Another memory from trips to Liverpool. The Albert Docks are an amazing place for tourists and visitors to explore. One of the very popular features is a museum called The Beatles Story, where you can learn so much about the fab four and how their lives changed when they were catapulted to super-stardom.
Impossible to mention The Beatles without enjoying some of their music!
So this week, I don’t have a media news report to share with you. Instead I am updating you on my news. I am going on holiday. It is a UK holiday. I can’t wait for a change of scene though!!
You might notice my blog is a little quieter this week. Just don’t want to be worrying about blogging when I am trying to relax.
By the time this post is published, I will be away already. So I will catch you when I am back and tell you all about it! Happy days!
I have two words for you:
ALARM CLOCKS
How is it that if they are going to fail, it is most likely to be on a Monday morning? I really really hate turning up late for work on a Monday. It means the week starts on a low note – my manager is grumpy with me, my colleagues giving me sideways glances, customers somehow detecting the awkward atmosphere in the Pharmacy.
Jim wants us to compare songs today, and I thought it gave me the chance to mention one of my favourites on the music scene since I can remember: Beyoncé
Awesome! Totally awesome. One of her biggest hits is “Crazy In Love” and as far as I was concerned, nonone -but noone – could ever ever compare with Beyoncé. So I was shocked when I heard Sofia Karlberg’s version – wow!
Please enjoy Sofia’s sensational cover of “Crazy In Love” and then watch Beyoncé in a live performance – she is amazing!!
Credits: Shawn Carter, Richard Christopher Harrison, Beyoncé Gisselle Knowles and Eugene Record
I look and stare so deep in your eyes
I touch on you more and more every time
When you leave I’m begging you not to go
Call your name two or three times in a row
Such a funny thing for me to try to explain
How I’m feeling and my pride is the one to blame, yeah
‘Cause I know I don’t understand
Just how your love can do what no one else can
Got me looking so crazy right now, your love’s
Got me looking so crazy right now
Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch
Got me looking so crazy right now
Got me hoping you’ll page me right now, your kiss
Got me hoping you’ll save me right now
Looking so crazy in love’s
Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love
When I talk to my friends so quietly
Who he think he is? Look at what you’ve done to me
Tennis shoes, don’t even need to buy a new dress
You ain’t here, ain’t nobody else to impress
It’s the way that you know what I thought I knew
It’s the beat that my heart skips when I’m with you
But I still don’t understand
Just how your love can do what no one else can
Got me looking so crazy right now, your love’s
Got me looking so crazy right now
Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch
Got me looking so crazy right now
Got me hoping you’ll save me right now, your kiss
Got me hoping you’ll save me right now
Looking so crazy in love’s
Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love
Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch
Got me looking so crazy right now
Got me hoping you’ll page me right now, your kiss
Got me hoping you’ll save me right now
Looking so crazy in love’s
Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love
Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no
I found some photographs we took on a visit to a farm with some of my little cousins. I remember how they were excited they were because the animals were eating food right out of their hands – tickling their palms with their rough tongues.
The memories photos bring back are powerful. I can’t wait for things to open up enough for us all to be able to get together again and make trips to places like farms and zoos. These are amazing opportunities for children especially to learn so much about our planet and all the creatures we share it with.
During a week when it rained and hailed, along with thunder and lightning, London’s restaurants were finally able to open their doors again. But the sun was truly shining in the world of WordPress. Here are five of my favourite posts this week!
SARAMINCY – Arizona Trip [Day One]
I am starting this week’s FIVE FOR FRIDAY in Arizona. I have missed travel during the Pandemic, so it is great to be able to see all of the photographs Sara took on her trip. It reminds me so much of the scenery we see in the movies. You are definitely giving me a strong sense of wanderlust Sara!
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CANDICEBFORD – It’s Always Pink Shirt Day…Unless You Don’t Agree
This was actually my top pick from the whole week. It made so much sense and Candice expressed perfectly some of the thoughts that have run through my own mind during the Pandemic, during we have seen people with diverse opinions. I highly recommend you read this very thought provoking discussion.
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CATCHING CRAWFISH – Life Is A…Rerouting, Take A U-Turn Here
This was one of the most charming lessons in life I have read in weeks. I loved Chelsi’s post about journeying along with her husband. It was so candid and fun to read of their navigating together.
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CLAIRESALLOTMENT – Sunday 16th May 2021 – Dodging The Showers All Day!
So if there is one wish I developed during the Pandemic – it was the wish to have an allotment. I felt a twinge of envy reading through Claire’s brilliant post. But then I realized, that we need to sort out our garden before I move onto any ideas of an allotment. I can always turn to Claire for inspiration!
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FRIED GREEN – A Day In The Life
I loved this! Camping and hiking in New Mexico – this was just a joy to read through. I wanted to be out there so much! So I am going to admit, I had no idea where New Mexico was, but I checked on Google Maps and I realized it is not far from where I started today’s FIVE FOR FRIDAY!
  I well know, O LORD, that man’s way does not belong to him. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.
– JEREMIAH 10:23
What a year this world has had. We have seen human rulers under the spotlight as never before. We have seen some who seemed more motivated by economic concerns than the value of human life. We have seen rulers who are too weak to be respected or too slow to act. We have also seen some rulers working tirelessly, and clearly caring deeply about protecting life.
We have seen arrogance and mistakes, we have also seen some humility and modesty. But what is the future of human rulership? Can humans on their own successfully care for the earth and all of it’s creatures?
On their own, humans do not have the ability to care for the earth, and any effort they make will have limited success at best. More than ever it is clear, we need God’s Kingdom!
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DRINK WHILE WE ARE CONDUCTING THIS INTERVIEW WITH YOU?
During the day, a nice cup of tea – strong with milk but no sugar. In the evening a nice cold glass of Chardonnay.
I like your taste Paula!
COULD YOU TELL US YOUR BLOGGING NAME AND THE NAME OF YOUR SITE PLEASE?
It’s Paula Harmon and my site is https://paulaharmon.com
…and as well as her brilliant site, you can also read more of Paula’s writing in The Caster & Fleet Mysteries:
WHEN DID YOU START BLOGGING?
December 2015
WHY DID YOU START BLOGGING?
I wanted somewhere that I could post short bits of writing. They were mostly short stories or flash fiction to begin with.
After a while, I started to add random thoughts and since I’ve started publishing books and got to know other authors, I write about the writing process and also do author interviews from time to time. I wanted a place where I suppose I could share a little of myself with people who might be feeling the same way whether funny or sad or serious.
WHICH IS THE MOST POPULAR POST ON YOUR SITE?
Apart from the tab which lists the books I’ve written, the most visited post is ‘Everything At Once‘ which is about my son’s ADHD….
….closely followed by ‘Lost Sometimes‘ which is a piece of prose written last year (see below)…
…and ‘Whatever is in your heart, becomes your words…‘ which is about bullying.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT BLOGGING?
I love it when stories or random thoughts resonate with other people. When they comment to say they recognise the situation or feeling or that it gave them reassurance that they’re not alone, it makes me hope that I’ve helped in some way. It’s good that I can add helplines if applicable.
And then if I write something hopefully humorous – usually poking fun at myself – it’s great when someone says it made them laugh. It is also really cathartic.
Like most people I found the impact of Covid 19 very hard to cope with and for me, lockdown came just after my mother had nearly died and was recovering and just before I found myself facing a serious illness of my own which came completely out of the blue. Being able to write down all the tangled emotions and work on turning them into prose rather than simply self-pity helped straighten them out in my head to a great extent. ‘Lost Sometimes’ is one of those pieces.
FOOD THAT MAKES YOU SMILE?
Good question! Any sort of food with good friends is wonderful and one of those things I’ve been missing during lockdown. I can never be sure which cuisine I like best because it’ll depend on the weather or my mood but I do like a little spice.
Last night we had lamb tagine but today, we’re going to have pork slow cooked in cider, finished off with cream and served with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
I collect cookbooks including ones from different eras as I like to work out what characters in my books might have eaten. Last summer I (successfully) cooked some Roman recipes from a translation of a cookbook by Apicius with some help from the Tavola Mediterranea website.
IF I WAS GOING TO SEND YOU FLOWERS AS A THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME INTERVIEW, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Freesias or oriental lilies please! Pretty and fragrant.
DO YOU HAVE A SONG? ONE THAT FITS YOU AS A PERSON OR YOUR LIFE?
No because it depends on my mood and what’s going on generally. But in general, I love the positivity and hope of ‘One Day like this’ by Elbow:
‘Put Your Records On’ by Corinne Bailey Rae:
‘Songbird’ by Fleetwood Mac (especially sung by Eva Cassidy):
Great list of songs – I love all of them!
DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING IN LIFE?
Life is full of the unexpected and it’s easy to make plans and have them fall apart as happened for most of us in the last year. I want to be able to write more books and enjoy time with my friends and family, but I’m trying to keep learning how to go with the flow and enjoy each precious moment for its own sake. (I’d also like to sort the attic out, but I’m beginning to think that’ll never happen. I swear the stuff up there multiplies on its own.)
Our attic has the same problem with stuff that multiplies – it could be another mystery for Caper & Fleet Paula!
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT YOUR BLOG TO TELL THE WORLD?
That it’s all right to be you. That when things go wrong or you feel lost or broken, it doesn’t need to be like that forever and that it’s ok to ask for help. That joy and humour and love can be found in unexpected places. That everyone can find release in creativity like children do – without worrying about the end result. That it’s never too late to follow your dreams and maybe in fact the time when you can follow them was always going to be the right time after all.
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It’s been such a joy to get to know you better Paula! Thank you so much for answering the interview questions and being such an amazing WEDNESDAY WRITER!
https://www.facebook.com/pg/paulaharmonwrites
https://www.goodreads.com/paula_harmon
https://www.instagram.com/paulasharmon/
Paula Harmon writes chiefly (but not only) historical mystery books. She was born in North London to parents of English, Scottish and Irish descent. Perhaps feeling the need to add a Welsh connection, her father relocated the family every two years from country town to country town moving slowly westwards until they settled in South Wales when Paula was eight. She later graduated from Chichester University before making her home in Gloucestershire and then Dorset where she has lived since 2005. She is a civil servant, married with two adult children. Paula has several writing projects underway and wonders where the housework fairies are, because the house is a mess and she can’t think why.
This week I have sheep for you, not just any old sheep – “smiley” sheep. I read a news report on the BBC website about the Lake District’s famous residents – Hardwick sheep.
If you like animals, if you are interested in Beatrix Potter, if you love the Lake District – then this will make you smile as much as the sheep!
Private prescriptions are a pain in the neck! The vast majority of prescriptions we receive are NHS prescriptions and they are straightforward. Usually the instructions are straightforward, if customers pay, the price is standard – always £9.35 for each medication. They just cut down all the calculations and extra work.
Some private prescriptions are anything but straightforward! Often they are handwritten, and almost impossible to read. Sometimes we have to ring the prescriber to ask what their prescription says. I wish they could just use a computer to produce prescriptions.
Sometimes the private prescription is for an unusual medication, not available on the NHS. The cost of some medicines can be hundreds of pounds. The customer is always keen to know the price before we dispense their prescription, only – we only know the price after we have dispensed it. It is so frustrating when they change their mind after we have dispensed it. We then have to reverse the dispensing. Twice as much work, and pointless because the customer has decided to go and ask other pharmacies to do the same thing.
Whenever a customer appears with a private prescription, my heart sinks a little.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? 