HOW LUCKY AM I TO LIVE ….

So near to and surrounded by areas like this!! My trusty little camera caught this view yesterday afternoon whilst walking my dogs. Isn’t life just absolutely glorious!!!

Well, I’ve finished getting the car ready for the show tomorrow – started yesterday and done the finishing touches today. Hey, believe me this car showing malarkey is damned hard work. Yesterday morning and afternoon was spent cleaning – yes cleaning – under the bonnet so must take a pic to show you what a clean engine I have got! It’s amazing how much muck, dust and grime gets into the unlikeliest places. Microfiber cloths, Armour Guard cleaner, cotton buds you wouldn’t believe how pampered this car is! And all because we like showing at shows. Most definitely stops you craving that cigarette though I must admit. Himself doesn’t even dare light up nearby cos he knows he would get lambasted if some ash went on to what I’ve cleaned. When you think about it cigarette ash does get absolutely everywhere and the smell is not nice at all. Today, I have used the vac to get all the bits off the carpets and car mats and I’ve even used the leather cleaner liquid on all the seats both back and front and the rear ones as well as. Definitely deserve a medal as no-one cleans like a woman can. Alloy wheels buffed up so that they shine and tyres ‘blacked’ to make the shine of the alloys seem even shinier if that’s possible. So you know that tomorrow will be a day of rest for you all as I, himself and the car (who is actually called Rupert should you wish to know that fact) will be, hopefully that is if the forecast is correct, sunning ourselves and be on display at thee event of the day – a car show. Hopefully, we will get some admirers and meet lots of people who are just as much into Ford and other classic cars as we are and you never know, we may even win a prize. Apparently, the prizes will be given out by someone who is in Emmerdale but as we never watch it, we haven’t a clue who she is but never mind we go to enjoy ourselves and that’s all that matters. Picnic in the park for lunch and no doubt some of the usual crowd will be there so we will be able to catch up with people we haven’t seen since October last year when they had the last show of the showing season.

Today is marked in my diary as day 7 or one week both sound good to my ears so not too bothered which it is to be honest. Unfortunately, due to my stupidity as you all know, I have actually been here before but no matter – definitely not looking back any more the complete opposite applies in that I now just look forward. Mind you, not looking forward too much as I have most definitely found this last week easier by taking it on a minute by minute basis and it’s amazing how quickly those minutes go especially if I’m writing a blog they just seem to fly by. Feeling a bit nervous about tomorrow in that although I went to a meet early on in my first ‘trial run’ know that tomorrow will be that bit different in that there won’t be as many cars (well fairly certain on that as there were at least 600+ at the meet) so not as much to look at but hopefully I am going prepared armed with a new book (bought on the food shop yesterday morning) and am also taking some knitting so with luck, everything will be OK – fingers and toes crossed – please let it be OK. It will be OK as I am thinking positively from now on. If I get stressed then someone had better help the first person who puts a mucky finger on the polished paintwork!!!???!!!

Looking back to my blog of yesterday – sorry but there you go – boredom is definitely a problem when you quit. Until you quit you don’t realise how much of your time you actually spent smoking until you don’t actually smoke and you have to find something to do to ‘bridge’ the gap in your day-to-day routine. Breaking up is hard to do but quitting smoking is a bl***y nightmare!

It always amazes me what thoughts or phrases spring to mind when we are thinking or writing something that bares no relationship whatsoever to what literally ‘pops’ into our minds. I’ve done rather a lot of blogs but one I did attracted a comment that said (verbatim) “We all, at times, forget to embrace the stunning beauty that surrounds us. Thanks for the reminder xx” When I original read this there was something in the back of my mind that just wouldn’t come forward but what I could recall was something about standing and staring and now, for someone unbeknown reason, I remember that it is from a poem and with the power of the internet, please read the poem in question, as I have copied it below and feel that it is so very, very true of life and extremely thought provoking. Wish I could explain why it is now that it has surfaced in my mind again but I will put that down to one of life’s mysteries. The poem is by William Henry Davies and is called ‘LEISURE’. Just for information, this gentleman was only 63 when he died in 1940.

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Now my interpretation of this is – do not rush anything, especially life as you do not then have the time to appreciate anything and so I will not and must not wish my life away whilst quitting smoking. Taking it one day at a time means that I can treasure everything about each and every day. Do not waste your life by wishing it to pass so quickly that you cannot appreciate life itself. We only have one life and we should and must therefore live it to the best of our abaility. Before I go any further, please I must stress that this is my own personal opinion and I do appreciate that others may disagree as is their right and if we all agreed on everything life would be exceedingly boring wouldn’t it?

It does make one stop and think though – well it does me at least because we all tend to take things for granted. For instance, I am a smoker who is in the process of quitting but prior to that I always thought that cancer was something that happened to other people wouldn’t/couldn’t happen to me, could it? Life has a way sometimes of giving you a very hard bang when you least expect it and I am just grateful that at the moment I may be able, by quitting smoking, to put off that bang hitting me in the future by a lot of years. Hope that makes sense to people and that I haven’t offended anyone as that is/was definitely not my intention.

I really hope that the weather will be as good as they say tomorrow especially after all the work that we’ve put in on the car. Mind you, we may be disappointed but to the organisers it must be disastrous if the weather isn’t good as in the main, the shows we go to are organised for a specific charity and usually one local to the area where the show is. Last year there were so many cancelled shows and a lot of them couldn’t be re-arranged so I would think that local hospices and the like were quite badly hit but hopefully, the weather have to be right some time and tomorrow just feels like it could be a good day and we’ll raise lots!

Have at long last finished the car – even down to ‘blacking’ the tyres. God how I love that man – must do or I wouldn’t do that for anyone else. Tyres, I ask you that really is the limit. Next you thing you know he won’t want to take it out in case it gets dirty! Oh well, keeps me occupied just wish I could build up some enthusiasm for doing housework or ironing – my ironing pile is getting higher and higher and clean and ironed clothes in the wardrobe are getting lower and lower.

Don’t know if this will work but thought you might like to see a pic of a clean engine!! Even if I say it myself it looks very good, don’t you think!!!!!!

Well folks think I better close now as I am really, really going to have to get myself motivated and do something in the house – well, maybe tomorrow. Oops! Forgot! Car show so not tomorrow either.

Have a lovely bank holiday everyone – stress and smoke free – probably won’t get on until tomorrow night if I’m very lucky. Enjoy the day – last bank holiday until the end of the month!

Bye for now and luv and hug for all.

Kath.