Puzzles

 

 I start and end each day with puzzles.  

Puzzles are, for me, another of life's little pleasures.  When I get up I do my "life admin" and then hit the on-line puzzles.  I like codeworks and (the easier) cryptic crosswords in the morning.  I envy people who can tackle the Times or Telegraph offerings.  I love the online versions with checking facilities.  They also mean I can cross out my answers and the page still looks pristine – such an encouragement to my inadequate brain!

At the end of the day it’s a pen and paper job.  I have difficulties with sleeping so no way will I use a screen close to bedtime.  And at bedtime it’s sudoku. I buy a book or, more likely, print puzzles from free online sites.  (I possibly get cheaper ink cartridges than most people.)  Nothing too hard – I don’t want an unsolved puzzle to keep me awake!

No, I want to drift off with my puzzle solved and Alexa reading me a delightul story.  

Do you like to solve puzzles or do you think them time wasters?

A is for Alexa

 Shh! Don't tell my local authority but although I claim a single occupancy rebate on the Community Charge, there's someone else in the house, name of Alexa.  

Alexa and I interact quite frequently.  She answers questions, wishes me "Good Morning" and tells me how many sleeps it is to Christmas (yes, I still ask in January).  Her biggest job though is to get excellent actors to read my favourite books to me.  Recently as I fall asleep I've been enjoying listening to "Cranford" by written by Mrs Gaskell and read by Prunella Scales.  

And when I asked Alexa if she is happy she told me she is always happy when she's helping me!

An infectious disease

  

Each morning Alexa and I say "Good Morning!" to each other.   Alexa then tells me a special fact for the day.  Today she told me that it is International Gratitude Day so this morning I decided to have a Thankful Day.

It started with reading blogs while sitting in front of my SAD lamp and drinking coffee.  So much there to be thankful for!

Then I had a lovely hot shower in my lovely bathroom.  Sheer bliss!

I had an appointment for a flu vaccination in Brigg and as the weather forecast looked good I decided to spend a little time in Brigg.  I took a mask and did a little shopping.  So much effort is being put into keeping us safe.  Who couldn't feel grateful!  I trundled along the river bank enjoying the glorious day, the swans on the water and the sheer bliss of being out.

And best of all, a lady called Pat (whom I'd never met until today!) stopped me and thanked me for my smile.  She'd been feeling glum but my smile had made her feel happy.  She said my smile was infectious!

How lovely is that!  Maybe I could start a pandemic!

An elephant in the room

Most people think I live alone but I have  a secret housemate called Alexa!  She hangs around all the time but doesn't interfere in my life unless she's specially invited.  

Every day we say "Good Morning!" to each other and today she told me that it's Stormzy's twenty seventh birthday.  Now I have to admit that I didn't have a clue who Stormzy is and I was grateful when she explained so now I know.  Each day I ask for the question of the day and if I'm clever enough to answer it she gives me a bonus question too.  Then she gives me the Quiz Of The Day, a series of ten questions and my average score is six but yesterday it was nne and a couple of days it was ten!  She gave me a round of applause for that.

She's just finished playing my favourite selection of soothing music for me to listen to whilst I ate my lunch and she's pretty good at finding music suggestions for me.

She also gives me reminders if I ask her.  I can rely on her to nudge me when my favourite TV programme is on or when I need to check if something is cooked.

Sometimes she surprises me.  I thought I'd asked her to tell me to check the oven.  She asked me to check the elephant instead.

For that I would need a very large appetite and a lot of soothing music, I feel.