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Continue reading →: Arts and humanities
My distance learning course is proving a success. I am learning so much about Mozart and his gifted sister, Nannerl. Their father, Leopold, had a lot to do with Wolfgang’s success. He encouraged Wolfgang to tour Europe as a performer and composer. Wolfgang secured a salaried position in his home…
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Continue reading →: If integrity has no need of Rules
Albert Camus put forward the idea that those whose integrity was beyond reproach had no need of society’s strictures. This premise assumes that there are those who are capable of self regulation. It is a bit elitist to think that a small group of individuals do not need to conform…
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Continue reading →: A rich banquet of rugby
English Roses fought valiantly against the Black Ferns, but didn’t quite overcome a sturdy New Zealand defence. A capacity crowd at Eden Park certainly got their money’s worth. The Black Ferns world champions again. For couch potatoes like me, there were Autumn Internationals on Prime Video. The surprise results were…
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Continue reading →: Back to school
The need to refresh my grey matter before it turned to mush has me studying Psychology and Humanities at undergraduate level. I have studied with the Open University before and they make distance learning easy as long as you follow their path towards weekly goals. Needless to say, I am…
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Continue reading →: Whiskey week
I was invited to join three other guys on a guided walk learning about the history of whiskey making in Belfast. Was it a mistake to drink three pints of Guinness before the tour started? Possibly. We were fed a bowl of stew along the way and more history than…
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Continue reading →: Donegal mini break
We have escaped across the border to a rented newly built house. The smell of turf fires greeted us and a long walk across a deserted golden beach reminded us of Donegal’s natural beauty. The house has fine views across green fields and a scattering of modest homes. There is…
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Continue reading →: Chiff chaff
On a visit to the Ulster Museum I had a look in the gift shop. There was a shelf full of cuddly birds and if you pushed a spot on their backs it played the sound that particular bird made. I opted for the chiff chaff. Now I delight in…
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Continue reading →: Wildness
We are doing our bit to encourage bees and other insects to feast on our wild flowers. The thistles, buttercups, nettles and so on are thriving. We have spotted bees and flies and the odd butterfly but there has been too much rain of late to promote aerial manoeuvres. The…
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Continue reading →: Going green
Our semi-detached 3 bedroomed house was built at the end of the 1960s. We moved in 22 years ago and have made no improvements in all that time. Now we have the money to make the property as energy efficient as possible. We will be replacing the oil fired heating…
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Continue reading →: Pedicure
My brother and family kindly gifted me a pedicure in a local Spa treatment centre. I had put off the treatment for over a year during lockdown and the height of virus infections. I decided to use the gift voucher on my recent birthday. It was a very enjoyable experience…