My Way – FFF42

May 21, 2017 The Indecisive Eejit10 Comments

From the shadows she watched him play, his fingers caressing the piano keys, his voice caressing her heart.

She could still feel the pull of him, even after all this time. There was no denying she still loved him.

It was comical that this was his favourite song. She was sure he had more than a few regrets and he had certainly done things his way.

As the song ended and the audience applauded she stepped out of the dark.

‘Remember darling, that when the end came I did it my way’ she said placing divorce papers on the piano.

This is my entry for this weeks Flash Fiction hosted by Matt the Book Blogger. If you would like to give this a try, you can find all the information for this weeks challenge HERE.

More general information about the challenge can be found on his Flash Fiction Foray page.

Spot on 100 words, but it took a bit of effort!

I’m off to read the other entries now! I don’t like to until my own is finished!

Happy Sunday folks :)

Everything works out in the end – FFF39

May 1, 2017 The Indecisive Eejit18 Comments

There’s light above me, but even though I reach out I cannot touch it.

Sun rays penetrate the water and under any other circumstances I would admire their beauty.

I feel weightless, yet I continue to sink, the story of my life surrounding me, notebooks, photographs and letters, everything documented, but never to be seen.

Before all this happened, when you still loved me, you would have told me everything works out in the end.

Not this time I think to myself as I look down at the concrete boots you have fastened around my feet.

This is my end.

Love the song choice this week from Matt over at The Book Blogger for this weeks Flash Fiction Foray. I’m really enjoying these challenges, I love just listening to the music and seeing where it takes me. It might help too, if you listened to the song while reading, you might understand better where my wonky little mind was wandering to.

This week after a little tweaking I think I once again came in on 100 words.

If you would like to try this for yourself, you can find all the information in relation to this weeks challenge HERE.

For more information about the Flash Fiction Foray event itself, click HERE

Getting to know me

March 19, 2017April 4, 2017 The Indecisive Eejit43 Comments

I’ve seen the ‘Get to know me’ type challenge doing the rounds for a while now, but never really paid much attention. I’m not usually a fan of tag type prompts / awards, mainly because way back when I first started I had a few issues with Akismet thinking I was a ~~pain in the arse~~ robot or something else sinister. If you’re interested you can read why I choose to be an Award free blog here.

It’s interesting that I should choose to pick this up and complete it now, but after the last four years I too am trying to get to know myself. So I thought I would share.

There are a set list of questions which I will answer, however I have left out the part where you are supposed to tag others. It’s an interesting little exercise so if you think you might like to join in, please feel free to do so.

1. Who are you named after?

No one is the short answer. I used to be miffed because most of the ladies in my immediate family had ‘Elizabeth’ in their name and I didn’t, I’m just some randomer. I did ask the Fathership once if he knew why I was named Julie, but even he can’t remember. Shall we just go with the I’m unique line?

2. Do you like your handwriting?

Sometimes. Others say they like it and would class me as a very neat writer, I think it’s a bit all over the place. I can easily waste three or four pages in a book writing and re-writing until I am happy with the final result.

3. What is your favourite lunch meat?

Hmmm, that’s tricky and I’m not sure I could narrow it down to just one, so lets go for chicken, with a salad, or bacon with toast and a poached egg! Vegetarians please look away, but I do like Ox tongue too with salad, which everyone else thinks is gross!

4. Longest relationship?

That’s a hard one to answer when it was on and off over a large number of years. Condensed it probably wasn’t that long.

Without doubt the most difficult relationship I have had is the one with myself, that one I am still working on.

5. Do you still have your tonsils?

Why yes, yes I do

6. Would you bungee jump?

Hell no. Let me be more specific as to the reasons why. The main reason is black eyes from the potential bounce back from the boo……you get the idea. Secondly, my dodgy knees would probably just come apart, now wouldn’t that be a shock for those left on the platform, my DM boots hitting them in the kisser.

7. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

Generally yes, as I tend to wear boots a lot. Converse and the like probably not so much, those just get prised off with the toe to heel manoeuvre.

8. Favourite Ice Cream?

Chocolate, with Malteasers pushed down into the middle of it. Chop Pop if we’re going for the lolly variety :)

9. What is the first thing you notice about people?

Generally their footwear, being an introvert anything above the ankle is usually out of bounds if I don’t know then. Other than that, it would be if they wear a smile.

10. Football or baseball?

Neither. If you were forcing me to watch a sport it would most likely be rugby, there is something quite appealing about that game, or at least the men that play it ;)

11. What colour pants are you wearing?

Now is this UK ‘pants’ or American ‘pants’ because believe me they are two very different things. I’m going to guess that you’re not being rude and do in fact mean trousers. They are grey and black with Animal from The Muppets all over then. Don’t judge, it’s is a Sunday, the day for lounge wear.

12. Last thing you ate?

Please refer to question 8, it was a Chop Pop. Don’t tell my Doctor though, I’m supposed to be cutting down!

13. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?

Oh black all the way. That’s just the kinda girl I am.

14. Favourite smell?

It’s not my bottom burps that’s for sure. Let’s go for freshly cut grass or clean linen.

15. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?

I prefer texting! But it was probably the Fathership.

16. Hair colour?

Strawberry Blond / light brown / gingerishly going grey probably.

17. Eye Colour?

Blue, but this week people tried to tell me they were green. So many in fact that I was starting to think I had been wrong all my life. But no, I checked, they are blue!

18. Favourite foods to eat?

At the minute Spring rolls from my local take away, oh they are sooooo good. That said, you just can’t beat a chicken dinner with all the trimmings.

19. Scary movie or happy endings?

Happy endings. Scary movies do bad things to my blood pressure and sleep pattern. I’m of a certain age now though that even happy endings usually require tissues on standby.

20. Last movie you watched?

Miss Perigrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. It wasn’t as good as I thought it would be, but I still loved it.

21. Favourite holiday?

I haven’t had one in the last 20 years so I don’t know. My memory is shocking. Edinburgh was always one of my favourite places to go, so I shall say that. The Fathership and I are hoping to go for a weekend at some point this year.

22. Beer or Wine?

Neither, I’m not a drinker. Coffee or water are my two main drinks these days.

23. Night owl or early bird?

Night owl, although the older I get there is less of a gap between the two. Sometimes I want to go back to bed about 10 minutes after waking up :)

24. Favourite day of the week?

Probably Sunday. Saturday is reserved for housework, Sunday is the day I actually try and not have to do very much at all, even though that rarely happens.

Did I cover everything? If not and there is still something you would like to know, then please ask? Within reason though, not even I can tell you next weeks winning lottery numbers.

If you would like to participate yourself, here is a list of the questions that you can copy and paste.

1. Who are you named after?
2. Do you like your handwriting?
3. What is your favourite lunch meat?
4. Longest relationship?
5. Do you still have your tonsils?
6. Would you bungee jump?
7. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
8. Favorite ice cream?
9. What is the first thing you notice about people?
10. Football or baseball?
11. What color pants are you wearing?
12. Last thing you ate?
13. If you were a crayon what color would you be?
14. Favorite smell?
15. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
16. Hair color?
17. Eye color?
18. Favorite foods to eat?
19. Scary movies or happy endings?
20. Last movie you watched?
21. Favorite holiday?
22. Beer or wine?
23. Night owl or early bird?
24. Favourite day of the week?

Whiteout Wednesday #7

March 15, 2017March 15, 2017 The Indecisive Eejit5 Comments

The blossoms of love form a mist.

Romantic.

The flowers white and star-shape; prolong the charm, producing a certain plumpness that was fashionable in plants

Katherine’s flower has stuck throughout the centuries.

~~~~~

I have no clue if I have done the Whiteout challenge correctly, but for my good friend who runs it I at least thought I would try :) Michael and his 10ft celery also piqued my interest.

If you are interested too, please check here for all the details required to join in!

Whiteout Wednesday

Time waits for no one

July 30, 2016April 12, 2017 The Indecisive Eejit14 Comments

Tonight he really was dressed to impress. His hat, freshly brushed sat atop his salt and pepper hair, his shirt and jacket had been neatly pressed and his beard had been trimmed and splashed with some cologne. He was looking mighty fine even if he did say so himself.

He had lived for what felt like forever and had long ago given up on the desire to impress, tonight however was different, he could feel it in his bones, something was going to happen, hence the reason for his natty attire.

He had seen a lot of things over his lifetime and not all of them good. Now though, there were big changes, the world was not what it once was and he was tired, weary from all the hatred.

He fished inside his jacket pocket and pulled out the pocket watch that had been with from the start of his journey.

Turning it around he stared in disbelief when he realise it was no longer ticking. Thinking to himself this wasn’t good, all he could manage to say was ‘Oh feck’, before he crumbled into a million pieces on the floor.

That was the end of Old Father Time.

Written for It’s all in finding the Right Worlds – Flash fiction for the purposeful practitioner

Nothing is ever easy…

February 27, 2016April 12, 2017 The Indecisive Eejit35 Comments

kids books

“Nothing is ever as easy as it looks” said Polly with a wry smile, “how do we know which is the right book?”

“What about the little doll could it hold the key, it looks like it is mechanical?” said Teddy.

Polly lifted the little statue and studied it quizzically. “There’s no key”.

“So turn her backwards, twist her or something, it’s just a doll.”

“Teddy, SHE is not just a doll, how would you like it if I said you were JUST a teddy bear and I twisted you, around the neck!”

“Fair point” mumbled Teddy realising he was beaten.

Suddenly and without warning the little statue began to turn and strange music filled the air. “What’s happening?” exclaimed a startled Polly, “How is it moving?”

“It’s magic” said the little doll. “If you want to find the key, you need to learn your ABCs”. Such was Polly’s fright that she dropped the little doll, who shattered into a million pieces on the floor.

” Well that was weird” said Teddy, “but at least now we know which book we’re looking for” he said pointing to the shelf.

Little Girl Lost

Written for Rogershipp’s Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practioner

It’s been a while since I did a Polly Carmichael story, most of you probably won’t even know who she is, just be warned, I’m not the best at fiction, but I still like to try :)

Hugh’s Photo Challenge – Isolated

November 7, 2015 The Indecisive Eejit22 Comments

I’m almost a week late to the party, but hey, I’m working on the old better late than never saying.

In his challenge this week, Hugh asked us to post a photo of something isolated. I have hundreds if perhaps not thousands of photo’s, but finding one was believe it or not quite hard, and then I remembered this one:

Whitepark Bay

Whitepark Bay is one of my most favourite places here in Northern Ireland. I love the wide expanse of the beach and how shut off from the world you can feel once you have made the long walk down.

If you look closely at the picture you will notice the figure of a girl sitting on the rock, I believe she was reading, and I remember thinking at the time, what an awesome place to sit and write, isolated from the world with nothing but the sound of crashing waves to keep you company.

Me my skillz and I

September 22, 2015May 1, 2020 The Indecisive Eejit48 Comments

I thought it about time that I put finger to keypad and lay down some observations for my challenge over at Jed’s site Okay What If?

In the latest challenge which you can view HERE, I asked:

Okay, What if you went to bed one night and the next morning you awoke to find you were able to do three things that you couldn’t the night before. That can be anything, new skills, new talents, give it your best shot.

As I am sure you can imagine the options are endless, skills that could make me rich, popular and successful to name but a few. Me, I don’t want any of those things, I’m perfectly happy being ordinary thank you very much.

So smarty pants, you quite rightly ask, what would your new skills be. Well if you hang around just a little longer I shall tell you.

Drumming

By this I don’t mean my fingers on my desk to express irritation, any Eejit can do that, I mean drumming of epic rock band proportions with actual drumsticks. I found out many years ago that the rapping of pencils on a bean tin while providing a nice little rhythm didn’t quite cut it.

I’ve always been fascinated by the rhythm and beat that someone with skill can extract from a drum kit. I was lucky enough in my younger years to have a friend in a band who excelled in this art. I was allowed to try a few times but the result was nothing short of horrendous, making the very foundations of the barn in which we were housed shake.

Sadly it quickly became apparent that while I liked rhythm, I didn’t fecking have any. It was then that my hopes of becoming a professional drummer were abandoned.

Sign Language

I would love to know sign language. I once had a friend whose parents were deaf and it was mesmerising watching him converse in what to me felt like a secret language. It amazes me that in schools they teach foreign languages yet do not offer something that could be more beneficial to every day life. I have a qualification in French but I’ve never been to France. I have however met people with hearing impairments who I wish I could have conversed with, but was unable to.

That said, there is nothing stopping me trying now, despite the fact that my brain does not retain information like it once did. My friends daughter, the little girl who I adore can sign makaton and she is only four years old, I have been trying to learn little bits and pieces but I’m only up to a few words.

If you’re not sure how much better my learning of sign language as opposed to French would have been, then watch this video, yes it’s an advert, but just look at the reaction being greeted with sign language gets.

Sketching / Driving

Ok I realise that is actually two more skillz, but I’m balancing between what other people would want for me and what I would want for myself.

I can’t drive, it’s not something that I am proud of and I feel for others around me it is one of my biggest let downs. I just don’t have the confidence and even though I try to explain my feelings on the subject, no one ever really listens. I was never a great passenger after being involved in a couple of accidents, but what clinched the deal for me was later being involved in one where there was a fatality, albeit that it was not as a direct result of the collision. Perhaps someday I will pluck up the courage, but for now I get the shakes just thinking about it.

Of course, if I were to go to sleep one night and wake up the next morning just automatically knowing how to drive it would be amazing, but I would also have to receive an injection of confidence along with that injection of knowledge.

For me I’d love to be able to sketch and draw properly. I can doodle away to my hearts content, in fact I am quite adept at telephone doodling these days.

But I’d love to be able to draw more than silly characters and eyes, don’t ask, I appear to have a bit of a thing for drawing eyes and half faces with wild hair. On days when the train WiFi is being an arse I’d love to sit and sketch away while listening to music on the pod. For now though I’ll just have to keep doodling.

What would your skillz be? There is still time to tell us :)

MFTS – This is not a game anymore

August 11, 2015August 11, 2015 The Indecisive Eejit29 Comments

“Where did they go?” I turned round to ask Paul and then realised he was not there.

A sharp whinny drew my attention to the left, where I came face to nose with a horse. Not just any horse, but a Hungarian Half-Bred, not unlike the one I had been riding 2 minutes ago. Only this one was real and if it wasn’t this was some of the best CGI I had ever seen. Looking around, it was almost like I had been transported into the game.

On hearing footsteps I turned to be confronted by John Marston.

“You going to stand there all day, we have wolves to hunt. Buckle up bitch, it’s time for some real life Red Dead Redemption.”

(Written for Monday’s Finish the Story – click link for more information. If you’re not a gamer you may not get the reference, but this reminded me so much of a scene from the game Red Dead Redemption, that I had no other choice. 121 words, slap bang (kinda) in the middle. These are fun, give it a try!)

Oh gee I can’t use an E!

July 30, 2015July 30, 2015 The Indecisive Eejit28 Comments

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Some time ago the lovely Edwina who has episodes, again (bad girl) set me a challenge, which I am only now getting around to. I must write a paragraph without using the letter E. The actual official rules are as follows:

Write a whole paragraph (a paragraph sounds easy right?)
Without any word containing the letter “e” (still easy for ya?)
By reading this you are already signed up.
Challenge at least five bloggers to do the challenge.

Here after much thought is my effort:

This is hard! Most words contain it, but I must think of how to avoid it showing. I’m having to think hard and wrack my slow top box to skirt around it. Is this a paragraph? I pray it is, for if not I am stuck. I want to run, far away from this string of words. I would whoop, but I will finish with a shush….and go watch tv!

I am not going to nominate anyone, but this was fun, so if you would like to give it a try please feel free.

(I swear e’s kept slipping into my paragraph, if you see one, don’t tell me, I’ll be devastated lol)