Thank you, Di for hosting SYW again this week

Here are my answers

How organised are you? Do you plan ahead, take things as they come, or does it depend on the circumstances?

When I was working and raising a family I was flexibly organised. There was a routine at home but if things disrupted this, I would just go with the flow. At work, I was ultra-organised and had lessons prepared well in advance and my marking was always up to date. You have to be organised when teaching small children otherwise there would be no way of handling the chaos that naturally reigns in a classroom!

Now in retirement, I don’t plan ahead too much. Some of our caravanning trips happen with just a day’s notice. I have my lists on the computer and that helps make sure that nothing is forgotten. If we plan a long trip then I usually do the bookings and organise the packing. The Earl plans the route and where we will stop over. He also has his list of things to pack. He is a man with a plan so should anything go wrong he has the tools to deal with it.

How many Christmas presents have you bought already?

I have not bought any Christmas presents yet. Now that our grandchildren are older we don’t do a huge present exchange on Christmas day. Our focus is on doing things together as a family. The ten of us all spend two to three weeks together at our middle daughter’s home, close to a beach in Plettenberg Bay. During our time together we go on one or two special outings instead of spending loads of money on gifts. On Christmas morning we have Secret Santa with each person only being allowed to spend up to R400 on a gift for a person whose name they drew out of a hat.

Do you prefer a family gathering for special occasions, or just you and your significant other?

We only celebrate milestone birthdays and anniversaries. My 70th is coming up and as the family can’t be together at that time of year we had an early celebration. My kids arranged a surprise weekend which was absolutely awesome. I blogged about it here

How many words do you think your pet understands?

I don’t have a pet but the ones I had in the past certainly had an excellent understanding of the English language. I used to take my dog, Tammy running almost every day. She would be fast asleep in another part of the house and I would whisper to my husband, “I am going for a run” and that dog would be up and at my heels before I could get my running shoes on. She also reacted when I spelled the word out. I tried saying, “I’m going to put my takkies on,” but that got her running around barking in excitement. Other words that got her raring to go were beach and walk. She knew other words too, but the ones involving her going out for a run brought a very quick reaction. I would talk to that dog and I am quite sure she understood every word. She was very special.

Please share a gratitude meme for your readers.

I love this one from Oprah!

Melanie asks some interesting questions this week. Here are my answers.

Can we really know everything?

No, I don’t believe we can know everything but some people know more than others. We tend to know more about things that really interest us while other stuff we might find terribly boring or not in the sphere of our mental ability. Of course, some people think they know everything.

Where were people before they were born?

Before I was born, I was a fetus growing into a human being in the womb. Before that I was a little part of Mom and a little part of Dad – I think?

Does the Law of Attraction exist?  (Law of Attraction as I understand it) is a school of thought where positive thinking brings about good changes.  Some say it’s made them wealthy.  Others say it improves their health or their outlook on life)

I think it might. When I was a child I was pretty negative and thought the universe was against me. As I grew older I changed my attitude and although I still had to work at it, things started going well for me. Of course, bad things did happen but facing them with a positive attitude did help me deal with each situation better than I otherwise would have. Maybe it’s not the law of attraction but the way in which I look at life. I have been in situations where people have said, “But how on earth are you coping with this?” My answer has always been – This too will pass – and thankfully it always has.

Do we love ourselves more in the virtual world and less in the real world?  If so, why?   If nay, why?

I am assuming that the virtual world refers to social media and our presence on it. (I don’t go into any other virtual worlds with avatars etc) I feel the same about myself in both worlds. I share positive things both on and offline. I enjoy sharing my life experiences and love learning about and from others too.

GRATITUDE SECTION

Are you happy?

Yes, I believe I am happy. I choose to be happy. Sometimes things make me sad and if I can I try to do something about it but if I can’t I still choose to move on and get over it. I believe every emotion is important. We need to be angry, sad, jealous, frustrated, etc from time to time. It is all part of the human condition and spurs us into action. Being too happy can make one complacent and prevent one from taking action when necessary.

Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from Sparks

QUESTIONS -THINGS THAT GO ‘BUMP’ IN THE NIGHT  

Favourite horror or Halloween-themed song?  Or a song you rarely hear except around a holiday.

The only one that comes to mind is Time Warp from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”

Do you ever see figures in your peripheral vision?

Yes, I do. It is a very creepy, huge, black insect. I try to swat it but it is too quick for me. It usually appears first thing in the morning when I am waking up or when I get really tired during the day. The experts tell me it’s called a floater and is quite harmless. It won’t bite or sting, they say. So why, then, does the annoying creature hang around my right eye!

Which urban legend scares you the most? (most countries have such stories – share yours if you would like to)  🦇

The African tribes of South Africa are very wary of The Tokoloshe, an evil spirit who gets up to all sorts of mischief. He is a small goblin-like creature and he becomes invisible when he drinks water or swallows a stone. Witch doctors or even ordinary people will call upon the Tokoloshe to bring harm to their enemies. Parents might also get their children to behave by warning them that the Tokoloshe will punish them if they don’t. According to the legend, the way to keep the Tokoloshe at bay is to place bricks under each leg of the bed. He is very short so prefers people to sleep at floor level where he can get them!

You’re home alone but you hear footsteps in your house, what do you do?

We have good security so hopefully, hearing footsteps would be my imagination or the resident ghost that is rumoured to reside in my house. More than one person has alerted me to the fact that they have had paranormal experiences in my home. When my daughter was about twelve, she and her cousin of the same age were alone in the house and said they heard the door rattling. When they went to check they could not turn the door handle nor could they actually see anybody but they insist it was a ghost. Another visitor reported seeing an old woman in the room in which she slept. (Perhaps it was mother-in-law who died in this house!) We, however, have never experienced anything paranormal here.

So what would I do if I heard footsteps? I would lie perfectly still and pretend to be asleep. It would be dangerous to confront a burglar and scary to confront a ghost!

GRATITUDE SECTION

What is your favourite season?

I love Autumn/Fall. The weather is cooler but the days are sunny and still. I also love the colours. In the Western Cape, we call it the Secret Season because the weather is so perfect during March and April. There might be a few cold days but mostly it’s the best time for people from abroad to visit.