“Be like a peacock and dance with all of your beauty.”

― Debasish Mridha

Six years ago a dear, dear friend of mine passed away, unexpectedly.  I had never met her, but we had been friends for many years, she was a mother figure and witchy mentor to me. It was a huge, huge shock when she went, but I still feel her with me, sometimes. 

Today on our local Facebook page so eine was giving away some things and I saw the following and knew I had to get it. Penny loved peacocks, whereas I would never have anything peacock in the house as I was brought up to believe them to be unlucky,  I've changed that now and am now the proud owner of this beautiful time piece, which I believe is from the 1920's, which I've just realised makes it about 100 years old, and it still works.

It will sit in my office and watch over my witchy ways. Thanks for still being there Penny.

A Rainbow Walk

 “There comes a point in your life when you realize your hardest times are your best times, too—you will see the rainbow of your life.”

― Roy Bennett

I felt the need for a walk today, I live in a pretty village surrounded by wonderful countryside that is pretty and 'quaint'.

I wanted to do a rainbow walk, but I didn't want to do an easy one of flowers and grasses, so I did a man made rainbow walk.  I hope you like the photos.

Red
Beautiful plastic chain

Orange
About to have some more roadworks

Yellow
Just a yellow wall

Green
Telegraph pole that has been
there so long the wood is going green

Blue
Village sign in all it's splendour

Indigo
Wouldn't be a nature walk
 without sweet wrappers 

Violet
Wouldn't be a village if there wasn't
 a poster up for charity barn dance

I finished today on 7789 steps, 3.2 miles.  

I have just started entering all my food details too, but that is too complicated and I need to get into the habit of writing here before I start sharing all that crap too! 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the rainbow walk, and I hope to be back again real soon.

That's where we are.

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”

― Maya Angelou

I know I haven't been here for a while. But I'm going to try and give this a go, again.

I am ill, physically ill, stage 3 liver disease, and I know I will never get better, but I am going to try and prolong what I have. So I am making an effort to sort myself out, even if it's just little things, I am going to try. So this will be me documenting shit, mainly photos of stuff that is going on. Hopefully every day, but we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, that's where we are.

Forward.

March 11th

“Pan, who and what art thou?" he cried huskily.
"I'm youth, I'm joy," Peter answered at a venture, "I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.” 
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

I'm sorry I've been away, things have been busy and I have just struggled to get into a routine! 

Today I am taking a moment, slowing the pace.  What a good time to check out February's #PaperHaul.

The part I like best about receiving the #PaperHaul box is spying something and knowing exactly who would like a certain item.

Bird Food not included

As you can see this month the theme was birds and there were some fantastic items included.  This bird on hand is an unusual square postcard.

And just how adorable are these little greeting notelet cards? I just love Owls.

No #PaperHaul is complete without Washi tape and this month's was very clever using the silhouettes of birds on a line look like an telephone wire and collection of swifts.

A whole page of bird stickers and two beautiful folk style cards which I may well use as pictures in my living room, which I am hoping to decorate in a folk style this year.

Is there anything that stands out to you?

If you want to sign up for #PaperHaul then check out their subscription page.

February 9th

So another 2lb off this week! And that's not having a proper menu to work with and living off leftovers!   Yay go me.

So, I'm a bit lacking in the updating department but that's because Wednesday I spent the day in bed as I felt sooooo rough! Thursday I was up early and over at the yard as I help out there on Thursday mornings as well, then I spent the afternoon spending my leftover birthday money to buy myself some snowboots so I don't freeze when over there.  Still get cold feet even though I have on 3 pairs of socks, come on spring hurry up!
Friday was another afternoon over the yard and I forget what I did in the morning.
Saturday morning also sees me over there except this time in Yard Manager capacity, Da Boss thought I could do it and I messed up a couple of little things but I enjoyed it and she said that I did OK so that's now my Saturday mornings taken care of.

Well I seem to have got off track and hopefully now will claw my way back again.

Here is this weeks Menu Monday. Only five days this week because we are off somewhere special on Thursday.  I am so excited about it I can't wait to share it.

This isn't in any order but these will be the meals we are having.

Anything there take your fancy?

February 3rd

“A happy birthday is measured not in the amount of gifts one gets, but in the amount one is loved.” 
― Todd Stocker

Yesterday was my birthday, which is my excuse as to why I didn't update yesterday! 

There was also no Menu Monday this week because this is the week we don't have any money so we live on the leftovers in the freezer and whatever veggies etc are left.

Anyway back to my birthday.  Nothing too special happened in the morning, we went to buy a zip from the local fabric shop, alas they weren't open so we went to the bakers instead.  Don't worry I only bought a granary roll which I filled with fat free cottage cheese when I got home.

Obviously I had already opened presents! 

The darling husband gifted me a tablet! The darling daughter gifted me a tablet case.  Mummy dearest gave me the money for a one day photography course in March.  Parents in Law gifted me Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (well his healthy eating book!), Chicago on Blu-Ray and a stack of bamboo knitting needles.

Then off to my friends I went for weigh in and dinner.  Once there my two besties GMW and MSMS (I've mentioned them before here) they gave me their cards and then produced a big ol' present.  Well I'm not one to shy away from pressies! I opened it and OMGWTF do you think I found?  Only a pair of Irregular Choice shoes, WITH TAPE MEASURES ON! Like real tape measures, on real Irregular Choice shoes! 

Anyway I then had a bit of a sniffle over lovely lovely friends and lovely lovely presents and feel quite special! I did get weighed, lost another pound, so I'm not sure this diet is working for me either or whether I should go back to SW because the act of having to go somewhere to get weighed makes you make more of an effort (no offence GMW that your house isn't 'somewhere' but you know what I mean).  Still going to carry on with Menu Mondays though and still weighing etc...

So here is a little picture of presents.

What kind of things do you enjoy doing on your birthday, or do you prefer a lazy day?

January 31st

“There is a saying that, paper is more patient than man.” 
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Well we did it people, we managed the end of the month, the longest month, that dreaded month where there is nothing to look forward to, the slump after the high, the valley after the mountain. 

I tried really hard to find something quite positive daily though which is why I tried to write it down here.  Yay go me! 

Today though being a weekend is just a quick drop in.  Today I'm proud of myself as I made something, something I've been wanting to make forever and never managed it.  Well today I did and I would like to share that with you.

I managed to make an origami crane, you won't believe how excited I am by this!! 

What one thing have you tried and tried to make or do but never could quite manage it and then one day it all falls into place?

January 30th

“A cold wind was blowing from the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things.” 
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

It's been a cold cold week this week and I was not looking forward to being at the yard today, especially as it snowed overnight, nevermind though I wasn't due in until the afternoon it will have warmed up by then. Wrong, I get a text asking if I can go in this morning as the lessons had been cancelled so it was only mucking out tot do.

Can I just say I loved it.  I feel like a proper 'grown up' getting all dressed up and working outside in the snow, it made me feel alive! 

We let a couple of the ponies out this morning into the field and one of them, Thistle, who is used in the lessons for the children, amazed me.  He is normally so slow and sedentary, he's a beautiful grey pony but old so good for the children as he plods along; or he would do if you could actually get him to move!!! Well we turned him and Berry out, after Berry got over her fear of this odd white stuff on the ground, and I've never seen hi move so fast, galloping around the field as if he had something chasing him and then rolling in the snow, it was as if he were young again.  

Snow really is a magical thing I guess, not just for humans.  

Just a couple of photos today.  The top being one of the yard cats and the two bottom photos are taken a day apart.  What a difference a day makes, just 24 little hours. 

Have you had snow? Do you enjoy it with the heart of a child?

January 29th

“It's as hard to get from almost finished to finished as to get from beginning to almost done.” 
― Elinor Fuchs

 

 

 

I thought today I would upload some photos of my craft room.  It isn't 'all that' but I like it, there are still some bits that I would like to do to it, but as everything it's a work in progress.

 

 

This is as you walk in the door.

And the other side of the room

Kind of close up of the bottom corner

Inspirational pictures and gifty pieces.

My desk.  The folder and notebooks are my scrapbook type things and positivity workbooks.

This is the scene at my desk.

I took these photos this evening and didn't use natural light, I was so busy today that I didn't have time to do it but I really wanted to get the photos up today.  I do have some more shelves with collections on, but they haven't been prettied up yet so when they are I will share with you.

Do you have your own space anywhere?



January 28th

“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands.” 
― Leonardo da Vinci

This will probably turn into a relatively rambly post, so I apoligise in advance.  I know what I want to say but it might not come out right.

Anyway, at the beginning of the year I was privelaged to follow a special someone on Facebook and Bloglovin.  In fact I had been following her for a while now, no it doesn't make me a stalker, just an appreciater of creativity.  This person is Kitty Pinkstars, she describes herself as Cartoon life in a Real world and she is just a wonderfully positive person.

Well she has a beautiful Etsy Shop where her Cartoon creations come to life. 

As you can see I have bought a few things from her, personalised cards and a little stuffed Billy from Saw, this one was especially for Eveigh.

Well this year Kitty has gone a little Lucha Mad, all for her love of Wrestling and has started a Lucha Club, if you look in her shop you will be able to see a few that have been made already.

Also each month Kitty creates Lucha Positivity packs, this month was the rather ravishing Rodney Rabbetts, of which I have a pack.  I have started a positivity journal, which I am putting the stickers in and working toward my Rodney Badge! Anyway, this is really helping me toward being more positive about things.  I realised that one of the tasks for this month was to take a photo every day, I haven't managed this, but I didn't worry as I tried to find the positive in every day.

There is a group on Facebook that a few of us have joined called Kitty Pinkstars Lucha Club and there is so much positivity being banded around there that you can't help but be happy.  I try to post there most days and, for instance, the other day I wasn't having the best day, and told them so, just that I was feeling a little down, and got lots of well wishes and it made me feel not so alone.

I was telling them about #CordeliasCorrespondance when someone in the group said it would be lovely if we exhanged little letters or handmade gifts between ourselves, and it works that people who want to be in it have given their names and addresses in then we are all given a name and address and send a little pack of loveliness to them.

Today I received mine and I am truly thankful to my sender, I won't give her name as I am not sure she wants to be all advertised everywhere.

I received a little note, a Hama bead lucky horseshoe, which is excellent and is already hanging in front of my desk; some postcards from where she lives, along with a leaflet of the zoo nearby, which has one of my favourite animals on a Red Panda. A gorgeous postcard with my name and meaning, which sees me in a lovely friendly light! Some notecards, which will come in handy for #CordeliasCorrespondance and a mini jotter with colourful wooly sheep on.  Last but not least a yummy scrummy Welsh chocolate elephant, which I enjoyed immensely.

January is normally a lonely sad long month, but with all this love and joy around who can possibly be sad at all.

What has made you smile lately?