<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></title><description><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link><image><url>http://direct.ecency.com/logo512.png</url><title>RSS Feed</title><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link></image><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 08:42:54 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="http://direct.ecency.com/@deirdyweirdy/rss" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Whodunnit?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Would I rather be an emergency doctor, a zookeeper, or a police crime scene investigator? That's an easy one! Having cared for my father with dementia for four long years, I would choose the occupation]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/whodunnit</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/whodunnit</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2026 14:50:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGck9f29oGHiAStGeSXhs17FaDbhz7SdBypV8qwLGeYFsrziwBdZ5vQUagmA9iK9nP2jGKshe4R7c8b28EFytvMVg1Ehqamk?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Outlaw.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Would I accept a job I knew to be criminal if the money were good enough? Absolutely. Illegality in itself, would not deter me. I would, however, need to be reasonably certain that I wouldn’t be caught.]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/outlaw</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/outlaw</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 23:29:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/54TLbcUcnRm4Bw8fmw3Y3ebiYW61dkW16qTycFmUGtDTb34mDpm3GNG9yVWzGf1556VBPgEvsUW8RYYAyi8GjaYTZ7Noo6NaDA3LFvq3R2zwQdLwbgXwUQh313YX8kHUskhiMvaEi?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Blessed are the meek.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve never had a problem with ego. Mine is far too small to have ever impeded my progress, and being the very antithesis of an egotist has always worked in my favour. Humility endears one to others; bragging]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/blessed-are-the-meek</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/blessed-are-the-meek</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 20:57:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGck1bBccrYEqf4fzHRGTRAV2ZpYVYwrN2Q8SuiESVovCU2VwpCsW3LTAa2r4C5rYgen6iqmSpem2qAW45G7vVfTCXtErnjx?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Autonomy]]></title><description><![CDATA[If I had to change one thing about myself, it would be my overly good nature. I am far too kind and generous for my own good. It is to this unfortunate trait that I attribute my failure to amass a vast]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/autonomy</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/autonomy</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 21:02:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGcmApLDJ1sAKbQ7XCJL8tENvMpamhC4nKfGW15bBM45WQfjBH5z2andpJZ8bGQx5nduHfW7wNXE9s4x3iRnURtKN6V4LfH8?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[No particular place to go]]></title><description><![CDATA[I went on a road trip once — and never did again. It was the early ’90s. I had a new beau. He had a new motorbike, a beautiful red Honda Shadow. “We’ll go on a road trip,” he said, “through Britain and]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/no-particular-place-to-go</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/no-particular-place-to-go</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 22:41:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGck1mkgahPHrdDNTX11ebrAQZJgr3Ucm7dhivaQdeaXXgcoSrMpNZXQ27dTJc5i3Fbxgu5EGaTF98WYER4zioziiVJS6cqc?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don't stand so close to me.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I always judge a book by its cover. Apart from the blurb on the back, it’s how I choose in a bookshop. I’m much the same with people. I can usually tell at a glance how tedious or otherwise someone is]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/don-t-stand-so-close-to-me</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/don-t-stand-so-close-to-me</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 19:39:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGcknJ3bjDFyGhNV8BvdgPDLqeDifZ3wsf8B6sCr4fL1ZvTizpNtmHRTSn4qeZ3qcoqG5zcvoxqHTqf9wHH85CDPq5sKgprz?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wasted]]></title><description><![CDATA[Alas, this weekend I was engaged in a spot of Bunburying and thus unable to join the weekend-experience proceedings. Rather than deny my regular readers their weekly glimpse into the mind of a self-declared]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/wasted</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/wasted</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:35:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/99pyU5Ga1kwr5Xg46gnE3BrdGQcYkevrMfGqYdevN4px31GaNjAKtiASwRFou3wzj7dGBw5iYupxLCxM1vDm65xWnHspWYjZL3BXoywi5fY17hJB9bM3aK7GdM3LdocJVL?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Up.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I can’t say I have more than a passing acquaintance with failure. If I have ever failed at anything, I can’t recall it, though these days I must confess that I remember very little and understand even]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/up</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/up</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:06:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/6VvuHGsoU2QCK6yq1XKF2z9F8sayRpwConx4qLBJDyuBmHuENbJVN19EEZrn685LT7rTJYnL5eE4LoNRXDnJvgZahQ91pnUpeeaA4MzYiG5eTjM1jTRM8EJYANnVre?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Green acres]]></title><description><![CDATA[Well my dear gardening chums, this is my sixth growing season and let me tell you, I’ve learned a few things in the past five years. Chicken defences have been strengthened considerably, all pallets have]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-140635/@deirdyweirdy/green-acres</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-140635/@deirdyweirdy/green-acres</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-140635]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:31:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/6VvuHGsoU2QCK6yq1XKF2z9F8sayRpwConx4qLB9ysH5vycGNawvbSRi4c4CgEyKXkbTy7j4Y2UGoKvRdfsmvfUnkeo1cnFS9MjUbjftFmbAM2C1mjdED3mSF7cZEW?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Just right]]></title><description><![CDATA[If I were told I had 300 minutes left to live, what would I do with them? Why, I’d get a second opinion, of course. I’ve never been one to believe anything I’m told without question. You’ve all heard the]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/just-right</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/just-right</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:23:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGckQqGskXTGQkeAsMQE8FLVeE8ybBrtHuNjpFVLYwxWS3JqDtV3NtCab6wfST1EsqNAURogY5R94cuFXiBnP7okH9Zp1rjG?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Strife.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Since I arrived back last week from my sojourn under bluer skies, a dearth of compost has been thwarting my horticultural endeavours. Thus, this morning I had a pallet of thirty six, twenty five kilo bags]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-196233/@deirdyweirdy/strife</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-196233/@deirdyweirdy/strife</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-196233]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:23:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGcmAEDwTPaiJaD5EYQZHVHwC9wxL2DrTMchh8juMqjocqARSXUpD9cEB6hCfdoFXgTM5Ni57jtjXdpjEywdnqArPfFoSRcJ?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Being real.]]></title><description><![CDATA[As my merry band of avid readers will know, I have no dirty little secrets; in fact, I have few secrets of any kind. My life is an open book. I say what I mean, I mean what I say, and I always do what]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/being-real</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/being-real</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:48:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGckdqeruxx3XKctxmGuNP8miboPVEb9acogZ65XLBjipZNgbg4iVZfA8MRfEyza83243bwEcCa7ZfzicD2jhsy3Rr55MhMY?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[This perfect world.]]></title><description><![CDATA[What have I worked hard for and finally achieved? I would say brilliance, but modesty forbids, so instead I will claim contentedness. I am satisfied with what I have; I neither want nor need anything more,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/this-perfect-world</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/this-perfect-world</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 20:35:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYWUoo1sAiV6GNzi6xcqDRD2TQjAHKPHq8e5rquykUQFW3ZK5mHxog6YD69YFRwoZ7woVzGCsMdHDXgPzXt3wWQbpi9z7ybnFkC3ykTV1VJGkW1C?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bookworm]]></title><description><![CDATA[When the Sony Walkman arrived in the early 80s, it felt like a miracle. Walking to work with The Smiths or Big Country in my ears was heaven on earth, and the perfect preparation for the fray that awaited]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/bookworm</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/bookworm</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:33:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGck7VRgQfAEmJWyY96pzirQMxUXcmevTjnzVH7VmfqKMePY4Ld3BU1ZFZpAe5X1K3etjexZ74gjoVL2T4xPdocZLwhzAssL?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Housekeeping.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I remember the early 1980s, when I started my first business and was interviewing for a messenger boy, one little lad, Patrick his name was, begged me “Please, missus, please giz the job. I’m from the]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/housekeeping</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/housekeeping</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:21:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGcke5U1DMe8nQvNG2gvxXjEuSSXkdgu2Ypo7eCVh77UwPGE6vMJLunoZezeW9UYaoNbLLU2e35jUDXcXYrHrFghHYYVJoG2?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[A friend indeed.]]></title><description><![CDATA[As my legions of regular readers will know, I’m not one to boast, but when it comes to friendship, I must admit I am the Rolls-Royce of friends. Fiercely loyal, utterly dependable, and if I ever lie to]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/a-friend-indeed</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/a-friend-indeed</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:53:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/99pyU5Ga1kwr5Xg46gnE3BrdGQcYkevrMfGqYdetT668PrfKjhKvzXNaiXq8suUhogAs9owMy1HGazPGCFupTiZuzpGTXRivPHkMpKhqVWgzCXf1WDxrTpiSLXjc92Qhdx?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[A hairy situation.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Leaving her hirsute husband Jim bidding farewell to their guests, June heads to bed in the honeymoon suite. As he slips into bed beside her, half-asleep June strokes Jim's smooth skin. Smooth? She bolts]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@deirdyweirdy/a-hairy-situation</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@deirdyweirdy/a-hairy-situation</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-161155]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:43:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGcnNPH8HNCcMJM16Qxji4gckt2FPFPUk5LNHFDJKdWvZEVp9attpH3DMBfybwjFhxM9PLCzp9warBkUQpQQ7KgQXtJYK3ux?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Privy.]]></title><description><![CDATA["This coffee smells like almonds," her husband remarked. "Must be the almond cookies dear," she replied. She’d been diligently collecting and crushing apple pips for years. Suddenly,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@deirdyweirdy/privy</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@deirdyweirdy/privy</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-161155]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2026 21:13:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGcmCGXgo1BoeHLubvfcKxV6vReLp3uDkT2KV6CPt88vaVCT8ykN2tTw78ZMVSjSuGzrDHE8D4z7ysWSffLLHQ93J3h89gQ6?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Reasons to be cheerful part 3]]></title><description><![CDATA[All in all, I can’t say 2025 was too bad a year. True I lost three chickens, two to the fox and one to a pallet, plus the door handle fell off my fridge, but I managed not to lose either my patience or]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/reasons-to-be-cheerful-part-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-168869/@deirdyweirdy/reasons-to-be-cheerful-part-3</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-168869]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 17:22:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/cyxkEVqiiLy5czPNg6acYev351Du9gQgrBvuGcnjqwdDQtQQYLa5QQ8f7KJWUTSfezdNjeERUBhbMiwcaembsfhba5G43XrY9uKaXp4PxS8xN7agUSQnuZQVf9o9CGnTNR4?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Meandering]]></title><description><![CDATA[As I accompanied my four pooches and their suitor (the big black hound) this morning on their daily constitutional, six small planes were criss-crossing overhead, leaving vapour trails behind them (yeah,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-196233/@deirdyweirdy/meandering</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-196233/@deirdyweirdy/meandering</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-196233]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[deirdyweirdy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 15:38:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://i.ecency.com/p/54TLbcUcnRm4Bw8fmw3Y3ebiYW61dkW16qTycFmPq9UZgjXn9r6nyQ2QZgAAG4enbdeXF7H5kmMSNQG5aGpoUGwakEFFZxzwdnhyF3NRwuWcf4CNUHH1qQi9YqD2HwLVYYTfEBn5C?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item></channel></rss>