Hi Everyone! I’ve just made it to publish our monthly snippets for November! Months fly by. This is the column where I collect random interesting ” bits” that readers have sent in or I’ve stumbled across this month. Grab a coffee and settle into a comfy place and enjoy this month’s Snippets.
Get Fit Now
I joined the local gym a few weeks ago. Some days its fun. Some days torture would be preferable. I ran on the treadmill the other day. I mean ran.. with sweat and a heart rate unknown in my body for at least 10 years. It felt Great! And then… what arrives in my Inbox but a link from our Wellness friend, Julia Richards. It’s about a 103 year old woman Julia ” Hurricane” Hawkins winning the 100 metre dash at the National Senior Games (over 50’s) in the US. She broke the existing record. And..get this….. she started running when she was 100! Get thee to a gym!
Christmas Gift Time
Have you started shopping for gifts yet? A group of us chatted about this over coffee the other day and groaned about the megastores with their pounding jingles and migraine inducing lighting. We decided there are many ways to make gift giving more sane. Here are some ways you can make gifts can be more ethical, enjoyable and eliminate the groan factor from your credit card use.
- Make or Recycle
Making gifts is great if you have the time. It’s more personal and usually less costly. Foodstuffs has always been the go-to but with food allergies on the rise, check before – hand what will be appreciated. One of the simple gifts I made for a friend with dementia was a book with quotes I’ve collected over the years, family pictures and beautiful photos. It sits on his table and I often see him flip through the pages or read me a quote. For my Granddaughter I make books using ClipArt and a few words. we enjoy reading them together. I’ve also made up a dress-up box of hats, jewelry, old dresses, a tutu, fairy wings etc. I’m making up fruit log as treats to serve on the cheese board for small treats this year. It keeps for 2 months, so easy to make and it’s delicious.
Fig and Walnut log
Pulse 50g whole roasted almonds in a food processor & transfer to a bowl
Whizz 250 gm dried figs that have had the stalk removed and then chopped. It will be a sticky paste.
Add all ingredients together and mix- the almonds, 50g halved walnuts, 1/2 tablespoon brandy, 1/2 tablespoon clear honey and a pinch of ground cloves. Allow this mix to dry uncovered in the frig for a week. Roll into sausage lengths and wrap in baking paper.
Shop at pre-loved, charity shops and recycle stores. There are great recycle markets and designer recycle stores if brand is important. No mothballs!
2. Experiences Only
Gifts that provide an outing or experience can be so enjoyable. These can be film or concert tickets, an afternoon tea in a lovely cafe. gift cards for facials or a massage. Really simple things like a drink at a new wine bar or entry to an open garden.
3. Service and skill swap
We all have skills and most of us are budget conscious as we age, so skill or service swap vouchers are fun. Buy a card and offer a range of say 4 services and they can choose one or two eg Cut your lawns, bake a Victoria sponge, walk the dog, clean the oven, weed a garden bed…keep it small but helpful. A big bunch of flowers from your garden, beautifully wrapped is very special. A basket of homegrown organic produce is delicious. A herb basket is inexpensive to make.
There are tons of ideas out there… what suggestions do you have about making gift giving meaningful, less expensive and fun?
And finally… a wander through my favourite bookstore came up with these amazing titles… I was looking for attention grabbers…not sure about the quality of the prose!
and then there’s…
and finally
I hope you’ve had a great November! Make each day count. Live well.
Nora