A Sense Of Calm In The Garden.

It had been another glorious late spring day.  And as the last remnants of the sun washed the sky with shades of pink, shades of blue, calmness came upon me in my tranquil English garden.

Night had fallen.  From the leaves came forth a glowing drop of moon.

I listened to the rustling leaves, the gentle song of a distant bird and the enchanting tune of the wind chimes.

Amongst the gentle radiance of the luminous solar lamps, I felt the soothing, calming ambience flowing from the 'wee folks'.  I smiled.  I strolled back into my home and savoured the sense of calm in the garden and in every fibre of my being.

Gone Gardening.....

I know, I know.  You've been wondering why I haven't posted recently.  You've probably been sobbing uncontrollably waiting for one of my 'eagerly anticipated' articles.  Then again, perhaps not.
The answer's in the title of this here posting.  Yep, I've gone gardening and with the weather we've been having in Britain, that's cause for some kinda' celebration.
Just before the beginning of April, it was announced that we were in a "drought".  And through the month of April, we had the wettest April ever recorded.  It has only been over the last couple of days that I actually managed to get to my garden without the aid of a canoe.
And thus, one man and his shovel have set to work while the opportunity is there.

I have been waiting for the right time to put up the above award.  The "Sunshine Award" was bestowed upon me by Tina who was one of the hosts of that gosh darn fun "A to Z Challenge" that brought further awareness of the alphabet and got folks more followers who mostly embraced the ethos of a sharing, caring blogging community.  Despite my good natured ribbing of the challenge, Tina was so in awe of my writing that she has become one of my starstruck fans.  Or something like that.  If you have never checked out Tina's blog, here's the link that will take you there:  Life is Good.

I'm supposed to give you a whole bunch of 'fascinating' facts about me upon receiving the award and then pass on the award to a few bloggers.  However, I don't want to bore you with more stuff about me and I reckon that if you need a bit of sunshine in your life, literally or metaphorically, please grab this award and give us a smile.  Thanks for this award, Tina.  I'm most grateful.

And on this late May evening, I went for a stroll in my garden.  It was mild evening at the end of a perfect, sunny day.  Even the 'wee folks' seemed relieved that the weather had finally improved.  I looked at Geoffrey the garden gnome and noted his hat was glowing for the first time this year.

Magical Macaroni Memories.

Imagine my joy when I walked into my local English supermarket and behold, there it was.  Beside all the other pasta products was the above macaroni marvel.  Imagine my cheesy grin.  Imagine the bewildered looks of the staff and customers as I whooped and cheered the vision before me.

Instantly, the magical macaroni memories came flooding back.  Back to 1972 and the excitement of living in a high rise apartment in the West End section of downtown Vancouver.  Back to those days when an eighteen year old kid, along with his buddy, Rob, had moved out of the safety of our homes and began the new journey in our lives.  Yes visualise an eighteen year old with long hair, long 'peach fuzz' sideburns and silly flared trousers and you basically visualise me.

Those were difficult times.  Barely enough money to pay the rent.  Barely enough money to buy some groceries.  Yet we were resourceful.  We would cash in our pop bottles and get enough money together to purchase that special treat known as a "Kraft Macaroni Dinner".   I recall sitting there, eating the macaroni and listening to Pink Floyd's, "Dark Side of the Moon".  Life was good.

Now then, Kraft has bought Cadbury the chocolate company and I shudder at the thought of chocolate flavoured macaroni dinners.  

And thus, I purchased several packages of the British equivalent of that cheesy meal.  Magical macaroni memories are mine.  Now, I shall cook some up, listen to Dark Side of the Moon and go find my silly flared trousers.

'Ring...Ring'...."HELLO?!"

Have you ever noticed that a lot of folks talk so much LOUDER when they are speaking into their mobile phone?  Or, as it's called in North America, a cell phone.  A phone in your cell?   I'm sure that wouldn't be allowed.  However, I saw a documentary on how you get said phone into said cell.  Cell phone equals smell phone.....
Maybe some people insist on talking really loud into their mobile phone because they think I've got to know what's happening in their vastly important lives.  You've probably heard those calls such as, 'HELLO!  YEAH, I'M ON THE BUS AND IT'S ABOUT TO LEAVE THE DEPOT.  NOT BEING FUNNY... TO BE HONEST, AT THE END OF THE DAY, YA KNOW, UM I'M GOING TO PROVE THAT UM THE DNA RESULTS PROVE THE KID UM AINT YOURS AND THAT IT'S ACTUALLY YOUR BROTHER'S KID...LOVE YOU.......  SEE YA LATER!  BYE ....'
On a side note, I wonder why some folks think it's okay to visit me and when their mobile rings, they proceed to have an hour long conversation with somebody else.  Unless it's vital that someone leave their phone switched on, I believe technology has created a whole new rudeness.  I pointed this out to one dude and he hasn't done it since.

I leave you with this and sadly, it's close to the truth....

Public Mastication.

Oh good grief.  Here I am on some new medication.  Medication that makes me feel like I'm typing on a keyboard made of jelly.  Sticky fingers or what, eh.  I mean, really, it's been a week since I whipped up one of my 'must read' postings.
Oh yes, had a good read of the possible side effects from this medication that's supposed to ease my anxiety and depression.  May cause, "Insomnia, dizziness, sleepiness, lack of sleep, headache, diarrhoea, feeling sick, dry mouth, fatigue and feelings of anxiety and depression....."   Oh yeah, I'll have some of that!
So, as I continue to have the sensation of being 'zombiefied' and have this incredible urge to watch the video, "Thriller", by Michael Jackson, I patiently await for the special effects, sorry, side effects, such as feeling noxious, lethargic, anxious, depressed and breathless, to finally subside.  

Please bear with me as I try to get back into some semblance of a groove.  I've heard rumours that the government is considering imposing a fine of those who would masticate in public.  Trust the hard up government to stick their hand into places they're not wanted.   I cannot quite put my finger on why they'd  want to fine those who like to publicly masticate.  This might have a devastating impact on those who like to eat out.  What a place this would be if there was no mastication for the nation.  Something to chew over.

However, we can always masticate in the privacy of our home.  The above photo is of a masticating machine. Just think, you can use this handy device to whip your banana, mess with your nuts and froth up your cream.