Time To Light The Lamps And Snuggle In ....

Here in England, on Saturday, the clocks will be falling back an hour, and it’s time, once again,  to make our homes as cosy as we can, so that we don’t start to feel ‘down’ with the onset of the shorter days.  Summer is now becoming a distant memory, with the exception of certain people!  Daughter number 1 who lives in Ibiza, keeps sending me photos of sandy beaches, hot sun, and stunning sunsets. I am starting to go off her! 😉. This is the latest photo she’s been teasing me with. No wonder she loves it so much over on that beautiful Island. 

But, meanwhile, I shall be lighting the lamps and the candles, and looking forward to when I can put all the twinkly fairy lights around at Christmastime!

Have you heard of the word ...Hygge?  It’s pronounced hue-gah, and comes from a Norwegian word meaning “well-being.”  In other words, enjoying life’s simple pleasures, often achieved with good food, drink, comfy surroundings, warm blankets and candlelight. So, as you will see, Autumn and Winter are just made for us all to practice some Hygge. Colourful throws on the armchairs, potpourri scented with smells of orange and cinnamon - anything to lift our spirits whilst these darker days are with us. Of course, I’m aware that in many parts  of the world, you are approaching Springtime. Forgive me, but I have to write as it is with the Seasons in my homeland! 

Most of the colours are fading in the garden at the moment, but I took this photo of a wilting rose earlier today. I think it still looks quite beautiful. 

So my friends, may your lives be filled with Hygge during the coming Season. See you again soon. 

Image courtesy of Pinterest.com

Wild And Windy Here In Deepest Devon, And Travels With An American Friend...

So then peeps, I hope you’re all going to have a lovely weekend.  It’s wild and stormy here in the South Hams of heavenly Devon as I write this, with the coastline being pounded by gales of up to 80 mph.  Thankfully the sun is shining at the moment, but I believe we will be having heavy rain showers later on in the day.  Can you believe that this one has been named Storm Brian.,  I mean, with apologies to all the Brians out there, it’s not a very good name for a storm is it?!   I think something a little more dramatic was called for. Storm Horatio, perhaps.  Well, you get my drift.  

To give you some idea of the changing weather, I took this photo in the very pretty resort of Salcombe last Monday, on a beautiful Autumn day ...

Here is a photo (borrowed from a friend) taken of the same location earlier today ...

We have a lot of holiday makers here in Devon throughout the year, and so many people have to be rescued from the sea, as they just don’t understand how dangerous it can be. Many get trapped on rocks by the incoming tide, and then have to be rescued by the Coastguards, putting other people’s lives at risk.  

Anyway, I mentioned in my last Blog Post, how my American friend had been staying here with me for a couple of weeks. This was her second visit to England, and she wanted to visit the sights of London this time around. I hadn’t been to London as a tourist for a very long time, so it was just as much fun for me. Diane (yes, another Diane 😊) just couldn’t get over the hustle and bustle of it all, although we did manage to find some tranquil spots in the lovely parks London has. Amazing really, to think that you’re only a couple of minutes away from the rush of the City....yet, all of a sudden, you’re in a completely different world.  Once again, my apologies to my Facebook friends, but here are a few snapshots of our time spent visiting the tourist spots.

 

As you can imagine, we took a whole bunch of photos, and it was difficult to choose a few to give you just a flavour of our Capital City. Also, I didn’t want to be one of those boring people showing off their holiday snaps!!  I think it was Mark Twain who said “travel makes one modest. It makes you see what a tiny place you occupy in this world.”  

As I finish off, the rain has arrived and is now lashing against the window panes. I hope you’re all having a good weekend and managing to find some relaxation in amongst the busy lives that we all seem to live these days. I’ll say Au Revoir for now, but I’ll pop back in again soon. 

There’s a new Featured Post up today - memories of childhood. Just click on the Featured Post link at the top of the right hand sidebar. 

Many Miles Travelled....

It’s been a while since my last post, but the past couple of weeks have been a bit frantic, with my friend from Green Bay, Wisconsin 🇺🇸 staying here with me in England. 

I rather like this quote about female friendship. It certainly rings true to me...

When you actually sit down and think about it, friendship is a wonderful thing, which adds so much joy to our lives. Sometimes we have known friends for as long as we can remember, and sometimes friends come into our lives suddenly and unexpectedly, just when we were least expecting it. 

It’s funny how you really connect with some people, and feel that you have known them for ever. I read a quote a while ago, by S E Hall, which said “Maybe it’s not about the length of time you’ve known someone; maybe it’s about instant recognition on an unconscious level.  Our souls know each other.”

I do believe that - how else can we explain that instant connection, or spark, with someone when we meet them for the first time. All part of life’s deep mystery, I suppose. 

I certainly believe that there is much more to

life than we could ever imagine. It’s like when there are tragedies, and you hear people telling the story of how they had decided to have a lie in that morning, or take a different route, thereby saving their lives.  Simply by changing their daily routine for some unexplained reason. 

Well, I’ve gone off on a complete tangent here, as I’ve just seen the title of this Post. I was going to tell you about the miles we covered during my friend’s visit, but that will have to wait for the next time.

Suffice it to say that these two ladies ‘of a certain age’ (or have we now passed that certain age?!) had a wonderful time, with much fun and laughter. 

Hope all is going well with you.