Bloganuary: What chore do you find the most challenging to do?

As chance would have it, I actually referred to my most challenging task yesterday. I refer, of course, to the weekly routine of changing the bed linen. The process can be broken down into four parts, the middle two of which – stripping off the old sheets and pillowcases and putting on the new ones…

Bloganuary: How do you define success?

I spent most of my working life as a financial analyst in the investment business. As my specialist subject was the European banking sector, I saw plenty of corporate restructurings being undertaken, with mixed success. The key question in such exercises, of course, is how to define success. When announcing restructurings, company managements must perforce…

Bloganuary: Why Do You Write?

Like the road to hell, I started out on this Bloganuary exercise (don’t call it a bloody ‘journey”: if you’re not physically moving from one place to another it is categorically NOT a journey) with good intentions. I managed the first three days fairly straightforwardly, but for some reason I never got the email prompt…

The Lonesome Pine

Bloganuary Day 30: OFFS! Describe yourself as a tree. What the hell is this? Have I stumbled into a Stanislavski drama workshop? Or maybe a primary school class where the supply teacher has no idea how to keep the little buggers darlings occupied until the bell goes? Oh alright then. if I was a tree:…

‘Frankly, my dear…’

Bloganuary Day 19: Warning – today I am wearing my ‘grumpy old man’ head. Write about something mysterious. I’m grateful to today’s instalment of Bloganuary for providing this opportunity to have a rant, thereby further cementing my carefully cultivated image of general misanthropy. Most thing are at least something of a mystery to me, so…

A man can dream

Bloganuary Day 13: Entering the realms of fantasy… What does your ideal day look like? I’ve had longer than usual to think about today’s prompt. Normally, I first see it in my inbox when I wake up at the usual time, but today I found myself awake in the small hours, so took an early…

Smiley Face Hugs

Bloganuary Day 12: Down with the kids… What emoji(s) do you like to use? Back in the mid-sixties, I seem to recall a British High Court judge interrupting a speech by counsel to enquire ‘Who are The Beatles?‘ Unsurprisingly, this attracted a wave of derisive comments about old fuddy-duddies being out of touch with modern…

Where no man has gone before

Bloganuary Day 11: Ask a silly question… What does it mean to live boldly? Today’s prompt strikes me as an exceptionally silly question. With another 20 days of Bloganuary to get through after today, I hope this isn’t the start of a downward spiral into increasingly odd prompts. Anyway, if in doubt, start by going…

‘I’d like to thank…..’

Bloganuary Day 10: I like a list, but not this kind…. What are five things you’re grateful for today? Now, I like a list as much as the next blogger, but I have to say I’m a bit cautious about this particular prompt. That’s because to my mind these sort of ‘count your blessings’ lists…

Just a pussycat…

Bloganuary Day 9: the road goes ever on… What do people incorrectly assume about you? There are some general misconceptions about me that I am more than happy not to disavow. Chief among these would probably be the impression that I actually know what I’m talking about more than half the time. I was haunted…