Z is for Zebedee

Zebedee has a magic moustache which is pretty cool. It is also a rather splendid moustache.

Zebedee had a habit of arriving just when he was needed - sort of the reverse of a traffic warden.

For those that don't know, Zebedee was a character from The Magic Roundabout a favourite TV series from my childhood which may go some way to explain why I am the way I am today, tomorrow and yesterday.

In fact, my sanity after Blogging from A to Z mixed with writing for a living and consequently spending way too much time at a keyboard seems strangely akin to Dougal et al. I think perhaps I should eat some of the poppies that Ermintrude was so fond of and go fly a kite...

"Time for Bed" said Zebedee.

Night night.

Y is for Youth is wasted on the Young

When I was young I never really thought about giving break-dancing a try. Now I'm in my 40s I'd love to give it a go. Only thing is I've already got tennis elbow in one arm and the other morning I pulled a muscle in my neck just by rolling over in bed.

When I was young learning was pretty boring. Now I devour books on Marketing, Motivation, Science, Creativity, Presentation, Confidence building, Sales techniques... I can't get enough... My brain has become a sponge eager to absorb new nuggets of information that can be mixed and blended with what's already stored up there - the bits I can remember anyway...

When I was young, I thought people in their 40s were really old...

When I was young there were enough hours in the day to get everything done - stuff like this blog post! Running out of hours today, so let's just go ahead and publish - then it's Z tomorrow and we're done with this crazy challenge!

X is for Xylem

Now it's time for a little game. There used to be a show on TV that used this format, but I can't remember its name. My sister and her husband would know - they both have a remarkable memory for 80s trivia - but they are not somewhat inconsiderately not answering their phone!

Anyway, the rules of the game are as follows. I present to you the word Xylem and three alternative definitions for said word. All you have to do (without cheating and using a dictionary, Google or calling Auntie Doris) is pick the one you think is correct!

Ready?

Xylem is a character from Marvel that acted as a sidekick to Captain America in four episodes of the 1960s' TV series. Although never fully explained, it was assumed he was of extra-terrestrial origin.

Xylem is a short piece of music composed specifically for the xylophone. It originates from 4th Century China where the instrument was used in water divination.

Xylem is a tissue in plants that conducts water and dissolved nutrients upward from the roots and also helps to form the woody element of stalks and stems.

Just send in your answer written on the back of a homing pigeon to the usual address by last Tuesday and you would win an amazing prize! Yes, you could be the proud owner of a Xenopus which is either:

a) an African clawed frog with an unusable tongue

b) an extinct species of cat which hated all others of its species to the extent that they wiped each other out in vicious battles.

c) the world's largest musical cloud hypervisor


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I don't know about you, but I'll be glad when this Blogging from A-Z challenge is over...

W is for White

Every month something special drops through my letterbox - another magical journal has found its way to me so I can add my own pages to the wonders within.

Eight artists contribute, adding their own interpretation to the journal's colour theme. This month I received Angie's White journal. A scary colour - but we were allowed a dash of another so mine became rose white.

I cannot tell you the joy this project brings. Sharing this journey with my friends every month fosters a strong connection. We are a tribe that supports and strengthens. I feel a great sense of belonging... they are very special ladies. It is ubuntu.

Sharing for Paint Party Friday and serendipitously we reach W in the Blogging from A to Z challenge ... nearly there!!

V is for Vampire Diaries

My guilty pleasure.

Given the amount of quality televisual experiences available, I do worry that my two 'must watch' programmes are a series about teenage vampires and a matchmaking show for people with more money than sense.

Maybe I just need a complete break from the more serious side of my life. Today I've been writing about the acquisition strategy of a cloud hosting company - I need some light relief.

The Vampire Diaries is delightful in that it doesn't really take itself too seriously. The plot has more holes than a pair of torn fish net stockings, but well, who cares? It's the eye candy that draws me in. Such pretty boys... I am but a shallow creature.

Firstly there's delicious Damon who likes to take his shirt off at regular intervals (though possibly not as often as one would like) and mainly wears black. He has this slightly wonky smile that sets the heart a-flutter and a very hard stare when he's being protective of those he loves. He's flawed, he's angry, short-tempered and fun.

Elijah is back. It wasn't fully explained where he went, but I figured it out as I saw him pretending to be a doctor in another show - must have been handy to be near all those blood bags. Elijah is a more of a gentle soul as vampires go; a romantic, less impulsive than Damon - but possibly easier to handle.

Klaus is a proper baddie. The cast seem to forget this on occasion and cut him the kind of slack not normally given to someone that murdered members of your family and close friends. Sometimes the script writers like us to see into his troubled soul when he gets his paints out and comes over all sensitive. However, underneath the oil paintings and creativity he is still a psychopath - albeit one that has a rather 'puppy dog' meets 'come-to-bed-with-me' smile.

Alaric was rather tasty too but unfortunately they killed him off.

So, we await with bated breath the next instalment. Will Elena recover her humanity? Will Caroline fall for Klaus? Will the scriptwriters come up with a more interesting plotline than Silas - the supernatural creature that can pretend to be anyone he wants to be (conveniently negating the need to pay for an extra actor)?

Stay tuned...

U is for Ubuntu

At the Call of the Wild Soul Retreat last September we were introduced to the concept of ubuntu by the beautiful Katariina Fabering. Originating from Southern Africa, ubuntu can best be described as a way of being - connectedness and kindness. It is summed up perfectly in this clip by Nelson Mandela. He describes a scenario where a traveller would arrive in a village and be looked after because it was the right thing to do.

In many ways ubuntu symbolises the community that has developed as a result of that retreat. From the moment I stepped across the threshold of Croydon Hall, hidden deep in the Somerset countryside, I felt welcome and a sense of belonging.

Long after we returned, we remain (thanks to Facebook) connected. Through this medium we are offering support and friendship for no other reason other than we want to. It's a safe and welcoming place where we are all improving ourselves.

Thank you Erin Faith Allen for bringing us together.

For me ubuntu is sincerity, collaboration, community, warmth and a sense of belonging. What does it mean to you?

Read more here on wikipedia.

T is for Tennis Elbow

Contrary to what you might think, I have not been playing tennis. It turns out that you can develop this condition from gardening too - specifically weeding.

Regular readers will know I enjoy an annual battle with the bindweed in my garden and this year it is clearly fighting back with new tactics - for how can I dig it up when my right arm is in so much pain that I can barely lift a glass of water, let alone dig out miles of sneaky roots? It has also brought in its stinging cousin the nettle to join its forces. This plant may well have been the cause of the elbow problem. There was much yanking and strain to the joints and tendons - though miraculously no stings!

May I just say that tennis elbow hurts. A lot. And apparently takes months to get rid of... I am much better today though and no longer reaching for the anti-inflammatories every four hours so I'm secretly hoping its just a strain.

Makes you realise how much I rely on having both arms in action. Feeling a sense of gratitude that I have them.