Little pieces of love

This week has been a week of gifts.

Either receiving them or giving them. I came back to my desk just now and found a box of jelly beans with a thank you note attached. So lovely and I am partial to jelly beans as well. Unexpected and very thoughtful.

Also last week in a charity shop I came across a travel journal (a fancy Moleskine too) that I knew would have a good home for the right person. Today I handed it over to that friend with lots of little inscriptions in pertinent place to make them laugh. It did.
It gave me such pleasure.

He also reminded me a time I had gifted a 1000 piece jigsaw to a team I was leaving. I gave the empty box to the person I thought would keep the team together, the frame pieces to the person who would structure the team and keep them on track, the inside pieces to the person who would provide content and energy and the blue pieces of sky I gave to the dreamer, the big thinker, the person who saw endless opportunities in the world. It had been an inspired gift and if I am honest, one that was made up last minute on the spot, when I was looking for a way to honour that fabulous team.

So what gifts have you been giving?
Is there someone out there you want to say Hi to?

Little presents are never misplaced or wrong. Granted, some gifts are better than others, but the intent is always clear. A gift says “Here is something that symbolizes that I was thinking about you and wanted to honour our relationship” a gift is nothing other than a piece of love.

So who are you going to gift to this weekend?

Timeform squiggle

Every heard of a timeform squiggle? Well I hadn't til this morning.

And now I know what it is, I love it and have every intention of using all the time.

The expression comes from horse racing. It means that something happened in the horse race, that is not easily explainable. That something happened that was a little odd and out of pattern.

Something worthy of note.

Here is the official explanation,

Either way when you look at the track record data of a horse if you see the following symbol

Namely a timeform squiggle, you have little pause for thought.

There is no evidence to suggest anything untoward is occurring or that a trend is emerging, it's just a little mark on the card. A point of note. Something to put at the back of your mind, for now.

And it's true in life we see behaviours all the time from people that are a little odd and a bit left of center. Most likely it is nothing, and you offer the benefit of the doubt, but somehow it is worthy of note.

And that is a timeform squiggle.

Have you been handing out timeform squiggles on people around you.

I know I have. And I bet I have a few on me too.

Happy horse racing Friday everyone.

Claim every year

There is something about getting older that I love, being over 40 rocks. In fact I cant wait to know what if feels like being 50. And 60 is the new 40!

However the years seem to blur into each other. I don't find myself thinking, wow my 42nd year was amazing or when I was 41 I did something remarkable.
The years seem to fly by and are boundary less.

This saddens me and I am left thinking that I need to claim each year.

So what will being 43 bring. What will make this year memorable or remarkable?

How am I going to claim every year?

Anybody got any techniques and tactics to share?

Vegetables everywhere

Lent is a time of giving up something.

Whilst my reasons are less religious, I do find abstinence of something you value, a mental challenge.

I have decided to give up meat between now and Easter. I have encouraged the family, but not o much enthusiasm, although they agreed to join in and eat much less meat. I will take that!

The hardest thing is to break habits, it is not actually giving up the meat that I struggle with most. It's not taking pea soup, as it has bacon bits in, it's looking at the menu in a restaurant differently. 

And it is planning and shopping differently that will be the success. Being vegetarian doesn't just happen. Leaving meat out of a diet will not be sustainable.

So yesterday I took out my cook books and planned 5 recipes for the week.

Vegetable tagine and couscous

Vegetable curry and rice

Sweet corn risotto

Vegetable hotspot

Falafel

(Back up Apple and Pomegrante Guacomole and Babanganoush spread with yummy bread)

And that is just for 5 days!!!!! I want to avoid just making easy stuff like pasta, I want to create new flavours and dishes to add to our food repertoire. I want to enjoy the time and not just pine for a nice steak.

So I made a start and went shopping to ensure we had all the many many vegetables required to make these dishes. Couldn't find good avocados or parsnips though. Oh well will try another shop on Monday, can't be that difficult.

So have you chosen to give up anything?

How did you chose it?

It's not too late, to join in the challenge......

Do let me know.

Wot no hair posts

I have not blogged recently much about hair or lack of it. It therefore seems fraudulent of me to use the title Bold, Bald and Beautiful. Where are all the alopecia stories???

Is it that they are not there anymore?

Have I exhausted the topic?

Well to be honest I am not sure.

I think its because everything else has taken over. We have had a rocky start to the new year. Three events that have knocked the wind out of our sails and that on top of quite a significant work agenda. So as much as I have hair thoughts and alopecia moments, they have not found their outing. They seemed to have just stayed a passing thought and have gotten railroaded by something more urgent or significant.

So hang in there, those of you who like the insights into the life a wig boding baldy, I will be back soon.

Til then happy Sunday.

Good Vandalism

Whilst vandalism is generally frowned upon and seen as bad, I did have to grin when I saw this recently.

I take the same route to work every day. There is always one particular spot where the traffic lights seem to always be red, where I have to stop for a little while. A smart marketing executive had worked this out as right there, there is always a big billboard advertised some high end product. My guess is that this spot drives a lot of business and interest.

Earlier this week whilst stopping, I saw the below poster.

I was so shocked, I actually chose to miss the green light sequence, so I could find my camera (lets be clear, I mean my phone) and take the below photo.




Even if you don't read German, the image tells it all. The white sheep is kicking the black sheep out of its country. The text is suggesting that by kicking out the black sheep, Switzerland will be safer with less criminals.

I am not a political animal, but I did take offensive to this poster.

The day after however, at the same stop, I saw the poster slightly amended. See below.




I approved wholeheartedly. The colouring-in of the one sheep and the addition of a few small words, made this campaign a whole lot more appealing.

Well done to this brave vandal.

I hope the poster stays up a little while longer now and the message spreads.