Next Tuesday, 19 November, it will have been 40 years since my grandma, Ruth Mount, died. I honestly cannot believe that I have been without her a lot longer than she was with me. I plan to write a longer piece about her next Tuesday as there are several things which need to be made public and I am the only one who can do it as I was her only grandchild.

A formal education is not for everyone and I am a good example of that!!! When I was in school I felt as if they were trying to force me into their mold and that did not work out too well given my Scottish personality!!! I prefer to study and learn about things on my own and I have a wonderful collection of books on many different subjects. I quite enjoy reading about history and science as well as classic literature such as the works of Alexander Dumas and Tranter. Another fiction series I like are the books written by Tony Hillerman and lately his daughter Anne Hillerman. I prefer to own my books rather than borrow them from the library but sometimes I will borrow a book from the library.

The apartment building I live in is classed as a 6 story high-rise. I live on the second floor. I am not overly fond of most of my neighbours as they can be right jerks at times. But there are others I have had positive interactions with. I would not really call them friends because I do not do the friends thing -- tried it and got stabbed in the back, besides the fact that when I was growing up I was not allowed to have friends. The maintenance staff here is first-rate and work very hard to keep the building in good condition. We also have a social service coordinator who is a good person. A grocery truck comes here every week and is well stocked with fresh goods.