Mishmash

#metoo This very public social gathering of similar experienced woman was not a pond I wanted to jump into. Primarily because I have made peace with myself and forgiven my perpetrator long ago. But when I sat listening to two young ladies unburden themselves and share with me how....in the last few years they too were preyed upon by ANIMALS taking advantage of them after they had too much to drink, I have decided to jump in. I also believe many of these assaults happen and are never spoken of, because these young girls should not have been drinking or even at wherever they were at. So you boys choose these young girls, knowing they will NEVER say anything as they are already guilty of lying to their parents. Their stories are not mine to share; BUT on this very public forum, I want to say to all who read this: It is NOT your fault if you have been taken advantage of after too many drinks! It is NOT your fault- when thinking you are with friends- you get raped! It is NOT your fa...

Well, my penny really dropped yesterday! After I spent about 3 hours on Saturday counting and sorting my penny's, only to be told at the bank- "1c, 2c and 5c pieces are NOT accepted currency" and I "must throw them away". I had to be certain that this was true and so after presenting the sorted coins, it was ascertained and "The penny dropped!" Besides being a hoarder, I love the English language and etymology- an origin of words and phrases in common use in the English language. That phrase "The penny has dropped" has its' roots in coin operated loos which the City of London built in 1855, charging one penny entrance. This price remained the same until 1971 and thus created a record for price stability. (Thanks Noel P Crighton, Why do we say that, Human and Rousseau 1997) How long have I had some of the coins I counted on Saturday?- Well, the oldest one was a penny 1891 and I got very excited at its' possible value. So after a bit...

Look what I discovered cleaning up my daughters Teddy Bear collection. Now some of those are 20 years old...... But this one is very special: How long have I had him? Over 45 years. I was given him in my first year and have cherished and held on to him, in the hope that he will bring a grandchild or 2 or 3 great joy too. Just a fun reminder......I am a hoarder of special things. And sitting here looking at him, I really wish he could speak.  Sshhhh.....am I hearing something....... "I was once your most loved plaything. You did not go anywhere without me. Falling asleep was an impossibility, unless your tiny, little fingers were gently rubbing my ears. I loved being a part of your magic toddler years. I loved being able to still your cries and bring comfort to your heart. I was part of you struggling and mastering the skill of walking. I certainly assisted you there. Many a tumble being broken by my soft body as you mastered the art of mobility on your feet instead ...

It would be remiss of me not to mention one of my passions and the reason I have been so quiet over the past 2 weeks. I coordinate the PE chapter of the Santa Shoebox Project and last weekend was the weekend during which our fantastic donors, bring their lovingly filled and beautifully wrapped presents in. For those who need a bit of a lesson on this charity- through applications to be recipients of these gifts, we (the committee) identify, visit and assess these very needy facilities. The process starts in April of every year. This is our 11th year, which culminates in a committee member personally handing your (the donors) INDIVIDUALLY named and labelled, box to the correct child. You, the donor, have selected a child's name, age, sex and clothing size and filled this gift with 8 essential items: toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, face cloth, sweets, toy, educational item and an item of clothing. Drop off weekend is a 2 day process during which (this year) 3000 boxes arrive to be ch...

I always find such joy in the absolute art of childs play. That very special time in our lives when we have the privilege of imprinting special moments in a young  mind. That time when I can allow myself to remember what it feels like to be 3 or 4 and attempt to make the childs interaction with me as pleasurable as possible. As a middle aged woman, with the rearing of a crying toddler, over 17 years behind me, I can now look upon these miraculous human beings, untouched by life's hardships, these tiny creatures that still cling to Mommy when things are scary, whom laugh uproariusly from just a funny noise, or tumbling building blocks, with absolute awe and wish I could do it all again. As an onlooker I have forgotten the sleepless nights and the endless rounds of eat, sleep, poop, etc. The simple joy of being a with a toddler has made an average day, extraordinary. Talking about blocks.... HOW LONG HAVE I HAD IT? Who remembers Jenga blocks. What fun my daughter, Erin and I used...

This beautiful lady bug pottery candlestick holder creation was done by my daughter, Erin, circa 2002/3 HOW LONG HAVE I HAD IT? Over 15 years. She remembers doing it, but not the exact date. I have been scurrying through my scrambled passageways of memory, but I too am coming up blank for an exact date. These special momentos are frightfully important to me (and her). Life has flown by way too quickly and before I knew it, my precious little baby had grown her own set of wings and is soaring over the hills and valleys of adulthood. Sometimes, not soaring, rather battling uphill to the summit of blissful existence. I could not have asked for a more level headed mini me. She definitely is NOT a mini me, but a beautiful young adult, living her life to the fullest. REDUCE  the moments that cause grief, with your loved ones,  RE-USE  those compliments that put smiles in their hearts and on their faces and RECYCLE  those memories so they are not faded or forgotten.

So I am still in spring cleaning mode....as you can see. The CD collection is a very sensitive point in my life. Most of these 300 odd CDs belonged to my late husband, Anthony. This year is the 15th Anniversary of the car accident, which prematurely  wrenched him from my life. He was only 31 years of age and in the prime of his life. We were planning on a child and looking forward to celebrating our first anniversary the very next day. I always say that he was my earthly angel, as he was born the day before Christmas and got taken, way too soon, the day before Easter. A breath away Is not far to where you are (Josh Grobans words).....! So HOW LONG HAVE I HAD IT? Some of his cds date back to 1981, but that would be cheating, as they were his before becoming mine 15 years ago. BUT amongst the bunch are a few of mine that got added to the collection when we merged our lives. The oldest one I have come across so far is: Springbok Nude Girls circa 1998 so 19 Years. It has taken me ...

Healthy body healthy mind..right? So, with the aim of trying to be more Mich than MISHMASH, I try and run at least 3 times per week. Now, I must share a little secret....I hibernate each winter. That is I pack running shoes away and retire them until the weather is more conducive. So for June, July and August I take a break.  Come September, I bravely brush the cobwebs off and mentally and physically start stretching the laid back muscles and get all those feel good hormones flowing again. The reason I share this, is it would not be possible without my trusty heavyweight: My Raleigh Treadmill HOW LONG HAVE I HAD IT?? 12 December 2008- so almost 9 years and I still have the invoice, manuals, oil and Alan key for it. All very important things for the maintenance and care of the item. It is still going strong, but this is also where care and maintenance come in. Things will not last if abused, ignored and not maintained.  And just as I maintain items, I try maintain my relatio...

1 week later, 5th post....looks like I could well be on the way to forming a new habit! 21 repeats sets an action into a habit. I am loving writing. Finding this a wonderful outlet for a bit of my creative energy. HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD IT? So every post you will find this headline as I post the answer and the reason for having the item. It may also include tips on how I managed or happened to have it for that periods. I grew tired of being a consumer, a while ago and during this process the importance of REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE became a very important catch phrase in my life. But it needed to be more important than a saying, it needed to be translated into action. Just like Blogging was a great idea....a wonderful thought.....something I was going to do, there comes a time when ACTION must be taken. Slowly over the years, I have made minor adjustments in everyday life, such as: REUSABLE CARRY BAGS FOR SHOPPING NO LONGER BUY WATER- REFILL SAME BOTTLE DAILY NO LONGER USE DISPOSABL...

Still doing my deep spring clean. I have piles of files and I am a little bit of a hoarder! I keep reasoning with hubby....and self......I really do struggle to throw away personal memories. There are things I pack away - "Just in case we need it one day!" If it is still good, keep it! And important documents get kept. HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD IT? TODAY going through household invoices and operating manuals I found the invoice and the slip for the Christmas/birthday present my late husband, Anthony, and I bought together. His birthday was the 24th December and the tax invoice is dates 23/12/2001. The LG frost free fridge freezer is still going strong 16 years later! What a very special memory. ( and a fantastic testament to the reliability of LG!)......and the absolute  reason why I DON'T THROW IMPORTANT THINGS AWAY!

So....only 3rd post and I am already struggling to remain motivated. It is not that I don't have anything to say......rather there is too much noise in my head and all the characters are trying to break free and they all want to streak across the page. So one of my very first lessons is DISCIPLINE. Discipline in taking that step and making these posts. And secondary to that is structure. Structure, not just in my life, but structure in my thoughts, which should result in an interesting read and plenty of them. So HOW LONG HAVE I HAD IT: This morning I have decided it is time to throw away my daughter, Erin's, first notebook circa 2010. Up until 3 years ago, when it finally packed up, it was in use everyday. But for the past 3 years it has been lying in the cupboard...its final resting place being put on hold for various reasons: 1. What do I do about the info still on there? 2. We may need the info still And 3. How do I safely retire this hardware safely? So over 1000 da...

So Monday new month October is here. Spring is still not really in the air and I am still snuggling up in my winter PJ's and slipping my sheep skin slippers on to walk around on the really ice cold tile floors. So NO, spring has not sprung in good ole SA, yet. Hubby and I are doing our annual spring clean. He is driving me nuts, walking around going "throw it away, throw it away!" To which I am responding "Yes, with you!" How long have you had it?  I must say him and I are in our 8th year of wedded bliss (If there is such a thing?) But of course there is! Marriage is not a commodity.  Neither is it a static object. This partnership is something that has to be worked on. And just like a home and garden needs constant caring and maintaining and this relationship even more so. So, as I am looking at this heap of paperwork, which needs to be destroyed, I am adding my frustration and upsets to the pile. I am letting go of any and all unhappiness and laying the new...

Hands up....all those that think about doing something and then never, ever get around to doing it? Yes, my arm is up to... the one not typing. Since blogging started, I have wanted to start one, but life always got in the way! There were and are better things to do with my time. There really still are, BUT I want to write. No, I also need to write. I need to keep my mind busy and what better way than a public diary? I love the written word. At one stage in my life, I was consuming an average of a 350 page novel per week. After work! I think my problem with a blog post is WHAT DO I WRITE ABOUT? My life is way too boring and hum drum for the general public to care about. My opinions ....well as my handle "MISHMASH" foretells...I am a bit scatter brained.  One minute I am running down the pathway of lamenting about being a late starter in the blogging posts and the next I am baiting up the hill and staring into the deep crevices of my scattered mind! It is very easy to blame o...