Whilst most people, were probably out at Halloween inspired events, with their family and friends. I saw Halloween, as an opportunity, not to remember the dead, in some cultures, but to get rid of the redundant cluttered space and turn the snug back into a room that we can use. Its been used as a bit of a dumping ground and I am sure reading this you may well have a room that is used for that purpose.
I think it does you good mentally and physically to sort out once in a while. My main aim was to make the snug back into a room ready for Christmas, so me, mum and dad, have somewhere to eat Christmas dinner, that isn't on trays in the lounge. Having been the golden rule at Christmas growing up, we would always eat at the table. There is something more special and connected, by sitting at a table and eating especially around Christmas time. I find you connect more with the people you are sharing a meal with instead of just eating dinner. I appreciate not everyone can do this. But since I started my health kick earlier this year, which went really well, and quite a bit of I still do. One thing i took away from it was to eat out more and i really enjoy it now. It doesn't have to be a 5 star restaurant endorsed by Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey, could even be round a friends house. Eating in a social setting is fantastic. People who know me, know, i don't do fine dinning, and little café serving a range of dishes is where you will find me, that or my local Chinese.
Growing up as a child of the 80s, there was plenty of classic meal combinations that mum cooked. Mainly consisting of mash potato, and yes powdered, fish fingers, sausages, chips, beans and eggs. Typical 80s staple combinations of this and not forgetting Alphabety spaghetti and other forms of shaped spaghetti in a tomato sauce in a tin. I think this is why you would find me at a local café over a 5 star restaurant, the food i eat takes me back to hard, but good simpler times. I was around 8 years old when i tried Chinese food. Mum and dad, had ordered a Chinese from the top of the road, having never tried it, i asked if i could have some, so they put me some on a plate, and i tried it and fell in love. To this day my staple from the Chinese is one of two combinations, egg fried rice & chicken chow mien or house special curry & salt n pepper chips both with prawn balls. Sure this was still eating at home and mostly in the Lounge on a tray. The humble dinning room table, in later years, become for special occasions such as Christmas or buffets, of which mum has done plenty. Its true that mums cooking is the best. She doesn't need a recipe book.
My goal, of having a table to sit at and eat Christmas dinner started, the Saturday morning, following deep conversations with chatgpt on all sorts of topics, yes, i do have conversations with AI. That aside, i rang, a good family friend down the road called Mel on Friday after work earlier in the week and he agreed to give me a hand early Saturday. I say early, but i set my alarm for 7am Saturday but dozed back off till around 8:30 when mum brought me up a cup of coffee. But the goal was set, i wanted to turn the snug into a dinning room. So with Mel's help, we took an old electric bed down the local tip, filled the car up with a couple of loads of rubbish and took them down there too. Mum bless her, made sure we had cups of coffee and had even swept the floor where the stuff used to be. Once we had a bit of space and most of the rubbish out of the way we could start to see how to lay the room out. I am quite ruthless when it comes to getting rid of stuff. My mums generation, would have kept everything, but my view is, if you really don't use something get rid of it. That approach has bit me before, having once got rid of loads of stuff in my old shed, and sods law, couple of weeks later i needed something i got rid of.
I hadn't had breakfast yet Saturday morning, so after me & Mel had taken the stuff down to the local tip. I suggested, and as a thank you for, helping for the day i said i would pay for a meal out at a local café called the country kitchen. Now, i will say one thing about country kitchen, took me a while to hear about this place and go and check it out. But boy, was I so glad i did, you get 5 star restaurant food at a café pricing range. The food is really good and very tasty. I have been there quite a bit. They serve Rijo coffee and i like the glass coffee mugs, so they are going to get me some. In recent times, i've not felt like a full English, opting for panCakes, syrup and bacon. You may think this sounds weird, but its an American thing, and its so tasty. Honestly, give it a go, if you haven't tried it. Same with peanut butter & jam sandwiches. Hay, as well as 80s food at home, i grew up watching a lot of American TV. Which may have influenced my eating. But back to Country kitchen, we both had a fry up and a cup of coffee which was very tasty and filling, giving up plenty of energy to crack on and get the snug sorted out.
Once we had filled ourselves up with a good fry up, we started to put together a sofa that was in bits, with no instruction manual, it was kind of every man or woman for themselves. But eventually, having a good problem solving mind, we managed to get the sofa put together and put in place. Next was the dinning room table and chairs also in bits, but we again managed to get it sorted and looks loads better as per the Photos. Sure there is a few bits being stored in there but the main goal is now complete. With a small meal break took about 6 hours. Which i didn't think was too bad. Its what i love about Digital Art and coding. You put the time and effort in and you see the end result. Sorting the snug out, also inspired me to do even more bits to it to make it even better. Which will involve some DIY skills with woodwork, i may post the Photos of this on an article on here.
Inspiration is a funny thing, like a lot of things i do, comes from all over the place, and i welcome it, i love being inspired to do things and undertake activities. I once inspired a former manager to get into art he saw my Digital Art and wanted to get into traditional painting, and what he was painting looks really good. Mel, as a friend and good human being, often inspires me in his attitude to life. In many ways he has better values than some Christians I know and I have found that before. Mel is genuinely a really nice guy, would go out his way for anyone, and that inspired me to do the same, in my attitude to life. Its so easy, in todays world to stop helping our fellow man or woman, and focus on those distracting digital devices.
See, born again Christianity teaches, its about saying a prayer, letting Jesus into your heart, and you go to heaven, but i favour the old testament more, in terms of its teachings to the new one, I am not for one minute saying, i don't believe in Jesus, but the old testament focused on building those good values, sure its covered through Jesus teachings in the new testament. But man was judged more on his actions than saying a prayer something, which i think gets lost. I fell, that you can spend too much time looking up hoping to go too heaven, you miss Jesus point, its about looking around and helping people, just like he was doing, do you think he was looking up all the time, no, he looked around. I also believe, when Jesus said, he is the only way to the father. I believe this means by being like Christ in your time on earth.
Inspiration is like ripples in a pond, a kind action can lead to another kind action. I am a big fan of sooty, and i have recently ordered a sooty hoodie from the official sooty Shop. Sure it wasn't the cheapest, but not bad at what i paid for it. I was speaking to my brother on messaging and i think sooty is really cool, but my brother said hes not mainstream anymore. I find that kind of sad, Sooty was awesome growing up, he inspired me so much with a childish nature at times and to keep going through tough times. It got me thinking, when we are children, we have all sorts of ideas and inspirations of what we want to do or become. Then adult life kicks in and we kind loose than younger version of ourselves. I truly believe that if the world had more Sooty in it, there wouldn't be as much problems going on.
Someone once inspired me, i was talking to a woman at an event and she basically said never grow up and i strongly agree. As with alot of thinks when we are young we are more creative, and i believe, being young at heart and in mind, keeps the creative juices flowing and i love being creative. I've tried to get into video Games over the years but these days i feel robbed of my time, at least with art, photography or coding, there is something to show at the end of a period of time.
I would say to anyone reading this, give something creative a go, you never know you might try something new and really enjoy it. Like with Digital Art for me, i love it, what ever it maybe, something you've been meaning to give a go, give it a go.
So to conclude this article on all saints day, i learnt alot, putting things off, at the time, what may seem difficult and not knowing where to start, by breaking a task down, taking breaks you can get things done. I was able to tick off a goal I had set, sure, there is still work to do, the room needs painting, bit more tidying up. But we can now have Christmas dinner at the dinning room table like growing up. I also enjoyed spending time with Mel doing bloke's stuff, and talk about football and everything in between. This being said, i know not everyone will have somewhere to go for Christmas, they maybe on the streets, have problems at home. My prayers go out to you.
