Daily Prompt: Can't Stand Me

What do you find more unbearable: watching a video of yourself, or listening to a recording of your voice? Why?

I don’t mind myself really. Since I arrived on that memorable day on 6th December 1946 I have been living with myself, watch myself grow, listened to my own voice every day. There have been times when due to a throat infection that I had lost may voice and remain silent for a while, but I survived. There were even some that found being voiceless was an improvement on my general appearance.

I am never unbearable, just a little annoying from time to time when I get a daily prompt that absolutely does not inspire me in any way. 

I have often seen myself in a mirror in the bathroom when improving my general perfect appearance with a tweak here and there. Of course there is alway room for improvement, but my general appearance is OK. Unfortunately I have not yet been discovered by the film or television industry, but it is never too late.

And that’s all for today. I wanted to impress you all with a video from my iPhone but unfortunately that does not work and in any case it would spoil the picture you all have of me from my blogs. However before I go just a self portrait

This was on one of my “bad hair” days.

Daily Prompt: Reason to believe

In Reason to Believe, Bruce Springsteen sings, “At the end of every hard-earned day / people find some reason to believe.” What’s your reason to believe?

I do not really care what Bruce Springsteen sings and these prompts are going from bad to worse. Are we now on a trip to becoming something special? At the end of a day, which are no longer hard earned because I no longer earn anything, I go to bed to wake up the next day. I must be a lost cause as I do not bother with working out what I believe, I am too busy living life.

This morning I believed in the fact that the Swiss do look after their roads after a night of -5°C temperatures where everything would have been frozen, were it not for the men in the salt spraying vehicles that ensure that we can still drive a car without skidding and sliding.

I believed in the fact that deliveries were made to the supermarket containing fresh vegetables and fruit as we'll as other items for feeding the masses to ensure that we will survive. This has nothing to do with Bruce Springsteen and a money making song which I have never heard of.

I also believe that Mr. Swiss dropped a plastic bag containing a bottle of red wine when we arrived home from the supermarket which broke. There was a broken bottle in the bag swimming in a sea of wine. Luckily it was a cheaper wine, with the purpose for cooking and not drinking. However, wine is wine and thanks to my trained housewife instincts there was a mop ready to be used to wipe up the red stains on the floor. Also we have a stone floor (which was probably the reason for the bottle breaking) and so there was no great wine deluge. It was wiped away at once. Luckily I was frying today, so did not need the wine which will be replaced on the next shopping safari. I now believe that it was lucky that the wine bottle was in a plastic bag on its own, meaning that the damage was kept under control. Just a matter of 5 Swiss Francs, although money is money of course.

I have now cancelled two paragraphs of what I wrote as it was getting political and if I want a political platform I will become a candidate for the next swiss elections. As no-one will probably vote for me, although it might become a reason to believe, I have given up this idea. I have just released I can write rubbish on this prompt, because it is a rubbish prompt.  Mr. Swiss has now left me on my own, but as I did not really listen to him about where he was going, I do not know where he is. It must have been some sort of heavy job as he has taken No. 1 son with him, and No. 1 son is useful for heavy work. No. 1 son is at home this week because his company have short hours, due to the economic situation, the strong Swiss franc and the fact they have nothing to do. It can only get better.

So, keep believing in new prompts to give us a reason to believe. I give up, no inspiration, but I only believe in I, me and myself and the Swiss supermarket.

Daily Prompt: Learning Style

What’s your learning style? Do you prefer learning in a group and in an interactive setting? Or one-on-one? Do you retain information best through lectures, or visuals, or simply by reading books?

If you have a computer, why learn? If a cyber golden oldie forgets, she has the possibility of her iPad, computer and even iPhone, if she has one and don’t we all? Otherwise we would not be writing our daily prompt, although it is becoming possible to even write your contribution just by phone if your have small dainty fingers to be able to tap on the integrated keyboard. I do not, so I prefer comfort on a chair with a computer.

The question is do we learn anything? Life today has become easier for those of us whose memory fades quicker, especially if you are approaching the age of forgetfulness. Mrs. Angloswiss and Mr. Swiss are having a discussion. 

“Do you remember Fred Smith? They are showing one of his films this evening on the TV.”

“Oh yes, he was quite good, is he still alive?”

Mr. Swiss disappears and returns with his iPad in his hands.

“No, he died in 2013 apparently, had a heart attack.”

Is Mr. Swiss now the memory man, does he remember everything about Fred Smith? Of course not, where there is a Wikipedia there is a way. I do tend to annoy him from time to time when one of my favourite golden oldie songs are being played on the radio and I begin to sing along, word for word perfectly. Just enter the name of the song into your iPad and google supplies you with the title of the song complete with lyrics. Perfect, I can now sing along in a duet with the correct words. Today they played “Imagine” by John Lennon and I must say I never realised what perfect words the song contains. I am not sure if my rendering of the song as a duet with John Lennon was a perfect match. Mr. Swiss just mentioned afterwards that John Lennon was the poet of the duo Paul McCarthy and John Lennon, and I found it to be true - thanks to Google. There was a comment afterwards that my rendering of the song together with John Lennon was a little out of tune.

There are some things that the computer cannot supply and that is our local tax form and how to do it. The form is on the computer and Mr. Swiss has been completing it for many years. 2-3 years ago I decided I should be able to do it as well. One day I might be confronted with the problem of submitting our financial details to the local government on my own and so we both sat down at the computer together for 5-10 minutes. I know that was not enough time to learn how to do it, but there was a problem. I learn with the “learning by doing” system and Mr. Swiss can already do it and wants to show me how good he is at it. That system does not work, leading to various disagreements. We came to the conclusion that if circumstance ever arise that I was left to do the job on my own, I could give it to an office that is equipped for the task. It would cost something, but at least not my nervous condition. In the worse case I always have son No. 2, although he lives on the other side of Switzerland and has his own tax problems to deal with. I come to the conclusion that Switzerland is a country of accountants.

It also came to my mind that I have now lost touch with how the television functions. I can switch it on and off, but what lays in between are about 80-90 various channels in various languages and a DVD recorder which is not my sort of thing. I can operate an Apple computer, a windows computer with all the newest bells and whistles, but a TV - not really. Mr. Swiss does it perfectly. He even records the programme in the background, you do not even see the programme, but he makes it appear on the TV screen a few minutes or hours after it is finished. It is all organised. The programme begins on the hour and we begin watching 5 minutes later but it is all there. The wonders of modern science and Mr. Swiss of coure.

And now I have an appointment with my feline Tabby, who wants to write her contribution to today’s prompt.

Daily Prompt: B+

Write about what you did last weekend as though you’re a music critic reviewing a new album.

What new album or week-end? The one I recorded a week ago, or the one that I started to record this morning, 6-7 hours ago. I think we should define this prompt a little more exactly, it has begun where the needle has stuck. OK, we now have CD’s and iPod stuff so there are no more needles to stick in a groove, just recordings that go bad in between, but in the spirit of the daily prompt promoted by promoters that do not even read what the prompt is about, but just do a copy paste somewhere in Silicon Valley, I will do my best to define the first tracks.

It was a slow start to the album which was entitled “How to thaw out old ideas”. The tracks were cold, the same old thing. They were encrusted in a frozen atmosphere due to outside conditions  and only began to melt when Mrs. Angloswiss did a warmed up version of a cup of tea together with a slice of bread and cottage cheese, covered with a cranberry topping. It was then that some life came into the album, although there was still a lack of enthusiasm. 

It seemed that one of her main players, son No. 1, had decided to leave the completion of the album for a day in Zürich. Naturally Mrs. Angloswiss carried on regardless, knowing that the tracks on the album would exist without No. 1 son, as No. 1 son preferred another style of music, more into the thawed out movements from the sixties. We are now in the 21st century and music tastes are different. The first scratch on the new album was on the horizon. There was a stop to production as son No. 1 was occupying the shower and Mrs. Angloswiss wished to continue production by cleaning the room. She discovered an alternative track and move down to the sound of the toothbrush. This was a short interval, but there was still a blockage on continuing production of the new album as the shower was still occupied. 

Mrs. Angloswiss decided on a space interval on the track and moved to the kitchen to re-record the arrangements by dealing with the feline food bowls, as a time filler. In the meanwhile she could continue with her original rhythm as the shower had been vacated and sounds of rushing water and the rubbing of a mop on the tiles could be heard, rhythmical and definite. 

The next track was a mixture building up to a crescendo of success. The atmosphere changed constantly, in the living room, the corridor and the various bedrooms which allowed some variations on the theme. It was then that the sound assistant left for a musical pause to the nearby town and the album was now set in a calm background, although only half way through, almost a diminuendo. The only soloist was now Mrs. Angloswiss, but even she was too busy to form a melody as the vacuum cleaner had been removed and it was time for another shower interval.

Our leading performer had now completed the main theme of the symphony and moved to the computer to organise the background music to a “Picture This” theme on Blogger. Eventually the grand finale was reached by the preparation of lunch. It was a three part sonata comprising of pasta, vegetable with a strong broccoli flavour, its favoured soloist being the lamb chops.

There was now a pause after the main course and a long interval during which the album was left during a two hour golden oldie rest by its creator.

Daily Prompt: Morphing

Language evolves. The meaning of a word can shift over time as we use it differently — think of “cool,” “heavy,” or even “literally.”

Today, give a word an evolutionary push: give a common word a new meaning, explain it to us, and use it in the title of your post.

For the actual birth of the word “Fleisch Bruffeli” you must return to the year 1969, that memorable year when Mrs. Angloswiss and Mr. Swiss said “yes” in a registry office with two witnesses and the unforgettable Beda Baumgartner in is pin striped suit that was the marriage registrar at the time. No beating about the bush, it was a quick and painless step but a big one for the Angloswiss/Swiss family.

Of course we spent a time getting to know each other, which included food. One day I decided to make sausage rolls for the evening meal, a memory of England. Unfortunately english sausages were not available in Switzerland, but being and inventive type I created the next best thing.

and the fleisch bruffeli was born, although it was not as easy as it looks.

This is not an original fleisch bruffeli, it developed over the years into its constant form. The first attempt really did look like a smaller sausage roll, but as mentioned there were no small neat irish pork sausages available in the Swiss supermarket. I purchased mincemeat, and already the original taste was altered, because it was beef mincemeat. I was not keen on minced pork. 

I fried the meat with onions, a crushed clove of garlic and spiced it up with what I found to be appropriate: some paprika for the hot taste, salt and pepper and anything that I happened to find in the cupboard and of course some red wine. There are no rules when your cooking gifts are to be adapted. I had a pack of pastry, just plain pastry, and cut it into stripes. I then placed the mince in a line on the stripes, folded the pastry after coating the edge with the white of an egg to make it stick together. The next process was to coat the pastry with the remainder of the egg, beaten together with the yolk to give it a nice brown shiny surface. It was then baked in the oven for 30-40 minutes and the first Angloswiss sausage rolls Swiss style were born.

Needless to say they were a successs. My food is almost always a success under the threat that I would refuse to cook again if it was not praised. At last there was something new on the table. My step children were also enthralled by this creation.

About a month later it was again time to cook something completely different. You cannot live on Rösti and Bratwurst every day and Mr. Swiss made the suggestion.

“Why don’t you make those fleisch bruffelis again. They were quite good.”

“Fleisch what?” I exclaimed, thinking this was a new Swiss German word I had not yet encountered.

“Fleisch bruffeli, you know that mincemeat in pastry”

and so the fleisch bruffeli was born in the Angloswiss household. Today I am writing about it, and for the first time in my 47 years of marital life I asked Mr. Swiss where the word “bruffeli” arose.

“No idea” was the answer. “just a moment, Uncle Otti and his family would use the word for broken teeth - a broffle” and so the word Fleisch Bruffle was born thanks to the imaginative Swiss German spoken by Uncle Otti who was the brother of my Swiss mother-in-law and so the word could often be heard in the Mr. Swiss family (she had many brothers and sisters).

Over the years the fleisch bruffeli appeared on the Angloswiss table in various forms, but today it is generally large a layer of pastry (which might even be the flaky sort) covered  with the magical mincemeat mixture and completed with a final slice of pastry. It is much quicker and more convenient. After the cooking it is cut in family sized pieces. It may look different to a small roll of pastry with filling, but it tastes just the same. Over the last 47 years my cooking talent has developed.

Daily Prompt: Ripped Into the Headlines

Write about something that happened over the weekend as though it’s the top story on your local paper.

Yes. another international crisis is happening before our very noses, but there is a rescue on the horizon. The Cheese central shop in Neuendorf is looking for a buyer.

Nothing is worst than change. This was also discovered by the customers of the local bank in Härkingen and Neuendorf when the banks were closed at the end of last year. The two buildings are to be sold, but there is a further problem.The cheese shop is included in the building in Neuendorf. The company running the cheese shop might buy the building, If they do the Neuendorf population can buy cheese as always. A swiss village without a cheese shop is like a desert without sand. 

When the last cheese producer left the village in 2002 there were still 12 milk producers remaining so they were worried. Where can we go with the milk when the cheese shop closes? Although there is still a problem. The milk quantity is decreasing. 600 Liters are required in a 2 day rhythm. If this does not happen then the cooling system will shut down and you cannot make cheese from bad milk (perhaps gorgonzola?). A place to collect the milk in the village could be organised which would maintain the milk quantities. The village is thinking about it. The lady that owns the cheese shop is now unsure. what will actually happen to her shop. The bank building may be bought, but do the new owners want to continue with cheese sales, meaning that the production must also be continued.

The first cheese company in Neuendorf was grounded in 1854 by 20 farmers, the cheese production was in a cellar.The Neuendorf famers often had arguments about the price of the milk examination system,. You cannot make cheese out of any milk in Switzerland, it must be approved. In 1875 a cheese manufacturing building was built in the Allmend Street but this was not the solution to the cheese making problem. There were three other farmers who decided to do their own cheese known as the “dirty ones” and eventually they also bought the original building. Eventually the problems were solved and 1977 was a record year for the cheese manufacture. They were also making yogurt and various sorts of milk, and selling it with success. How this production will be continued is still an open question.

And so another episode of excitement in the Swiss countryside is being dealt with. I must admit that personally I think I once visited a restaurant in Neuendorf, but do not remember seeing the diary or even the bank that has now been closed. 

Believe me, this was the most exciting story I read in the local newspaper today. Otherwise five people died in our Kanton and had their obituaries displayed, but no-one that I knew. The fish that disappeared from the River Birs between the towns of Delsberg and Roches have appeared again, but no-one really knows where they went in the meanwhile. We Swiss should have a better control over our fish population. Another headline to be a concern of the world press. I wonder if the New York Times reported it.

Daily Prompt: If I could turn back time

If you could return to the past to relive a part of your life, either to experience the wonderful bits again, or to do something over, which part of you life would you return to? Why?

So there I was relaxing in Arabian style somewhere in Marrakesh, Morocco 25 years younger, 1990 aged 44 more or less. Oh yes I was the Queen of the Arabian nights, at least I thought so. Shall I return to those days, enjoying the ability to wear something that would accentuate the figure that I still had, going places and doing things that I now only have in my dreams.?

I took a look at what I wrote the last time on this prompt and things do not change much really. No thank you, I do not want to relive any part of my life, especially not the part about bringing up four children, going to work daily and fitting in household, cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing in the few precious moments I had to spare. Of course, not having my aches and pains when I was younger was an advantage, but that was just physical. I no longer want to relive the psychological side of it all: planning, multi tasking and definitely not the financial side. 

With a family you had to keep everyone happy. New clothes for the kids when the old ones got too small or the jeans wore through. And then they grew up and wanted everything that all the others had. Of course we survived, mummy and daddy were working for the benefits and in between we even managed a holiday in Marrakesh: yes and no. My husband’s company did an annual excursion to treat the reps and we were included, so it was all covered by the company. Marrakesh was something I would never had want to miss. My one and only trip to a country in North Africa: landing in Casablanca and changing planes to Marrakesh, somewhere near the Atlas mountains. My first impression of Morocco was a ridden group of soldiers on camels dressed in their oriental uniform each a Rudolph Valentino lookalike. OK, not quite, but it was something I will never forget.

There is a big disadvantage to this reliving the past thing, you do not think the same. You do not have the life’s experiences that you have at the age of 69: not that I am wisdom in person but things that happen in life do tend to leave their impression on you. Today when I creep out of bed in the morning I have to think about it.  How to do it that I can actually stand on my two legs and walk to the kitchen. It is not easy and I often think “why didn’t anyone tell me about this when I was younger”, but perhaps it is better so. the little surprises in life.

When I see the younger generation today, I think of myself at that time. I have my regrets. I did not have an iPhone to play with whilst waiting for the local train. Computers were still in the DOS IBM stage where you perhaps play some music and do things that you did not really understand at least I didn’t until the first Commodore arrived, but even then it was reserved for my son and I was just watching in the wings.

Every stage of life has its fun side and mine today is taking photos with my digital camera, writing my prompts on my computer(s), yes I have two. You cannot take it with you, so why not, where there is an Apple (not to eat) there is a Window, so I have the best of both worlds. In the days gone bye my money was spent on the others, today I spend it on myself, if there is enough.

So I am not going anywhere daily prompt, I am content where I am, and please don’t repeat this one again, otherwise I will have to think about how it was with my ancestors in the days of mammoths and learning how to light a fire. I suppose even they had their fun days.

“Look Ug, it’s burning”

“How did you do that Og?

“Just rubbed two sticks together.”

“Mummy can I have two sticks as well.”

“No Ig, it is too dangerous, you might burn yourself.”

Daily Prompt: Teenage Idols

Who did you idolize as a teenager? Did you go crazy for the Beatles? Ga-ga over Duran Duran? In love with Justin Bieber? Did you think Elvis was the livin’ end?

There are prompt you can bring twice and the second time around you can write it from a different angle and that can be fun. Teen Age Idols do not change, they remain, because after two years writing on this subject, you definitely cannot have a new idol so read this if you still want to know all about Mrs. Angloswiss idols.

It’s a grim dark sky, but you see all my idols are now dead, gone to the great idol happy hunting grounds. I am 69 years old, the same age as David Bowie who passed away today (and was not one of my idols), so it is not such an uplifting subject. I had my idols, but they are memories of a younger past when I was a teenager in the swinging sixties of London. My memories of this time are now fleeting and today I have no actual idols.

Perhaps as you grow older you realise that it is such a false world we live in, that everything is controlled in the name of profits and turnover and above all publicity. How many of those idols from earlier lived a genuine life. Their appearances and ideas were all planned to please the fans, steered by clever journalists and photographers who always happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Today I may watch a TV programme and read a book to satisfy my hero worshipping. We all like to escape from the realities of life some time and these are my hideaways. I am not such a TV person, but like a good film. I do not go out of my way to watch an idol, although I might be interested in one of those revived documentary films about how it was with those we followed in the years that have passed. This evening we are confronted with an hour of David Bowie on our TV. I will not be joining in, although it might be running in the background. I prefer to read. Even authors have their days counted. 

I am now reading gradually through the Terry Pratchett novels a sort of science fiction and there are about 24 based on the planet known as Discworld travelling though the universe by a giant turtle called A’Tuin with 4 elephants on its back supporting the flat disc world.  There seem to be 46 books in this series, although he wrote on other subjects as well, and I have just finished No 4. I do not read the same author continuously, that would be boring. Unfortunately this author passed on last year suffering from Alzheimer. Again everything is transient.

One day my blogs will also no longer be written daily, not that I put myself on the level of being an idol, definitely not.  I am tempted to stop writing these daily prompts, but why should I? Just because they repeat themselves, I see no reason to desert the daily prompt pages and those of us that meet here.  Where there is a will there is a way.

Daily Prompt: Modern Families

If one of your late ancestors were to come back from the dead and join you for dinner, what things about your family would this person find the most shocking?

“Dinner is ready, but wait a moment who are you.”

“We are today’s WordPress contribution to dinner. Don’t you recognise us, it’s your great grandmother Emily and great grandfather Jason.”

“But I never even met you, you died at the beginning of the 20th century. Dead people do not eat.”

“Yes, that’s the problem, we don’t get food where we are now, don’t need it, but for a day our digestive system has been renewed. We are hungry. By the way we hope you don’t mind but there will be a few others arriving.”

“Huh, but I only cooked for me, Mr. Swiss and my son, although I probably have enough for you both. Who else is coming?”

“Oh, just the family. We were so closely knit in those days.”

“Did you invite all your children Emily?”

“Yes, they should be arriving any time now.  We couldn’t impose on you too much and judging by the size of this place, they wouldn’t have room.”

“But great grandma Emily, you had 16 children.”

“Oh yes, they believed in big families in those days. Of course the twins died when they were still babies, so just a bottle of warm milk will do for them and perhaps some sort of soft food. They never got all their teeth. Here they are.”

“Yes, I can see that, all of the sons and two daughters, my grandmother and a baby daughter..”

“No, that’s Isabel, she died when she was two years old.

“Is that dinner?”

“I was just preparing it, afraid it is just cooked beef with vegetables today.”

“No problem. All local produce of course. A cow from the farmer and the vegetables from your garden?

“Not exactly grandfather Jason, we buy it all in the supermarket.”

“In what?”

“Supermarket. It’s like a big shop where everything is on shelves and you can choose what you need. All nicely packed and hygenic. I don’t know where the cow originated, but it is probably a cow from our country. The vegetables are also from our area.”

“Just a moment, you mean you did not know the cow before it arrived in your cooking pot and the vegetables did not come from your garden.”

“No great grandmother, things are not done like that today.”

“Well I don’t know. What do you think Jason, is that food safe?”

“Let’s ask the others. They have just arrived.”

“Hello Emily, Jason, we arrived, although the guy that was organising the journey said we would have to share wings, so it was an cramped flight. Any nappies for the twins here great niece, they didn’t need them where we were residing.”

“Just a moment I will have a look. Yes I have a few disposable nappies in a plastic bag.”

“But that is paper.”

“They are special, you can throw them away after they have been used.”

“You throw away the babies as well.”

“No, just the nappies.”

“Strange customs. So let’s eat.”

“I will have to stretch the food a little as we are so many.”

“No problem, where we come from they fed a few thousand with a couple of fish and a few slices of bread.”

“You mean that the story was true.”

“What story is she talking about Jason?”

“No idea. That cow is a bit tough, not like our Betsy. She was a lovely tender piece of meat.”

“So Jason, no good talking about the old times, they do things differently today.”

“Well thanks for the meal, it wasn’t too bad just didn’t have the good old rich flavours that we had down in the country.”

“I have some mango ice cream as a desert. Hello, they have all gone. Perhaps they don’t like mangos or didn’t grow it on the farm. Things were done differently in the Sussex countryside I suppose.”

Daily Prompt: Worse Case Scenario

Of all the awful possibilities, what’s the worst possible thing that could happen to you today? Now, what about the best?

The worst possible thing is receiving a warmed up prompt from 2nd May 2014 which is so unimaginative and boring that you do not know what to write. The best would be to receive a new prompt with a good idea that would prompt you to write.

Even the view from my window is uninspiring: a dull day, rain and everything bare. Yes, it suits the daily prompt. How am I supposed to compose a prize winning piece of blog with no inspiration? Nothing is happening. There is a guy walking around outside wearing a black cloak with a scythe in his hand and he just walked passed the door. He looked in my direction and shook his head “wrong house” he muttered through his skeletal teeth. I suppose every day has a silver lining and that is probably the best thing that will happen today.

I just realised what a dull and boring life I live with no inspiration: even the daily prompt is an unreliable option. Of course I can think positive  I have two computers, but there again nothing to write because the daily prompt has only a boring idea of what to write.

On the other hand I could tell you about a very good book I have just finished reading “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline. I was pleasantly surprised and got the idea of the book from a forum site I belong to where it is currently a choice of discussion. Did anyone here play games, mainly in the 1980’s? This book brings back memories of Arcade games: classics like Pac Man, Donkey Kong etc. as well as Dungeons and Dragons being played on Commodore and Atari computers amongst others. I remember Boulder Dash, Koronis Rift, Wizzball and of course Tetris.

Here is a description of the book taken from “Goodreads”: 

“In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the  OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.”

The inventor of the game has died without heirs to his vast fortune and the player that finds the hidden egg in his Oasis game wins it all. The players in the game only appear on the screen in their avatar form. They get to know each other, but do not know each other in real life until ….. I don't want to spoil the book, but read it, it is good. Ernest Cline did an excellent research job on the details.

I got my game education from my youngest son who played them all with his colleagues, he was a child in the eighties and a lot in this book brought memories back of the games he would play.

It seems Steven Spielberg is preparing the film, probably being released only in 2017, and I will definitely be watching it. I enjoyed the book very much, which I never thought I would. There was a lot of nostalgia in its pages.

And that is all I have to write today having such a boring, lazy prompt.

Daily Prompt: Keeping up with the Jones's

Tell us about the one luxury item you wish you could afford, in as much detail as you can. Paint a picture for us.

The last time I wrote this repeated prompt I was 67 years old, 2 years younger and it is amazing the amount of common sense you can gather in two years. When I last wrote I told everyone I was satisfied and my only wish was a cleaning lady for the bathroom. Since I have decided luxury is not one of the things necessary in daily life and this is really a stupid, silly idea for a prompt - OK my opinion. Perhaps if I was 30-40 years younger I might have other ideas.

It seems that our supermarket now wants to keep up with the Jones’s, but unfortunately it means that their staff will now have to work two hours longer on Saturday. Up to now the supermarket closed its doors at 4.o’clock p.m. on Saturday so that everyone could go home and begin their week-end. Now it has been decided, for the sake of more turnover, and perhaps even for more happier customers, that they will extend their working time 2 hours. Today I saw these two guys walking around in the hall of the supermarket to make sure everyone knows they have two hours more shopping time on Saturday.

I am glad that Mr. Swiss does my shopping on Saturday morning and that I do not have to visit this temple of shopping trials on Saturday and I ask myself why I should be glad for a two hour extra shopping opportunity at the beginning of my week-end. There seem to be no limits to doing what the others do. My step-daughter lives in Zürich and has a boutique. Her working hours are until 8 o’clock in the evening on Saturday, but Zürich is a large town which exists on this principle. Our local supermarket is not in an area that has to cope with a vast population, but I suppose we have to keep up with the others. Personally I find this a little ridiculous.

I do not know the exact conditions in the States, as most of you are situated in that big country over the pond, but at the moment we have a big problem in Europe with refugees. People that come from countries where there is a civil war, where terrorists are ruling and killing the people that do not fit into their ideas, and where a father no longer knows how to keep his wife and children safe from the daily oppressions. It is a question of existence and so these people leave their countries, leave their homes and escape for a better life to Europe which has the reputation of being safer. They are not rich people, have never known luxury, and the only luxury they now try to afford is a safe journey to the land of prosperity, be it Germany, Switzerland, England, France, Italy, Greece etc. etc. and they travel at risk. So they board a boat not suitable for carrying  so many passengers to make a safe journey and if they are lucky they arrive in the country of prosperity. Many die on the way, especially the babies and children. Eventually, with luck, some of these refugees reach a border to a “safe” European country, only to find that there is almost no more room “at the inn” and they are left in Winter conditions, standing at the border dressed in inadequate clothing and just wanting a roof over their heads and a meal for the day.

These European countries are overwhelmed, they try to do their best, but some of these countries do not have the facilities for their own people. Not all European countries swim in luxury. It hurts to see the children holding their parents hands and hoping for a better life standing in the damp colder weather. 

So please don’t ask me to name a luxury I want, because my life is luxury. I am secure in my life. I have a sickness insurance, I have a choice of supermarkets for my food and my electricity and water supplies are secure. Sorry, WordPress, but the picture I paint is a world where there are people that find that luxury is a bowl of soup, or a warm bed and I do not find this a suitable subject for a prompt under the present conditions.

Daily Prompt: Sink or Swim

Tell us about a time when you were left on your own, to fend for yourself in an overwhelming situation — on the job, at home, at school. What was the outcome?

69 years ago I was born. Did anyone ask me? No, I was pushed out into a noisy world, I had no choice. From the beginning I was on my own. Ok, no fending for myself, I had a bottle thrust into my mouth to give me milk because mum was not able to give me the milk I should have had. From the beginning I was neglecting, get on with it, so Ii did. I was depending on a glass receptacle with a nipple. I did all the sucking myself, I suppose it was an automatic reaction, but it worked and I survived. I did my recycling system all on my own, although I was continuously being washed and trained to avoid the mess. I had no problem with it.  It was all instinct for the lack of an explanation and so mum looked after the cleaning part.

I was sent to school, no-one asked me. I would have preferred to stay at home, eat and play but no. I was forced to go on my own to school, sit in a class with complete strangers and even play with them. I suppose playing on your own is boring. They thrust a book in front of me, gave me a pencil, later a pen and I had to write things to prove that … I don’t really know what I had to prove, but it was all in the genes I suppose so I did it.

The real problems began when I had to earn money, pay my way. This was a daily routine that I really did not want. I am sure if I had been born into wealth, like the daughter of Mark Zuckerberg, or one of Bill Gates three children, I would not have to had do this work thing, but no-one asked again, find a job, earn money and get on with it. Life goes on but I was always left to fend for myself, I did not have a special hand raised over me for protection, I just got on with it.

Getting married and having children was another thing I did, although this time I had a partner, and so we got on with it together. All part of the human biological system I suppose. I never sunk in my life, I got on with it. Of course I had a few near misses, two broken arms, a 7 hour operation but I survived. It was something like the birds I saw today fighting for their food in my  bird house.

They do not ask, the sparrows take what is offered. Since the day when they were pushed out of the nest they had to fend for theirselves. Now I help them on the way in winter filling the feeder daily. I watched as one sparrow pushes the other out of the way to get to the food. Tits are more polite, they wait on the tree and fly down for a sly peck of the food, but they are on their own. 

Perhaps I was one of the lucky ones, I did not sink, I just got on with it, my motto being “you have nothing lose”. And when I go to the happy hunting grounds I will do it all on my own. What a happy go lucky prompt this is turning out to be.

Daily Prompt: Resolved

Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution that you kept?

I do not make New Year’s Resolutions because I am too lazy to keep them. If I want to do something I do it and need no resolution to guide me. I thought about resolving not to do the daily prompt, but I am doing it in any case, so it was a good thing that I did not resolve anything in that line of things. I would have broken my first resolution of the year if I had actually made the resolution not to do the daily prompt.

I was going to resolve not to smoke, but I am a rescued smoker since at least twenty years, so that is another resolution that I could not keep this year because I already did it without resolving to do it at the beginning of the year. 

There is always the chocolate/sugar problem of course. I never bothered to resolve anything to do with this because it would then become a problem and up to now it is not a problem, although I am a diabetic on tablets. At least my sugar levels are still more or less organised. Sometimes they go up, they might remain and even go down. Going down is also not so good, known as hypoglycernia, but no problem, just grab a bar of chocolate, eat a few squares (we have enough in the fridge - see photo) and all problems are solved. Your sugar goes back to how it was before you avoided eating it, so why make a resolution about not eating sweet stuff, just a waste of time.

I was going to resolve taking more walks in the fresh air, but sometimes it rains, it might snow and it might be a heat wave, so there is absolutely no point in resolving anything in that connection. The weather does what it wants and so do I. I could resolve to always take my camera with me, but that would be a waste of a resolution as I always have it with me most of the time. I have even now bought one of those arm bands with a place for my iPhone meaning I can take my iPhone with me if I do not have a pocket in my trousers or a handbag. I am always available, online, connected with the cyberworld.

Actually when I think of it, resolutions are a waste of time and spoil the enjoyments of life. I could resolve not to be so much on the computer and then I would have more time for other things. I decided this would not be a good idea and as my computers would become victims of neglect. Neglected computers are not happy computers, they feel unwanted and it is always a good idea to keep in touch with them and what else can a veteran daily prompter do all day, computers are part of golden oldie cyber life.

I was thinking of resolving to do more housework, being a domesticated human, but that happens automatically. My vacuum cleaner and washing machine are part of my life when I am not online.

Daily Prompt: Unpopular

Tell us about a time when you had to choose between two options, and you picked the unpopular choice.

This week it snowed some time in the night on Monday and we awoke to a snow covered garden. To be exact, Mr. Swiss awoke to a snow covered garden, I was still in bed thinking about arising. This was the popular choice for me and it was also the popular choice for him. It is really according to how you look at it. He took a photo and so did I, but an hour later when the dark had become light. His photo is more interesting than mine capturing the lighting effect of the early morning on the snow.

Otherwise picking unpopular choices never happens really. Today my option was to arise after my golden oldie midday sleep and move my weary body: either stay in bed and enjoy the warmth and relaxation or move and do something a little more energetic. The unpopular choice would have been the second, but on the other hand I cannot stay in bed all day. I could, but it perhaps would not be advisable. Mr. Swiss had already finished his midday snooze and was in action.

He announced “I am going into town”. My thoughts rotated on the unpopular choice of getting ready, dressing in sensible clothes and accompanying Mr. Swiss. It was inviting of course, Shall I stay at home or go with him? He was ready to put one foot out of the door and I was still thinking about it. It was not a matter of popular or unpopular, it was a matter of doing something I was not convinced about.

Mr. Swiss is now on his way into town for a short visit and I am still at home writing my daily prompt and being satisfied that I did not stress to go into town. Mr. Swiss found that we are now living an “old people life” and who am I to disagree.

Life is full of choices. I remember when I had finished school and been working in the Citiy of London as an office worker. I wanted more and began to scan the newspapers for a different job. I wanted out, see the world, and searched for something in another country. I wanted to go places and do something completely different. Mum was not happy with my decision and dad did not say very much. He never did actually in case mum disagreed. I found a job advertised in the newspaper for Hamburg in Germany working in a shipping company. As I was already working of the P & O shipping company in London, I decided this would be ideal. I wrote and got a refusal as the job had already been given to someone else.

I was disappointed, but I then realised that I wanted out from my daily boring routine. In the meanwhile I had changed my job in London and was working temp. This was my sort of thing. I was employed by an agency where they supplied office craft for various places where someone was perhaps ill, away on holiday, or just a job where they could not find anyone to work. I was getting a super wage, had no holidays, and no insurance. I was a temp. Every week I was sent to a different office, a different company, and I loved it. I still had the yearning to go and asked the agency if they had jobs in other countries. They did not. 

I eventually applied for the job as a secretary in Zürich and was successful. I began making plans for my journey and finishing my London life. In the meanwhile. I left for Zürich and deiced at last something completely different. Some time later the company in Hamburg had written to say that they could now offer me the job as the person that accepted the job had now left. Mum did not tell me about this offer, I was already in Zürich at the time.

This had nothing to do with unpopular or popular, I just took the first opportunity which lead to meeting Mr. Swiss after I changed my original job in Zürich for another job in Switzerland. Who knows how life would have developed if I had gone to Hamburg. For me there is no such thing as an unpopular choice, just a choice.