Bloganuary 19 Mystery – One man’s trash is another man’s treasure

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Day19 Something Mysterious

A short story by Dezzie

“What’s so mysterious about this bit of junk? Your dreaming if you think I’m going to fall for some ‘cock and bull story’ that you just made up. I’ve got ‘bigger fish to fry’. Where’s the real stuff”?

The shop owner cringed waiting for the robber to give him a backhander again. What could he do? That beat up bit of junk sitting in the safe was exactly that, mysterious. It was like a cameleon. It changed shape. It changed colour. It hummed and flashed. It was unique. He somehow knew it would be so important one day.  

He peered up from the floor tasting a bit of blood. He could see the rage in the robbers face. It was almost comical. He chuckled to himself likening the dude to a boiling kettle. The blokes face was red hot…and was that steam coming from his ears? He admonished himself, “Man, you must have a ‘twisted sense of humour’ to be finding something comical in such a tricky situation. ‘Get a grip’ man cause you should be fearing for your life. This blokes about to ‘kick your butt’”!

Silence.

The man peers up from the floor. “Huh”?

A police siren in the distance interrupts the altercation. The robber hightails it leaving the precious cargo still there in the safe. “Oh phew, thank goodness. I know its special but I’m not sure I wanted to lay down my life for a piece of junk. It may be unique but I am no Indiana Jones!”, he thought to himself.

He gets up and gives one last look at his treasure before shutting the safe door. It was precious, like the ring in Lord of the Rings. His Precious. His precious piece of junk. He felt its surface and wondered what it was. He felt a bit like Bilbo Baggins about to embark on a great and dangerous adventure.

Mystery is not really my thing. For this daily prompt I was sure to add my signature phrases and sayings into the mix.

Phrase or saying

  • One mans trash is another mans treasure – Some people see the same item valuable compared another seeing it worthless
  • Cock and bull story – questionable story. I always think of when a kid says the dog ate their homework
  • Bigger fish to fry – more important things to do
  • Twisted sense of humour – not mainstream humour
  • Get a grip – be in control of your thoughts or emotions
  • Kick your butt – beat someone up

Photo by Lisa Fotios at Pexels

Bloganuary 18 – Next book to read – Into the Wild

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Day 18 – Next book to read

Next book to read is Into the Wild based on a true story. “Christopher McCandless (was) found dead September 6, 1992, Stampede Trail, Alaska), American adventurer who died from starvation and possibly poisoning, at age 24, while camping alone on a remote trail” – Encyclopedia Britannica

There is a movie called Into the Wild I watched the other day. Seems sad at the end but wondered if the book might put a different perspective. It’s written by Jon Krakauer

Bloganuary 14 – Completing University

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Day 14 Write about a challenge you faced and overcame

When I was at school I was a bit of a rebel. Always getting into trouble. My teacher said “you will never amount to anything”! So imagine my surprise when I was accepted into university. I then proceeded to pass each subject with flying colours.

I remember getting my mid semester grades quite distinctly. Straight distinctions. I thought to myself, “that can’t be right. I’m not that smart. There must be some kind of mistake”. Fast forward a few years and I was heading up the students final year graduation committee.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Her lifeline

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You watch her as she ‘soldiers on’ clinging to her walking frame like it was a purse full of money. It is her lifeline.

Her wrinkled hands, her wrinkled eyes

She hangs on for grim death like there’s no tomorrow. “Slow and steady wins the race”, she says with a twinkle in her eye.

You smile. You pull your chair in to give her more room.

She takes her time. The word hurry is no longer in her dictionary. Instead she counts each step and smiles at you. Countless wrinkles converge into a broad smile that has known much laughter.

“Thank you”

Phrase or saying

  • Soldier on – try to do something even if it is difficult
  • Hangs in for dear life like there is no tomorrow – (UK) hang on like your life depends on it. Here I have stated it like we would around here in Sydney. We add ‘like there is no tomorrow’ to emphasise the gravity of the saying.
  • Slow and steady wins the race – (Greek about 560BCE so very old) Slowly

Let the bite of the sun etch my skin in ruddy pinkness

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I don’t know if my body has the strength to fight once again. So I’m taking in all the beauty that is around me and etching each scene into my memory ‘like there is no tomorrow’. So many holidays I took for granted. Not this holiday. Who knows when we will be in lockdown again. I want nice memories to draw on in the darkness of days. Full of colour, of taste, and of smell.

Glimpses of my holiday. The overgrown track to the beach. A dingo trying to feast on some leftover bait on the beach. The lack of curb and guttering on the streets where the grass, sand, and tar meet as uncertain surfaces. Laughing at the lack of internet reception where you drive along streets until you get a signal. Then the sultry nights where streetlights are rarely seen and cicadas deafen you. Yes etching in those memories and taking ‘happy snaps’.

Then, let the bite of the sun etch my skin in ruddy pinkness. For once all is ‘done and dusted’ I will sit back on the journey home and wonder. I will wonder and worry about things that are to come. Not like any previous holiday. Let the suns burn distract me.

Phrase or Saying

  • Like there is no tomorrow – (UK) do it alot
  • Happy snaps – photographs
  • Done and dusted – (UK) finished and completed

#art – Make a pen sketch pop on your phone

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My last art post had me frustrated with using colour pencil on paper. You try to rub off the colour pencil and bits of paper can come away as well. This led me to explore free apps that I can use to play around with colour without it affecting my originals.

Today I am using the paint palette in photos of my Samsung phone. Then uses effects on InFrame app at Google play. Heaps to choose from. Playful fun.

adding colour with paint palette
then pic put through InFrame effects
original pic
  1. Take a black and white pen drawing on your phone. Square is easiest.
  2. Open the palette tool in photo editor and add colour. I used the highlighter version so that it is a bit translucent. I coloured in a couple of sections digitally and did a swirl in purple over the top.
  3. Open InFrame app
  4. Played around with the effects. I only chose a few. I have reversed the colour so the black stands out. I then chose the circle shape.
  5. Share to your phone when you are done or straight onto Insta. I went in to the photo editor again to make the colours look heaps stronger. Very strong motif. Nice to play with colour without the original being anything other than black and white.

#truestory – Sloppy sailors knot

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I’d brought the boat around and dropped anchor on the beach. I swear I turned my back just for a second and  ‘blow me down’ the boat fair drifts away. Thought I had it firmly anchored.

We all watched from the beach in dismay. There it is drifting away. Drifting toward what looks like a mega cruiser. “Oh sh**t! That don’t look good”, I thought to myself.

Kneejerk reaction

I went straight into autopilot. My mind was reeling as I worked out the best way to tackle it. “You’ve got this”, I thought to myself as I launched myself into the water. Did you?

OK ‘false bravado’ aside I really thought I had it covered. I could make the distance. I’d grab the anchor rope when I got there and haul myself up onto the boat. Keys were in it. Just had to swim hard to get there in time. What could possibly go wrong?

Best laid plans

Making decisions ‘in the heat of the moment’ probably wasn’t the best option cause I was totally ‘slammed’ by the time I got to the boat. I’d made the distance. It was ‘hard yakka’ but ‘you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do’.

When it dawned on me that the rope with the anchor just wasn’t there I was dumbfounded. I could ‘feel the penny drop’ into the ‘pit of my stomach’ as I realised that I’d have to go back. Would I make it? “Mmm”, I thought to myself. “Maybe my best laid plans might have been done a bit better. Back I go…

Life is precious

When I felt my wife’s crooked arm settling under my chin to rescue me I knew I would never live the experience down.

Looking back now I think to myself, “Seriously, you’ve got this have you mate? ’cause the last time I looked it was ‘no lean, mean, fighting machine’ staring back at in the mirror! It’s been a while since you ran your last marathon… LOL like that ever happened?!#$*”.

Now my mates may ‘have a go’ and admonish me on sloppy sailors knots but the truth is it was a close call. Things could well have gone ‘pear shaped’. 

For Steve. Glad you and the boat made it back in one piece

Phrase or saying

  1. Blow me down – (UK) suprised
  2. False bravado – (Italian) talking about how can do something even if you can’t
  3. In the heat of the moment – (UK) say or do something without thinking
  4. I was slammed – Exhausted
  5. Hard yakka – (Australia 1840’s) Work hard from indigenous word but I think it was made popular in the last 30 years as there was a catchy advertisement on mens workwear.
  6. You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do – (UK) do what is necessary
  7. Feel the penny drop – (UK 1939) it made sense. Oxford English Dictionary says it refers to penny in the slot machines and an article written in the Daily Mirror in 1939.
  8. Pit if my stomach – (UK) Where you feel nervousness or excitement deep deep down
  9. No lean, mean, fighting machine – (USA 1970’s)
  10. Have a go – Have a go in Australia can have a range of meanings. In this instance it means to tease someone.
  11. Pear shaped – (UK) to go wrong or to fail badly