The Power of Female Friendship....

Well,  very gradually and slowly, things are starting to open up over here in England.  This week has been quite an exciting one for me (!).  First of all, a very good friend of mine, of some 50 years standing, came  and sat in the garden with me for a couple of hours. She has been shielding, so hasn’t left the house for four months, so it was a big day for her as well.  

We always used to see each other once a week, to either go to the cinema, or out for a meal.  So this past four months has been a long time for both of us.  We have been video chatting, which is fine, but just not as good as the real thing.  Obviously, still social distancing, and no hugs!  

Whoever thought that something like this would ever happen.  It’s all so alien to the very fabric of our lives, isn’t it?!  After all, what have we got, if we have no human contact.  

The second exciting thing, is that I actually put my jewellery on once again (!) and went out to lunch with another good friend, TO A RESTAURANT!!  How lovely it was to eat a meal cooked by someone else, after all this time. Everything was very well organised and I felt very happy and comfortable eating inside. The Pub\Restaurant is a favourite of mine, and only five minutes away. It was good to go along and support them, as they were only able to  open again last week.  What a time it has been for the hospitality industry - as well as so many other businesses and venues, of course, that haven’t been able to open their doors since March. 

Then - yes! I told you it was an exciting week!! - I met another girlfriend for coffee at our local Garden Centre. The Cafe part was only able to open last week.  Again, I was very impressed by the whole set-up.  We were met at the entrance to the Cafe and our full details were taken for contact purposes.  It was table service only, and a one way system was in operation.  

What a trying time it is at the moment for businesses, large and small, as they try to meet all the standards required of them, due to COVID 19.  I really do take my hat off to all of them.  

Apart from missing my family during this time, of course,  not being able to meet up with my girlfriends is what I’ve missed the most. I think a lot of you know that I’m an only child, so my female friendships have always featured prominently in my life. Most of them I’ve known for 30, 40, and 50 years, which is a long time. True friendships are to be treasured, and, yes, nurtured.  

I have been blogging for ten years now - I’ve actually stuck at something for once 😁🙈 - and I’ve made a lot of friendships during that time, from all over the world.  We might not have actually met each other in person,  but I know we all feel that we do know each other, and it would be great fun if we did actually meet up!  We have seen our families grow, we have shared the happy times, and we have tried to all support and encourage each other through the bad times, which we all have to go through at some stage, for that is just part of life’s rich tapestry.

So, little peeps, as I close again for now, I wish each and every one of you, friendship in abundance.  

Just One Word Today....Kindness

Just a simple little post today, from me to you, and it features one of my favourite words .... KINDNESS.  

We need more kindness in the world today, and, yes, gentleness and respect. We need far less hate and aggression.  Less pulling people down, and more building people up. 

The quotes today are all courtesy of Pinterest. I came across this Interview with Roald Dahl, and I couldn't agree with him more....

"I think kindness is my number one attribute in a human being.  I'll put it before any of the things like courage or bravery or generosity, or anything else."

Interviewer.. "or brains even?"

"Oh, gosh, yes.  Brains is one of the least. You can be a lovely person without brains, absolutely lovely. Kindness - that simple word.  To be kind - it covers everything, in my mind.  If you're kind, that's it."

Perhaps you might have your own favourite word as to how life should be lived ....but, to my mind, if you're kind, you care for others, you love, you have empathy, you have generosity of spirit, and you want the very best for that other person. 

May you be surrounded by kindness as you go through your week ❤️

A Wandering Mind

Because of very damp weather here over the past few days, when I should be out working in the garden, I find myself confined to the house.  What to do ... shall I tackle that pile of ironing, get the duster out, or.... write a blog post. Well, as you can see, I opted for the latter option, so here I am to entertain you once again 😳.

Isn't it funny how our mind works sometimes?   Well, this girl's mind anyway and, yes, even at my age, I still think of myself as a girl, albeit a slightly 'worn out' girl. 

Last evening I found myself thinking of school milk, back in the 50s. Ugh! In the Summer, the crates of milk used to sit there in the heat of the classroom until the Milk Monitor (a much fought after position) distributed them among the pupils. Then, in the Winter, the bottle tops would be frozen. 

 

 

Incidentally, who remembers Jack Frost making patterns on the INSIDE of their bedroom windows?  Not forgetting the liberty bodices we wore as little girls. Although I don't remember mine being quite as posh looking as the one in this picture. (All images today courtesy of Google). 

 

I'm including this next picture, again from Google, because this little girl looks exactly like me at that age. In fact, I think it is ME!! 😂

 

My mind then turned to roller skates. Almost every child in my neighbourhood had a pair of these.  I remember them being great fun. As you can see, they were the height of sophistication - NOT!

 

I then moved forward a few years to the navy blue regulation school knickers we used to have to wear when doing PT, or netball and 🏑 hockey. I remember them having a sort of fleece like lining. All the girls hated them and would try to hide in the changing rooms, rather than having to parade around outside in them. Horror of horrors!!  Until the Gym Mistress used to stride in looking for us. Oh my goodness, the Gym Mistresses of the 1950's. My, they were a frightening lot. Just think of the most officious Sergeant in the Army, and you still wouldn't be close!  Bear in mind, this was a totally different era. We were total innocents back then. I'm sure these days, the girls would be taking selfies of themselves and posting the photos on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat!  

 

Talking of my early school days, I found this photo of my first school class, which would have been taken in 1952.  

 

I came across this photo recently - I used to love the donkey rides across the beach as a child. Happy days! 

I hope you have enjoyed my reminiscing today, and perhaps it might have brought back some memories of your own school days. Anytime you want to enlarge a photo from my blog, just double tap on it, and that should do the trick.

Bye for now. Hope you're all keeping well. 

Come For A Walk With Me....

If you are a new Follower, it occurred to me that you don’t really know where I live, although for readers in the UK, the name of my Blog might be a bit of a giveaway!

Yes, I live in the area of South Hams, in the beautiful County of Devon, right down in the South West of the Country.  Next to Devon, you have Cornwall, which I’m sure many of you will have heard of, from various novels and TV dramas -  Doc Martin and Poldark, to name just two!  After leaving Cornwall, you just drop into the ocean! That’s one of the things I love about living here, the ocean is always around us.  

The first four photos were taken at Hope Cove.  Walking from Thurlestone to Hope Cove is one of my very favourite coastal walks.

The photo above with the path leading to the sea, always reminds me of the poem by John Masefield, called Sea Fever .... “I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky; and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by..... I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide,  is a wild call and a clear call, that may not be denied......”

We are surrounded by the sea, and I love nothing better than setting out on a coastal walk.  All the photos today were taken by me whilst I was out walking.  I also live at the foot of Dartmoor, one of our National Parks, but, to be honest, it has to be beaches and the sea for me every time.  Unfortunately, I am not  able to walk the 8 - 10 miles that I used to, but I still manage to do pretty well, in view of my advanced age!  Believe me, walking in Devon is no easy feat, as it is well known for its hills, so it really is all uphill and down dale.  The hills lead right down to the sea, and the lanes leading to the sea are narrow, with very high hedges, so that you can’t always see vehicles coming in the opposite direction!

This next beach has to be one of my very favourites....Bigbury on Sea.  Would you believe that I’ve been going there for over 73 years, as my mum and dad took me there from the time I was six months old, so it’s almost in my DNA.

This next photo was taken at Salcombe.  I really am so lucky to live in this wonderful spot, that I call heavenly Devon, as all these places are only 20 minutes from where I live. 

On a lovely Summer day, it’s one of the best places in the world.  Oh, okay, perhaps I AM slightly biased.  I was playing with a new Camera App with this last photo.  I have very fond memories of visiting Salcombe with a friend, a few years ago now.  It was a boiling hot day....too hot to do much serious walking, so we sat under the sun umbrella on the terrace of a lovely Hotel, which had gorgeous views all along the estuary, with brightly coloured boats bobbing up and down.  We started off with morning coffee and warm, buttered croissants, which drifted into lunch, accompanied by the obligatory glass of Rosè, and, believe it or not, we were still sat there at 4pm, so decided to have a Devon Cream Tea, complete with lashings of Devonshire Clotted Cream!

Well, I hope you’ve  enjoyed the little tour, and I’m sure I’ll be back again soon.  Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my Blog.  I really do appreciate it.

Women Of A Certain Age ....

I was thinking just the other day about how fortunate we ‘women of a certain age’ are in the year 2020 (When I say ‘women of a certain age’, I think I’m being kind to myself, as I’m sure I’m now in the ‘women past their sell by date age’!).

When I think of my grandma’s time, and even my mum’s time, I can see how things have really improved over these past fifty years or so.  Don’t get me wrong, I realise that we still have some way to go. I’m a big fan of the “me too” movement, and it’s so good to see how that Movement  has improved things for women over just the past couple of years. Now, at long last, talented women are achieving those top jobs, and getting salaries to match their male counterparts.  When you think where we’ve come from, that really is worthy of huge celebration.  

There are so many amazing groups that women can join now, to learn new things, and to forge exciting new friendships.  These things don’t just happen, of course.  You have to go out and look for them.  I know, sometimes, it’s easier to just carry on with the ‘same old’, and if you’re happy doing just that, then that’s fine too.  The main thing is, we have CHOICE these days.  Just remember the old saying......”life is not a rehearsal.”  THIS IS IT!

I do think it’s important to keep a close circle of lady friends.  As we get older, these ladies become even more important, and we realise how blessed we are to have them in our lives.   Cherish these friends, and let them know how much they mean to you.  Remember, life can change in an instant.  Never be afraid to say “I love you”, or  compliment them when they look good, or tell them when you like their new perfume, or lipstick, or whatever.  Try to love all the stages of your life, for they are all magical in their own way.

I hope you have enjoyed all the little quotes I have included with my Post today - all courtesy of Pinterest.com.  I’ll leave you with one that, hopefully, will make you smile, from the wonderful Dame Maggie Smith......

See you next time little peeps, and thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings

A New Month - Half Way Through The Year Already.

So then, how are you all doing out there in your own little corners of the world?  I thought that, today, I would bypass the current situation that we have been in for the past few months, and try to spread a smidgeon of positivity. 

Hands up all those of you who have spent quite a lot of time worrying over the years - often quite unnecessarily so. The following quote is so true, isn't it, and something that I have learned more and more as I progress through this wonderful life that we have been given. 

I thought that, today, I would show some quotes about worrying, and how, really, we should try to live 'in the moment' as much as we possibly can. Obviously, there are certain times in life that this is easier said than done, but I'm speaking generally here, and when we worry unnecessarily about what really are the 'little things'.

I hope that perhaps this will give you some food for thought as you go about each day. Meanwhile, hang in there. It's a new month and we can only hope that things will start to look a little brighter before too long. If only people would be sensible, and stay alert. Keep safe everyone ❤️

(All quotes today courtesy of Pinterest.com)