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Sound the Trumpets - A New Blog for the Older Brigade has Arrived!

Tis The Season of Goodwill!

The season of goodwill is upon us!  The shops online and in the High Streets are buzzing with Christmas fare.  There are 3 for 2 and 50% off, etc, enticing us to spend our hard-earned cash.  But I have become more savvy over the years.  I now make a list and stick to it with self-inflicted discipline to keep myself from going overboard.  I learned my lesson the hard way years ago, and now I am one step ahead of the crafty retailers’ advertising. Seriously, write a list. I do mine around the beginning of August (yes, as early as that).  And, bit by bit, I find out what the grandkids have their little hearts set on, except George, who is 7 and will chop and change from one week to the next and start putting money aside when I price things up.  The older grandkids all want money, so that is easy, and I begin to put money away for them from the beginning of the year; believe me, you don't notice it so much. Around October, I look at my Christmas decoration...

Weekends: Here Today, Gone in a Flash!


Is it just me, or do weekends vanish faster than a slice of cake in my house?

Friday rolled in, and off I trotted for a lovely stroll through the park, soaking in the thought: Ah yes, the weekend! Time for a dose of grandson giggles on Saturday. Bliss!

Saturday arrived, and hubby and I made our way to see the boys. Two of them were basically on another planet — locked in their rooms, chatting on mobiles and battling monsters (or footballers? dragons?) on something called a PlayStation. Whatever it is, it involves a lot of shouting and button-smashing.

Thankfully, our trusty companions Charlie and George still hang out with us (for now, before tech gets them too!).

But whoosh — Saturday zipped by like a squirrel on espresso.

Sunday, I told myself, would be slow and easy. Maybe a bit of lounging, a cuppa, some daydreaming...

Lies.

Sunday sped past like a Spitfire on turbo mode. One blink and it was lunch, another blink and tea time had ghosted me. Where did the day go?

As evening crept in, I had grand plans for a quiet night: maybe a good book or a brain-boosting date with my iPad — WordWipe, Word Wonders, and my personal favourite, Hurdle (mental gymnastics for the mind, if not the body — which also really needs a workout).

I turned to hubby and sighed, “That’s it. Another weekend, poof, gone!”

He gave me a solemn nod, eyes glued to the Portugal vs. Spain cup match, mid-bite into a chunk of my homemade coffee cake.

I closed the curtains, whispered a dramatic “farewell, weekend,” and curled up with my iPad — ready to wipe some words and wonder where all the time went.

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