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making everyday a special day

At almost 68 I’m finding new ways to make the most of life. Which involve in raising money for charity, doing artwork, creative writing, political activism and having fun in as many ways that I can.
I’ve written a self published volume of nonsense verse. Which is available from the Lulu self publishing site. ‘The Buffoon Designs Book of Mostly Comic Verse’
Wrote a collection of short stories over lockdown ‘Thirty Mostly Quirky Tales’ which I’m giving away a free PDF of to anyone who makes a donation to my just giving page which is raising money for Solent Mind.
And am currently writing a memoir and working on a travel writing project to raise money for Diabetes UK.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Tuesday November 7, 2023 Woke up early and for reasons I chose not to discuss felt out of salts. I guess every point of view is perfectly valid from the perspective of its owner. The problem is how blinkered and limited the perspectives of some people are. Does it apply to me, am I the pot calling the kettle black? An idiot can only see as an idiot. Don’t tell the fish in the pond about the vastness of the ocean. My problem is I am unable to find someone to confide in. In the Judd Asiago’s Master Class, he said ‘Comedians are misfits.’ It’s certainly been true of me. I continued drafting my memoir with some of what happened before and during my first breakdown. And had a pizza from the clearance section of the Coop.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Monday November 6, 2023 It hasn’t been the greatest of days for me. I got up too late to go to October Books and spent the day alone. I mopped around the house most of the day, I put a portion of frozen vegetable curry into the microwave, so I had an easy quick evening meal. During the day and yesterday I listened to Judd Apatow’s Master Class on Comedy Writing. He suggests having a series of cards where ideas for scenes or jokes are written and when a sufficiently large number have been done. They are sorted into order and made into stories. Using this method, I began writing my autobiography, today.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Saturday November 4, 2023 As far as I remember I slept well last night, anyway I was in a whimsical mood this morning eventually surfacing at the crack of 10 - happy despite the incessant rain and my other trials and tribulations. I watched a really pucker vegetarian cookery video on my MasterClass subscription by the Guardian vegetarian food writer. In the parlance of lesser mortals such as myself the dish was steamed, grilled carrots with special yogurt (labneh), cider vinegar and honey topped with dukkah (an Egyptian spicy nutty mixture) I set up a minimum donation Direct Debit with Friends of the Earth (£3 per month) to campaign against Global Warming. (After watching the video, I had a runny boiled egg for breakfast- ‘you can’t win ‘em all’) Life without water (well a limited supply of water) continued I spent most of the day helping a friend get more bottled water, and only finally managed it when another friend told me their water had been reconnected and she had some bottles over. It was an uphill battle, during which, I found a lady looking for water for her 93-year-old mother and told her where there was a supply of bottled water without a queue. Life went on, and I continued listening to the MasterClass course about food choices (selective Eating by Michael Pollen) and went to make a tea. The kitchen tap gurgled so I turned it on, and much to my delight my water was running again. I finished the Selective Eating Course and treated myself to a piping hot shower- Boy! (It felt good).

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Thursday November 2, 2023 Early on today was largely a waste of time. I thought I had a blood test this morning but when I got to the surgery, I had the wrong paperwork, and it was a wasted trip. On the bright side running there was exhilarating and good for my health. With the recent rain there would I’m told me plenty of negative irons which boosted my sense of wellbeing. There followed a series of seemingly useless Facebook messenger chats which left me feeling drained. In the afternoon I attended The Community Cook Up and did some sketches of the people queuing for their food. Lucie Mann told me of a plan to feature my paintings in her community website and she has applied for an orchard grant for my garden which she thinks stands a good chance of being granted. There will be news about that tomorrow. I checked my bank balance in One Stop on my way back from the bus stop. I was in a low mood and went to bed. My alarm sounded for to tell me to take my meditation and I realised the water was off. A friend who lives locally messaged me about the water and brought an emergency supply of bottled water.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Monday October 23, 2023 The alarm sounded, at first I didn’t realise it was morning and when I did, I stayed in bed – where I was warm, and cosy compared with the cold room. Finally, my conscience (such as it is got the best of me and I got up, about an hour later) I had a piping hot shower and a change of clothes and felt amazing and put the television on for a while. My usual Monday routine is to go for lunch at October Books and I ran to the bus stop and reached it about two minutes before the bus was due. At the stop was a lady wheelchair user and her carer, a few moments later another carer arrived and the wheelchair user who she was looking after had to go down the pavement and come back on himself because of the uneven pavement. The two carers and the lady wheelchair user had a chat, and I had a few words with the lad in his wheelchair. He told me he was a contestant in the Paralympics, in the butcher contest. Which apparently is like bowls. The bus arrived about 40 minutes late, and I kept myself busy sketching some of the passengers while it made its way to Southampton. Lunch at October Books was uneventful and, on the way, home I stopped at Dibden Purlieu and photographed St Andrews. And had an ice cream. Once home I had a cup of tea and during Bootleg Art Club did some work on my forest pool picture. And had a tin of chicken and vegetable soup. In the evening I wrote a speculative email to St Andrews in Dibden Purlieu which tried to get commissions for my local church paintings.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Friday October 6, 2023 Woke when my alarm sounded at 7.00 but stayed in bed until 8.00, as I still felt tired, and didn’t have anything scheduled except Scrabble with Helen and Martini at twelve. I was tired again and wondered if it was because of my diabetes. There was a blood test form to test my blood sugar over the previous three months (an HB1c form) I ran to the Co-op and back and bought some butter and a sausage and baked beans slice. But forgot to buy another loath and there weren’t and mixed vegetables. I put some clothes in the washing machine and left it to do its work, while i went to Helen’s to play Scrabble with her and Martini and took some of my postcards for them as presents. And drew pictures of them, and Helen gave me £5 for hers. We had cheese on toast for and cherry tomatoes from Helen’s Garden and crisps. Followed with a small portion of homemade banoffee pie, which was delicious. (It was flavoured with ginger) During the conversation the topic of drinking tea came up, apparently according to Helen there was an edition of Michael Mosley’s ‘Just one Thing’ where he said tea is good for you. When I got home, I listened to it. I won the first game and came third in the second. In the evening I bought some frozen mixed vegetables, a loaf, milk and a banana, from the Co-op running there and back.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Wednesday September 27, 2023 My day started by listening to some more of The Grapes of Wrath, and I decided to get some headphones for my iPad so I could listen to books whenever and wherever wanted. In need of money for ‘The Steam and vintage show’ in Burly I went into Southampton to take some cash out of the bank. When I’d got the money, I had a coffee and sausage roll in Café Nero and did a sketch while I ate Next, I bought some mayonnaise, milk and bread in Lidl. And caught a crowed noisy bus home. When I got home there was an email from October Books with an ad for my exhibition giving its launch date as 2/10/23. I messaged my friends Andy and Will to see if, one of them could transport my pictures on either Friday or Saturday. And emailed Clare at October Books to let her know what had happened. Andy got back to me, and we have arranged to transport the pictures about midday on Friday.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Tuesday September 26, 2023 I went to Hythe Library for bread from the community food bank but there were only wraps available. From the Talking Books section, I borrowed Alice Walker’s ‘The Colour Purple’. Listened a YouTube video of Lockley Hall again and an appreciation of it. Which lead me to Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach and Robert Browning ‘The Last Duchess’ and the idea of a monologue. I registered with the RNIB talking books service and have started listening to John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, where one of the chapters is a monologue from a used car salesman which led me to listen to Dire Straits ‘Money for Nothing’. Yesterday evening I’d sent a copy of the ad for ‘Burley steam and vintage vehicle show’ which finishes on Sunday, and I forwarded it to Andy. Today he said he’d like to go, and I am now planning to go to the bank tomorrow for money to spend.

10 RULES TO BUILD A WILDLY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

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9 STEPS TO STARTING A BUSINESS

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HOW TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY

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Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Tuesday November 7, 2023 Woke up early and for reasons I chose not to discuss felt out of salts. I guess every point of view is perfectly valid from the perspective of its owner. The problem is how blinkered and limited the perspectives of some people are. Does it apply to me, am I the pot calling the kettle black? An idiot can only see as an idiot. Don’t tell the fish in the pond about the vastness of the ocean. My problem is I am unable to find someone to confide in. In the Judd Asiago’s Master Class, he said ‘Comedians are misfits.’ It’s certainly been true of me. I continued drafting my memoir with some of what happened before and during my first breakdown. And had a pizza from the clearance section of the Coop.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Monday November 6, 2023 It hasn’t been the greatest of days for me. I got up too late to go to October Books and spent the day alone. I mopped around the house most of the day, I put a portion of frozen vegetable curry into the microwave, so I had an easy quick evening meal. During the day and yesterday I listened to Judd Apatow’s Master Class on Comedy Writing. He suggests having a series of cards where ideas for scenes or jokes are written and when a sufficiently large number have been done. They are sorted into order and made into stories. Using this method, I began writing my autobiography, today.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Saturday November 4, 2023 As far as I remember I slept well last night, anyway I was in a whimsical mood this morning eventually surfacing at the crack of 10 - happy despite the incessant rain and my other trials and tribulations. I watched a really pucker vegetarian cookery video on my MasterClass subscription by the Guardian vegetarian food writer. In the parlance of lesser mortals such as myself the dish was steamed, grilled carrots with special yogurt (labneh), cider vinegar and honey topped with dukkah (an Egyptian spicy nutty mixture) I set up a minimum donation Direct Debit with Friends of the Earth (£3 per month) to campaign against Global Warming. (After watching the video, I had a runny boiled egg for breakfast- ‘you can’t win ‘em all’) Life without water (well a limited supply of water) continued I spent most of the day helping a friend get more bottled water, and only finally managed it when another friend told me their water had been reconnected and she had some bottles over. It was an uphill battle, during which, I found a lady looking for water for her 93-year-old mother and told her where there was a supply of bottled water without a queue. Life went on, and I continued listening to the MasterClass course about food choices (selective Eating by Michael Pollen) and went to make a tea. The kitchen tap gurgled so I turned it on, and much to my delight my water was running again. I finished the Selective Eating Course and treated myself to a piping hot shower- Boy! (It felt good).

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Thursday November 2, 2023 Early on today was largely a waste of time. I thought I had a blood test this morning but when I got to the surgery, I had the wrong paperwork, and it was a wasted trip. On the bright side running there was exhilarating and good for my health. With the recent rain there would I’m told me plenty of negative irons which boosted my sense of wellbeing. There followed a series of seemingly useless Facebook messenger chats which left me feeling drained. In the afternoon I attended The Community Cook Up and did some sketches of the people queuing for their food. Lucie Mann told me of a plan to feature my paintings in her community website and she has applied for an orchard grant for my garden which she thinks stands a good chance of being granted. There will be news about that tomorrow. I checked my bank balance in One Stop on my way back from the bus stop. I was in a low mood and went to bed. My alarm sounded for to tell me to take my meditation and I realised the water was off. A friend who lives locally messaged me about the water and brought an emergency supply of bottled water.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Monday October 23, 2023 The alarm sounded, at first I didn’t realise it was morning and when I did, I stayed in bed – where I was warm, and cosy compared with the cold room. Finally, my conscience (such as it is got the best of me and I got up, about an hour later) I had a piping hot shower and a change of clothes and felt amazing and put the television on for a while. My usual Monday routine is to go for lunch at October Books and I ran to the bus stop and reached it about two minutes before the bus was due. At the stop was a lady wheelchair user and her carer, a few moments later another carer arrived and the wheelchair user who she was looking after had to go down the pavement and come back on himself because of the uneven pavement. The two carers and the lady wheelchair user had a chat, and I had a few words with the lad in his wheelchair. He told me he was a contestant in the Paralympics, in the butcher contest. Which apparently is like bowls. The bus arrived about 40 minutes late, and I kept myself busy sketching some of the passengers while it made its way to Southampton. Lunch at October Books was uneventful and, on the way, home I stopped at Dibden Purlieu and photographed St Andrews. And had an ice cream. Once home I had a cup of tea and during Bootleg Art Club did some work on my forest pool picture. And had a tin of chicken and vegetable soup. In the evening I wrote a speculative email to St Andrews in Dibden Purlieu which tried to get commissions for my local church paintings.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Friday October 6, 2023 Woke when my alarm sounded at 7.00 but stayed in bed until 8.00, as I still felt tired, and didn’t have anything scheduled except Scrabble with Helen and Martini at twelve. I was tired again and wondered if it was because of my diabetes. There was a blood test form to test my blood sugar over the previous three months (an HB1c form) I ran to the Co-op and back and bought some butter and a sausage and baked beans slice. But forgot to buy another loath and there weren’t and mixed vegetables. I put some clothes in the washing machine and left it to do its work, while i went to Helen’s to play Scrabble with her and Martini and took some of my postcards for them as presents. And drew pictures of them, and Helen gave me £5 for hers. We had cheese on toast for and cherry tomatoes from Helen’s Garden and crisps. Followed with a small portion of homemade banoffee pie, which was delicious. (It was flavoured with ginger) During the conversation the topic of drinking tea came up, apparently according to Helen there was an edition of Michael Mosley’s ‘Just one Thing’ where he said tea is good for you. When I got home, I listened to it. I won the first game and came third in the second. In the evening I bought some frozen mixed vegetables, a loaf, milk and a banana, from the Co-op running there and back.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Wednesday September 27, 2023 My day started by listening to some more of The Grapes of Wrath, and I decided to get some headphones for my iPad so I could listen to books whenever and wherever wanted. In need of money for ‘The Steam and vintage show’ in Burly I went into Southampton to take some cash out of the bank. When I’d got the money, I had a coffee and sausage roll in Café Nero and did a sketch while I ate Next, I bought some mayonnaise, milk and bread in Lidl. And caught a crowed noisy bus home. When I got home there was an email from October Books with an ad for my exhibition giving its launch date as 2/10/23. I messaged my friends Andy and Will to see if, one of them could transport my pictures on either Friday or Saturday. And emailed Clare at October Books to let her know what had happened. Andy got back to me, and we have arranged to transport the pictures about midday on Friday.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Tuesday September 26, 2023 I went to Hythe Library for bread from the community food bank but there were only wraps available. From the Talking Books section, I borrowed Alice Walker’s ‘The Colour Purple’. Listened a YouTube video of Lockley Hall again and an appreciation of it. Which lead me to Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach and Robert Browning ‘The Last Duchess’ and the idea of a monologue. I registered with the RNIB talking books service and have started listening to John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, where one of the chapters is a monologue from a used car salesman which led me to listen to Dire Straits ‘Money for Nothing’. Yesterday evening I’d sent a copy of the ad for ‘Burley steam and vintage vehicle show’ which finishes on Sunday, and I forwarded it to Andy. Today he said he’d like to go, and I am now planning to go to the bank tomorrow for money to spend.

10 RULES TO BUILD A WILDLY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

You can edit all of this text and replace it with anything you have to say on your blog.

9 STEPS TO STARTING A BUSINESS

This is a generic blog article you can use for adding blog content / subjects on your website.

7 BIG THINGS A START-UP MUST HAVE TO SUCCEED

You can also change the title listed above and add new blog articles as well.

HOW TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY

Edit your Blog articles from the Pages tab by clicking the edit button.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Tuesday November 7, 2023 Woke up early and for reasons I chose not to discuss felt out of salts. I guess every point of view is perfectly valid from the perspective of its owner. The problem is how blinkered and limited the perspectives of some people are. Does it apply to me, am I the pot calling the kettle black? An idiot can only see as an idiot. Don’t tell the fish in the pond about the vastness of the ocean. My problem is I am unable to find someone to confide in. In the Judd Asiago’s Master Class, he said ‘Comedians are misfits.’ It’s certainly been true of me. I continued drafting my memoir with some of what happened before and during my first breakdown. And had a pizza from the clearance section of the Coop.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Monday November 6, 2023 It hasn’t been the greatest of days for me. I got up too late to go to October Books and spent the day alone. I mopped around the house most of the day, I put a portion of frozen vegetable curry into the microwave, so I had an easy quick evening meal. During the day and yesterday I listened to Judd Apatow’s Master Class on Comedy Writing. He suggests having a series of cards where ideas for scenes or jokes are written and when a sufficiently large number have been done. They are sorted into order and made into stories. Using this method, I began writing my autobiography, today.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Saturday November 4, 2023 As far as I remember I slept well last night, anyway I was in a whimsical mood this morning eventually surfacing at the crack of 10 - happy despite the incessant rain and my other trials and tribulations. I watched a really pucker vegetarian cookery video on my MasterClass subscription by the Guardian vegetarian food writer. In the parlance of lesser mortals such as myself the dish was steamed, grilled carrots with special yogurt (labneh), cider vinegar and honey topped with dukkah (an Egyptian spicy nutty mixture) I set up a minimum donation Direct Debit with Friends of the Earth (£3 per month) to campaign against Global Warming. (After watching the video, I had a runny boiled egg for breakfast- ‘you can’t win ‘em all’) Life without water (well a limited supply of water) continued I spent most of the day helping a friend get more bottled water, and only finally managed it when another friend told me their water had been reconnected and she had some bottles over. It was an uphill battle, during which, I found a lady looking for water for her 93-year-old mother and told her where there was a supply of bottled water without a queue. Life went on, and I continued listening to the MasterClass course about food choices (selective Eating by Michael Pollen) and went to make a tea. The kitchen tap gurgled so I turned it on, and much to my delight my water was running again. I finished the Selective Eating Course and treated myself to a piping hot shower- Boy! (It felt good).

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Thursday November 2, 2023 Early on today was largely a waste of time. I thought I had a blood test this morning but when I got to the surgery, I had the wrong paperwork, and it was a wasted trip. On the bright side running there was exhilarating and good for my health. With the recent rain there would I’m told me plenty of negative irons which boosted my sense of wellbeing. There followed a series of seemingly useless Facebook messenger chats which left me feeling drained. In the afternoon I attended The Community Cook Up and did some sketches of the people queuing for their food. Lucie Mann told me of a plan to feature my paintings in her community website and she has applied for an orchard grant for my garden which she thinks stands a good chance of being granted. There will be news about that tomorrow. I checked my bank balance in One Stop on my way back from the bus stop. I was in a low mood and went to bed. My alarm sounded for to tell me to take my meditation and I realised the water was off. A friend who lives locally messaged me about the water and brought an emergency supply of bottled water.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Monday October 23, 2023 The alarm sounded, at first I didn’t realise it was morning and when I did, I stayed in bed – where I was warm, and cosy compared with the cold room. Finally, my conscience (such as it is got the best of me and I got up, about an hour later) I had a piping hot shower and a change of clothes and felt amazing and put the television on for a while. My usual Monday routine is to go for lunch at October Books and I ran to the bus stop and reached it about two minutes before the bus was due. At the stop was a lady wheelchair user and her carer, a few moments later another carer arrived and the wheelchair user who she was looking after had to go down the pavement and come back on himself because of the uneven pavement. The two carers and the lady wheelchair user had a chat, and I had a few words with the lad in his wheelchair. He told me he was a contestant in the Paralympics, in the butcher contest. Which apparently is like bowls. The bus arrived about 40 minutes late, and I kept myself busy sketching some of the passengers while it made its way to Southampton. Lunch at October Books was uneventful and, on the way, home I stopped at Dibden Purlieu and photographed St Andrews. And had an ice cream. Once home I had a cup of tea and during Bootleg Art Club did some work on my forest pool picture. And had a tin of chicken and vegetable soup. In the evening I wrote a speculative email to St Andrews in Dibden Purlieu which tried to get commissions for my local church paintings.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Friday October 6, 2023 Woke when my alarm sounded at 7.00 but stayed in bed until 8.00, as I still felt tired, and didn’t have anything scheduled except Scrabble with Helen and Martini at twelve. I was tired again and wondered if it was because of my diabetes. There was a blood test form to test my blood sugar over the previous three months (an HB1c form) I ran to the Co-op and back and bought some butter and a sausage and baked beans slice. But forgot to buy another loath and there weren’t and mixed vegetables. I put some clothes in the washing machine and left it to do its work, while i went to Helen’s to play Scrabble with her and Martini and took some of my postcards for them as presents. And drew pictures of them, and Helen gave me £5 for hers. We had cheese on toast for and cherry tomatoes from Helen’s Garden and crisps. Followed with a small portion of homemade banoffee pie, which was delicious. (It was flavoured with ginger) During the conversation the topic of drinking tea came up, apparently according to Helen there was an edition of Michael Mosley’s ‘Just one Thing’ where he said tea is good for you. When I got home, I listened to it. I won the first game and came third in the second. In the evening I bought some frozen mixed vegetables, a loaf, milk and a banana, from the Co-op running there and back.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Wednesday September 27, 2023 My day started by listening to some more of The Grapes of Wrath, and I decided to get some headphones for my iPad so I could listen to books whenever and wherever wanted. In need of money for ‘The Steam and vintage show’ in Burly I went into Southampton to take some cash out of the bank. When I’d got the money, I had a coffee and sausage roll in Café Nero and did a sketch while I ate Next, I bought some mayonnaise, milk and bread in Lidl. And caught a crowed noisy bus home. When I got home there was an email from October Books with an ad for my exhibition giving its launch date as 2/10/23. I messaged my friends Andy and Will to see if, one of them could transport my pictures on either Friday or Saturday. And emailed Clare at October Books to let her know what had happened. Andy got back to me, and we have arranged to transport the pictures about midday on Friday.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Tuesday September 26, 2023 I went to Hythe Library for bread from the community food bank but there were only wraps available. From the Talking Books section, I borrowed Alice Walker’s ‘The Colour Purple’. Listened a YouTube video of Lockley Hall again and an appreciation of it. Which lead me to Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach and Robert Browning ‘The Last Duchess’ and the idea of a monologue. I registered with the RNIB talking books service and have started listening to John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, where one of the chapters is a monologue from a used car salesman which led me to listen to Dire Straits ‘Money for Nothing’. Yesterday evening I’d sent a copy of the ad for ‘Burley steam and vintage vehicle show’ which finishes on Sunday, and I forwarded it to Andy. Today he said he’d like to go, and I am now planning to go to the bank tomorrow for money to spend.

10 RULES TO BUILD A WILDLY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

You can edit all of this text and replace it with anything you have to say on your blog.

9 STEPS TO STARTING A BUSINESS

This is a generic blog article you can use for adding blog content / subjects on your website.

7 BIG THINGS A START-UP MUST HAVE TO SUCCEED

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HOW TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY

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Ivor’s Daily Gallivant:

Is account of my daily antics and adventures.

I will be 68 next birthday and intend to make my retirement as interesting and productive, as possible. Nobody knows how long they’re got or how long we will maintain their health. I intend contribute, in some small way and to sum total of human happiness, with my blog and artwork.

Or at least raise a laugh or two.

If you never try your failure is assured, but if you try there’s at least a possibility of success.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Tuesday October 31, 2021 To Do List (1) Collect pictures from October Books (done) (2) Waterside Art Group (didn’t go I was tired, and it was raining) (3) Buy edamame beans Waitrose. (Slept instead) (4) Buy Tahini Waitrose (slept instead) I woke up and went back to bed after having a shower for another nap. Rick knocked on the door and we went to collect my pictures from October Books. Rick fixed the saddle on my exercise bike and when he’d gone, I had another nap. There was a piece in my newsfeed about Clint Eastwood staying active in his nineties by ‘not letting the old man in’. It sounded convincing in theory but personally I don’t live up to that, as today clearly shows. There was a letter asking me to book another blood test. I phoned the GP surgery and I’m to restart my Metformin. My blood sugar is high again which is most probably the reason for my recent tiredness. This evening I checked effects of high blood sugar and found, tiredness, thirst and toilet all of which have in retrospect been more pronounced with me recently. I also Googled natural remedies for high blood sugar which included and will now increase my exercise levels and alter my diet, which together with the Metformin will soon get things under control again. That will get me nice and active again, hopefully. The rain started again, and I decided to skip the Art Group this evening. I made a vegetable crumble with onions, garlic, frozen mixed vegetables, kale, mushrooms, tinned tomatoes, sweet potatoes, home grown green beans, peppers, vegetable stock, chilli flakes, basil, lemon juice, black pepper and a bay leaf. It was topped with a mixture of porridge oats, flour, breadcrumbs, cashews, and pumpkin seeds. Blended with butter and grated cheese. My creation smelt magnificent, and I took it out of the oven with a feeling of glee.

Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Wednesday 22ed February 2023: The Day of the weekly Scrabble Tournament. My day started at about 10.00 when I got out of bed and checked my emails. There was one from Becky Bettesworth’s PA which suggested some improvements to my Just Giving Page. I’ve decided to use National Express for the travelling to the coastal resorts and am taking a friend Andy aka ‘The Scallywag’ along for company. Another was from October Books advertising a new writing group tomorrow in Portswood at 18.30 which I booked a place on. https://www.octoberbooks.org Then I wrote an email to the Press Office at National Express telling them my plans and giving them the links to my Just Giving Page and my Blog. Which will hopefully a rouse their interest and get them to help with the publicity. I was just modifying my Just Giving Page with the suggestions made by Becky Bettesworth’s PA when Andy arrived and I unfortunately lost the work I had just done. The Scallywag and I had our customary two games of Scrabble drank tea and shared our latest news and as is almost inevitable he won both games. Before bed I modified my Just Giving Page and wrote this blog post. And advertised it on Facebook and Twitter.

10 RULES TO BUILD A WILDLY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

You can edit all of this text and replace it with anything you have to say on your blog.

9 STEPS TO STARTING A BUSINESS

This is a generic blog article you can use for adding blog content / subjects on your website.

7 BIG THINGS A START-UP MUST HAVE TO SUCCEED

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HOW TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY

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Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Saturday 25th February 2023: The day of a pleasant surprise. According to my organiser Saturday mornings are down for going to The Soul Café. But this year prior to today haven’t actually gone. My day started at about six when I woke up. I thought getting up at such an extreme hour was too Spartan: so stayed in bed until the alarm went off at seven. Although I put the boiler on before getting and set the timer for half an hour which give me a hot shower. (Prior to today I didn’t know it was possible to have the alarm and timer set at the same time) I left home in time for the half past ten bus. And met Rory on the bus who was also going to The Soul Café. When we got to The Soul Café it was full of people and difficult to find a place to sit. I started a brief conversation with a retired lorry driver Brian who had spent all his life living locally. Rory got into conversation with him while Sarah Brown and Phil sat in another part of the room….. I asked if it would be okay to hand out the post cards promoting my blog and it was . And did a little sketching of the umbrellas that were hanging from the rafters. Then I went for lunch in the St Andrews Coffee Shop with Phil and Stewart, and as I waited much to my surprise and delight Morag who had worked at Marcella said: ‘Hallo’ It had been years since seeing her last and a pleasant surprise. I gave her one of the promotional cards. Which she liked. After St Andrews i caught the bus into Hythe did some shopping in Lidl and had a cup of tea in Black Wax Records and Coffee, gave them a few more of the cards and caught the bus home

Ivory’s Daily Gallivant February 24th 2023 The title of this blog is ‘Daily Gallivant’. When I came up with it: no irony was intended- however looking back at the past couple of days I haven’t left home so there hasn’t been any gallivanting as such. I hope my readers will excuse and bear with me. Today I was having my customary lie in when: there was a knock on the door. It was the postman delivering my promotional cards. I opened up the package and was thought they looked good. First thing I did after getting up was look at my emails and check my bank balance. My pension came through okay and I ordered a bobble hat promoting Diabetes UK which was advertised in an email and I shall wear on ‘My 2023 Diary Adventures’ It’s a good idea to advertise your health conditions, whilst wearing my epilepsy society tee shirt I was approached by other epileptics. It’s nice to know you’re not alone whatever your problem. My internet connection and Word package went down for a while. Which as can be imagined was frustrating.

A day when very little happened

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Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Sunday 26 February 2023: A day of discovery and hope. I continued reading ‘Reversing Type 2 Diabetics’ whilst attending Marcella and later in the evening it dawned on me after having a nap just what a valuable book it may be. My plan for Monday morning is to tell the dietician at Black Health Centre and my GP about it and see if it’s suitable for me. Margret made pancakes which I had three helpings of and seeing me struggle to read my book suggested I should go to the optician as it may be possible to do something about my eyesight. If it is then I’ve discovered a new and important principle with this and getting my garden sorted out which is if when try and give something away the person who receives what you give will pay you back tenfold. And exciting thing that happened whilst at Marcella was an old friend Jill came and visited who is brilliant at Art. She had a lot of good news to share and done loads of new artwork. Clair one of the regulars at Marcella who must be an excellent cook described how cannelloni tubes can be filled using a piping bag and how if grapes are dropped into a glass of lemonade they first sink to the bottom and then when bubbles have formed round them rise to the surface and sink to the again when the bubbles are burst. So on up and down until the lemonade loses its fizz. Jill gave me a lift home which saved me waiting for the bus.

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Ivor’s Daily Gallivant Friday March 3ed 2023 My telephone appointment with an RHIB advisor to discuss my eligibility for an Attendance Allowance was this morning and I don’t qualify. Also I got appointment letters for diabetes eye screening (31/03/2023) an appointment at Eye Hospital at 7.45 on 9/05/2023. Elaine from The Diabetes Team phoned and said: I have a telephone appointment with the dietician (27/ 06/2023).And wasn’t able to find a record of my insulin being stopped. She told me to take three blood sugar readings a day one before breakfast, one before my evening meal and one before bedtime. And phone the results through next Tuesday. There was an email from ‘Soniya’ ‘Dhariwal’ of Diabetics UK about my fundraiser page on Just Giving and asking if she could be of help. I’ll get back to her next Monday morning. I’ve requested their Fundraising Pack. Today was this week’s Scrabble Tournament Andy (aka The Scallywag) He left his mobile at home this morning and went back to pick it up: before coming to me. The tournament results were as expected: Andy winning both games. We’re arranged the first trip on of the 2023 British Coastal Diary Adventures for 16th March, the weather forecast is good for that day. Andy and I have decided to go by train. The plan is to photograph the sunset looking across the sea, do some sketches and find a place to eat…

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Derogatory Comments Competition: in an attempt to raise a smlie, get ammunition to fight bad anyone who criticises my paintings, get back some of my expenses and if I’m incredibly lucky actually make a modest profit. I’ve set up this competition where my readers are encouraged to make derogatory comments. The only rule the comments are although derogatory are gentle and inoffensive.