D M Roberts's Blog, page 8

Climbing trees and bloody knee’s

Do you remember life before the internet?

Of course I remember life before the Internet, I’m not completely past it, give me a few weeks and I might answer differently.

My favorite childhood memories will find me up a tree somewhere, anywhere. Away from the restraints of ‘the grown-ups ‘ that served only to spoil your fun and ruin your life.

There were no phones, unless you were wealthy, certainly no computers or iPads. I mean, that was something you saw on Tomorrow’s World or Space 1999, you most definitely didn’t see it in your own living room, let’s be honest here, you were lucky if you saw 3 square meals a week in most houses.

You spent school holidays outside, you went out when you got up and came back when you saw the street lights come on, or, when you broke something and even then you better make damn sure you did it saving a drowning kitten and not climbing on the roof of an empty house!

With the arrival of skates and skateboards came the obligatory scabby knees, no kid was complete without at least a years worth of spit and tissue paper embedded in their kneecaps for the rest of time. It was a right of passage – I personally opted for the air rifle pellets and have the x-ray to prove it – and perhaps the reason we genx folk have the worst knees in history (or at least that’s what it feels like).

We made dens in the winter, dens in the summer, we didn’t care what we made them out of as long as we could fit inside them and they didn’t collapse on our heads. We could look after ourselves, we had no choice. We could cook, sew, paint, fix things, problem solve, we recycled, up cycled and walked, we walked everywhere until we could walk no more.

Never mind all these eco warriors of today WE WERE THERE BEFORE YOU. We didn’t have much and we didn’t have it right now but we had independence and smarts. So, life before the Internet, Yes please!

Billoughby series

Billoughby series

Ad Lib

Why are there so many ads on social media? I don’t know about you. it drives me crazy! To the point that I can’t be bothered scrolling all the way through these ‘wonder’ products just to find a person I actually know.

Thing is, I have the patience of a saint, if it’s annoying to somebody like me, what must a person with less patience make of it?
Point in case, today I have a day off, hence the scroll, I’m fairly skinny and yet media platforms are bombarding me with weight control knickers that promise to miraculously melt body matter, droopy boob saving boulder holders – I hasten to add I would NEED boobs for them to droop and sadly I wasn’t blessed in this department – anti wrinkle elixir from the God’s, (okay I’ll give you that one) my point is this..

Why? Are my friends/family not interesting enough for me? I always thought they were, it’s the reason I have social media and yet the boffs running these sites have decided No, you don’t want to see that, you want to see how Mabel from Arizona discovered that the waste in her u-bend is a miracle cure for middle age mid rift fat. Count me in Mabel, I’ll send my introductory special once in a lifetime fee of $79.99 immediately…NOT

I’m all for promoting products, of course I am but come on, make it something I might actually want or even find plausible.

Better still, have an optional page dedicated to this stuff… You could call it, I don’t know, Complete Rubbish Ads Page, or, Seriously Helpful Items & Trustworthy!! This way I can choose to follow said page or, put my head in the oven, my choice.

It’s laughable that they pulled us in with lines such as, keep in touch etc

Social media is beginning to get a lot like British roads, necessary for some purposes yet completely unusable due to the potholes.

all photos courtesy of pixels

What’s your thoughts on this? Agree, disagree?

Christmas wishes

Well, it’s that time of the year again when people spend far too much, eat far too much and generally spend the next few days holding their breath until it passes.

When did we get so bogged down with a season that, after all, has nothing to do with whether little Jimmy got absolutely everything on his list? When did we start worrying more about outdoing our counterparts than enjoying a well earned slice of quality time with them?

I often hear the phrase “if it’s not done by Christmas day, it’s not getting done” Then simply don’t.

We are in a time of unstable finances for everyone, no idea how long prices will continue to rise, when this will settle down.

If the pandemic taught us anything it was this – no amount of money, or gifts, can make up for precious time lost with loved ones and, if they truly are loved ones they will not give a jot whether your arms are laden with gifts but they will always treasure the feeling of those arms that were laden with love.

W ishing you all a very happy and peaceful time this Christmas. D M

Winter festive sale on Smashwords

Hi!

I’m excited to announce that my books will be available as part of the Smashwords 2022 End of Year Sale! This is a chance to get my books, along with books from many other great authors, at a promotional discount.

You can find the promo here: https://smashwords.com/shelves/promos

If you wouldn’t mind lending a hand to me and the other indie authors taking part in this sale, you can share this promo with your friends and family. Just forward this post to anyone who would love a chance to find their next favorite book!

Thank you for your help and support!

Happy reading!

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Winter

My favorite time of the year is winter, yes, like everyone else I moan about the cold and yet, the way the sun shines on the icicles in the trees is mesmerizing.

I was watching a Robin this morning, it skirted along the icy fence at the back of the garden, not a care in the world. It didn’t concern itself with the temperature or whether it had a wooly hat, it simply was. That we should all be so lucky to have few cares in this world.

Be a Robin in the winter, embrace it and work with it.

Unknown source google photo

Archery – a walk on the wild side.

Archery – a walk on the wild side.

Quotes

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