frantic as every choir has at least one concert. Down here in Cornwall there are a lot of choirs, mainly male voice, but also quite a lot of mixed choirs. I sing with three choirs so as you can imagine the next couple of weeks are going to be quite busy. We were lucky with the weather which was dry and bright and we had an appreciative audience. Along with the Christmas lights, I do enjoy singing carols, some of which are really quite beautiful.

Mind Reading

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Have just read an extract from a report that claims that, with the aid of brain scanning and software equipment, it is now possible for scientists to obtain images of peoples' thoughts with a good degree of accuracy. Although this is fascinating, I have to admit to some concerns as to what use this technology might be put if privacy and legal safeguards are not employed

Pets

There has been recent research of how therapeutic pets are in families. They are now thought to benefit both young and old by their interaction. For some of us this is no surprise. There is something very special about the human-animal relationship which, I think, benefits both sides of the partnership. I'm sure my cat would agree!

Retail Therapy

Image by maistora via Flickr

Today, for the first time for months I indulged in a spot of retail therapy. For once I was pleasantly surprised as I managed to purchase all the items I wanted with a minimum amount of fuss. I feel it's necessary to do something to cheer yourself up when the weather is this depressing. As you can guess we have the usual wind and rain back after a slightly drier morning.