Day 19 – a question of balance

Yesterday was all about fun and games and a bit of thrill seeking. We spoke of clowns. There is a darker side to clowns and many people have a morbid fear of them. Think of Pennywise in the film “It”. Today I want to consider the other side of the coin – the negative aspects of drinking. After looking at the reward side of learning theory yesterday, what you might call the carrot side, today I want to look at the punishment side, or the stick side. I like a bit of learning theory, me.

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Day 18 – welcome to the pleasure zone

There seems to be a theme developing here – yesterday’s featured image was of a clown on the beach at Calais with a plastic bottle of wine! This clown has travelled, even as far as Blackpool. Twice. The first time was to attend a conference and the second time to experience the famous illuminations with my daughters. Ten kilometres of illuminated kitsch and more than a million bulbs – and we ain’t talking daffodils here. But it is all great fun, and Blackpool has for many years attracted thrill seekers and hedonists. Which leads me to today’s topic – pleasure.

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Day 17 – with a little help from my friends

We are just over half way through the challenge of Dry January, with a couple of more weeks to go. I think I have handled it better than I imagined at the beginning. I miss drinking alcohol in the same way I miss a friend. It would be lovely to meet up and have a chat to put the world to rights, but it doesn’t have to be today, or this week, as long as it is not too far into the future.

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Day 16 – adding a little something

The grey blanket that has been our sky for the past few days has been torn asunder today to reveal lovely shades of blue streaked with some white clouds. It has brought colour into the world, giving vibrancy to the landscape and causing the snow to glisten and showcase its whiteness before melting away. How important colour is to our understanding and appreciation of the world. It adds so much….

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Day 15 – an apple a day

Well, not the most subtle of titles to introduce today’s topic – cider! Apples have gained fame and notoriety throughout history, from the Garden of Eden to hitting Isaac Newton on the head when gravity started to become a force to be reckoned with. We find them used in common sayings such as “Apples never fall far from the tree” (not attributed to Newton, but it is gravity again), “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” and “She was the apple of my eye”. It was the Romans around 55 BC that started to produce alcohol beverages from the fermentation of apple juice. In my book, that’s probably the best and kindest thing to do with apple juice.

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Day 14 – a little bit of viticulture

We are a month away from St. Valentine’s day – red wine, red roses, red hearts and maybe red faces. A time of love and romance, if your intimate life has not been cursed by failing to look someone in the eye while toasting (see yesterday’s post if you are worried!). However, here in Bulgaria the day has another meaning – it is the day they celebrate St.Trifon Zarezan, also known as Trifon the Pruner.

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