Canada Is Quite A Large Country, I Believe!

I have to start off by sending out a big apology to my bloggy friends in Canada - I left your country out of my list in my last post! (Eeeek!).  As one of them pointed out to me, "Canada is that huge country sitting on top of the much smaller USA on the picture of your map".  I know that she was only joking but, nevertheless, I hope I have put that right!  I don't know how I could have forgotten about it, especially as it was on the news so much just a little while ago, when William and Kate carried out their first, very successful, royal tour to that country.

No need for any comments to this little post, which should have preceded my Sunday Snaps post earlier today, but somehow it got missed off!!

Sunday Snaps!

As you can see, it is haymaking time in the fields right next to us.  I love watching the tractors and combine harvesters going about their work and then seeing the haystacks in neat piles all around the field, until the farmer comes to collect them, taking them back to his storage barns so that the animals will have enough feed to see them through the winter.

 

A little while ago, I told you about the Park which is just five minutes away from us.  There are lovely old trees there and my grandson has found a magic one with a secret room.  He loves it and will spend ages in his little 'room'!

The following photo isn't very good, because I took it with my mobile phone, and it is from a distance, but it is the back of the house when I was walking up to the park, and I thought it might let you see how we are literally just surrounded by fields.  I love the peace and quiet of the location I must admit.  The beauty of it is that we are only a ten minute walk from the village and everything that we need.

Here is the lake in the park with the Canadian Geese:

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend  - we are still being blessed with warm, sunny weather.

The World Really Is A Much Smaller Place since......

Hi again everyone.  I owe the idea for this post to my lovely friend Glenda over at "As Life Happens" as she was talking about her blogging friends from all parts of the world.

I have been blogging for almost nine months now, which, really, in the scheme of things, isn't very long at all, but I honestly feel as if I have known you all for so much longer!  I know when you are happy and I know when you are sad.  I know when exciting things happen in your lives, things that are are rightly proud of, and I know when you are struggling with what life is throwing at you at the moment.  I know the precious wonder of new life appearing in your world, and I know when grief arrives at the loss of a loved one.

So, for me, in these past nine months, the world really has become a smaller place, as I read about my friends in Australia, all parts of the great country of America, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Spain, Ireland, Malaysia, India and Japan. (Not forgetting my blogging friends in my home country of Great Britain of course!). (If I have left YOUR country out as you are reading this post, please forgive me!).

You shared in my daughter's wedding with me, and you were so generous in your comments when I bored you all silly with the wedding photographs! Quite often, I picture my garden filled with all my bloggy friends, and, of course, the sun would be shining on us all as we sipped our champagne, or whatever beverage is your favourite!  Do you know, I honestly feel that we would all get on like a house on fire.  I don't think there would be any awkward pauses, just a day filled with laughter and, yes, LOVE. 

Please know that you have all brought so much into my life.  Sometimes I find it difficult to find words that I hope will entertain you, so I'll have a little break for a few days, but, hey, I don't want to give you too much of a good thing, do I?!   Hee Hee!! 

Hip Hip Hoorah, It's Facing50withhumour's Birthday Today!

Hi everyone.  I know that a lot of the wonderful people that follow me, also follow Carol, over at facing50withhumour, and will realize just how funny her posts are.  They really do bring a smile to the face, especially these days, when you hear of such terrible things going on in different parts of the world.

You will also know, from a post I wrote very recently, that Carol has just had her first book published (Mini Skirts & Laughter Lines) as an e book and it will be on sale in paperback as from the 16th September.

Well, it is Carol's birthday today so I opened my little cake shop very early, in order to bake a cake for this very special occasion.  I'm sure she won't mind if everyone gets a slice, so please enjoy and raise a glass today to say :

WE ALL WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Now that you're getting older Carol, I'm sure a lot of the following will apply to you, and, don't worry, it happens to the best of us my friend!

• I'm the life of the party -- even if it lasts until 8PM.
• I'm very good at opening childproof caps -- with a hammer.
• I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going.
• I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up.
• I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a thing you're saying.
• I'm very good at telling stories; over and over and over and over...  
• I'm so cared for -- long term care, eye care, private care, dental care.
• I'm sure everything I can't find is in a safe secure place, somewhere.
• I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg.
• I'm having trouble remembering simple words like...
• I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
• I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days, and when did they let kids become policemen?
• I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150?
• And, how can my kids be older than I feel sometimes?
• I'm a walking storeroom of facts -- I've just lost the key to the storeroom door!

Sunday Snaps!

Hi everyone.  The family arrived late on Friday from France, and I am delighted to say that they have brought the sunshine with them! Here are a couple of photos taken yesterday as we were setting off for lunch in a lovely Italian restaurant overlooking the sea.

I'm really sorry that I haven't been over to comment on your posts, but I had another of my anaphylactic shocks on Thursday, and they wipe me out for a couple of days.  I do hope that I haven't missed anything - please let me know if I have!!

See you soon - sending you all a big hug.

Grrrrr! Stamping Feet and Slamming Doors!!

Hi my little bloggy friends.  Bet that Post Title got you guessing, didn't it?! Hee Hee!  Oops, sorry, I'm not supposed to be doing a happy dance here - "thisisme" is grumpy today.  Yes, that's right, GRUMPY!! ('grumpy' - adjective - meaning bad tempered and sulky).

Actually, I'm not quite so sure about the sulky bit, as I don't really do sulky (no doubt my daughter who blogs will be falling off her chair when she reads that last bit!  Well, I have been known to throw the monopoly board up in the air a few times when the girls were young.  But that was in my youth.  The new me is totally chilled - life is too short - etc. etc.).

Now then, what was I grumpy about?  Ah yes! Do you remember that I wrote a post about a week ago, saying that I was sitting in the garden enjoying the sunshine, and that the ironing would have to wait?  Even as I was typing those words, I knew it was a mistake!

Yes, that's right - we've had rain every day since :( and double :(  All you little bloggies basking in the sunshine as you read this, please send some over to my little corner of the world.  I shall be growing webbed feet again at this rate.  A saying down here in Devon is "tell e wot" - well my little friends, tell e wot, but more and more we are realizing how blessed we were on daughter's wedding day to actually have the sun shine for us!

Do you mind awfully if I indulge myself with a few photos to try to lift my spirits again and, remember, some times you are the pigeon, and sometimes you are the statue.  Bye for now - take care.

All photos today are from Pinterest.

New Followers, Giveaways, And An Exciting Book Launch!

By some miracle, I have now reached 140 Followers, which I am absolutely delighted with.  I seemed to have gained quite a few new Followers in the past week.  Goodness know how these lovely people find me, but they've certainly made me very happy.  So, a big welcome to all those who have recently become new Followers - I will try to make things interesting for you!

I feel very lucky here in bloggyland at the moment, because I have just won another giveaway! My very good friend, SkippyMom, had as her giveaway a S'mores container, and Skippy has filled the container with all the ingredients (plus instructions!) to make these wonderful treats.  Living here in England, I had never heard of S'mores before but anything that contains chocolate and marshmallows has got to be a winner with me.  Thank you so much Skippy, and special thanks to your lovely daughter, Wallene, for picking my number and making me the winner!

Another good bloggy friend of mine, Claudia, is also hosting her first giveaway on her blog, so do go and pay her a visit, and make sure that you don't miss out! 

I've been thinking of holding a giveaway myself, so when I reach 150 Followers, I promise to try to think of something special to offer you.

Whilst I'm writing about bloggy friends, I must mention Carol over at facing50withhumour.  I am so thrilled that she has just had her first book published, which is entitled "Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines".  Carol's blog is always so funny, and her book is every bit as funny as her blog.  It is at present only available in e-book form, but a paperback edition will be available from Amazon (and all other reputable book stores, I'm sure!) as from the 16th September.  I have actually read the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if you want to have a good laugh, I urge you to pre-order this book before they are all sold out! (And NO, Carol hasn't paid me lots of money to say all this!!). 

 This is a brief synopsis of the story - "Desperate housewife Amanda Wilson can’t decide between murder, insanity and another glass of red wine. Her shelf life is up. Not only is she facing 50 but she hasn't had sex with her morose husband for over a year. She really shouldn’t have pressed that 'send' button. They say your past always catches up with you - still, her colourful past is far more exciting than her monochrome present."



Joseph B. Wirthlin said

"Our friends should be companions who inspire us, who help us rise to our best."

Sunday Snaps!

Well, here we are on another weekend.  I hope you are all having a relaxing time wherever you are.  Today, for my Sunday Snaps feature, I thought I would share with you some photos of Ruby Violet and her day at the beach.  It was one of those wonderful days, and doesn't the beach look stunning! 

As you can see, she was having such a fun time!

"Between the earth and sky above, nothing can match a grandmother's love."

Author: Unknown



I can't get over how quickly she is growing!

Rocking in the Aisles!!

Hi everyone! I'm sitting in the garden typing my post today, as it is an absolutely glorious day - and, no, I still haven't done that ironing that I talked about a few days ago!! If you knew Devon (which is really the jewel in England's crown - hee hee!) then you would know that when the sun shines, you get out there and enjoy it.  You certainly don't stay indoors doing housework, for fear that it might be raining again the next day.  Well, that's my excuse anyway, and I'm sticking to it!!

When my daughter got married back in early June, two very good friends of mine were here when we arrived back from the ceremony and did us proud serving the Pimms and cream teas to everyone.  They were absolutely brilliant, and also cleared up afterwards before they left.  As a little "thank you" I booked for the three of us to go to the theatre, so we went last evening.  I knew that it was a show that they would absolutely love, and they certainly did!

The show was called Rock Around The Clock and was billed the greatest rock 'n' roll show since rock 'n' roll.  It was brilliant and took us back to the days of juke boxes,  bouffant hair styles, brylcreem and teddy boys, to name but a few!  To get that authentic 50's feel, newsreel footage and photos of the era were showcased as a backdrop throughout the evening.  

With apologies to my younger Followers who will never have heard of any of this (!), the show featured non-stop rock 'n' roll classics, such as Great Balls of Fire, Jailhouse Rock, Blueberry Hill, Shake Rattle and Roll, Good Golly Miss Molly, and other classics made famous by Bill Haley, Elvis Presley,  Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and The Platters, to name but a few.

We really were rocking in the aisles by the end of the show and all agreed that it had been a terrific evening, when, for a couple of hours, we were transported back to the songs of our youth. 

This evening I am going on a Treasure Trail with my ladies' group, and that will be another fun evening, followed by a meal in a local hostelry!

My Sunday Snaps post on Sunday will feature Ruby Violet's day at the seaside!!

I'Ve SuCCumbed!!

Firstly, my apologies dear bloggy friends, beCause my keyboard is playing up.  HenCe tHe Capital letters! It is tHe only way I Can type, I'm afraid! 

Well, as tHe title of tHis post says, "I'Ve suCCumbed".   SeVeral of my bloggy friends HaVe been raVing about Pinterest and, as I Had a bit of spare time at tHe weekend, I deCided to giVe it a try.  ACtually, I didn't HaVe any spare time at tHe weekend .  I sHould HaVe been doing ironing and exCiting tHings like tHat, but, Hey, I Can be a deVil wHen I want to be!  HaVe you guessed wHiCH letters I'm HaVing problems witH yet? LOL!!

I just loVe quotations, so my first Venture into Pinterest was preCisely tHat, and Here are a few tHat I HaVe pinned onto my board.  I Hope you like tHem as mucH as I do -

It's my friend's birthday today, and this is the card I bought for her!

See you soon!

Sunday Snaps!

Hi there.  Hope you are all enjoying the weekend.  Do you know one of the wonderful things about being my age?  No?! Then I will tell you - being my age is wonderful, because every single day is a weekend.  Most of my friends have so much going on in their lives, that they just don't know how they ever found the time to go to work!!  Except now, of course, we are doing things that we actually want to do.  Believe me, going to work is very over-rated.  Hee Hee! 

I can just imagine you all grumbling away to yourselves at the above comments, but please remember that I did work for most of my adult life.  Even when the children were little, I had part-time jobs, so I have been there!!

Anyway, I thought  I would do something different with my photo today, and here it is - sepia and in soft focus.

This is the original photo.  After looking at the one above, the colours look almost harsh, don't they?  Which one do you prefer?

A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty."

Author: Unknown

I Was A Happy Bunny on Wednesday!

Hallo again my little bloggy friends.  Hope you are all feeling good today on this Friday, as we approach the end of another week. 

The Postman arrived with a little parcel for me on Wednesday - yay! I knew what it was, as my good friend Linda over at flowers on my table had held a giveaway on her Blog.  Her delightful daughter, Lois, picked little old me as one of the winners.

The parcel was beautifully wrapped

Look at the gorgeous little hanging sign that came with it.  I love little signs like this and have quite a few hung around the house.  I love the words -

Here is the actual giveaway that I won -





Voila! A beautiful cosy, handmade by Linda herself.  As you can see, it says "Espresso", and I am using it on my Cafetiere.  This is the back of the cosy -

And, yes, that is a little cupcake up in the top left hand corner!

Thank you so much Linda - I adore my cute little cosy. 

Wordless Wednesday!