Happy Weekend

Hi there everyone.  Hope all is well with you in whatever part of the world you're living in!!

I just wanted to stop by and wish you all a very happy weekend.  I guess all my blogging friends in America are getting very excited about Thanksgiving at the moment.  Just a thought - is that more important than Christmas in America?? I'm just not sure.  Perhaps I will hear (well, I'm sure I will!) more about Thanksgiving and what it means to you all, in the coming week.

I'm just sat here quietly at my laptop at the moment, enjoying the peace and quiet before my two little grandchildren arrive.  Their daddy is away for the weekend, so my daughter will be bringing them along to spend some time with us.  I am so lucky, because they only live five minutes away by car, so they are very much part of our  lives.  Every day I count my blessings for that, because I am well aware that a lot of grandparents spend their weekends driving up and down the motorway to be able to connect with their loved ones.

It's strange, but since I've been reading all these blogs from America, I sometimes find that I am speaking like them!  For example, this morning, in one of my comments, I wrote the word awesome!!  Now that is a word that we never really use over here in good, old,  restrained England.   I'm obviously trying to become like one of you (have a nice day, y'all!!  Sorry, I'm getting carried away now).

Where I live here in deepest Devon, we quite often get the mickey taken out of our accents by the media. I'm sure they think  we all live down  here with straw coming out of our ears!!  The Devon dialect can be rather unusual (!), but it's a nice, soft accent.  Perhaps in a future blog, I might give you some Devon words and their meanings.

This blogging can become very addictive, can't it?!  Sometimes, I almost begrudge having to go out, and I rush to my laptop as soon as I get back home.  Is everyone like that??

Ooops, the little ones are here, so I must love you and leave you for the time being.  You take care, y'all!

I've Been Tagged!

I have been tagged by caterpillar from "Musings And Confessions of a Wandering Mind" and she has set me 10 questions to answer, so I will do my best!

1.  Why did you create your Blog?

Well, during the middle of October, my daughter was visiting from France.  She had been writing a Blog herself since June and, as she knew that I had always enjoyed writing, she suggested that I start one myself.  I didn't need too much persuading and, there and then, she got me started and was a tremendous help in setting the whole thing up.  Immediately, I was off and I have tried to write a post most days.  I am thoroughly enjoying the experience.  It's wonderful meeting all these lovely new people from all parts of the world.

2.  What kinds of Blogs do you follow?

All sorts and all ages, although I do click on the Interests listed under my Profile in my Blog, and that throws up people who are interested in the same sort of things, and I just visit them and take it from there.

3.  Favourite make-up brand?

That's an easy one - L'Oreal.

4.  Favourite clothing brand?

I don't go for any particular brand, rather I tend to go into the same shops.  The Per Una range from M&S, Wallis, Zara.

5.  Your indispensable make-up product?

I suppose that would have to be foundation and blusher.

6.  Your favourite colour?

Lime green, and plummy colours.

7.  Favourite Perfume?

I vary between two - The One by Dolce & Gabbana and Georgio.

8.  Your favourite film?

Oh dear! So many, as I go to the cinema quite often.  Mama Mia always cheers me up.  I actually love two very old, black & white movies and these are Camille with Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor (I still weep buckets watching it now) and Forever Voyager with Bette Davis.  One of my recent favourite films was another Meryl Streep movie, "It's Complicated", which also starred Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

9.  Which country would you like to visit, and why?

That's so easy, and it has to be Italy.  It just does something for me.  I have visited many parts of Tuscany, Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona to name but a few.  I love the food, the language, and the general ambience of the country.

10.  Write the last question and answer it yourself.

There!  I was alright up to that point.  Now I'm stumped.  Oh well, here goes :

What new hobby would you really like to take up?

I have always wanted to start Watercolour classes.  Every year I say this.  I bought all the necessary materials to get going a few years ago, but, somehow, have never got round to it. Memo to self : Stop procrastinating and just go for it!

Christmas is-a-coming!!

Short and to the point today!  I was visiting a large, local Garden Centre and, of course, all their Christmas displays are in full swing, along with Santa's Grotto.  Father Christmas arrived last Saturday and I shall be going along with my daughter and two young grandchildren, Eli & Ruby, to see him soon.  That's one of the joys of being a grandma, you get to do all the fun things again!

Here are some photoes of the displays that I again took with my trusty mobile phone.  I really MUST remember to carry my digital camera with me when I go out.

You might spot a certain someone hiding in the displays.  OK then, not hiding, but blatently posing!!

My 5 Indulgences

It doesn't seem fair to keep you waiting any longer, so I am now going to list my 5 Indulgences, and I have to say that I have found this challenge extremely difficult.  I am amazed that this is the case, as I thought I would find it difficult to just keep to 5!

1.  I would hire a Chef for a year, so that I didn't have to think of that age-old question "what can I cook for dinner this evening?" 

2.  I would be sitting in St Mark's Square, Venice, at the famous Cafe Florian, with a cappuccino and one of their mouth-watering pastries, listening to the orchestra playing - magical!  (Actually, that would have to be NUMBER ONE!).

3.  I would be participating in a Cookery School in Tuscany, Italy, and enjoying the evening meal under the stars, sipping a glass of chilled champagne.

4.  I would be watching a performance of "Les Miserables" (my very favourite musical of all time) with my two daughters.

5.  I would be spending a long weekend at the Azia Resort & Spa in Paphos, Cyprus, again with my two daughters and my eldest granddaughter, who is such good company and makes me laugh.

My youngest grandchildren are not mentioned here, but I am fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with them each and every week.  The above are pure indulgences, which is what the question asked!  I hope you approve.

Outdoor Wednesday

Just thought I would post a photo of a rainbow that I captured on my mobile phone, whilst I was out walking earlier today.  Then I came across a blog entry entitled Outdoor Wednesdays, so I am going to try to link them all up (don't hold your breath!!).

The link is http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Here is my outdoor Wednesday photo :

I have always enjoyed photography, but I love the way in which blogging really makes you aware of the things around you as you are out and about, with a view to them being included in future blog posts.

Some more good news!

Well, I am going to start my post today with some good news, and offer many congratulations to Prince William and Kate Middleton.  I have just watched a television interview with them both, and they really do seem to be very down to earth, and really in love.  Of course, they have been together for a long time, but I do wish them lots of luck for the future, and hope that this really will be a "happy ever after" royal love story.  So there will be a royal wedding next year, and I think it will be something for the country to look forward to, especially in these dreary times with all the cutbacks to public services, people losing their jobs etc. etc.



The thing that I thought was lovely is the fact that William has given Kate his mother's engagement ring, as he wanted Princess Diana to be part of the celebration, even though she is no longer with us.  That, to me, was pretty special.

Now I go back to The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award of yesterday.  Before I come to my 5 indulgences, there is a hard bit that I have to do first.  I have to bestow this award to 3 'sweet' bloggers of my choice.  This seems terribly unfair to all the others that I do not pick, as I value all of my followers and enjoy reading their blogs so very much.  However, here goes :

My first nomination for the award would be SkippyMom,("I Eat Soap") as she has been so supportive since I started blogging last month.  BUT, I see that one of my fellow award winners has just nominated her!

On my list too, would have been Colenic from A Smile A Day, who, because of certain things, deserves it more than me, but she has already been nominated as well!

I would also have liked to nominate LindyLou from "News from Italy", but I see from her Blog that hers is an Award Free Blog, as, although she is touched that people think her Blog worthy of an award, it is not what she started her blog for.

So, I am passing the Award on to : Becky from "Just  Being Me".  We do seem to have quite a lot in common and she just seems like a very sweet person.

My next recipient is "Gawgus-things" because it was this Blogger that actually introduced me to this special world of blogging, and she is also a very special person to me.

And the final recipient is Maureen from "Daydream Living", who always writes such sweet blogs.

Enjoy your award ladies!

I seem to have rambled on a bit here, so I will keep you all in suspenders and leave it until tomorrow before I tell you about my 5 Indulgences!

I don't believe it!!

I don't believe it! I have an award!  I would just like to thank my producer, my immediate family, all of my friends, and the lady who runs the local coffee shop....... Oh, sorry, I thought I was Gwynneth Paltrow there for a moment, when she accepted one of HER awards!!

Seriously though, this award has been given to me by my dear blogging friend, Bouncin'Barb who lives on the other side of the pond.  She has assured me that she hasn't given me this award because of the birthday cake I gave her.......  Mmmmm! I'm not so sure about that.  Still, if bribery works, what the heck, I'm all for it!!

I'm sure most of my blogging friends already follow Bouncin'Barb, but if you haven't popped over to see her, you really must and, in particular, you must read her recent blog, entitled "Award from Down Under."  Just read her list of 5 indulgences - waow! I tell you, she is my kind of lady!!  Her blog is called This and  That (As I Bounce Thru Life) - and bounce through life she most certainly does.

I believe that one of the conditions of receiving my award is that I have to now list 5 indulgences of my own, so I will give that some serious consideration during the day and write about them tomorrow.  But I was so excited and overcome by my Award, that I just had to write about it.

Thanks BB!