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Showing posts with label #blogger #poetry #book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #blogger #poetry #book. Show all posts

Thursday, 9 July 2020

Super Market Coffee Shop

Super Market Coffee Shop

In Today's Award Winning Issue ( The award was one length of the swimming pool )

Super Market Coffee Shop 
Did You Know ? Supermarkets
Funny Phobia
Random Joke of the Day
That's Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
The Thoughts of Chairman Anyhow
BARGAIN BOOK....



Vignettes from a Supermarket Coffee Shop

Sat sipping sour coffee, I watch people pass by held up by trolleys.

A woman in comfy shoes uses her metal wheeled basket as a battering ram, chairs squeal their surrender as she scatters them like flat topped ten pins.

Gossiping teenage girls giggle in mock horror. They briefly check me out in case I have potential. I do not.

An old man in a blazer with a dapper hanky in his breast pocket drinks his coffee alone. I'm kind of disappointed when he rises and he's wearing jeans.

The cafe employs a girl with learning difficulties to clear the tables. She does this with microscopic diligence.

The young girl on the checkout, her hair barely bundled into a cheap green baseball cap ,shows all the interest of a year dead goldfish. He face remains chiselled rainy.

A matronly assistant appears from the back like Mr Ben, she potters re-filling displays with pride.

Mother and daughter with hereditary chubbiness share a drink and a cheap chip sandwich both tutting at their excess. Their voices say no but their salivating eyes tell a different story.

Man with paper, customer 11 the sign on his table tells me, takes the print off a local newspaper. His bifocals glint as he tries to maintain focus.

An elderly pair of ladies with tea for two, mirror their teenage neighbours, they also gossip but giggle less..... Just.

A platter is presented to Mr 11, Its plastic top is unveiled in gastronomic tradition. 11 sighs at the sight of his toasted tea cake. I'm not sure if this is pleasure of disappointment.

I'm glanced at by every female who passes my table. My vanity likes to shout it's because of my swarthy good looks. My sanity whispers it's a woman's natural curiosity, 'what am I writing about'. If only they knew it's about them.

The cafe has a rush. Has a coach party arrived?

My nose is filled with frying smells. My diet angel reminds me it's forbidden fruit.... Banana Fritters ?

The young server in the green baseball hat doles out another toasted tea cake, I wonder if there's a special on. Her shoulders slump with the weight of her task. I wonder what job she'd prefer to do and must it include a baseball cap.

Piped music by the store's DJ. I wonder if I can get the channel on DAB.

A man in a wheelchair is trundled to a table. His gasps for breath suggest he still has a lust for life. His wife, I assume, for she seems far too tender for a cash for carer put on his break and goes to queue. I do hope she gets him a toasted tea cake.

A woman with a sleeveless dress and see through back sits sharing a cake with a much less glamorous friend. Given that they are both in their 70's I admire her chutzpah but would rather not see it.

A tall gangly girl in green appears from the kitchen swing doors with two overfull wheelie bins. She pushes them through the cafe to freedom. I wonder if this ever happens in the Ritz.

The wheelchair husband has a sausage roll. His wife cuts it up for him as he pours sugar into her drink. A metaphor for love.

Two young mums roll in with tots, both women in checked shirts and nearly matching parka coats. I wonder if they are on an expedition.

Learning difficulties girl finishes her shift. Her elderly parents sit and wait to take her home. She comes to them in her uniform. The family swell with pride.

A crying baby tries to form words, I clearly hear the start of the word 'mum'. I think of my own grown up daughter and my heart dies a little with loss.

Two tall young people in school uniforms enter. Are they a couple? is it an after school date? They catch me looking over and writing. I think I've been rumbled.



For My American Chums, Here's Some Interesting Facts About
Supermarket Shopping !
(Source creditdonkey.com)

  • How long does the average shopper spend in the grocery store? 
    According to the Time Use Institute, the average shopping trip takes 41 minutes. If you multiply that by the 1.5-trip per week average, that’s over 53 hours per year you’re spending in the grocery store.

  • When do shopping trips take the longest? 
    If you want to get in and out quickly, head to the grocery store on the weekdays. If you wait until Saturday or Sunday, you’re going to spend an average of 7 minutes more in the store.

  • What day of the week is the most popular for grocery shopping? 
    Saturdays are prime time for grocery shoppers. Approximately 41 million Americans choose this day to do their weekly shopping.

  • Which day is the best for avoiding crowds? 

  • Shoppers who prefer a little more peace and quiet may want to plan their grocery store trips for Mondays or Tuesdays. Traffic averages out to about 29 million shoppers on these days, so you don’t have to worry about traffic jams in the produce section.

  • What time of day is the busiest time at grocery stores?
    On weekdays, you’ll see the most activity between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. as people dash in to pick up last-minute items for dinner. On the weekends, things get started a little earlier, with traffic peaking between 11 a.m. and noon.

  • Where do people do most of their shopping? 
    Despite competition from drugstores, warehouse clubs, supercenters, and gourmet grocers, traditional supermarkets are still the go-to choice for food shoppers. Eighty-three percent of shoppers use them regularly for their edible purchases.

  • How common is online grocery shopping? 
    You can buy almost anything online these days, including groceries, but it hasn't taken off as much as books or electronics. Overall, 3% of shoppers say they purchase their groceries via the Internet.

  • How many shoppers go to more than one store for groceries? 
    Savvy shoppers know you always have to be on the lookout for the best deals. Over 40% of shoppers say they go to more than one store to get all the things they need.

  • What percentage of shoppers take a written list to the grocery store?
    Going to the grocery store without a list is a guaranteed way to forget something or spend more than you planned. Sixty-nine percent of women say they make a list before going shopping compared to 52% of men.

  • How often are shoppers using coupons? 
    Couponing is an effective strategy for cutting grocery costs, and the majority of shoppers seem to be using them. Women are more likely to clip coupons, with 57% of female shoppers collecting them compared to 41% of men.

  • How much of household income goes towards grocery purchases? 
    Just 5.6% of total disposable income pays for grocery purchases these days. By comparison, Americans spend 4.3% of their disposable income on dining out.

  • How many supermarkets are there in the U.S.?
    Altogether, there are nearly 38,000 supermarkets in the United States. Seventy percent of those are conventional grocery stores, with supercenters, gourmet stores, warehouse clubs, and military commissaries making up the remaining 30%.

  • How much do Americans spend at grocery stores annually? 
    Americans are spending big bucks to stay well-fed. In 2014, supermarket sales in the U.S. topped $638 billion. Sixty-five percent of that is spent at traditional grocery stores alone.

  • How many items does the average grocery store carry? 
    Not being able to find what you need usually isn’t an issue at your typical supermarket. For example, in 2014, grocery stores offered more than 42,200 items on average.

  • How many Americans shop at a grocery store every day? 
    On an average day, 32 million Americans head to the grocery store to pick up the necessities. That works out to 1 in 7 adults who are shopping at any given time.

  • How many grocery trips does the average shopper make per week? 
    There’s nothing more frustrating than having to go back to the grocery store because you forgot something. According to the Food Marketing Institute, shoppers hit the supermarket an average of 1.5 times per week.

  • What percentage of shoppers do all the shopping for their household? 
    Approximately 68% of grocery shoppers say they’re solely responsible for doing all the shopping for their family. Multi-person households represent 43% of shoppers while singles account for 25% of all primary shoppers.

  • How much do primary shoppers spend on average? 
    The weekly shopping bill for primary spenders of multi-person households comes to $118 on average. Single shoppers spend about half that, averaging $60 a week.

  • Do men or women do most of the grocery shopping? 
    Women are more likely to be found cruising the grocery store aisles than men. Among primary shoppers for multi-person households, 70% are female. For the non-married crowd, 53% are women.

  • How old is the average grocery shopper? 
    The average age for adult grocery shoppers in the U.S. is 44. The average for female shoppers is slightly higher, at 47.

  • Who spends the most time shopping? 
    Women take a little longer to get their shopping done than men, averaging 42 minutes versus 39. The under 30 crowd also takes longer, averaging a 43-minute trip compared to 40 minutes for shoppers aged 30 and up.

  • What are shoppers spending the most money on? 
    The biggest chunk of the shopping budget goes toward the middle aisles of the store. Nearly 25% of grocery shopping dollars are spent on processed foods and sweets.

  • What percentage of shoppers prefer locally grown food? 
    Concerns about processed foods have led some shoppers to opt for organic versions of their favorite products. Despite the higher cost, 25% of shoppers say they specifically look for foods that are locally grown or sourced.


The fear of shopping is .......Officinaphobia



Random Joke of the Day..

I think my Dog maybe smarter than me . he understands several words and commands. and yet I don't understand a single bark ? ....


In 1989, Walmart pulled Listerine off shelves after a woman claimed it burned her mouth. After testing, they restocked it. Turns out that's just how Listerine tastes.


The Thoughts Of Chairman Anyhow

You'd be surprised how quickly the sales people at the B&Q try and assist you after ignoring you for the past 15 minutes when you try and start a chainsaw.

Bargain Book

Stuck in the house ? bored  ? Fed Up ? You can now buy my recent release, "Tales of the Unexpected" for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS -
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read....
YOU CAN FIND IT ON AMAZON NOW !

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Unexpected-Neville-Raper/dp/1687345600/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1S5K676ODI5T3&keywords=neville+raper&qid=1584902969&sprefix=neville+r%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-1

Tuesday, 25 February 2020

International Dentist Day

International Dentist Day

Open wide.. In Today's Issue sue sue sue ..... ( that's a big cavity )


International Dentist Day
Our Keith's Teeth
Dentist Facts
That's Amaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke ... and.......rinse


Today is the day to Celebrate dentists all over the world and thank them for keeping us healthy and smiling on Dentist’s Day.

So,,,,How to Celebrate?


  • If you haven’t been to see your dentist in a while, use this day to make an appointment with them.
  • Try and book it at 2.30
  • Send them a card to say thanks...but NO CHOCOLATE !!


Our Keith has bad teeth

They used to be pearlers
So bright and so white
Now they’re all colours
And they do smell of shite

They’re stumpy and broken
Crooked and odd
Neglected and tartered
Like a lawn gone to sod

Keith failed to brush
Or use his mouthwash
No polishing ever
He never used floss

So now he regrets
His lack of hygiene
He would love nice teeth
The smile and the sheen

So here is the moral
The point of your ventures
Keep your teeth clean
Or else you’ll have dentures

Dentists

The calcium & phosphorous found in cheese is healthy for your teeth – it reduces the pH level in plaque and remineralizes the enamel.

60% of people don’t know that a sore jaw, when combined with chest pain, is a signal of heart attack.

Each person’s set of teeth is unique much like their fingerprints. Even identical twins do not have exactly the same set of teeth.

Did you know that your tongue print is also unique?

The average woman smiles about 62 times a day! A man… Only 8! Kids laugh around 400 times a day. Grown-ups just 15.

Academy of general dentistry, the average person only brushes for 45 to 70 seconds a day, the recommended amount of time is 2-3 minutes.

If you’re right handed, you will chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side. It is recommended to chew from both the sides equally to prevent jaw joint problems.

50% consider the smile the first facial feature they notice.

80% are not happy with their smile.

83% of people believe their teeth are more important to their appearance than hat, hair and eyes.
People who drink 3 or more sugary sodas daily have 62% more dental decay.

People with gum disease are more likely to suffer from heart diseases and those without disease.

Average human produces 25000 quartz of saliva in a lifetime, which is enough to fill two swimming pools.

You should keep your tooth brush away from the toilet. The air borne particles from the flush can travel up to a distance of 6 feet.

In 1994 a prison inmate in West Virginia braided dental floss into a row, scaled the wall & escaped.

You should always replace your tooth brush at least every three months & always after infection like flu, cold & other viral infections. Bacteria can implant themselves on the bristles causing re-infection.

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. However, it is not recommended to use teeth to open bottle caps.

Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in people over age 35. Fortunately, most gum disease can be prevented.

If you don’t floss, you miss cleaning 40% of your tooth surfaces. So don’t miss flossing in your oral dental hygiene routine.

More than 300 types of bacteria make up dental plaque.

That's Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing 

The most teeth in the mouth is 37, achieved by Vijay Kumar V.A (India), as verified in Bangalore, India on 20 September 2014. Vijay has five more teeth than the average number for adults. He first noticed that he had more biting power than most people in his late teens

Random Joke of the Day

My mum always used to say "40 is the new 30". Lovely woman, banned from driving.

Bargain Book
Did you get a kindle or e-book reader for Xmas? Then as a New Years gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, "Tales of the Unexpected" for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS -
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read....
YOU CAN FIND IT ON AMAZON NOW !

Thursday, 9 January 2020

International House Plant Day

International House Plant Day

In Today's Green Issue


International House Plant Day
My little green pal
House Plant
That's Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke



Xmas is over. The decorations have been put away for another year. The house looks a little plain, a little drab. In the greyishness of January, your eye catches something in the corner of the room. It's your little oasis of green... your little houseplant! 


Today is THE day to get back to tending to, and loving your houseplants. And, it's also a day to appreciate just how special and important they are. They are therapeutic, lifting your mood and outlook. They add warmth and a calming effect. If you are a gardener, they give you an opportunity to play in the dirt, until spring arrives in the far, distant future.

Growing houseplants is pretty easy. They need a little sunlight, water, occasional nutrients, and a little love..and a good talking to !!


Housey Housey House Plant
Never been outside Plant
Does he miss his chlorofil mates
Unedible and edible he sees on plates
I realise that I called him a he
I wonder what he thinks of me

I water him about once a week
I often sing, but always speak
I heard that this will help him grow
It might not work, I'll have a go

And if he grows so very high
Then I'll climb him up into the sky
Like Jack and his stalk I'll vertical walk
With goose and giant, I'll have a talk

I'll see if I can take the treasure
To spend and use to my own pleasure
But right now, he's two inches high
So I'll sing as I water supply


Growing plants indoors goes back to ancient times:
In the ruins of Pompeii, researchers found much more than the well-preserved skeletons and homes of residents. They found the remains of indoor gardening—terra cotta pots that had the remnants of flowers and other plants.
It’s thought that Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar was among the first to “domesticate” plants by building his wife the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to help her feel less homesick.

The evolution of indoor heating changed the game:

Before the early 1800s, most homes were too dark and cold for seedlings to survive inside. The Age of Technology changed that; homes became warmer and brighter with the advent of better-quality glass that allowed more sunlight indoors and warm stoves that replaced open fires.

Most common houseplants came from the tropics:

That’s because they can easily thrive in warm indoor environments and grow during colder months. There are thousands of varieties of tropical houseplants that can adapt to being grown inside. These include bromeliads (which dwell on rocks, the forest floor or trees in nature), succulents (which need very little water and thrive in bright sunlight) and orchids.

They are beneficial to our health:

While ancient cultures grew plants indoors as a sign of wealth, today many plant lovers keep them in their homes not only for their beauty, but for their health benefits as well. They can reduce stress, reduce air pollution and allergens and reduce noise pollution emitted by household electronic devices.

Their meanings come from Victorian times:

We know flowers and plants can be used to convey emotions like “I’m sorry” or “I love you.” They also can be used as symbols—orchids are often considered symbols of love, strength and beauty, for example. But how were their meanings selected?
The Victorians not only brought about the modern houseplant, they also assigned meanings to several of them. 
That's Amaaaaazing
The world's oldest potted plant is a prickly cycad (Encephalartos altensteinii), which was brought from South Africa to the UK and planted in 1775. The cycad is currently on display in the Palm House, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, Surrey, UK . These tree-fern like Cycads are often called 'living fossils' as they are amongst the oldest surviving species of plants; it is known that they were growing over 200 million years ago during the Permian era. Cycads are dioecious meaning their male and female reproductive structures are on different plants with reproduction achieved through seeds. They typically grow to 4-7 m (13-22 ft).
Random Joke of the Day
My wife is leaving me because she thinks I try to make everything into a 'Quiz' 
Is that: 
A) Weird 
B) Annoying Or
 C) Unfair

Sunday, 29 September 2019

Ekphrastic Poetry


In Today's (very late) Issue





Ekphrastic Poetry
We Danced on the Sand
Trivial Top 10
That's Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke of the Day
New Release



Ekphrastic poetry explores art. Using a rhetorical device known as ekphrasis, the poet engages with a painting, drawing, sculpture, or other form of visual art. Poetry about music and dance might also be considered a type of ekphrastic writing.

The term ekphrastic (also spelled ecphrastic) originates from a Greek expression for description. The earliest ekphrastic poems were vivid accounts of real or imagined scenes. Through effusive use of details, writers in ancient Greece aspired to transform the visual into the verbal. Later poets moved beyond description to reflect on deeper meanings. Today, the word ekphrastic can refer to any literary response to a non-literary work.

Key Terms

Ekphrastic poetry: Poetry about a work of art
Actual ekphrasis: Writing about an artwork that exists
Notional ekphrasis: Writing about an imagined work of art

I was provided with the below picture and asked to come up with some writing to accompany it....


We Danced on the Sand


We sang as we danced and danced as we sang
Our help tried to shield us as best they could
With batwing brollies.
They tried but were no protection against that wind of change
How beautiful she was crimson dressed.

Our song carried and joined the gale force choir
It cycloned back as all things do.
But it had changed

We all danced now in red stained shoes
A staccato beat by musicians with a different flag
Their chords tight on white hot instruments.
I looked down and saw my shadow on rusted sand

She’s here with me again in that cardinal dress.
Her skin is so white and I can’t hear her song.
I look down and my shadow has gone

The shells are on the beach
The shells are on the beach

TOP 10 1st Wedding Dances 2019

10. Ed Sheeran and Beyonce – Perfect (Duet)

9. Ellie Goulding – How Long Will I Love You

8. Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up

7. Ray LaMontagne – You Are The Best Thing

6. Christina Perri – A Thousand Years

5. Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling in Love

4. John Legend – All of Me

3. Etta James – At Last

2. Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

1. Ed Sheeran – Perfect


That's Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing

Kalamandalam Hemalatha has shown the world why she's known as “the dancing queen of Kerala.” On January 6, Guinness World Records confirmed that she had set a world record for the “longest dance marathon by an individual.” Beginning on September 20, she shook her hips and wiggled her neck for 123 hours and 15 minutes

Random Joke of the Day

Got some insect repellant spray, it says on the can that it may cause hallucinations. Personally I don't believe it but the flies swear it's true.

New Release

Coming in October the third in the 'Tales of..' Trilogy.
It will be available on Kobo, Kindle, Amazon and Barnes Noble.
In the meantime here is a link to my Amazon Author's Page.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neville-Raper/e/B0759Z1D25