Author: beckyjo125

Smashing single parenthood:writing prompt

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What’s one habit that has improved your life the most?

Ooh, as it happens I’ve recently joined Slimming World (other healthy eating programmes are available!)

‘Why?’ I hear you cry

Well, knew I was heavier than usual. Knew that few clothes fitted nicely Knew that I didn’t like my reflection anymore. So, decided to take action.

Now , at my age, reels are full of advice. ‘You need collagen!’, ‘You need cider vinegar!’ Hey, i once tried out the advice to start each day with a teaspoon of olive oil!!

What a load of baloney. What a waste of money

Two of my friends had recently lost weight, what had they done? One had ‘stopped eating cr*p and started going to the gym’ . The other had been to Slimming World. Its back to basics folks!

I elected to start with eating better and signed myself up at a local class.

And it has really suited me. The ‘free food’ is all the stuff I used to eat (before I had kids and slid into the mire of quick processed  freezer food meals). All fruit, veg, lean protein, pasta, rice and potatoes. Tasty delicious and filling – Ive actually started looking forward to meals again!

Within 4 weeks, clothes fitted better and pounds were slowly but steadily dropping off. Plus the other folk in my class are absolutely hilarious, so I enjoy the weekly sessions too!

So after all that waffling, what’s the habit that has changed things. Its simply this, ignore the online noise about supplements, fads and medication and judt EAT WELL to feel and look well! (If, in addition you want the support and humour of lovely community,  join a weight loss programme)

Michael

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Friday 8 May 2026

Off to the flicks I go for my May movie! Hoping for a bit of a ‘Thriller‘ of an evening this time with the Michael Jackson movie, imaginatively entitled ‘Michael’

And I do enjoy it!

My popcorn-pal on this occasion is an old pal from school. We’ve not met up for over a year but, as we rendezvous, are both thoroughly in the mood for a musical trip down memory lane. A chance to be transported back to the youthful times that bond us and to relive the excitement that the Jackson explosion caused in the first half of the eighties.

And the movie delivers this. The best part for me, is the re-tell of the making of the ‘Thriller’ album. The track list is unbelievable. To name just a few: Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’; The Girl Is Mine (with Paul McCartney); Thriller, Beat It; Billie Jean and P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing). And as they are reeled off and performed in the film, it is jaw dropping. I guess, it remains the best selling album of all time for a reason!

And then there is the Thriller video! Well, those of you too young to have been around at the time, we literally stayed up all night to see it first hit British TV, such was the electricity that surrounded Jackson’s early creativity, as the standards for videos and promotional strategies were rewritten. What I was not aware of, as a high school pupil in the 1980s, was that the album broke racial barriers in the USA with Jackson as the first black American artists allowed to appear on MTV performing ‘Billie Jean‘

Critics of the film are correct when they decry the superficial treatment of the many well know complexities of Michal Jackson’s life. But maybe this was not what the film makers intended to do. Maybe in this movie they, like us, simply wanted to celebrate the music and the magic it brought to that early eighties era, as opposed to an in-depth exploration of the sometime darker side of the man behind it.

Maybe such controversies are waiting for a sequel; this movie ends with the artist walking out on stage at Wembley in 1988 at the start of the ‘Bad’ tour and as the music finally fades the screen reads

The story continues…

But that is for another day. My friend and I head out into the night humming songs we ‘ve not hummed for several decades and have a wonderful evening with food and beer, indulging in reminiscence about past larks, loves and lives from age when we were still teenagers with the wonderful roller coaster of life very much ahead of us …

Shisha –  is that even legal?!

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Sunday 26 April 2026

It’s a works night out with a difference for me …

I work quite a lot this year. I have a regular weekday job but also, left over from a roller coaster year of free-lancing, a few ‘side hustles too’. And at one of these, my absolute fave, my boss decides that for our annual staff outing we all need ‘something chill’ , which in her world means one thing; a Shisha -Bar

“What even is that?” I pipe up like an innocent abroad “And…is it legal”

Well readers, worry not, it is all very much above board! Though not necessarily the healthiest of pastimes, as shisha is a flavored tobacco mixture smoked through a waterpipe. But I decide, as a one off…it should be okay? And. although my kids think it is ‘absolutely hilarious’, I sign myself up!

And so it is, that one sunny Sunday afternoon, we set off to Manchester’s Curry Mile for some (savoury)  food and thence to a Shisha Bar were we order, tea, waffles and … one large Hookah with several mouthpieces. Everyone has a few puffs, but eventually, we mostly leave it to the more seasoned smokers and just lean into the social atmosphere of the venue. In the absence of alcohol, the vibe is more relaxed than many pubs and very convivial. The buzz is all about the chat, conversations over teas and coffees, leisurely debates between swirls of smoke or laughter and gossip as the cake is shared out.

We have a great time. It has always been a lovely team but, as we drive back to our corner of the Northwest, having had the time and space to talk properly to everyone, we are even more united … and committed to the cause.

‘But what of the shisha?’ I hear your cry.

Am I a convert? No! I wont say ‘never again‘ but it definitely wont be for at least a year or two, until the annual outing decides to head that way once more …

Malham Cove

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Easter Monday 6 April 2026

Well there’s a walk to get your step count up!

The spectacular 230 foot limestone cliff of Malham Cove is our destination for a ‘nice Bank Holiday’ walk!

Golly – that looks steep!

Up to this point I am having the loveliest of days. A leisurely lie-in. Chauffered through the Yorkshire Dales by my favourite person. A tasty lunch of soup and sourdough at a trendy Skipton cafe. Blue skies and a rare bit of Spring sunshine and then… one very sheer cliff to scale!

Happily, in an apt analogy of life, climbing it isn’t actually as bad as thinking about it the trek ahead. Yes; there are dusty tracks and around 400 stone steps and yes; I do stop, at least once, feigning interest in ‘the view’ to catch my breath, but before too long we have reached the summit and the famed ‘Limestone Pavement”, resplendent in the April sunshine and a far cry from atmosphere of eerie desolation when it featured in the Harry Potter ‘ Deathly Hallows’ movie. Today by contrast, this maze of eroded limestone blocks is a lively scene of walkers gathering sit and chat, eat and drink and enjoy the view.

As readers of my blog will know, I love a Bank Holiday. Something about the communal day off, just fills the air with shared happiness and joy. Family time, friend time and a seemingly endless length of time. We wend our way back down, find a pub garden for a cheeky beer, before finally heading home.

Good times, good company … what more does anyone want from a day?

Where are the great movies of 2026?

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Sunday 5 April 2026

Come on you movie maestros….deliver us an epic for 2026!

Many classics of the past delight us this Easter Sunday night, where the TV schedule  sparkles with such a fest of fine films on the TV: Toy Story 3, The Imitation game, ET, Hot Fuzz .. that I can hardly fit them all in.

And, as I am blubbling my way through the final scenes of Spielberg’s iconic little alien parting with his human friends, I wonder if I am ever going to find a truly memorable movie this year.

Yes, my New Year’s quest to see at least one new cinematic offering every month, has been fun but I am yet to uncover any real treasures and March’s choice, ‘How to make a killing’ does little to address this.

I did really look forward to this one. Our protagonist, Becket, stuck in a dead-end sales job and estranged from his obscenely wealthy family, hatches a deadly plot to kill off the other heirs to the family fortune, take the money for himself and gain the respect of femme fatale Julia.

The trailer hinted at deliciously dark, slick and stylish. In reality, I find this movie lack-lustre and bland. It is hard to remember a memorable acting performance, a noteworthy character or a standout moment. No, if I had to sum up ‘How to make a Killing’ I would describe it as ‘100 minutes of silliness.’

So all eyes on April.  Maybe, just maybe, it will be ‘fourth time is a charm’ and I’ll be writing of a ‘must see movie’ for you all!

February Birthdays 2026

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21 February 2026

Are all the best people born in February?

For this shortest of months, a quick google search reveals an impressive roll call of famous figures with birthdays in the second calendar month. To pick out just a few: Rosa Parks, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronald Reagan, Bob Marley, Jennifer Aniston, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Galileo Galilei, Michael Jordan, Ed Sheeran, John Travolta, Toni Morrison, Millie Bobby Brown, Rihanna, George Washington, Drew Barrymore, Steve Jobs, Fats Domino …

Just a few? Blimey!

But hang on there a minute…I think there’s room for three more on that list! Yes, two of my lovely offspring, Small Boy and My Eldest have February birthdays and so do I! And this year we celebrate in culinary style.

A midweek road-trip to the South West, brings my Eldest and I to Brown’s Brasserie, for a birthday feast with Smallboy. It is February-fabulous. We set off with starters and mains but then, emboldened by the wine and also just to prolong the deliciousness, we go all in with a cheese board too.

A week later I am back in the NorthWest, where for my birthday, I am treated to an amazing dinner for two at a local treasure, The Pearl. Described by the Good Food Guide as ‘A tiny restaurant with a big heart’, this one is also a taste sensation. I think my actual words to the waitress were ‘off the scale of scrumptiousness’. Featuring top quality ingredients and ethical sourcing, each course is incredible, but I have to give a special shout out for the ‘mushroom parfait’, a starter so unbelievably good, I almost didn’t want to order a main. Almost being the key word; in reality we abandon our plan to go for the two course menu, opt instead for three and, once again are ‘all in’, sharing puds and cheeseboards! I blame the chef; the food is just too good!

So are all the best people born in February? I am not sure but it as definitely been a month when I have eaten the best of food and and kept some of the best company . And who can ask for better than that!

Wuthering Heights

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Sunday 15 February 2026

On a damp and gloomy Sunday morning, I drive out to a local cinema to see film number two of 2026. My choice ‘Wuthering Heights‘, a movie based upon Emily Bronte’s infamous and intense novel.

We grab a coffee on the way in, to wake up and ward off the the wintry chills. My friend is grim faced.

“Have you seen the reviews?” she asks arching her eyebrows.

Then dropping her voice to a whisper,

“One even described it as Baroque porn!”

Yikes! Have made a huge mistake?!But we are here now and … at the very least, it sounds livelier than ‘Hamnet’! So in we go, juggling our drinks and snacks.

And I really enjoy the film.

So is it exactly like the book?

No! But come on people; this is the big screen and a new piece of story telling that has to fit coherently into a 2 hour slot.

Is it a relentless hot bed of steamy sex and naughtiness?

Well there are a few moments when we nearly drop our popcorn, but,for the most part, it is no saucier than many other movies.

So what is it that I love so much about my February film choice? Well, whilst the producers undoubtedly adapt and alter some of Bronte’s more minor characters as well as plot lines, what this movie does brilliantly capture is the  all-consuming, destructive passion between Heathcliff and Cathy on those desolate Yorkshire moors. And, for many of us, who read and love the original book, this is the central theme. Raw, romantic, compelling  and ultimately… devastating.

The soundtrack adds emotional layers and, of course, the moors provide the perfect backdrop. Wild, untamed and uncontrollable, reflecting the moods and desires of our two main characters. This film delights the senses.

So, for two hours, I forget the dreary day outside and lose myself in this great story and when we finally emerge back into the carpark, do you know what I see the damp drizzle through completely new eyes. Suddenly the misty and overcast skies of this Bolton morning look atmospheric and evocative… hinting of brooding desires and forbidden passions and …. and then I see the queue to get out of the carpark and come crashing back to reality!

That is until next month! If I ever get out of here and get home, it is straight off to research next month’s movie …

Has anyone seen my ‘trio of teens’?

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Thursday 12 February 2026

And this is the month and this is the year that Smallboy turns 20!

Eek – how did that happen?

One moment I was careering through life with my ‘trio of teens‘, in a house full of exam angst, assorted friends, lots of Netflix and even more ironing! Then, in what now feels like the blink of an eye, my youngest child steps into his twenties and the teen-years are over.

As the momentous Birthday dawns however, it appears that for Smallboy at least, 20 is simply one year further on than 19. I give him a call and he excitedly tell me that my card made him ‘chuckle’, that he ‘loves‘ his gift of a Man U shirt, (because until Jim Radcliffe opened his big mouth, we were actually enjoying being ‘Reds‘ again.) He ‘loves’ the deposit of cash in his bank account even more. And, because my boy knows how to please his old mum, he tells me that, above all, he is really looking forward to my visit next week.

And I am looking forward to it too. I resolve to follow the lead of my youngest child, treat age as ‘just another number’ and to carry on enjoying the company of lovely adult children who are clever and kind, good hearted and good company. (And if I am ever wondering where my ‘trio of teens’ have gone, I need look no further than my blog where their antics are immortalised in my past posts!)

I fill a glass of wine, put up my feet and start to get excited about a fun city break next week.

New Year’s Resolution 2026

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Wednesday 28 January 2026

Now that I’ve finally caught up on Christmas, it is time to move onto New Year… and resolutions!

I’ve got a cracker of a resolution for 2026; I resolve to go out to the cinema to see a new film at least once a month!

Come on people, as annual goals go, this one is genius! Get’s us out of the house, broadens the mind, it’s fun, it’s fascinating… hey it even supports the local  economy!

The inspiration comes on 31 December, where I am seeing in the new year with friends in The Lake District. We escape the wintry,  afternoon chills at a charming cinema in Ambleside, with beers, comfy seats, and the thrills of  ‘The Housemaid’. And, although I am often watching from behind my coat (this movie is tense!), I really enjoy myself and am reminded how much I love the big screen experience. No phones, no distractions, just the chance to lose  yourself in a world of fantasy, escapism, characters and plots. And in that moment, my resolution is made!

With true resolutionary zeal, upon my return, we kick off January with two tickets for Oscar nominated ‘Hamnet’… so  what was my verdicton this much lauded movie offering?

To be honest, having heard such rave reviews, I was a little disappointed. I’d settle on ‘good but not great’. There are some intense moments, I was mesmerised by much of the woodland cinematography and the ending is almost chokingly unbearable. But for large parts of the film, I found the plot somewhat empty and disjointed, with several story lines that dwindle rather than develop. Crucially, Hamnet fails to fully engage my emotions, which I really wasn’t expecting. Quite the opposite in fact; I had settled into the cushioned chairs, with a pint of Poretti, expecting to be drawn in from the start and to love it all.

Perhaps every year there’s at least one movie that seemingly everyone but me thinks is a masterpiece… maybe a simple difference of opinion or maybe I’ve just missed something?

Regardless, I’ve launched my movie adventures for 2026 and am already devouring Rotten Tomato reviews looking for February’s pick…

How long ago was Christmas?

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Saturday 22 January 2026

Is this really my first post of 2026?

It is true that January has been hectic but now that I have found a 10 minute space to get my thoughts together, lets take a breath and look back… at Christmas….

When I started blogging, I lived, as the only adult, in a home of three teenagers, occasional guinea pigs, goldfish and even a gecko. I was ‘Mum’… single-Mum… the provider of all festive cheer; Christmas decs, Christmas trees, Christmas food and … and the biggest challenge for any parental combination ….presents!

Oh my goodness, scrambling together the money for them from a stretched family budget, scouring the shops and internet sites to find them and then, in a chilled panic on Christmas Eve, when shops are now shut and all options are gone, wrapping and … counting them.

“Counting them?” I hear you cry.

Yes, you hear me correctly. I had three teens. If those three pillow-cases of gifts did not contain exactly the same number of parcels, filling the same volume of space and appearing to reflect the same monetary value… then you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Ha ha ha … a lounge scene more akin to a tense gathering at the UN than wholesome John Lewis advert.

But that was then. Roll the clock forward six or seven years and things are a lot more relaxed. Two of my offspring are now earners and when I come down on Christmas morning, I find that my own pile of presents is a large as anyone else’s. And they are such lovely thoughtful gifts that I am quite overcome. And these are my three favourites: a new Kindle, because mine went on a trip to Kathmandu a year ago and did not return, a new washbag, because someone noticed that on a recent trip to Brussels I had my toiletries in a plastic bag and then… from my son a piece of music.

But not just any piece of music. No, this is the beautifully printed notes for Elevazione! And back in 2022, the first item on ‘My Bucket List’  was  this:

‘Learn to play the oboe part of Elevazione: Domenico Zipoli“

I have looked and looked for it but it is Smallboy who has, not only found the parts but has also gone one astonishing step further. My amazing boy has used the string accompaniment parts to arrange his own piano part. (The girls tell me later that this has taken him weeks to do!)

“So we can play the piece together Mum!”

It takes my breath away… I am lost for words.

And today, as 2026 is close to reaching its second month, I love that I have found time to look back and mark these precious moments in a blog post. Maybe all the Christmas-stress of the teen years and worrying about keeping everyone else happy was just paving the way for these calmer times … and the days when I would feel like the one appreciated and thought about? Or, maybe I just got lucky and was given three wonderful kids…