Friday 16 May 2014

Ten random things

I've really been enjoying the random things posts I've been reading lately, Annie's and Gillian's for example, so I thought I'd stick in my two penneth worth.


1.  There's a dead bee in my kitchen.  It's one of many things found by small boys and identified immediately as treasure that must be kept.  Along with feathers, sticks, stones, shells and loads of sea glass.

2.  When we were cycling down through Spain on our way to Morocco we stopped at a nice campsite.  I don't speak much Spanish.  The desk person kept asking, "Naturiste?"  I kept saying "Si".  I eventually worked out what it meant during an awkward conversation with about a dozen naked older people who'd been playing boules but who came over to welcome the new arrivals.  In retrospect, I should have got there quicker.

3.  I bought a nice dress in a charity shop the other day.  Silk, size 10, pale duck egg blue and light grey, sleeveless.  It's to wear to a wedding next month.  Now all I need are shoes, a bag, something to wear round my shoulders and something to wear on my head.  Oh yes, and I'm not a size 10.

4.  I'm an eternal optimist.

5.  I love salty snacks.  Crisps, nuts, olives, bombay mix.  Yeah baby.

6.  I just ate a packet of spicy tomato flavour Wheat Crunchies.

7.  When I was barely eighteen I got a job in a city centre bar.  When I arrived they handed me an extremely scanty rubber dress and told me to put it on and start work.

8.  I've loved gardening and knitting and sewing and making things since I was little.  It's been wonderful and inspirational to find so many like-minded people in the blogosphere.  They are few and far between in real life I find.

9.  Not long after we bought our first (new-to-us) car, I took it to a car wash as it was filthy.  I drove in and waited for the wash.  The brushes started to roll, then suddenly they whomped down onto the top of the car with a huge bang.  I managed to get the window open and feel over the roof.  Yep, I'd left the aerial up.  The brushes were locked down over the car doors.  There was a huge queue behind me of people waiting to use the now jammed car wash.  A very kindly taxi driver behind me got the woman in charge.  Eventually they got the brushes up.  The aerial was all curly and twanged bouncily off of the brushes.  The car wash was no longer functional.  People were trying to back out of the garage into the main road (into Bath).  It looked a little chaotic.  The woman in charge asked me to go into the office.  I followed her, trying to imagine how much a new car washing machine would cost.  She apologised that I wouldn't be able to wash the car today, and gave me a token so that I could go back another time.  I didn't ever go back.

10. I think I need to go on a diet.  Not today though.  Today I am having more crisps.

Have a good weekend lovely people.  The weather here is set fair, so there will no doubt be lots of outsiding and shorts and maybe even ice cream.  Oh but life is good is it not?

28 comments:

  1. Loving your random things. I really enjoy savory snacks too and your collection of sea glass. BigR loves sticking stuff from outside (nature Mummy) to random bits of paper and cardboard. The we have to keep every one!!! have a super weekend.

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  2. Great random things. You reminded me that we have a collection of stones here. Matt was always picking them up when we went out. A habit he hasn't entirely lost.
    Enjoy the sunshine this weekend. Xx

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  3. Lovely to read your randoms and to see your picture of the pieces of sea glass. Your story about the car wash made me smile, I can just picture it and quite understand why you didn't return!! I hope that you have a fun weekend gardening or some such. xx

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  4. I have a morbid fear of car washes. Mostly that the brushes will stop just as they get to the doors..

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  5. A salty snack lover! Yes, me too, me too! So many reasons to like you more CJ. hehe. Especially that you are an eternal optimist. I love people like that, I have really benefited from your kind. I've learned to be more optimistic maybe not eternal, but more. It feels so much better.

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  6. Where did you find all that great sea glass? Gorgeous! I need to diet but I just printed up 2 gooey dessert recipes... oy.
    ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  7. The thought of cycling down through Spain made my heart sing! Spain is one of those places I have always wanted to go to! And I love that you're an optimist! You have to show us that dress...it sounds beautiful! Happy weekend to you lady! Nicole xoxo

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  8. I love this blog post. (And now I have a very strange craving for some Spicy Wheat Crunchies and I don't even know what they are!!!! ;-)

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  9. Oh I did giggle, I'm not sure if I laughed more at the naturist part or the car wash. So, so funny! I have a wonderful selection of size 8 clothes bought for me by Mike. I enjoy looking at them as I can't get into any of them.

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  10. You cycled the whole of Spain!!? Okay, I'm guessing you weren't keeping a Tour de France pace so was probably fairly idyllic … until the campsite! :O! I won't hear a word against your boys and their treasure trove, I have jars of shells and sea washed glass, also beach 'objets d'art' and driftwood (even one shaped like a catapult!). Tell them to add string to the pile. Oh, and it's time to go out looking for fallen pine cones. I'm so with you on No 8 and intrigued that you don't mention in No 7 whether you started work or not …. ;) Till next time, have a lovely summery weekend! C xx

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  11. I enjoyed reading your random things. I'm a salty snack lover too, I'd choose a bag of crisps over a bar of chocolate any day.

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  12. Wonderful CJ, did you take the job? No. 4 is a good place to be I am there too :)

    I have thought about joining in but am struggling to come up with ten things!

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  13. You do manage to get into some situations. Tell me did you put the rubber dress in or run away?

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  14. Thank you. I laughed. A lot. And i don't know what made me laugh most. The bee? The 'naturiste?', the rubber dress or the optimism of a size 10. In a month. With crisps.

    Good luck! And I think it was the bee. I have a dead wasp in my kitchen, but that's because I 'squished' it a month ago and when it comes to housework I'm ...... well, not naturally gifted.

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  15. What a brilliant list, I loved every bit of it! It's nice to get to know you a little better too. Did you stay at the naturiste campsite, and what about the rubber dress?! It all makes for a very interesting life.

    Have a lovely weekend, it'll be good gardening weather.

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  16. Love it Claire! A rubber dress, car wash fiasco, and naked senior citizens playing lawn games??!! Truly random! Have a fantastic weekend - I know you'll do something interesting.

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  17. What a fun post! Number ten on your list made me laugh! I once got stuck in a car wash. The doors wouldn't open, and I was too afraid the thing would start up again to jump out and push the help button.

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  18. It's always good to find out a bit more about blog friends like this. A couple of these do conjure up rather vivid images!
    Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Flighty xx

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  19. I always go for the salty snacks before the sweet ones. If they're greasy too, double bonus.

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  20. random posts are the best. diets are not.............
    we took our first car to the car wash, it had power jet hoses, we aimed them at the bonnet and the paint started peeling off............ since then my enthusiasm to wash cars has been Very limited.........

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  21. I love this post and your sens of humor.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  22. Hey CJ,

    lolololololol to no 7 of your randoms!! I agree - my love of gardening isn't appreciated anywhere than through my blog chums. I love the shared joy and appreciation you find with like minded bloggers. I have a wedding to go to in July. I always borrow clothes for weddings, but I am determined to actually wear something I like to this one. And I like to taste the salt on my food too. Salted cashews is a current favourite for Pops and I.
    It would be brilliant to meet up with you when you are on holiday in Cornwall. Perhaps we could arrange something nearer the time.
    Leanne xx

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  23. Hahahahaha! Loved the car wash story.

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  24. This is a great post. Thanks for sharing, I smiled all along.

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  25. Your random facts made me laugh, thank you! I think we might get along well in the real world. I would have cried if someone handed me a rubber dress, even at the age of 18. Our house is full of random collectables, isn't it great that we can get so exited about small beautiful finds? I love all things salty, more so than sweets (but I like cakes and chocolate, too). The world needs more optimists like you. x

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  26. I have been enjoying these random things posts! Loved the car wash story, gave me a giggle. I love Wheat Crunchies! I haven't had a pack in ages though...
    Marianne x

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  27. Oh...number 2...snigger. That is quite funny. And you broke your local car wash!! That's hilarious. I could eat my body weight in pringles, or any kind of salted snack to be honest. Yum. I knew we'd get on CJ! xx

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  28. I was all ready to write a comment along the lines of oops, missed this, but I'm laughing too hard to type (almost) ... you got me with 2, and the 3/4 combo, and it was downhill from there. Brilliant post :)

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