Those Wonderful Droppers

Thanks again to all my fantastic droppers. Here are the top 10 for November according to the EC stats page. They have all dropped EVERY DAY. It's the first time that has happened to my blog.

You are all just wonderful and well worth visiting. I hope you get lots of clicks from here and make some new friends.


The Way I See It
Secret forest
Laane on the World
Rambling Stuff
As The Crackerhead Crumbles
The Cooling Stream
Serian Man
Shalampax Speaks
Poetic Shutterbug
Laane Loves

Adgitize

I recently joined adgitize as a rather slow starter. It’s a bit different earning one or two cents a day for clicking rather than writing something more than these blog posts. Yesterday I racheted up my number of clicks but couldn’t make the maximum of 100 because my broadband got painfully slow.

Since I moved home I’ve been having these problems a lot. I should probably consider changing to another provider, but that seems like just another hassle. Anyway, I do believe I made it to 100 today.

I found some side benefits too. First, I’ve seen many more terrific blogs. Second, many of the new ones have entrecard widgets to drop on as well. My drop rate has gone way up in the last two days. Of course it’s time consuming, and I don’t suppose I’ll manage it every day.

I don’t know how many people are clicking my adgitize ads either. Please leave me a comment if you know of a way to get these stats. And please don’t hesitate to click if the ads are of the slightest interest to you.You’ll be doing me a big favour.

Sunny Interlude

This morning we had a break from the rain. All of a sudden the sun burst through. I grabbed my camera and opened the French doors at the back of the house to capture this unprecedented event. This is the picture I got.

You can see how wet and shiny the paving slabs are in front of our shed. Note also the heavy slab placed against its doors. That's because a few days ago the strong wind got in there and forced the doors open from the inside. The double doors had been locked from on the outside but the wind took out the bolt at the top on the inside and the lock didn't hold. It's even more amazing because it looks to be in such a sheltered spot.

Compton Acres to Cheer Me Up

We are having such terrible weather here in the UK. Towns in the north have been flooded out and I just saw on the news that some people are being allowed to go back and look at how the floods have affected their homes and businesses, which they were forced to vacate days ago. There was also news of a police officer losing his life when a bridge collapsed.

Here we are much luckier. While we've had the wind and driving rain, our homes and businesses haven't been affected by flooding. One of my husband's acquaintances told him there has been such a run on fencing that he found it hard to source what he needed for his normal business, but having your fence blown down doesn't equate to people having to leave their homes to the mercy of the floodwater.

Of course, it's all relative. I know people in other countries have even worse disasters and even less help to get over it.

Anyway I thought I'd try to cheer myself up with some photos of happier times. These pictures, taken a few summers ago, are of Compton Acres, a beautiful garden not far from my new home that's open to the public .

Dirt Devil and Holiday Shopping

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dirt Devil. All opinions are 100% mine.

My little Dirt Devil Junior vac is donkey’s years old. It used to belong to my mum and I inherited it when she moved into care from her home, which my sister and I were forced to clear and sell. Anyway the Dirt Devil has proved a boon and been taken everywhere with me, including to self catering holidays with a European adapter when needed. And it is still going strong. So I am well disposed to Dirt Devil.

Now I find the Dirt Devil company has issued a 2009 guide to shopping online for the holiday season, The Dirt Devil Holiday Buying Guide. It includes various Dirt Devil special offers that start on November 25th, which include ideas for Gifts for Him, Gifts for Her and Family Favorites. So it’s worth taking a look just for that, but it also gives you lots of hints and tips for saving money at other online shopping sites as well.

There’s a long list of sites offering coupons and discount codes that will get you money off, and pages that discuss various different ways of shopping on the cheap. In fact, they give you over 300 different ways to save on what you have to buy for the holiday.

Something I wasn’t aware of was that December 17^th is Free Shipping Day, when loads of participating stores give you a free delivery guaranteed to arrive before Christmas. And there is a list of sites that tell you where you can get free shipping at other times too. I noticed that some of the Dirt Devil products advertised have a free shipping tag too. While shopping online is often cheaper and can save you time and hassle, as well as the feet and arm aches that trekking around the shops results in, free delivery can give you quite a bit of extra dosh to spend on treats for the holiday.

I found the last page of the guide really useful too. It’s a jargon buster for online shopping and I learnt what quite a few of those diminutives mean. For example, it’s handy to know that GWP means Gift with Purchase, and PPHF means PayPal Handling Fee, while YMMV is Your Merchandise May Vary.

Wordless Wednesday - Another Corner of Menorca

This post has to become worded so the next one can be sponsored. Strange rules, but I am learning. And I will comply. All the pennies help.

We found this corner of Menorca on one of our trips out from our resort. It was in Es Grau, one of my favourite places on the whole island.

A Free Tag

Can you fill this out without lying? I did after I received it from a friend at Facebook.

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
A toothbrush

2. Where was your profile picture taken?
The one in my blogspot profile was taken in My eldest granddaughter’s home.

3. Can you play Guitar Hero?
No

4. Name someone who made you laugh today?
it’s too early for today, but yesterday it was my pal Malcolm who came for a visit, and my hubby with whom I laugh every day.

5.How late did you stay up last night and why?
11:15 once I’d finished watching Mansfield House on ITV3 which is almost the only digital programme I can get at the moment.

6. If you could move somewhere else, would you?
No way. I’ve just moved to the seaside and it’s my dream location (see the pic above). While it would be nice to live in warmer climes than here, I could not move away from the country where my children live.

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks?
Yes but long ago.

9. Do you believe ex's can be friends?
Yes. I have a great friend who is an ex.

10. What do you feel about Dr Pepper?
Nothing.

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?
After visiting my mother in the chapel of rest.

12. Who took your profile picture?
My son

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Vsiting friends from Eastbourne

14. Was yesterday better than today?
Yesterday was great so it could be, but I don’t know yet.

15. Can you live a day without TV?
Yes, of course.

16. Are you upset about anything?
It’s always upsetting to get rejections, but you just have to accept them and move on.

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
Always, provided you accept the ones that go wrong as learning experiences.

18. Are you a bad influence?
Who, me?

19. Night out or night in?
Out, provided it’s in good company.

20. What items could you not go without during the day?
Something to read.

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?
It’s been a very long time. My youngest granddaughter is now 6 and I was my daughter’s birth partner, which was such a momentous experience, and I visited the day after.

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?
Meet in the bread section at Tescos.

23. How do you feel about your life right now?
Great.

24. Do you hate anyone?
No.

25. If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find?
Very little. A few invitations to play games, which I ignore.

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
Yes

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
I have no idea.

28. What song is stuck in your head?
Moon River

29. Name something you have to do tomorrow.
Go to a WEA Open Evening.

30. Do you smile a lot?
Yes.

This tag is freely offered. Let me know if you accept it so I can read your responses.

Some Facts about Friday 13th

Pic is of a tree that fell in a snowstorm on a street in Buffalo, New York, on Friday 13th October 2006. It is by DragonFire1024 at Wikimedia.

Every year our calendar has at least one Friday 13th. This year we've had three, in February, March, as well as today.

If you are among the many folk particularly wary of Friday 13th, you are suffering from paraskevidekatriaphobia, or the slightly easier to pronounce friggatriskaidekaphobia – two names for the same phenomenon. Triskaidekapohobia on its own just means fear of the number 13.

There are plenty of theories about the origins of these phobias.

§ There are 13 witches in a coven.

§ Christian ideas relate it to the crucifixion happening on a Friday, also the last supper attended by Christ and the 12 apostles, the 13th being Judas Iscariot, the traitor.

§ Some believe it had an earlier origin when the Norse god Odin was entertaining 11 of his friends at Valhalla and his crafty brother, Loki, turned up uninvited, changing the party total to 13. It was at this party that Loki managed the tragic demise of Baldur, son of Odin and Frigga.

§ It was on Friday 13^th October, 1307 that the Knights Templar across France were arrested en masse, to suffer torture and death at the whim of the Pope who had been jealous of their power.

Some famously nasty happenings have been linked to Friday and/or the number 13, but sometimes these links do seem rather contrived.

§ The crew members of the Apollo 13 mission failed to land on the moon, and were lucky to get home following an oxygen tank explosion on board. They were launched from Pad 39 (3 x 13) at 13:13 hours (not local time, but Houston mission control time) on 11th April, 1970 (11 + 4 + 70 = 85, and 8 + 5 = 13).

§ Composer Arnold Schoenberg was afflicted with triskaidekaphobia. Born on the 13th day of September in 1874, he died on Friday 13th July 1951 at 13 minutes to midnight. He is said to have predicted his death on this day as it was the first Friday 13th in his 76th year (7 + 6 = 13).

§ An amazing number of serial killers’ names have 13 letters – Charles Manson, Wayne Williams, Pee Wee Gaskins, Thierry Paulin, Fritz Haarmann, John Wayne Gacy, Michael Swango, Theodore Bundy, Herbert Mullin, Jack the Ripper, Harold Shipman, Frederick West, and Peter Sutcliffe, are just 13 of them.

This comes from an article I first wrote a couple of years ago. A version of it was published in Ireland's Own in June last year. Another version is for sale at http://www.constant-content.com/MoreDetails/81155-Facts_About_Friday_13th.htm .

Wordless Wednesday - Fun in the Park

Another Stourhead Visit

We went back to Stourhead yesterday. For anyone who doesn’t know, this is a magnificent UK National Trust estate with a grand house and a beautiful landscaped garden surrounding a large lake. While the house is closed for the winter, the gardens are open all year round.

It’s about an hour’s drive from our new house, but my son and his girlfriend still live in the locality and we went to see them and ended up there. We didn’t actually go in because we didn’t have a lot of time, certainly not enough to justify the £7.40 each they would have to pay as non-members. Hubby and I have membership cards that entitle us to free entry. We used them there a lot when we lived close by.

You can still get a good view of Stourhead garden from the road at the bottom of the hill from the car park, and we got plenty of exercise trekking back up again. Then we popped into the restaurant for coffee and a snack, so they did get some of our cash. We also visited the farm shop for some of their delicious steak, cheese and c ream so all in all, they did quite well out of us. And we had a great evening meal when we got home again.

Anyway, I thought it was time to post some more Stourhead photos.

Dona Nobis Pacem

I'm posting out of my normal schedule this week, on Thursday instead of Friday. It's just because I just had to join in this BlogBlast for Peace day.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could achieve peace in our time? And then we could spend all the money that goes into war on feeding the hungry and giving everyone a place to call home and keep warm and safe.

A Great Little Widget

I love this little widget. Move your cursor around the cat and see what it does.

You can get yours here, just like I did from The Way It Is. Many thanks to that blogger.

October Top Droppers

Once again it's time to thank my top droppers - this time for October. How those months do fly. And just as it's great to see familiar blogs on the list, it's also very nice to find I have some new followers. I'm just so grateful to all of my viewers and I hope you can reward them with clicks. They are all fantastic and unique and well worth reading.

Dropper	# of drops
The Way I See It	31
Laane on the World	31
The Cooling Stream	30
Rambling Thoughts in SMK Serian	30
AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles	30
Shalampax Speaks	30
Fact of the Day	29
Duck and Wheel With String	28
Luvem Or Leavem Relationships	28
Greetje greets You	28

Lots of EC droppers return visits. This is always how I start my own dropping. But sometimes I can't complete my drops every day and don't get a return drop from some people. If I don't manage to catch up with all the ones I've missed, they could be missed for ever.

But one of the great things about blog hopping with EC is that every so often I notice a card that is familiar. Then I find myself wondering how I could have forgotten to visit that super blog, and can easily put things right with a click.

Every so often I check through my favourites list as well, but I haven't been punctilious about keeping that up to date. If I did, it would probably take me far too long to check through anyway, since I'm finding new EC bloggers most days.

Also, I've never managed to get beyond 100 drops a day, usually it's more like 60 - just a few more than I receive - because I do like to read the new posts and make the occasional comment.

How do you keep up with your favourite blogs?