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. 

Autumn Gently Creeps In ....

It's that day again....yes, Friday!  I came across this quote by Oscar Wilde this week, and I thought it was very appropriate right now ...

Summer does seem to be collapsing quite quickly over here in ye merry olde England!  I'm still hoping for an Indian Summer, as my friend from Wisconsin arrives next week!  

It will be lovely to see her again. With all this modern technology, it is so much easier to keep in touch with family and friends who live long distances away, but you can't beat actually sitting right there with them, laughing at silly things, and generally putting the world to rights. It would be lovely if you could all send some positive vibes this way, so that we are blessed with some good weather while she is here. Thank you!

But we started off talking about Autumn....these two pics taken in my garden last year sum up the season very well, I think. There's always this wonderful light in Autumn, when everything  seems so crisp and clear. 

Going back to the Oscar Wilde quotation at the beginning of this Post,  there is another one that is a favourite of mine, and I actually have it on a little plaque here in the home ...

Most of my long term bloggy friends, know how much I love quotations, and I'm always looking out for new ones. Pinterest is a wonderful source for doing this. Sometimes you read a quote, and you just think, 'yes', that's exactly it!  

I'm sure most of us love taking photos, be it of our family, times spent with friends, our gardens, places we have visited, or just anything that takes our eye.  This quote fits the bill exactly, for we truly are capturing a moment in time and, of course, these days most of us carry our phones with us, so there is no excuse to miss a magic moment!

Well my friends, I'll wind it up again for now. I'm sure I will be taking lots of photos over the next couple of weeks to share with you later on!  It's quite fascinating I find, when you are taking a friend to places  you've known all your life.  Because they have never been to those places before, you suddenly see locations  in a whole different light.

Enjoy your weekend and be safe. I'll leave you with the following ....

There's a new Featured Post up today.  Just click on the link at the top of the column on the right hand side - it's all about the bigger picture. 

After writing the above post, I have discovered that today is the Autumn Equinox - don't say that I'm not ahead of the game!! 😊😊

Any images today that are not my own, are courtesy of Pinterest.com

Not Friday Again Already, Surely?!

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening folks - there, I think I've covered all the greetings for wherever you might be in the world as you read this little Post. 

I simply can't believe that it's Friday again already - my life is simply disappearing before my very eyes, and at my age, that's not such a good thing !  I suppose I'm in the Autumn of my life.  Well, Autumn can be quite delightful, so I intend to sit back and enjoy the ride. 

To be honest, I am very grateful to still be around. I have lost several friends over the years that have died far too young.  A couple very suddenly, and a couple after suffering illness, but I'm grateful that they were in my life, and for the happy memories that they left behind. 

In this country, we talk about the weather quite a lot, but, my goodness, I'm thankful that our weather is fairly steady, when I look at what is going on in America at the moment. 

Raging fires in some States, the devastation in Texas, which I touched on in a previous Post, and now they have Hurricane Irma threatening to hit Florida quite soon. I pray for all those involved and that all my bloggy friends down that way will keep safe.  What a worry that must be!

My last Post involved the word Kindness. It's really spooky, but I have seen that word mentioned on Facebook quite a lot since I wrote it. I really like this picture ....

There is a little story behind the photo. Harper Collins UK made this postbox so that all those working in the building could post kind notes to each other, to coincide with publication of that little book on kindness. 

Well, my youngest grandchildren went back to school this week, so I won't be seeing them quite so much again now, but I'm grateful for all the fun and happy times that I spent with them during the Summer holidays. Memories made and precious times to be treasured. 

My eldest granddaughter returned to University this week, and I am so proud of her, as she starts her third year at Madrid University.  

So looking back, yes, it's been a good Summer and once again, I feel thankful. 

So little peeps, I wish you a happy weekend ahead, and for those in America affected by the weather, I hope you all stay safe. 

This one made me smile ....

Just One Word - 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 ❤️

So August is almost over ....

Hallo again lovely peeps. As I write this, here in England, we are enjoying a warm, sunny, long Bank Holiday weekend. Now I have to tell you that this is very unusual - Bank Holidays in this country are usually wet, windy, dreary affairs! 

People can be seen wandering aimlessly along, wrapped up as though it were Winter, battling the elements, and trying to put a brave face on things.  It's what we British do best!! 

But, this weekend, the weather Gods are smiling down at us and the weather is, well, just like Summer! 😊. In fact, this weekend is our last Bank Holiday until Christmas. (There! I've mentioned the 'C' word). 

Holidaymakers are heading to our wonderful beaches in their droves, blocking up the lanes for mile after mile, whilst local people try to find a peaceful spot to enjoy some family time,  before the children return to school in early September. 

Caravans crawl along our narrow roads, totally oblivious of the five mile tailback behind them.  Here are a couple of photos of places near where I live, to give you some idea of the roads around here....

Driving across Dartmoor, you also have  the sheep 🐑 that wander across the road! 

 

But it's sad to think that Summer will be soon be coming to an end, as the evenings gradually start to pull in. We were having a lovely Summer....we even managed a couple of heatwaves, would you believe, when people could be seen trudging along, muttering to themselves..."it's too hot!  It's TOO hot!!"  Alright, I'll admit it, that would have been me then.

But, of course, as soon as the schools closed for the Summer, everything went downhill, and August has been a very unsettled month. 

So this latest spell of lovely (but definitely not too hot) weather has come along just at the right time.

Talking about weather, my thoughts and prayers are with people in certain areas of Texas at the moment, with Hurricane Harvey causing widespread damage. 

Well, I think that's all for the moment, so I'll close again for now.