Disgusting wine

This wine is disgusting!  I've had one sip of it and it's worse than horrible.

I guess I can't expect much???  The local newsagent was selling it for £2.99 a bottle.  So I thought - bargain?!!  And bought 6 bottles.  God only knows what I'm doing to do with them.

Give them as presents to people I don't like I guess.

Normally I drink any kind of wine.  I'm not fussy.  As long as it's white, dry & cold - I'll drink it.

I drink masses of wine but I'm not a wine buff.

This is horrible.  Even the smell is horrible.  The colour is horrible.  Everything about it is horrible.

The 'blurb' on the back of the bottle says, 'Cellar Estates have specially selected wines from around the world and this wine originates from Spain.  Pale yellow in colour with pleasant fruity aromas and a dry, clean finish.  This wine goes well with fish or poultry.'

I thought 'Yummy!  This will do for a cheap early evening bottle of wine for myself.'  I am definitely worth more than this.

Roughly translated the blurb on the back of the bottle means:

'Cellar Estates have sold you crap horrible wine that they can't get rid of from Spain.  Looks like urine in colour with a strong nauseating aroma and a sickly, I just want to throw up, aroma.  This wine doesn't go well with anything'!!!!

I CANNOT believe that I have bought 6 bottles of this??!!  Well actually I can.  Never like to pass up a bargain.

Just goes to show that the old saying, 'If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.' ...............................

And in future I'll stick to buying my wine in Tesco's and give the local newsagents a very, very, very wide berth??!!!

No make up selfies??!!

It's not often I blog twice in one day.


................But I feel a bit of a rant coming on............................


My Facebook page tonight is filled with friends doing 'selfies' of themselves without any make up on.  Apparently this has got something to do with donating to a 'cancer' page.


To be honest I haven't delved very deep into what exactly is going on.


From the brief look that I've had, and remember I am not a very techie middle aged spinster, it seems like its a bit like 'Nek nomination'.  You pay £3 to a 'just giving' site, take a photo of yourself without make up and then nominate 3 other people to do the same.


I think I've read somewhere that one million pounds has been raised in 24hours???  Surely not??  That must be an exaggeration???


If it has, then that's fab.


I'm not adverse to taking photographs of myself without make up.  Though I actually haven't a clue how to take a 'selfie'???


I am a middle aged ranting female - I don't do 'techie' things??!!


However, much as I think this 'selfie' thing is a good idea..................  I'm still a bit worried about posting a photo of myself on the internet for everyone to see.


So for that reason I won't be posting a 'selfie' of myself without make up.


I do however, support all the work that all the 'cancer' charities do.  And I will continue to support them in whatever way I can.  As long as it doesn't involve posting selfies on FB?!

Getting Old

It was my birthday the other day.  I've now reached the ripe old age of 55.


55 is definitely 'middle aged'.  In fact 55 is probably just OLD?!!  I can now join the U3A (University of the 3rd Age).  I've been able to go on SAGA holidays for the last 5 years but haven't.


I look old.  My 14 year old niece asked me the other day how long I'd been dying my hair for.  I've been dying it since I was 14.  I don't even know what colour my real hair is???  Probably very grey!!!


The trouble with being in ones' 50's is that from now on it's all doom & gloom.


These days when I go out with friends we don't discuss who's getting married or who's had a baby or who's got a fab new job with fantastic career prospects.


These days we discuss ailments & illnesses, who's become a grandmother, who's died, and if any of us oldies have got a new job we compete with each other as to who has the 'easiest' time at work.  We no longer want a career.  All we want is to make a bit of money, do the job without any responsibility or hassle and go home.


I guess there are a few good things about getting old..............................


By now we've realised what is important in life.  We value our health, our family & our friends.  We've learnt from experience that happiness is what is important.  No amount of money is able to buy that.  We've realised that 'academic qualifications' that our parents pushed us into achieving in the 1970s are not the bee all and end all in having a successful career.  We've experienced life and we know what we want and what is important to us.


.................But by now a lot of us do have a 'disposal' income.  Our mortgages have been paid off 'cos we've had them for more than 25 years, our car insurance is lower because we've been driving for years and have 'no claims' bonuses, and we only have ourselves to look after.  OK I do because I'm a middle aged ranting single female spinster.  Those of you with kids will probably disagree 'cos you'll be paying for them forever.


I guess getting old is like everything else - there's advantages and disadvantages?????


And to be honest - the majority of us oldies love our lives!!!!

Dyslexia

What is dyslexia???


'Dyslexia' is (according to an online definition) - a general term for disorders that involve difficulty learning to read or interpret words, letters and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence.


At the ripe old age of 55 - I've just done two online tests for dyslexia.  Both have come up with the comment - 'Your answers show a likely indication of dyslexia.  You may find it helpful to undertake a fuller assessment'.


I don't think so..........................


Why on earth would I want to have a fuller assessment to find out how 'dyslexic' I am.  If  I've survived 55 years without any 'extra help for being dyslexic' I'm sure I can survive another 55??


Anyway the reason for this RANT is because my sister was having a bit of a rant at the weekend because my 17 year old nephew's teacher hadn't been checking his notes??!!  And according to my sister he's dyslexic??


Notes???  Kids make notes about whatever they make notes about.  Should a teacher really have to check a 17 year olds notes.  I thought the whole point about AS/A levels was to train the kids up to work independently.  If my nephew was at a 6th form/higher education collage and not a school, would his mummy even be invited in to meet the teachers (or tutors as they would probably be called at a collage?)  Probably not.


My sister was having a right old rant at the weekend about the fact that one of my nephews teacher's wasn't checking his notes.  Why should he???  I'm sure the teacher was marking the finished assignment.


My sister tried to argue that because my nephew was dyslexic his notes should be checked.


Fair enough.  Good point. 


Unfortunately she followed this argument up with the fact that my nephew had worked really hard when he first went to secondary school and now didn't need any 'special help'.


I used to be an exam invigilator so I know that when sitting exams, the dyslexic kids either get extra time or they get a reader/scribe to help them.


I will freely admit that my nephew has problems digesting and organising information that he is reading.  However, whoever it was, that decided that he could be placed back in mainstream schooling, without any extra help, must have decided that for a reason.  And my sister must have agreed that.  My sister is not a stupid person.  I'm sure the school would have consulted her before they did this.  And if they didn't - then yes, she probably has got a fight on her hands.


Anyway the fact of the matter is - my nephew is no longer getting support for his dyslexia because he has been assessed and has been considered not to need it.


.....................So is my sister really within her rights, when my nephew is considering dropping a subject, to say to the teacher, 'Have you checked his notes because he's dyslexic?'  How on earth would the teacher know that he was dyslexic if he had been taken off the 'dyslexic register' when it was deemed that he didn't need any more specialist treatment????


My nephew isn't stupid.  But he doesn't want to go to university and why should he?  I'm not even sure if he wants to do 'A levels'??!!


My oldest nephew is very clever and always wanted to go to uni - so off he's gone.  Which is fine.


But everyone is different.


I don't know what my nephew wants to do.......................  I don't think he knows what he wants to do.


My sister wants him to do some sort of apprentice if he's not going to uni.................


Maybe he has got dyslexia, maybe he hasn't.  I really don't know?!!


What I do know though - is that he's not being allowed to just do his own thing - he hasn't a clue what he wants to do at this stage but my sister is trying to push him into an apprenticeship (because he doesn't want to go to uni) because it is the 'middle class' thing to do.  She doesn't want him just working in the bar/restaurant where he works at weekends for minimum wage and how much would he get as an apprentice???


OK - this was supposed to be a rant about dyslexia - I'll do a rant about a load of other stuff that I'm really mad about at a later date.


I'm just really worried that my nephew is being pushed into something he doesn't want to do because he has parents that want him to have a 'career' from the minute he leaves school??


.......................Or perhaps he's happy to do whatever his parents guide him towards??!!


 As a 55 year old 'ranting spinster', I can still remember what I wanted to do when I left school, & I can still remember doing what my parents wanted me to do when I left school.  My parents won!!


OK, OK, I must stick to the script - I didn't realise I have dyslexia??!!


Fortunately I love my life - dyslexia or not!!!


Every set back makes you stronger.
Every failure makes you strive more.
Every negative comment makes you fight to prove you're right
Every bully is a sad lonely person.


Live your life, laugh every day, love every moment.


xxx

Affordable walking

OK, so this weekend I am in the Lake District on a 'walking' weekend.






I love walking.  At home I walk for a couple of hours every day with my very gorgeous little collie dog.






Walking (according to all the government websites to entice the great British public into doing more exercise) is a free form of fitness that can benefit us all?????






Unfortunately these days if people want to do serious walking, it is no more affordable than any other sport for the majority of the great British public.


OK, so we can all have a little trek around the local park wearing no more than a pair of cheap trainers...................  But what if people want to do more.


Today I walked for 12 miles in the Lake District.  I am fortunate enough to be able to afford all the proper gear - walking boots, walking trousers, anorak, waterproof trousers, 'thin with all the warmth' walking top, gloves, rucksack, etc, etc, etc.


I buy most of my walking stuff at 'Mountain Warehouse' in the sale.  Even so, I estimate that the clothes/equipment I was wearing today cost £350. 


..................I don't wear 'proper walking socks' (mine cost £1.50 at Peacocks), I haven't got a proper waterproof bag to go inside my rucksack if it rains (I'll just use two Tesco carrier bags), I haven't got a zig bottle for water (a plastic one will do), & if I'm taking a sandwich for lunch I just wrap it up in a bit of cling film and throw it in my rucksack - I don't need to spend £10 on a sandwich box so that it doesn't get squashed.................................


............................I could go on..................... and on..................... and on.......................


Walking is no longer 'affordable'?!


One cannot just trek up a mountain wearing a pair of trainers, jeans & an anorak.


This whole 'walking thing' is making me rather mad.  Well I am a middle aged ranting spinster??!!


Today I had a little bit of a mooch around Keswick.


Keswick is (in my opinion) an up market walking hub.  It's full of shops selling 'walking stuff'.


I honestly do not consider myself to be 'poor' but to go into a 'walking shop' for a little browse about, see a nice pair of trousers, and then look at the price tag..................  £300?????  Just what does a pair of £300 trousers have that is so spectacular?????


My walking trousers cost me £40 (half price) & I thought that was expensive - They're comfortable, if it rains they dry quickly, they've got lots of pockets - what more does anyone want?????


£300 for a pair of walking trousers???  That's hardly 'affordable walking' for all???


Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........................................


.............................I feel another rant coming on!!!!!