‘No thank you’ Is a most wonderful phrase. I too have used it to great effect.
Hoping your health improves soon. Long COVID perhaps? I follow another writer who has been living in a fog for two years now following a bout of COVID. A dreadful ailment. She, thankfully, has started to find ways around the dead ends in her brain. Sigh….
And love the blackbird. We have magpies and currawongs taking treats from our hands, and cockatoos and crows taking them from the fence. They really brighten up the day.
Sending heaps of hugs and best wishes dear Rebecca. Take care dear soul.
That's a very good suggestion, Beth - thank you so much. However, I'm one of the few remaining 'Covid virgins' (please excuse the expression!) of my acquaintance, so it's not that! A neurologist has deemed me 'unexplained' for now, and has passed me on to a colleague for a second opinion - but in the meantime all is well. Issues are fatigue and lopsidedness and a spot of muscle weakness - and I'm finding ways to deal with things!
Our blackbird is absolutely wonderful - his babies are growing up fast and are learning how to get along. A pecking order has been established!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting - please excuse me for such a delayed response! Sending heaps of hugs right back atcha! x
Awwww, that means a lot! Thanks, Prue! I'm hoping to have something to publish on Saturday - I've been dipping in and out of my writing. As for my activity here on the 'stack - well, I'm thrilled to have at last dived back into the platform yesterday - okay, so far I've only really caught up on notifications, and then not even all of them - but oh my golly goodness, what loveliness is here. xxx
Thank you for the new word game, Upwords. And I loved the way the little blackbird stacked up three meal worms at one time. I wonder how he lost his tail feathers and I wonder if he can fly straight without them? Regarding "No,thank you": said it with a sincerely friendly smile, and it is elegantly all you need.
" I am really struggling to concentrate on any one thing for more than a few minutes" - Ditto, Rebecca! I'm also with Bartleby and the woman who chose not to continue scribing. I like to add that when one says a simple "No thank you", one does not need to defend nor explain. Powerful! Love the video of your avian friend; I took a few screen shots with the hopes that it would be okay with you if I sketched him in action. 😄. All the best, RH, all the best. 🤗
I sketched him! Check out my post - there's a whole page of him in action. ❤️ The concentration thing IS complicated! I sense my part-time employment days are in their waning years. Someday it will be great to be responsible for, well, just me and my Jim.
I love that you have fun with deliberate misinterpretation, Rebecca. I do the same thing, and crack myself up. Words matter, and the order in which they appear also matter. Please also be on the lookout for punctuation errors (eg: Let's eat kids! vs. Let's eat, kids!) and report back. If you are ever so inclined, check out The Language Nerds online. Funny stuff.
Your story of the woman who just said, 'No, thank you' reminds me of the Mennonite man who has been a vendor at our farmers market for 25 years. Back when I used to be manager, I would have occasion to speak to him by phone to invite him to upcoming meetings. In declining, he never said, "I can't come." or anything similar. He'd say, "I don't believe I'll be able to attend." It always struck me as the most honest way to get out of a meeting for which you have no reason to not attend other than not wanting to attend. Especially coming from someone whose beliefs are paramount!
And not to toot any Elizabeth horns here, but because you might find my post from this week to be a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating time...here's a bit more fun.
Rebecca Holden, I’ve said more than once how uplifting I find your posts! Filled with wit, a fine sense of humor, and, at the risk of being unoriginal, joie de vivre. And not seeing you at Julie B. Hughes’ “Run To Write” meet up on Mondays resulted in a modicum of concern. I simply should have asked. Hearing the word “COVID” in the remarks of your followers jolted me to my senses, Rebecca! I’d like to think it was merely a typo. Until you disabuse me of that notion I prefer to wish you good health and contentment.
Oh Gary, you’re so kind - thank you! I’ve missed several of Julie’s Write Alongs - I was away last week, and then yesterday I’d forgotten to set an alarm to remind me!
All is well - I’m just lacking in energy. I’ll get to the bottom of it eventually - but in the meantime, I’m still here, just very quiet!
I’m grateful for your reply, Rebecca Holden. I, too, have missed Julie B. Hughes Monday “Run To Write” sessions. My absence is due to 76 yo physical problems, the product of an active, adventuresome lifestyle. Some might argue the mental aspect. Pay them no mind! I wish you good fortune getting to the bottom of what’s stealing your energy.
Hurrah for an active, adventuresome lifestyle, Gary! Tis still part of you - as mine is still part of me! In fact, I had a chat with a chap down in the village yesterday evening who’d just finished a run (he’s in training for a marathon) and we compared notes on our running ‘careers’. It only struck me when I’d gone that it was a bit of an odd conversation - a very fit older-than-me bloke talking about running with a 50-year-old former runner (me) using a walking stick! 🤣
Me again, Rebecca! Earlier today, 11-6-25, I shared a current post from Samantha Clark who has lived on Orkney for a while. PhD. in Creative Writing with an ongoing interest in art. In her case, painting. I learned of her through her book, THE CLEARING, which speaks to her childhood and growing up with two younger brothers in a general state of parental neglect. I was moved by her book, having lived with emotional neglect as well.
Her post today, under the title THE LIFEBOAT, was a deeper look than usual at the seeming breakdown of governments and societies. Her earlier paintings took their inspiration from the near violence of the North Sea in wintertime, wind howling through the cracks of a very rustic cottage sited proximate to the sea. A major part of her focus was on the light values (paltry in the dead of winter), the dispersal of water into the surrounding air and refracting the light.
Ha ha, Rebecca. I’m certain that my refraining from artist babble would help you maintain a clear mind. Here’s wishes for rest, and energy, to fill the mainsail!
Your sense of irony is finely honed! I remember an image of you, in a wax museum, standing beside the image of Jane Austin. Scrunching down as best you could to not feel like a giant. Or fit the camera view finder? Is it possible that straining and twisting re-aligned some vertebrae in a non-realigned configuration? I’m not saying this at your expense, Rebecca. I used to see a chiropractor here in Tallahassee, Florida, that was NUCCA certified. National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. No neck snapping. No back cracking. Just a lot of precision. My first adjustment made me think he was a charlatan! He stood beside my head, made what I would call a “Shake Your Booty” movement, then produced a protractor with a straight edge and placed both thumbs behind my right ear, exerting a minimal force. You might wonder if that was my last appointment. No, I can be quite stubborn.
He asked me to roll onto my back, picked up both legs, and let them drop to the padded table. He assessed evenness of my shoe soles. “Not even,” he announced. So, back on my stomach, followed by repetition of the first stage of adjustment. With minor variation in his thumb placement, he again exerted trivial pressure. Over on my back again, another leg drop, and he announced, “Even”. He kept me adjusted until he retired.
My son served in the US Airforce and was stationed at Joint Base Mildenhall for four years. His duty assignment was mechanical support for Special Ops C-130 aircraft, many times flying with officers on their missions.
During that duty assignment, Nathan began having sharp back pains along with his lower legs. He asked if I had any thoughts and I suggested finding a NUCCA chiropractor. He found one, a woman who lived and worked in London, and charged $350 per session. His military benefits provided no coverage for that care. I was perhaps hoping against hope you could seek that type of care. BTW, that cost was from 13 years ago. 😱 Rooibos Tea I’ve brewed as a tonic, to good effect. No unpleasant taste, but honey can help! All the best to you, Rebecca.
Upwords! I still have the physical version of this in a cupboard somewhere - like Scrabble only even better 😁 How excellent to know there’s an online version too. Maybe I’ll challenge the 11 year old to take me on. Really sorry to hear about your health worries and even more that they haven’t got to the bottom of the cause yet. Sending healthful and optimistic vibes across the Sussex ether xx
‘No thank you’ Is a most wonderful phrase. I too have used it to great effect.
Hoping your health improves soon. Long COVID perhaps? I follow another writer who has been living in a fog for two years now following a bout of COVID. A dreadful ailment. She, thankfully, has started to find ways around the dead ends in her brain. Sigh….
And love the blackbird. We have magpies and currawongs taking treats from our hands, and cockatoos and crows taking them from the fence. They really brighten up the day.
Sending heaps of hugs and best wishes dear Rebecca. Take care dear soul.
That's a very good suggestion, Beth - thank you so much. However, I'm one of the few remaining 'Covid virgins' (please excuse the expression!) of my acquaintance, so it's not that! A neurologist has deemed me 'unexplained' for now, and has passed me on to a colleague for a second opinion - but in the meantime all is well. Issues are fatigue and lopsidedness and a spot of muscle weakness - and I'm finding ways to deal with things!
Our blackbird is absolutely wonderful - his babies are growing up fast and are learning how to get along. A pecking order has been established!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting - please excuse me for such a delayed response! Sending heaps of hugs right back atcha! x
Thank you for a wonderful start to my day.
Oh, what a lovely thing to say! Thank you!
For someone who must take it easy just now, I think you are incredibly cerebally on form!
Keep resting and get sun and fresh air too. XXXX
Awwww, that means a lot! Thanks, Prue! I'm hoping to have something to publish on Saturday - I've been dipping in and out of my writing. As for my activity here on the 'stack - well, I'm thrilled to have at last dived back into the platform yesterday - okay, so far I've only really caught up on notifications, and then not even all of them - but oh my golly goodness, what loveliness is here. xxx
Thank you for the new word game, Upwords. And I loved the way the little blackbird stacked up three meal worms at one time. I wonder how he lost his tail feathers and I wonder if he can fly straight without them? Regarding "No,thank you": said it with a sincerely friendly smile, and it is elegantly all you need.
Upwords is BRILLIANT! I'd hoped you'd check it out - I know you, like me, love your word games! Sounds like you have! x
" I am really struggling to concentrate on any one thing for more than a few minutes" - Ditto, Rebecca! I'm also with Bartleby and the woman who chose not to continue scribing. I like to add that when one says a simple "No thank you", one does not need to defend nor explain. Powerful! Love the video of your avian friend; I took a few screen shots with the hopes that it would be okay with you if I sketched him in action. 😄. All the best, RH, all the best. 🤗
Awwwwww, how lovely that you might sketch him in action, Mary - that's wonderful!
I'm sorry that you too are struggling with concentration. It's complicated when things get, well, complicated! Sending so much love! x
I sketched him! Check out my post - there's a whole page of him in action. ❤️ The concentration thing IS complicated! I sense my part-time employment days are in their waning years. Someday it will be great to be responsible for, well, just me and my Jim.
I love that you have fun with deliberate misinterpretation, Rebecca. I do the same thing, and crack myself up. Words matter, and the order in which they appear also matter. Please also be on the lookout for punctuation errors (eg: Let's eat kids! vs. Let's eat, kids!) and report back. If you are ever so inclined, check out The Language Nerds online. Funny stuff.
Your story of the woman who just said, 'No, thank you' reminds me of the Mennonite man who has been a vendor at our farmers market for 25 years. Back when I used to be manager, I would have occasion to speak to him by phone to invite him to upcoming meetings. In declining, he never said, "I can't come." or anything similar. He'd say, "I don't believe I'll be able to attend." It always struck me as the most honest way to get out of a meeting for which you have no reason to not attend other than not wanting to attend. Especially coming from someone whose beliefs are paramount!
And not to toot any Elizabeth horns here, but because you might find my post from this week to be a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating time...here's a bit more fun.
Thinking of you, my friend. Hugs!
https://elizabethbeggins.substack.com/p/what-are-we-all-yelling-about
Rebecca Holden, I’ve said more than once how uplifting I find your posts! Filled with wit, a fine sense of humor, and, at the risk of being unoriginal, joie de vivre. And not seeing you at Julie B. Hughes’ “Run To Write” meet up on Mondays resulted in a modicum of concern. I simply should have asked. Hearing the word “COVID” in the remarks of your followers jolted me to my senses, Rebecca! I’d like to think it was merely a typo. Until you disabuse me of that notion I prefer to wish you good health and contentment.
Oh Gary, you’re so kind - thank you! I’ve missed several of Julie’s Write Alongs - I was away last week, and then yesterday I’d forgotten to set an alarm to remind me!
All is well - I’m just lacking in energy. I’ll get to the bottom of it eventually - but in the meantime, I’m still here, just very quiet!
I’m grateful for your reply, Rebecca Holden. I, too, have missed Julie B. Hughes Monday “Run To Write” sessions. My absence is due to 76 yo physical problems, the product of an active, adventuresome lifestyle. Some might argue the mental aspect. Pay them no mind! I wish you good fortune getting to the bottom of what’s stealing your energy.
Hurrah for an active, adventuresome lifestyle, Gary! Tis still part of you - as mine is still part of me! In fact, I had a chat with a chap down in the village yesterday evening who’d just finished a run (he’s in training for a marathon) and we compared notes on our running ‘careers’. It only struck me when I’d gone that it was a bit of an odd conversation - a very fit older-than-me bloke talking about running with a 50-year-old former runner (me) using a walking stick! 🤣
Me again, Rebecca! Earlier today, 11-6-25, I shared a current post from Samantha Clark who has lived on Orkney for a while. PhD. in Creative Writing with an ongoing interest in art. In her case, painting. I learned of her through her book, THE CLEARING, which speaks to her childhood and growing up with two younger brothers in a general state of parental neglect. I was moved by her book, having lived with emotional neglect as well.
Her post today, under the title THE LIFEBOAT, was a deeper look than usual at the seeming breakdown of governments and societies. Her earlier paintings took their inspiration from the near violence of the North Sea in wintertime, wind howling through the cracks of a very rustic cottage sited proximate to the sea. A major part of her focus was on the light values (paltry in the dead of winter), the dispersal of water into the surrounding air and refracting the light.
Ha ha, Rebecca. I’m certain that my refraining from artist babble would help you maintain a clear mind. Here’s wishes for rest, and energy, to fill the mainsail!
Your sense of irony is finely honed! I remember an image of you, in a wax museum, standing beside the image of Jane Austin. Scrunching down as best you could to not feel like a giant. Or fit the camera view finder? Is it possible that straining and twisting re-aligned some vertebrae in a non-realigned configuration? I’m not saying this at your expense, Rebecca. I used to see a chiropractor here in Tallahassee, Florida, that was NUCCA certified. National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. No neck snapping. No back cracking. Just a lot of precision. My first adjustment made me think he was a charlatan! He stood beside my head, made what I would call a “Shake Your Booty” movement, then produced a protractor with a straight edge and placed both thumbs behind my right ear, exerting a minimal force. You might wonder if that was my last appointment. No, I can be quite stubborn.
He asked me to roll onto my back, picked up both legs, and let them drop to the padded table. He assessed evenness of my shoe soles. “Not even,” he announced. So, back on my stomach, followed by repetition of the first stage of adjustment. With minor variation in his thumb placement, he again exerted trivial pressure. Over on my back again, another leg drop, and he announced, “Even”. He kept me adjusted until he retired.
My son served in the US Airforce and was stationed at Joint Base Mildenhall for four years. His duty assignment was mechanical support for Special Ops C-130 aircraft, many times flying with officers on their missions.
During that duty assignment, Nathan began having sharp back pains along with his lower legs. He asked if I had any thoughts and I suggested finding a NUCCA chiropractor. He found one, a woman who lived and worked in London, and charged $350 per session. His military benefits provided no coverage for that care. I was perhaps hoping against hope you could seek that type of care. BTW, that cost was from 13 years ago. 😱 Rooibos Tea I’ve brewed as a tonic, to good effect. No unpleasant taste, but honey can help! All the best to you, Rebecca.
Upwords! I still have the physical version of this in a cupboard somewhere - like Scrabble only even better 😁 How excellent to know there’s an online version too. Maybe I’ll challenge the 11 year old to take me on. Really sorry to hear about your health worries and even more that they haven’t got to the bottom of the cause yet. Sending healthful and optimistic vibes across the Sussex ether xx