Take me down to the sea ....

Well, the weather here in the UK has been hot, hot, hot over this past week, with temperatures being the highest ever recorded!  Fortunately, here in heavenly Devon, it's been a little cooler than the rest of the country, but still very pleasant indeed, and the gardens over here have been looking glorious.   

As most of you know, I live close to the sea and I head there whenever I can. The sea always calls to me and it refreshes my soul. I am proud to be a Devon maid through and through, and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, with all this beauty a mere stone's throw away.

The historic Barbican is always a lovely place to stroll around, as there is always something going on out in the water....

The following quotes say it all for me....

On another note altogether, my beautiful, eldest granddaughter had her Graduation 👩‍🎓 Ceremony in Madrid a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't be more proud of this special young lady. The world awaits her!

I'm blessed with my other two young grandchildren as well, and they only live five minutes away 😊.  My grandson will be starting at the 'big' school in September, so a big step for him. 

So I have so much to be grateful for, and grateful, also, for all of you who take the trouble to read and support my Blog. So THANK YOU ❤️

I've changed the Featured Post today - see the sidebar on the right hand side - talking about the birds and the bees!

Make The Most Of Being A Woman Of A Certain Age ....

I was thinking just the other day about how fortunate we ‘women of a certain age’ are in the year 2019.  (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 ❤️

Another Month Almost Over....

Well, it seems ages since I last wrote a Blog Post, and here we are,  almost at the end of June.  Summer finally decided to arrive here in heavenly Devon during this past week, and that certainly makes me happy, especially after all the dreary weather we were having earlier in June.

Mind you, I feel very sorry for all those living in Europe at the moment, with the record breaking high temperatures, in the mid-40's. My eldest granddaughter lives in Madrid, and number 1 daughter has recently moved to Cannes from Ibiza, so I know they're doing their very best to try to somehow keep cool at the moment. 

So today, courtesy of Pinterest.com, I thought I would show you some sunshine ☀️ quotes to brighten your day.

Thinking about sunshine, happiness comes to mind, and I think the following little quotes help us to focus on how we can all find happiness within us...

"The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts."

"Thinking positively will attract positive things into your life."

"If you love yourself, you open yourself up to being loved in return."

"Search for the beauty in everything, because it's there if you look hard enough."

"Being generous and loving spreads happiness that is then returned to you tenfold."

"People treat you according to how you allow yourself to be treated."

"You can't control what happens to you in your life, but you can control how you react."

Something for us to think about perhaps.  I hope all is well in your little part of the world as you read this, and I hope you have sunshine in YOUR life. Take care ❤️

Where Does The Time Go?!

I see that I last wrote a Blog Post on the 21st March, and here we are, almost at the end of April.....my goodness, time passes so much more quickly than it used to.  I suppose it must be because everyone seems to lead such busy lives these days.  I’m sure I’m not the only one that would just like to hold back time. So if that Magic Geni with the lamp suddenly appeared in front of me, that would certainly be one of my three wishes. My second wish would be for my mum and dad to return just for a moment in time, so that I could ask them all the questions I never got round to asking when they were still alive - and my third wish?  It would have to be that all my little family would have healthy and contented lives.

I’ve decided to post a few photos of my garden today - all these photos were taken in the last couple of weeks, and you can see that it has suddenly burst into life once again.  Am I the only one to feel really thankful at the start of each new Season?  Thankful that I am still here to see new life appearing everywhere and to take in the beauty of the garden at this time of year.

One thing is for sure - life is very fragile and precious.  You only have to look at the atrocity that occurred in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 on Easter Sunday.  Easter Sunday of all days.  But then that is why that day was chosen by the terrorists, to cause maximum death and bloodshed with so many people attending  Church Services.  Of course, they also targeted the tourists, which has happened so many times before, elsewhere in the world. Families sitting down for breakfast, and in an instant, half of the family was blown away. These attacks are always indiscriminate- no-one is immune.  I’m thinking here of the Billionaire who lost three of his teenage children.  Wouldn’t he give away every penny, just to be able to hold his children in his arms again?  How do families recover from such terrible losses?  It just doesn’t bear thinking about, does it?

That’s why I always say “I love you” to my children and grandchildren, whenever I see them, or whenever I message them.  You can never say it too often and you can never love them enough.  Never.

I hope you have enjoyed the little snapshot of my garden today, and I’ll be in touch again soon.  Look after yourselves,  wherever you are reading this.

This last image courtesy of Pinterest.com

Spring Has Officially Arrived ....

Hallo to you all once again.  So yesterday was the first day of Spring, and I’m certainly looking forward to it. We haven’t had a particularly hard Winter here in Devon, but I think we just all want the longer days once again.  As I write this, I’m well aware that some of my Followers will be heading into Autumn, so forgive me! 

I do think that Spring has to be one of my favourite months.  Simply because it follows the dark days of Winter, I suppose. But it’s more than that - Spring brings hope, as we see new life appearing all around us.  From the bulbs poking out of the earth, the garden gradually coming back to life, and the lambs gambolling in the fields. How can our souls and spirits not be lifted?  

You would have to be a bit of a curmudgeon if your heart wasn’t lifted by the sight of daffodils everywhere. They bring their own sunshine, don’t they? 

 The Poet, William Wordsworth, summed it up perfectly in his poem, “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud”, also known as the daffodil poem ......

We are now in the Star Sign of Aries, and I am an Aries person - Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac.  We are supposed to be the trailblazers, although, to be honest, I’m not sure that I’ve done much trail blazing in my life.  Although, I think we always tend to think of things being done in a very outward way, with all guns blazing if you like.  But, thinking about it, things can also be done in quiet ways.  Aries are supposed to be passionate and independent, and I certainly see that in myself.  Although with regard to the independent bit, I always thought that had something to do with me being an only child.  They are also supposed to be loyal and impulsive.  I like to think that I am a loyal friend, and I am certainly impulsive!

I’m sure there are people reading this, who do not believe in such ‘nonsense’!  But I believe that there must be something that determines us from the month that we  are born.  After all, the earth is ruled by the moon and the pull of the sea, as they both wax and wane.  My mind has always been open to everything alternative, really.  It would be a foolish person to dismiss these things.

Anyway, I will leave you for now.  Thank you, as always, for taking the time to read my scribblings!  (All images today, apart from the daffodils, are courtesy of Pinterest).  Oh, and here’s a pic of my little pup, walking through the Spring flowers in my garden....

International Women's Day

Today, on the 8th March, we once again celebrate International Women's Day. It is now the year 2020 and no Country in the world has achieved gender equality. My, but it's a slow process! According to the United Nations Women, the theme for 2020 is "I am generation equality : realizing women's Rights."The UN Women has been leveraging the Generation Equality campaign for years. It aims at “bringing together people of every gender, age, ethnicity, race, religion and country”, in a bid to drive actions that will lead to a “gender-equal world we all deserve”.

 I think it is important to talk about this event each year on my Blog, as we celebrate women everywhere, all over the world, and recognise the progress that has been achieved, and to give thanks for all the courageous women over many, many years, who have fought for women's rights. Rights that promote a position of legal and social equality of women with men. 

 

 Huge strides have been made over the years. Certainly since the 1960's when I was a young woman.  We didn't have a lot of the freedoms or rights that women have these days. Women certainly were not allowed to get credit under their own name. So a mortgage would be out of the question. Women at that time were very much looked on as mothers and homemakers.  Hard to believe, but right up until the late 60's, women were not allowed to wear trousers in the workplace. 

Of course, if modern mums want to still be stay at home mums and raise their children themselves, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, in my eyes, that is to be lauded. Many women these days, of course, HAVE to work, purely for financial reasons. 

I suppose my point is, that the younger women now have CHOICE, which was certainly not available before, and that, surely, has to be good for everyone. 

 

 

 

My wish is that my granddaughters will live in a world where they can be anything they want to be.  I also take this opportunity of celebrating all the women that follow my Blog. Remember, you are ALL special and you are ALL important. 

What Happened to Spring?!

Hallo again little peeps. As I write this new Blog Post, I had to move my little puppy to one side - he never likes to stray too far away from me, as you can see! 🐶.  Anyway, he's now having a little nap, so I should be alright for a little while. 

Tomorrow, Benji will have his final injection, so I'm delighted to say that I will finally be able to take him out to explore the big, wide world. Well, my little corner of it, here in heavenly Devon, anyway!

After a real touch of Spring a couple of weeks ago (well, it was almost like Summer, really), I'm afraid to say that we are now having very heavy rain, and the forecast for the next week isn't looking  good either. Despite that, there are signs of Spring appearing in the garden.  As usual, I have to apologize  to my Facebook friends, as they will have seen some of these pics before. 

I was thinking about my eldest daughter and my eldest granddaughter, and I can quite appreciate why they would never want to come back to this Country to live. Why would they, when they can have blue skies almost all year round, and the Winters are warm?!  Daughter lives in Ibiza and granddaughter is at University in Madrid. To be honest, I think my granddaughter feels that she is really European now. 

You obviously miss family when they have to move away from their home location - years ago, families all lived very close together. Sometimes even on different levels of the same house. That way, there was always someone to keep an eye on babies, youngsters, teenagers and the older ones of the family. 

But things move on, and I don't suppose we will ever go back to that situation. 

Well, I will leave you again for now. I don't want to bore you!!  What's that you say..."too late!".  

Anyway, look at the gorgeous blue sky in this photo - not bad  for February! 

Bye for now. I hope all is well with you, wherever you may be reading this. ❤️