Files and Records

Category: Reasons to be Cheerful

  • Reasons to be Cheerful – The Holiday Edition

    The school holidays are upon us again here in Scotland (well, here in Shetland, at least.  Other areas of Scotland will probably vary) and that means one thing.  Mass exodus from the islands by boat.  So my number 1 reason to be cheerful this week is this:

    I have a cabin on the boat tonight!

    Yep, no uncomfortable airline seat for me, no making a nest out of bags and trying to defend an area of the bar seating.  Nope.  Me and the kids are in a cabin, watching movies and telling stories to get ourselves to sleep.

    My dad is taking time off work!!!

    That one deserves the triple exclamation mark.  Dad is actually taking time off work (he’s self-employed, and as any self-employed person knows you’re working for the toughest boss you’ll ever meet) to spend time with his grandchildren (and me) – I actually cannot remember the last time he did this when we’ve been to visit.  He’s booked some fantastic things for us to do this week, which we’ll be doing come rain or shine, like The Forbidden Corner.

    The Harrogate Comedy Festival

    If a comedy festival isn’t a reason to be cheerful, I don’t know what is.  I’ve got tickets to see Tony Hawks and I’m taking my mum.  So Tony, if you’re reading this, could you say Hi to Beryl!

    No work for a week!!!

    Aaaaaaaaand relax.  No worrying about whether SharePoint is up or down, no “could you get me another toner cartridge for my over-used printer?”  Google usage on the islands will have dropped dramatically and I apologise to anyone relying on income from EasySearch.org.uk (1/2p per search to the charity of your choice) as I’ve been using that almost exclusively of late.

    There are downsides – me and 5 kids on the train tomorrow for 5 hours is going to be interesting, the usual family politics, the weather tonight and tomorrow morning could make things interesting…  And blogging opportunities are going to be reduced, so if it seems quiet here that’s why.

    Now.  What’re your reasons to be cheerful this week?  Follow the linky and find some more!

  • Reasons to be Cheerful (#r2bc)

    Shit Creek Paddle Stores.  We’re all saved!

    Finally getting summer! And on my day off, as well.

    Watching my middle 2 sons at swimming. The confidence they’ve got in the water is leagues ahead of where I was at their age.

    Elderflower wine. Racking on today, smelling fantastic already.

    Stephen Fry. The world would be quite a lot less interesting without him. Actually, following on from the “Celebrities I’d like a beer with” post, getting him and Bill Bryson together in the Stonehouse pub for a long afternoon would be pretty amazing.

    Now for more reasons to be cheerful, have a look here

  • Reasons to be Cheerful

    A good week to be thinking of reasons to be cheerful.  My aunt passed away earlier this week, though I’d not seen her since my Grandma’s funeral several years ago.  Not many occasions for Wales and Shetland to meet, unfortunately.

    Anyway…  This week’s reasons:

    My youngest has started walking more than crawling or bum shuffling.  And he’s got a very cheeky grin about him while he does it.  It’s a joy to behold!

    This sound: Blup!  Specifically, this sound when it’s coming from the airlock on the demijohn of rosehip wine that’s busy fermenting in the kitchen.  Okay, so we’re playing the long game and it’s not going to be ready for drinking for another year, but it’s a magical sound that’s full of promise.

    Planning for November.  November’s an interesting month.  National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo as it’s usually shortened).  This year I hope to go in with a plan and repeat my success at completing the 50,000 words in 1 month.  Sad to say that since last November I’ve hardly even looked at the manuscript.

    Christmas!  It’s coming! We’re ready for it. Transport and accommodation booked, home-made Christmas presents underway.  Granted, we’re probably spending more on everyone by doing this than if we bought something from Amazon or Boots online, but it’s definitely more fun.

    And finally – a shameless plug for my Recipe Shed entry this week – the Jerk Pork is marinating in the fridge right now.  That’s going to be gorgeous tomorrow night.

    And that’s it for this week.  See you in 7!  More reasons to be cheerful right here.