Wednesday, 27 December 2017

Words for Wednesday

This meme was started by Delores a long time ago.  Computer issues led her to bow out for a while.  The meme was too much fun to let go, and now Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast. 

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...  We can use some or all of the prompts.

Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme, which includes cheering on the other participants.  If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.

 
This month the prompts have been
provided by Margaret Adamson and her friend Sue Fulton, and have included stunning photographs taken by Margaret's friend Bill.


Next month, January 2018 for goodness sake,  Cindi will post the prompts on her blog. 
February 2018:  River will post the prompts on her blog. 
March 2018: Delores will post the prompts on her blog.
April 2018:  The prompts will be here.
May (and October) 2108: The prompts will be here, but provided by  Margaret Adamson and her friend Sue Fulton.  The prompts will include photographs taken by her Margaret's friend Bill.

Needless to say, I am looking for people to provide the prompts for the months between May and October.  It would be lovely if some of the regular participants stepped up to provide the prompts and the old guard was allowed to rest.  New challenges (and challengers) are always welcome.  Please let me know in the comments if you are able to take plart.

Now, back to this weeks fun.

This week's prompts are:

  1. Parasol
  2. Heel
  3. Wag
  4. Ascending
  5. Hook
  6. Stair rods

And/or


  1. Mint
  2. Tottering
  3. Chew
  4. Binder
  5. Coming
  6. Pelmet

99 comments:

  1. Hi EC - hope you had a peaceful yet happy time .. I'll have to think about these ... Cheers Hilary

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    1. Her parasol hooked the high heel of her disliked enemy - the wag - they were both ascending the stairs; she was careful as she walked up ... but knew that the coming stair rod was loose ... she pulled with her court shoe as she continued up ... the wag, caught by the parasol hook, tumbled portentously downwards ...

      Not a happy ending for the wag ...

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    2. Hilary Melton-Butcher: Your thinking produced a fascinating story.

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    3. Murderous lady, but a fine little story. I have to ask, what exactly a wag is (not a nice person it seems). I cannot find it in the dictionary, only as a werb and an acronymic slang word (Wife And Girlfriend) and none of these meanings seems to fit here.

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    4. Uglemor: Wife and Girlfriend is the more common slang usage now, but it used to mean a bit of a jokester - though usually the wag laughed hardest at their jokes.

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    5. Uglemor: - here it would be a sports star's wife or girlfriend in a rivalry situation ... hence the murderous slur ... and subsequent event ...

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    6. He will wag his jokes no more, will he

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    7. Well I see that wag we provider casued a lot of discussion! Good story through.

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    1. Marie Smith: You are not alone. I wracked my brains for a while too.

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  3. The pelmet recently installed gave the curtains a formal appearance. Little did anyone know of her spitoon hidden behind the curtains which she used to deposit her stale chew. Later she sipped her mint julep hoping to remove the acrid taste left in her mouth by the tobacco. She was taking some time to ponder details of the book she was writing. She'd knew her ancestors were from Hunnesruck Germany and amazingly she had traced some of them back to the middle ages village of Binder the town's original name.

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    1. Linda Starr: Eeeeuw. I know that spittons were a fact of life, but they always make me shudder. Not certain I would have thought of mint juleps as a breath freshner either. This is a great take on the prompts.

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    2. What a quirky old lady. Spitoons indeed. Making me chuckle.

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    3. Very quirky and fun to read ... clever - cheers Hilary

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    4. We have an old spitoon that came from a defunct saloon here in town, we use it for a door stop.

      She sounds like quite a character.

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    5. My good neighbor chews and carries an empty beer can to spit in. Funny thoughts you came up with. Good job.

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    6. Interesting take on the words. Now spiroon conjures up having to empty full ones on every patients locker when i first started nurding Horrible job and my stomach still truns at the thought of it!

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  4. As is not uncommon my mind darted off in some strange directions this week...
    You can call me (and I hope you will) Maura Less. Dressed up to the nines (or tens), I stride up the stairs (no tottering for me) in my six inch heels and make an entrance. Twirling my parasol, wagging my fingers and winking at the audience, I am absolutely fabulous.
    My first appearance on stage last year? Absolutely disastrous. It could have been/should have been my swan song.
    Ginny Tonic was my name. I wore clothes I had picked up at the local Vinnies and did my own hair and make up. Ascending the stairs to the stage I caught my toe in the stair rods, grabbed at the curtain, yanked it (and the pelmet) off the wall and crashed to the ground. When I landed my falsies had shifted and one was poking out of my tight top. I was so pathetic no one even laughed and I slunk into the darkest corner.
    I got lucky. Peta, a successful burlesque queen, saw something in me. She took me in hand and taught me everything. How to talk, how to walk, how to dress, how to speak, the hook I needed to attract fans...
    Dark suits and a binder have transformed Peta to Peter. And I owe everything to him.. Chewing frantically on mint gum he is at every performance, watching s me carefully - coming and going to ensure I present a polished picture. And the first kiss I blow is always, but always for him.

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    1. Hi EC - that was a real fun take ... so intertwined with so many different threads ... gin and tonics left everywhere .. and lots of cross-dressing ... well done ... H

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    2. A second chance is hard to come by, it sounds like she is making the most of it.

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    3. you had a lot of fun with the words. "Maura Less" ha ha

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    4. OMG! Ginny Tonic with her falsies slipping. Loved it E.C.

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    5. WOW! Justt loved this story with lots of twists and wonderful names. Well done for thinking out of the box

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    6. This was fun, EC. You have such a creative mind.

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  5. The parasol unfolded, and she gently drifted down through the fluffy, white clouds. Nearer sea level she met ascending gulls, and found out that fluffy white clouds are just wet. As she came out of the clouds, she discovered a ship below her. Gently as a leaf she settled on the deck.
    A door opened, she turned around, and stood face to face with Captainn Hook. He drew his rapier, shouted: "Death to the intruder!" and began to wag his blade close to her face. Quickly she turned to the stairs behind her, grabbed a loose stair rod, and began fencing for dear life. In the end it was Captain Hookø's vanity that saved her. His high heel caught on a loose plank, and she jumped overboard. She could get no wetter after the trip through the clouds.
    The captain stood at the gunwale, screaming futile curses at her, but he had to stay on board because of the tick-tock crocodile.

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    1. Uglemor: I love it. A fascinating expansion of a familiar tale.

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    2. It's me that has to thank you for the truly inspiring words - and for enriching my vocabulary. I learned 3 new words in one day ;)

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    3. Hi Uglemor ... a very fun take on Peter Pan ... that would make a very good panto scene - clever thought - cheers Hilary

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    4. Hook seems to be forever foiled. In this instance, he deserved to be as he was very inhospitable to the stranger.

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    5. Talk about funny, you did exceptionally well yourself.

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    6. When we gave these prompts i had never thought of Captian Hook so i loved your take on all the words

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  6. When reading the first list I looked at 'heel' and thought of the Dutch word of the same spelling meaning 'very'. Automatically, the voice inside my head said, 'heel lekker'.

    Good words to know when one is dining in the Netherlands as 'heel lekker' translates to 'very tasty'!

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    1. Bea: Now that would be a very useful phrase. How many languages do you speak? I am ashamed to say that I have a very little schoolgirl French and English only.

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    2. Today I have learned something new which would have been helped thi year when i visited the Netherlands

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    3. Just a bit of German & American English (with a smattering of English-English---cookery book, conversate, bonnet, hob, etc.

      I took a semester of Dutch when a study-abroad-student in Germany. I really dig Dutch. -don't speak it, sadly.

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    4. Bea: How I wish I had perservered with language studies.

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  7. Replies
    1. only slightly confused: Margaret et al have said they will do October. How does September sound?

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    2. September works for me. Consider it done.

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    3. only slightly confused: Thank you.

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  8. I forgot today is Wednesday...often I never know what day it is...but this week is a doozy!!! :)

    "The heritage-listed ancient mansion was long past MINT condition.

    The STAIR ROD that meant to hold the carpet runner on the main staircase was COMING apart in many places. Not only that, it looked like the resident rodents had had a good CHEW on the worn rugs, too.

    A HOOK at the end of a PELMET atop the once lush, ruby-red velvet curtains in the drawing room had come adrift and was TOTTERING, about to fall; about to bring the whole show down with it.

    Hurriedly ASCENDING the staircase, Kate caught the HEEL of her shoe in the worn carpet. Without stopping, she tore it loose. She gave a WAG of her hand to the others down below, instructing them to remain behind.

    Alone, without their interference, she needed to find the diary before anyone else did. Its gold BINDER would tell her it was the one she needed to recover.

    Thunder in the distance warned a storm was on its way. She’d left her PARASOL at home. There was no time to waste."

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    1. Lee: I am having trouble keeping track of the days too.
      Love your story, and am wondering whether Kate is the good guy or the bad one...
      Are you ready to provide a month of prompts for us again? June? July?

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    2. Sure...put me done for June, EC. I will have thought of a few words by then...hopefully! :)

      I don't know whether Kate is the good guy or the bad guy, either! lol

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    3. Lee: Thank you. Just a couple of months to fill now, and we will have the year covered.

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    4. The intriguing beginning to an Elizabethan mysteru ... I hope the clues for next Wednesday will bring on chapter two.

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    5. Oh such clever use of the words as always. You wagged a finger and I had a wagging butt. LOL

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  9. I'm afraid I'm skipping this again. I don't know what "pelmet" means. Gonna go look it up now.
    Keep a smile, EC.

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    1. Rawknrobyn: Pelmet like so many English words can be used in a couple of ways. And one of them is, I think, on the gross side.

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  10. Our dog always seems to (wag) its tail when he's looking for attention, plus he loves to (chew) on a milk bone when he's given one. He also likes sitting on our carpet that's held down with brass (stair rods) on our staircase when he hears us (coming) home, which is quite surprising that our carpet is still in (mint) condition.

    Several years ago we had a friend that was (tottering) a bit while she was (ascending) up our basement stairs, which made us think she may have had a little too much to drink. Once she reached the top, she placed her sweater on our (hook) that was on the other side of our basement door. She then complimented us on our one curtain that's hung from our (pelmet) that hides the curtain rod. Later she did mention that she drank way too much when she discovered the (heel) from her one shoe was broken off. Before departing, she asked if we had a (binder) she could have to put an important document in. When she stepped outside she thanked us for the nice visit and then opened up her (parasol) to protect her from the sun.

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    1. Lon Anderson: Thank you for joining us. I enjoyed your tales. Parasols are such a stylish sun protection aren't they?

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    2. They truly are!

      Thank you, and you're welcome, for it was my pleasure joining along, for I love something that gets my mind thinking!

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    3. Great descriptions. I could picture it all:-)

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  11. Hi Sue,

    Those are some quite unusual words to use. I know what a pelmet is.

    To interesting responses to the words.

    Enjoy your week ahead, Sue.

    Gary

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    1. klahanie: Hi Gary. Margaret and her friends did suggest some unusual words didn't they? I hope your week is lovely.

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  12. All muddled as to what day it is :) Wednesday once again with words.
    Thinking words this week!

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    1. Margaret-whiteangel: Definitely thought provoking. And yes, all these public holidays make it hard to keep the days straight. Or that is my excuse.

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  13. Stair rods? are they those things that sit at the back of the step against the riser to hold the carpet in place?

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    1. River: I had to look it up - but yes they are. You are exactly right.

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  14. I can supply the words for August and December.

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    1. River: Thank you. Three months in a year is a lot though. Are you sure?

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    2. I'm sure. I can pick random words from whatever I'm reading at the time.

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  15. I have my story scheduled for Friday on my blog.

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    1. River: I am really, really looking forward to seeing it.

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  16. Today I will post my story here. I need something to stimulate my mind. Still will not return to blogging until after the first of the year. One procedure down and one to go. Hopefully I will be 100% soon.

    OUT OF THE BASEMENT by Granny Annie

    I had been closed up in the house so long I decided it was time to get out and about. Surgery recoveries are never fun. I picked up my PARASOL hoping for a sunny day out but knowing it was freezing cold. Silly me also put on a pair of my best high HEEL shoes. With a WAG of my fat butt (from sitting so long in front of the TV), I began ASCENDING the stairs from the basement. Forgetting about the HOOK on the stair landing, my sweater was caught and it threw me TUMBLING as I tried to grab for the STAIR RODS.

    My landing was soft because I fell into the many MINT plants on pallets below. TOTTERING to regain my balance I found myself spitting out the green stuffed in my mouth. It was very nice to chew but I hoped it would not serve as a BINDER if swallowed. I had enough health problems as it was.

    A thunder of feet could be heard COMING toward me for my rescue. My son and daughter were taking care of me and they heard my crash. My tall son forgot how tall he was and hit the PELMET as he came through the door. He too stumbled down the stairs and we shared a laugh once we knew we were both safe. We both also had sprigs of tasty greenery stuck in our smiles. My daughter just glared at me since she had told me over and over not to try to leave the basement on my own.

    Surviving this disaster gave me hope that in the upcoming New Year I would be able to climb out of the basement and get on with my life and once again visit all my blog friends.


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    1. Get out of that basement already. What a hilarious story. Tahanks for a much needed laugh.

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    2. Granny Annie: Loved your story and hope that more of it is fictional than I suspect. I hope your next procedure goes really, really well and we see more of you in the blogosphere. You have been missed.

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  17. Happy holidays to you Sue and good luck to all of you, hard-working people in this post! :)

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    1. Hot Guys: Thank you so much. I hope your holidays and the year to come bring you everything you wish for.

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  18. Everyone has had a lot of fun with this week's words....well done!! :)

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  19. Why was the jumbled scrabble letters discontinued as a theme photo? I like them very much, but I'm late to the party ;)

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    1. Uglemor: The scrabble letters were/are a great theme photo. Lee originally found them and I used them happily - but seem to have forgotten this month. My error.

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    2. Thanks, I took them for my posts, too :)

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    3. Uglemor: And thank you for the reminder.

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  20. First story

    I am a real sucker for period films and I watched a lovely romantic one the other day filmed in Dublin. There was a couple courting called Genevieve and Earnest. He called for her at her parents Georgian House to take in the air in the nearby park as it was a lovely sunny day. She appeared in clothes touching her HEEL with a broad brimmed hat, stunning smile, and the most beautiful PARASOL I had ever seen with scenes of Impressionist painting covering the silk accompanied by Winston, her Basset hound with an eloquent WAG of his tail.

    She placed her arm through the HOOK of his arm and together with Winston pulling somewhat walked to the park chatting about this and that. She was quite reserved but things where going well, in fact this was the day Earnest was going to propose to Genevieve. However a freak rain cloud descended like STAIR RODS and they had to run unceremoniously all the way home. As they reached her house again, ASCENDING the steps as quickly as possible to the front door, with Winston in tow, he plucked up the courage to quickly as Genevieve to marry him, She both burst out laughing then she said yes, their lips locked and I do not think either of them noticed that the rain was still very heavy and the butler was patiently waiting for them to some inside

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    1. Margaret Adamson: That is a delightful story. Love laughs at locksmiths - and rain it seems.

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  21. Second Story

    I look back on my 60’s days with great affection. I loved wearing those dresses with at least three net petticoats underneath and always felt like a Princess. My mother was a wonderful seamstress and so I had a great variety of these dresses to wear. Not so my sister, Dorothy. She was a hippie, much to the despair of my Mother. Everyday we would see her COMING home from school, TOTTERING along on four inches wedges, wearing a PELMET mini skirt carrying her MINT coloured BINDER under her arm. And of course she would be CHEW, CHEW Chewing that awful gum that my Father forbade her to have.

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    1. Margaret Adamson: Another good one. I suspect I would have leant more Dorothy's way though - but no high wedges for me. Sandals.

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  22. Dear E C i wish you a merry christmas and happy peaceful new year,take care and stay happy my friend!

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    1. baili: Thank you so much. The same to you and yours.

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  23. It was the final cricket test in Sydney, most of the WAGS (Wives and Girl friends) attended in their up market attire,, particularly Milly Bumfree the Oz Wicket keepers Girlfriend and a hotty who was always on Queue to display her wares and receive attention from the local cricket hooligans, but the descending rain put a stop to her antics when she ran up the stairs to the WAG enclosure waving her parasol when a HOOK shot from a pommy batsman defying the rain hit a "Six" which caught Milly on her rear end which trapped her high HEEL in the carpet STAIR RODS. The Umpires decision was "Caught Out".

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    1. Vest: That might even have livened up the cricket enough for me to watch it... Thanks for joining us again.

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  24. Great writings everyone! One of these days, I am going to give it a try!!

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    1. Magic Love Crow: I hope you will. I really hope you will.

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  25. It's always so neat to see what people come up using just a few well placed words. Hugs...RO

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    1. RO: It is a fun meme. Perhaps some week you will join us.

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  26. Well done to everyone, this is such fun.
    I really should join in more than the few times I did during 2017 ...

    All the best Jan

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    1. Lowcarb team member ~Jan: I do hope you can join us more often next year. This is definitely a more the merrier meme.

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    1. Cindi Summerlin: Indeed it is, and I was very glad to read your entry.

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  28. Tottering over to the mint plants in the garden I noticed crowds of whiteflies chewing the leaves. They noticed me coming and flew off in clouds. I went back into the house in a rage and removed the wooden pelmet covering the curtain rail, which I used to kill as many as I could. Then I got the binder I use to note down ideas for blogging, and wrote down this story.

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    1. catmint: The garden can indeed be the scene of murderous rage. Love this.

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  29. All kinds of talent here.
    Hope your day is filled with sparkle, color, and good health.
    Hugs,

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    1. Sandra Cox: Lots and lots of talent. And fun. It is early yet, but the day promises colour. I hope yours is delightful.

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