Saturday 29 January 2022

Bright and early

Good morning Bloggers - bright and early while my brain is still in top gear.  I have come to the conclusion that my brain is in top gear - more or less- during the morning- but it is downhill all the way after that and  by bedtime it has gone in to reverse.

This was confirmed for me yesterday when off and on all day I thought about a post I might put on 'later'.   When I came to doing so late in the afternoon I could barely remember what it was going to be about let alone the 'very wise' thought I intended to post on the subject.   When I finally raked it up from the depths my hands were shaking too much to do it.    So this morning on to another subject but already too long (ish) phone calls -one to tell me that the lady opposite has died during the night sadly and the other to a chat with my son- that I am once again in danger of forgetting today's entry!

Robert Crampton in today's Times Magazine speculates on what one would do if suddenly one had more money 'coming in' - not mountains of the stuff which (I guess we would all agree) would just become a nuisance and a worry, but just an extra sum to spend on this and that.  Somebody said they would like access to all the Newspapers every day.  I have always said that my Times is the very last thing I would give up and when anyone tells me I can get it on line if I care to I tell them I have absolutely no desire to read it on line - I want the newsprint in my hand.

My son's birthday is coming up shortly I had thought a globe would be a possible present for his desk (I love globes and would like one for my desk if I could find room but I can't) - but he would rather have a morse code thingy to update his present one (he is an amateur radio enthusiast) giving as his excuse - and demonstrating it - that he could bring up Azerbijan on his tablet and even find an individual street in a city there.   Time marches on.   I do enjoy my computer but there are some things I have no wish to update in my brain.

So let's have it today:

If you suddenly had -say - an extra ten thousand a year what would you  do with it?  (I am always struck by how people who win on quiz shows never say they are going to put their winnings 'in the bank') -there are all kinds of suggestions given at the party -

a chef:  a meal planner: weekly masssages and spas: and Crampton rather liked the idea of a batman.   Me?  I really can't think of anything which would enhance my life.   If anything occurs to me during the day I will let you know.



33 comments:

Rachel Phillips said...

Saying they are going to put winnings in the bank does not make good tv entertainment, that's all.

Librarian said...

To put winnings in the bank would be a bad idea here in Germany - if you‘re lucky, you get 0.1 interest, if not, you have to PAY interest for being rich! If I had that extra money, I would spend it the way I have spent my annual bonus from work: part goes to one or two charities, part is invested in home improvements (my bathroom was done in 2018, and some bits in my kitchen are in a rather sorry state), part is used for expenses such as new glasses. I also love spas and massages, but in pandemic times, such things have not featured high on my list.

gz said...

Get my workshop and kiln done properly.
I would like to move but Pirate doesn't. Maybe have a workshop away from the house.
Talking of the house it may not be ours but there is work needing done and the landlord won't do anything but the basics.
At the same time, Oil for the Works for my kids, as my grandma used to call it when she helped us

Derek Faulkner said...

If I had that extra money each year, the first year it would probably encourage me to do a major house improvement, that I've always been able to afford but just haven't bothered to do, but every year after that I'd probably give much of it away, but not to charities.

Brenda said...

I love this blog…you are amazing…give to my grands…

JayCee said...

I would spend a lot of it on my sister, she deserves a treat.

Anonymous said...

Well there are always refurb projects waiting to be done in the house , but no, that's pretty boring, I'd treat myself to a ' she shed ' , it would be heated so I could use it all year round. I'd fill it with loads of craft stuff and books and if it was a bit messy, never mind - it's mine 😀
But increasing my income by that amount yearly, wow, that would make my retirement feel a lot easier financially.
Alison x

thelma said...

Buy land and let it grow naturally. Though having said that, I would probably not be able to buy an acre for that sort of money.

Debby said...

You probably can guess the answer: I would travel.

Susan said...

Happy B-day to your son. With 10K, I'd invest wisely in the stock market. When travel is easier, travel.

Margie from Toronto said...

.I hope that I would send 10% to charity first.
.After a couple of bills are paid off - then -

.A few new bits of furniture for my small apt.
.More tickets and memberships - the theatre and symphony etc. are very expensive here so I have to limit things at the moment
.TRAVEL - there are still so many places - especially in Europe - where I'd love to travel to - and of course, still many places in Canada. One year I'd travel on the Rockie Mountaineer train and another year I'd take the train to Churchill, Manitoba to see the polar bears!

Great post. And I agree, I'd like that little bit extra just to make life more comfortable - I don't need millions, which would just be scary.

The Feminine Energy said...

If I had extra money I'd probably enjoy going to the grocery store and getting whatever I needed/wanted without worrying. I'd also buy craft supplies whenever I felt like it, rather than convincing myself I didn't need whatever-it-is. Other than that I can't think of anything I'd rather have or do. I'm pretty content with my life as it is. PS~ My mind works better in the morning too, as do my eyes. Once nighttime comes, both are pretty much done. ~Andrea xoxo

Melinda from Ontario said...

My husband and I own an acre of oceanfront land in Prince Edward Island. We bought it 23 years ago, (early in our marriage.) I've spent a lot of summer holidays in PEI in the past and my dream was to one day build a summer cottage on this land. It never happened. In fact, we haven't set foot on it in 10 years, (PEI is about 1600 KM away from our home.) Even on occasional trips to PEI, we don't visit our land because it's become a bit inhospitable with overgrowth, (although the rabbits, squirrels and birds enjoy it.) I know we'll never be able to afford a cottage as new retirees but a $10,000 bunkie is doable. Thank you for sparking an enjoyable daydream...

Sue said...

Travel first class! (Except I would probably end up spending it on something far more practical.)

The Weaver of Grass said...

Goodpoint Rachel.

Rambler said...

A
Any holidays I've had have been camping trips, first in various tents, then in a caravan and came close to my life-long dream of owning a campervan. Until someone crashed into it in the storage area - end of the dream. But with extra money to spare, I'd finalise that dream and enjoy lots of trips and overnight stays in my very own campervan. Absolute bliss!!! It's good to dream at any age.

Jenn Jilks said...

I leave a room and forget what I'm about to do!

busybusybeejay said...

I was scammed of £20.000 yesterday by a “policeman”.He had even tampered with my phone to tell me to dial 999 to verify him.Thank goodness I have other savings.

Anonymous said...

When my my mother and mother-in-law were looking at separate times for aged assisted living facilities they would say, particularly if a friend was firmly esconsced in an up-market one, "Oh it was so lovely, but I would never be able to afford that ".
I'd use that money as a safety net for Mum for that very reason. She is 94 next month, in her own home, and won't leave it.
MIL, same age, has been in assisted living for a long time, which worked well. Then Covid/Omicron hit, which has presented problems. Had all these issues not been present in the equation, I would definitely say travel.- Pam.

Heather said...

Years ago I would have had a long list of things on which to spend £10,000 but now I have all I need and most of what I want. Having no room for more of anything I would probably share it among my children. I am too lazy to travel any more and I know they'd make good use of it.

marlane said...

I would probably put it in the bank but first pay off credit card debt. We are self employed so can never rely on a steady income, other than our social security and that all goes to keep our horses.

The Weaver of Grass said...

busybusybeejay - sorry about that - sounds scary.

As you rightly say Rambler - one is never too old to dream



Thanks to you all for adding your dreams to the replies.

The Furry Gnome said...

I also find I'm sharpest in the morning and fade all the rest of the day.

Joanne Noragon said...

Split it up among my grands, POD in case I find something I really want.

Virginia said...

Oh, I've had a lovely time daydreaming.

Being realistic about not traveling because of Covid.... I'd go for someone planning our meals, sorting out the recipes, buying the necessary foodstuffs, and making at least some of the meals. And doing the cleaning up, of course. I do enjoy cooking so I'd keep a day or two a week where after they'd done the hard work I did the actual cooking. But I'd like another equal sized slice of lolly to offer the same to our son and DIL - they work really hard and have two little children. And another equal sized slice to use for donations. There's a group who use part of our church grounds to distribute food every evening, food that is donated by cafes and restaurants, and close to "use by" products from the local supermarkets. That is such an immediate, effective, form of community support.

Does that do?

Cro Magnon said...

My family would very soon spend it for me, so I needn't even think about it.

Hilde said...

I would spend it on the garden. We have some overgrown trees and have let the hedge get too high. But I am afraid ten thousand pounds would not get us very far. Gardeners and landscapers are very expensive here, and rather rare, too.
Hilde in Germany

Frances said...

So many of the people who are hoping to win say that they would spend on a " holiday", by which I guess they mean a few weeks sitting on a beach somewhere hot ...not even " travelling" . I rarely hear anyone say they would put it away for a rainy day, or improve their home, or do anything that will be of a lasting advantage to their lives.

Jennyff said...

We had a large inflatable globe in our last house, it hung from the office ceiling on a piece of invisible thread. Probably not the refined item you have in mind but fun and so useful to have.

the veg artist said...

I would take not so much a holiday, but would rent for, say, three months at a time, in the sort of wild, romantic places I like. Cottages by the sea, remote up a mountain valley, railway carriage 'houses'. I'd stay long enough to absorb the atmosphere, draw and paint, read and eat simply. These places I fancy are all too small for us to live in permanently, but I am drawn to bleak and rugged landscape, so a long stretch each year would be wonderful.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks Jenny - one to think about.
Just what I feel Frances.
Hilde - I have friends at the moent going through this process and finding it all too expensive.

Dreams.....dreams........we can all indulge in those can't we?

Debby said...

A nice dream costs us exactly nothing. A real bargain in these days.

Barbara said...

I'd put the heating on more and be lovely and warm then buy enough food to provide good meals for a week at a time, without running out of money before the end of every week. The original basic state pension is paltry for those born before a certain date and just doesn't allow me to have the heating on and eat well too. If I want to keep a roof over my head it means scrimping on everything. I've never been particularly well off but have never ha to resort to "heat or eat" as I have to do now. I absolutely dread the effects that the energy prices are going to have on my life.