Falling out with down-sizing

I've spent the last few days sorting out my boxes of stored memories, papers, mementoes and bits and pieces and frankly, I've had enough!

But I guess it had to be done, you know what I mean?

Of course, now I have the much more daunting task of collating all my stored details into a format for producing a readable account of our family life, which is why, over the years, I've saved and collected all those scraps of paper, old calendars and diaries........and NOW I can't wait to begin recreating our family life, and putting it all together in a readable and accessible package.  Watch this space for further news!

Well, that was last night, after a long day and I was tired, it was late, and I couldn't think of anything else to write about!

However, today is a fresh bright start and the world is wearing its sunny face; but yesterday is still with me, for being busy, I didn't go shopping and thus ran out of milk for this morning's breakfast, which is one of my favourite meals.

I also bought bread for my dear SO, who'd asked for a multi-grain loaf,  and searching for this product, I began reading the labelling, realising there was no mention of any  included salt in the recipe.  Now I know from my cooking days that bread has some salt in it, but not too much, for salt kills yeast.  And, talking to my honorary daughter yesterday, learnt from her that salt has become an issue with bread, in as much as it seems people are now getting too much salt into their diets from eating bread, perhaps for breakfast and for lunch time sandwiches.

Well, I think some research into this issue is needed and I'll get back to you on this.  Of course, there's another issue to look into as well,  and one of labelling, for I'm wondering why this fresh bread brought home this morning was not comprehensively labelled?


One aspect of down-sizing not understood when we purchased our new home was the absence of stairs, which of course, a ground-floor flat does not need.  As I'm sure we all understand, stairs provide a very useful exercise tool, as well as getting us about, and nowadays, we're always being encouraged to incorporate exercise into our daily routines, as a matter of course.  So when out shopping or walking Alice, I'm always looking out for stairs and steps to utilise and luckily for me, we have a fairly steep flight of stairs down to a Supermarket quite close to where we live.

And shopping for breakfast this morning I had occasion to use these stairs, not once but twice, which was terrific - double exercise exposure in one go!

Lucky me!

And we have friends coming to supper tonight, which will be fun, and Alice to walk and a book to be given to a friend from our book club, and He's just ordered us a new printer - brilliant.  Happy printing ahead for me for my Christmas holiday snaps of family and friends.

Bother, the housework's pressing!

toodle oo

Daisy

Love dining out.....

At the Great Western Arms, Aynho, for a delicious dinner with friends and it was an excellent evening.

It looks as if the snow might have begun to thaw and properly, for we've had rain today which has washed away much of the compacted snow on adjacent footpaths, which is excellent.  There have been news rumours of further snow storms about but we're hoping none will come our way.

Now I do love snow, its drifting and twirling flakes, that distinctive and defining under-foot crunch and the sun-lit sparkly-bright snow, wherever it lies undisturbed and untrammelled.

However, we've now had enough snow to keep us going until next winter and, even though my darling grandson would happily continue his playful discovery of snow for many weeks to come, it really is time to bring this winter's snow season to a close!

And here are just a few last photos of our snowy season........enjoy!










Won'r I look silly if it snows again soon???

Daisy

A visit to Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire

 This glorious Abbey began life in the 7th Century in the Saxon period 635 - 1066 and today fragments of this time remain within the body of the building.

I was there for a seminar on the care of church buildings and what a wonderful venue for this meeting this was.

The village of Dorchester on Thames is a charming old world destination, very well worth a visit.

Driving to the Abbey, I passed through the village of Nuneham Courtenay where there is a wonderful arboretum to visit.


And the two villages of Marsh Baldon and Toot Baldon, collectively known as The Baldons of Oxfordshire.












I have to confess to feelings of near panic at the thought of driving in the snow but the route was all along main roads and motorways, which were all completely clear of snow.  I was so relieved!

We have more snowy weather forecast for tomorrow...ah well, it's the season for bad weather and we must just cope with the prevailing conditions.


Daisy

Bother ....it's snowing again!!

We've begun to get just a little bit fed up with this dratted snow, well, you know what I mean, don't you?

And yes I do agree with you, saying we really don't get so very much snow each year, that we should be able to cope with this fleeting, annual snow fall, that is our lot, generally speaking.  Of course, all the children, and the young at heart, are thoroughly enjoying the snow and all the fun associated with its presence and even we have thrown the odd snow ball at each other and Alice has simply romped through its crunchy-powdery glory, returning home with snow all over her coat and with snowy paws.

However, its presence is now beginning to make life difficult in many ways and I've seen and heard of folk who really struggle to cope in snowy conditions. Why, today, as we were driving down  the road, I saw a frail old lady making her way very gingerly along the pavement, and holding a long-handled garden fork as a walking stick to steady her gait.  But of course, bravo to her for getting up and outside to get some fresh air and exercise; I did wonder if the lady had anyone to help with her shopping - I do hope so!

Well, it's supposed to be warmer at the weekend and the snow has been thawing but then last night it snowed again, very slowly and gently, and completely managed to cover my car again.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to go out for a church seminar with lunch but it all depends on what the weather does tonight?

And here's Alice, Me and Poppy on a warm summer day off for our daily walk....Happy times!

Ah well, we shall see!

Daisy

Holiday Hong Kong snaps - my smashing holiday

busy people 

harbour boats, cars and roads

the City sleeps

Harbour view

Cars buildings lights

Taxis

Daisy xxx

Our snow's still around....

Hi there,  we've just been Skyping with my son and daughter-in-law in Australia, which was just all pure joy.

Don't you just have to agree with me when I say how absolutely wonderful it is, this ability to hear and see the far away and sadly missed presence of kith and kin?

Our loved ones have to follow their dreams and we must sit and wait out their absence with understanding and patience..........so it's just wonderful that now, with brilliant technology, we can keep in close-faced contact with them; and chat away almost as if they were right here in the same room, on the sofa and all together?

On my return journey home from Australia in 2010, I had a two-day stay in Hong Kong, which was just so terribly exciting.  Perhaps you might care to see some of my photos from that trip?  And I think they would make a nice change  from my recent snowy ones?

We shall see?

Daisy

A Snowy Oxfordshire

SNOW

It was falling when we took our first walk at 8.30 am this morning, soft little flakes that couldn't possible settle, or so we thought!!

But they did, and settle well, and by the time
we took our second walk at 1.20 p.m  there were four inches of nicely powdered snow, in thick drifts, just longing for one's footstep  to be imprinted upon their brilliant whiteness!

But the snow's depth concealed  kerb-stones and dips and holes along our pathway and we nearly tumbled on occasion, but we extricated ourselves with great care, and enjoyed our walk.

Alice was positively drenched with snow flakes, her paws deeply encrusted, and her coal-black nose, shiny wet.

Her tail wagged continuously!

Branches littered and bending....

Pretty trees silhouetted against buildings

"How lovely the trees look" quipped a perfect strange and he was so right......

So I thought you might like to see how we've fared today......









and very lightly indeed, compared to South Wales.

Goodness knows, how slippery the pathways will be for Alice's walk tomorrow, after the predicted frosted conditions we are to have tonight.






So now Alice and I have been out for three good-ish walks today, and the dear SO has just gone out again, for a short spell, before it gets too late.  But it's stopped snowing, it's 9.45 pm and we sitting comfortably on the sofa watching Sense and Sensibility on the TV.  Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet star in the version we're watching and I must tell you, it's a firm favourite of mine

Just love Jane Austen's works...........


Daisy

PS the dear SO has just declared that out of our eighteen coat hooks, he has but two for his own use.....silly man.  I cannot imagine that he  is correct, can you?

Snow-time.....

Well here we are, all primed and ready for the snow we've been advised is coming our way in the wee small hours of tomorrow morning, its fall-varying degrees depending on geographical position

We've just been out for our evening walk, Alice and me and, right now, the snow is soft and powdery under foot.  It's collected into small drifts, lying thickly on path and grass verge where it crunches beneath  the foot fall.  Where it lays on the path, it appears as a thick sprinkling of icing sugar/confectioners sugar, soft and yielding.

This afternoon, before the snow began to fall again, the residue of earlier snow, glittered with  night time frost, which so swiftly follows the swirling, falling snow flake.  Beneath this layer of innocent whiteness, lay hid the little patches of compacted ice which trip the unguarded foot, causing the heart to flutter.    Anticipation slows the careful pedestrian, anxious not to slip or skid, for a fall could certainly bring bruises or strained limbs, possibly even a damaged hip, so the careful walker treads with more watchfulness, once winter's snowy days have returned  again to plague the adult population.

For the child, and the inner child, falling snowflakes bring an added frisson to winter's season, and the possible excitement of snowball fights, sledging, tobogganing and the building of snowmen, with their eyes and mouth of coal or stones, to grace the garden until the thaw.

Snowy country fields and lanes sparkle in the clear morning sunshine, and the town looks brighter with its
trees and roof tops graced by snowy crystals clinging to their structure.

Walking over the crisp morning snow, scuffing it into little heaps along the way, its collection on paw and boot delighted us with its presence.


Now we've all shopped at our favourite food store for adequate supplies, against the threat of being cut-off from nearby civilisation, for village and hamlet, in the event of overwhelming snow falls and drifts.  And we townsfolk too, have garnered extra stores against tomorrow's hiatus, when the snow has settled upon us and our gardens.

Drifting snowflakes, twirling and dancing down from leaden skies above, are so pretty and joyful, floating about on the breeze, without a care for tomorrow, at which we gaze with a mixture of awe and trepidation.  Who knows what road or rail journeys we may have to make tomorrow, the expectation of which might bring a sense of angst to even the stoutest heart?

Yet we'll cope, one way or another; children will rush out into their snowy playground, excitedly throwing
snow-balls at friend or foe, travellers will either stay or go, depending on the urgency of their journey and happy stay-at-homers will discover a need to venture outside, just to check on a hose a fence or shed, and carelessly trail a pathway on virgin snow, or caress a snow-burdened leaf or twig.  It's magical presence a re-discovered joy, despite the beleaguered traveller's qualms.

Most probably our snow-filled days will not endure for long, yet we have experienced awful snowy conditions, lasting for weeks, and oh how well, I remember college days, made difficult by frozen pipes and chilly morning dashes to get to lessons on time, when frosty snow lay about for almost three months

At school, how late I always was, the last to return to afternoon classes, ruddy cheeked and bright of eye, lingering by desire outside, hands numb with cold.  Lucky for me, our music teacher was always amused by my late appearance!

Well, we shall see,  tomorrow morning, what nature has thrown our way, what sights to enjoy or fears to surmount, and what plans to make for this winter's snow-sundered days.

Other places mostly fare far more harshly than we, normally, ever do.  Their snow-ploughs, vehicles and peoples, acclimatised to winter's yearly burdens, survive and flourish so well, but so will we and who knows, it could be fun!

My dear SO can't wait to get out in my Mazda and slip and slide through the snow-bound stretches round-about, and Alice will be beside herself, tail up and nose down, snuffling over snow-powdered walks.

Oh happy, happy days for the young-at-heart!


Daisy xxx

Dressing up and going out........

Isn't it amazing how easily one can forget just what effort it takes to get oneself dressed to kill and looking gorgeous?

To some of us it's a matter of course, which they take in their stride, dressing up beautifully, with a calm and ease to belie all the effort the rest of us have to give to every glorious occasion; dressing to go partying, being   dishy and attractive, and drop-dead gorgeous.

When one has everything to hand, like matching bags and party shoes, your evening jewellery, the box of lace-edged handkerchiefs redolent of lavender or hyacinth, one's best set of lace under-pinnings, sheer black tights and black patent pumps or black 3" killer heels (and perhaps even higher for today's glamorous belles), your favourite LBD, Cashmere wrap or Pashmina, and your best evening beauty box all ready and waiting; and of course, your hair looking its glossy best, its all so pleasurably easy.

However, unless you're very lucky and well organised, by the time you've added two or three score years to your mean average, it's a matter of collecting all the disparate bits of your partying paraphernalia, shaking out the creases and folds, unravelling or stretching your best under-pinnings, removing the crisp tissue rolls from  your toe caps, and checking on the possibilities of what you're hoping to achieve, then it's a fine balance of taste, discernment and good luck/management to get yourself all dolled-up and ready for the off.  And please do give yourself an extra thirty minutes just for yourself, because, believe me, it's awfully easy to run out-of-time when your previously well-honed-skills are just a teenie-weenie but rusty!

However, don't be discouraged by the time and effort consumed, for it's all worth it, and you'll love every minute of your wonderful evening out, be it a birthday, the birth of a grandchild, down-sizing, up-grading, new romance or a long-lost friend re-discovered.

We've been out tonight for our joint birthday celebration, my girlfriend and me, for our birthdays are exactly two week's apart for the same birth year and, being kindred spirits, we fizzed and bubbled off each other all evening long, with our loved ones happily encouraging and joining in.

So do keep up the good work, your party tool-kit and all your special effect bits and pieces, and keep practising away for as long as you possibly can.  Life's too short and precious to waste a single opportunity for fun and enjoyment, high-town sophistication and good old-fashioned star-lit romancing.

And...... 

paying the piper!!

Happy days.....Daisy

Ah ha, a kitchen upgrade....

For the last year we have been cooking with a friend's pressure cooker and loving the fact that meals, and very nice ones, could be produced in double quick time and with very little fuss!

So, with our new home, we decided we simply must have a pressure cooker for ourselves!  And we went to buy one at our local auction sale, and we nearly got it, too, but then, at the last minute, we were out-bid!  Ah the acute sense of deprivation, as somebody else carried away our promised salvation.

Now I truly love to cook and I really have to tell you,  my dear SO is extremely good at producing a very decent meal, and both of us are happy in the kitchen and with the clearing up.  But.....and it's a very big but, with Him re-doing our new property and me assisting, but also wanting to get on with my own work...the writing and blogging, walking Alice, my family history research, my own lovely children and their children....well, as you can see, there really isn't much time for cooking.

There is an  alternative plan, of course, which is to eat out all the time..but.nope, that's just too expensive, and quite frankly, there's not enough reasonably priced restaurants round-about to visit on a regular time-scale, with sufficient date-intervals for menu variety.  And lets face it, sometimes you don't want to eat out, let alone go out; I mean, isn't it lovely sometimes just to curl up on your sofa, having eating a smashing and tasty home-cooked meal, and watch your favourite TV programme, or read your latest book?

We have another difficulty in common, and where food is concerned, which is that we are both almost biologically incapable of cooking just enough for one meal at a time.  I've always produced too much cooked food, even when a professional chef, so I could always feed however many hungry people we numbered that day.  And as for the dear SO, he is totally and utterly and completely bad at only cooking for those present for any meal.

You can tell, I'm quite sure, where this is all leading us too, hey?  Well, of course, we very quickly got used to eating comforting and enormous meals, and particularly when I arrived home in my British Green Mazda, stressed and tired, and having cooked for others all day, and finding I was tremendously famished and desirous of  eating every tasty morsel put before me.

So we had a three-fold problem on our hands.  We needed to cook but eat less, needing to cook and freeze the extra portions, for the saving of time and for the sake of our, sadly, increasing waistlines, and wanting to spend more time on our own particular jobs and interests, yet needing to have good food ready to hand, so that we didn't have to make too many supermarket dashes to pick up ready prepared food, just longing to be microwaved and consumed.

Do you know, I even sent for Delia Smith's "One Is Fun" to help me cook less; but the realisation quickly dawned, that we could continue to cook our larger meals, in less time, with a pressure cooker, and by spreading the total amount over more than one meal, having the added advantage of filling several small containers to feed our empty freezer, and our future hungry selves?.

We shall use Delia's splendid book, for variety and diversion, and the new cream lidded casserole I bought Him for Christmas, but our new Prestige Pressure Cooker will reign supreme for some considerable time to come; and that will be sweet bliss!!


Plenty of good food to hand, without the constant cooking or the tempting lefts-overs, just longing to be gobbled up in times of stress or greed!!

Happy living dear reader - Daisy xxx

Green stuff talks!

Eucalyptus

Did you know, this greenery makes the most glorious Christmas decorations, which keep and store very well.  I didn't use them this year because, well, the box they were in, was right at the very bottom of a huge stack of heavy boxes and, well, I just couldn't get them unstacked.

So.........the dear SO bought some different ones and.......they were OK but not Me......do you know what I mean?   They looked really quite good on our little Christmas tree but, when we draped two new sets of white Christmas lights over everything, wow our tree looked super.

OK  - so eucalyptus isn't just for Christmas but also for whenever you get a whim to decorate, when its lovely curly and wavy stems, all bedecked with kinda semi-heart shaped petals, are just absolutely perfect in your tallest vase, full of clear, sparklingly fresh and crystal clean water.

And I like to add my glass flower weights, just for good measure; they look rather pretty too, and I guess they do what they're supposed to do, keep the plant stems in place!

By themselves they look charming, but add sparkly or pretty, elegant or sleek, and you have the most attractive and gorgeous and natural decorative addition for your home.  And what could be nicer, hey???

So here you have it, my vase of newly purchased eucalyptus stems, bought from our local market today and, well, I just thought you might like to see my creation?

I do hope you like it?

Byeeeeeee  -  Daisy

Hello there....

Life huh, it's kind of funny, kinda sad, "mad, bad and dangerous to know" sometimes, don't you think?

But it's all we've got and I guess we've just to make the best of it - and thank goodness - we can, and most of us do just that, at least most of the time.  And for the rest, well, we just do what we can to survive and hope for the best.  That black demon gets to all of us, at times,  and then we just  have to work it out for ourselves, somehow, and mostly, we come out of it, more-or-less intact?

Thank goodness!!

dining out at a local Pie place

This week's birthdays, to date, have included too many of course to recall altogether, but, notably, David Bowie and the Duchess of Cambridge, long lost friends and family and, mine too.  Usually I find this week very trying, personally; expectation, excitement and disappointment filling my hours with equal intensity.  But this year it's been different.  A sense of wholeness and completeness has filled my hours.  Actually, Christmas was like that too.   Instead of the usual, seemingly, fleeting experience of good cheer, reverence, holiness, familial things, presents, food, wine and the glory of Christmas decorations and our beautiful Christmas trees, that same sense of joy unbounded and completeness has been all mine to enjoy and experience, and there's been no feeling of bereft-ness, no desperately holding onto those swiftly passing hours, no angst or sadness for the parting from kith and kin.  Instead, a definite and total sensation of a new beginning, of hope for the future just ahead, and for distant future yet to be known.

I have no detailed reasons for these feelings, which I have known and experienced this year, and why this year;  however it's happened, it's not important and I'm not fretting over the whys and wherefores right now, just thankful it's been so.

I hope you too, dear reader, have experienced the good things which Christmas brings to us, one way or the other, and the good feelings which remain with us because of Christmas.

Happy New Year .......

Daisy

Shelf duty.......

It's not a pretty set-up as yet, just a corner shelf running along connecting walls, on which I've quickly dumped some box files, a basket, a small Elizabeth Arden make-up case and two small coloured filing trays, but it's a start.

Each container bears a labelled legend stating what it contains and you know,  I'm so pleased to be able to use these labels, for I've been storing them now for a long time, since being given them at least ten years ago, so hey ho, I'm using antique labels.  How about that?

And my new bookcase now holds more books and box files, diaries and day books, family history folders and cookery books.

I've undressed the Christmas tree and put the Christmas cards and lists and letters into a yellow box file, and found more of my CD's; but I'm still missing others and, for the moment, I cannot think where the rest of my music could possibly be?

And I'm desperate to locate a Van Morrison CD; you see, I put it somewhere safe, BUT where??

Why do things become lost, I mean what is it that we do to lose things we treasure?  Are we careless, forgetful or just plain silly, so that we cannot keep track of our possessions, even when we really endeavour to do so?  I'm not sure what it is we do, or don't do, but I should love to know how to stop losing things, hey?

Yet there'll be no shelving of responsibilities, and I'll go on boxing and labelling and sorting, keeping diaries and day books, and making lists of all my possessions and finally, draw everything together, and.....well, we'll see, shall we?

Don't you think that could be an excellent thing to do, you know, make a positive life collection of detail and pictures, and give it to yourself as a very special birthday or Christmas present and then share it with your loved ones?

Cheerio,

Daisy

No lack of shelving going on!

Up and on to our computers, then housework - phew - but needs must I suppose?  And He went off to help with shelf fittings for his daughter, a stool to be put together so that his granddaughter could indulge in water play at the kitchen sink and photos taken - all good for the memory bank.

Lunch - and I used half a pot of my turkey Rillettes with my gluten free pasta plus sweetcorn and lots of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt; it was jolly nice.

My lovely Christmas skirt from Boden needed hanging loops sewn on, which I did while having coffee after my smashing lunch and then Alice got me to take her out for a good walk along the canal side, which we both enjoyed.

Back home, the dear SO suggested we dash off to buy wood for my shelves and on our way his son rang to say we were all going out for dinner and to meet at The Red Lion at 6.45pm.  So a very quick shop at B & Q for my wood and brackets and off back home.

A quick change and we're off and I'm going in my own car, with Alice, for I'd arranged to Skype with my son in Australia, and here I am waiting for our order to arrive; and by the way, The Red Lion was full so we had to dash off to another village and here we are, again, happily waiting for our order to arrive.  Full of expectation for it's a Pie restaurant, they only make the most marvellous pies and actually rather yummy puddings but....we were simply too well fed for anything else.  A lovely evening and here I am

before dashing home, with Alice, to Skype with my son.

And we'll be doing my desk shelves tomorrow - yippee!!!

Cheerio - Daisy

Organisational delights?

We had a hall cupboard that was entirely taken up by an old boiler which no longer worked, and hadn't done for some time.  Today, the dear SO decided to remove it - good thing to do - and use the cleared space for something else.

Now I have a very great number of boxes and baskets full of papers and calendars, diaries and notebooks, plus countless other things that are entirely necessary to me, and my earlier days but which, now, need to be properly organised, recorded and sorted, to complete a picture of my life.   I mean, that is what you want to do when you are endeavouring to keep an interesting and readable record of your life; and recording your family history also demands that you keep details of your own life, for you don't want an incomplete record, which is what you'd have without your own life story.

So, over the years, I've kept all sorts of details which now must be put into order and, by doing this, I hope to enable myself to conjure up other stories; but first of all, I must clear the decks and give myself room to manoeuvre.

Thus this newly cleared cupboard has allowed Him to create a space for his tools and bits and pieces, which He definitely deserves to have and this will then allow space in the kitchen cupboard, where the hot water tank is, to hold various kitchen bits and pieces, thereby clearing the kitchen of clutter and giving us a tidier work space.

Are you still with me?  You see when we arrived, we just put things anywhere and now we're having to re-organise ourselves as we eliminate various things we no longer think are right - phew.

So He's creating shelves in his new cupboard and in the process, using up his wood supply, which will help us decide what to buy for future shelving requirements.  And I need shelves over my desk and in the bedroom and...........well, I'm not sure where else yet but we'll see?

You know the situation I'm sure; you know where you want to end up and with what, so you have to go back from that position to the beginning and work out what you need to do first of all, to get to your desired end position, hey ho!

And once He's got his shelves, He will be happy to do mine, well more of mine, and that's what I'm working on right now; and when my new shelves are up and utilised, I'll have a clear desk on which to work.  And that will be just great.

And today I've been looking at various ready-made shelving ideas but I guess we'll end up by buying new pine shelves and brackets and nails, and creating own design items, for He's very good at building and creating things....and it's all very exciting!

Daisy

New Year pause........

I don't know about you, of course, but I'm now catching up with myself and all the things left undone in the Christmas rush; also with hobbies put aside for the flat renovation,  And also still sorting out the figures for the renovation.

Isn't it interesting how figures tell a story, and not just one but several, depending on the questions asked of them.  Now I don't really enjoy doing figure work but, if one thing is going to get me worrying and waking up too early in the morning, because of that worry-mode I've fallen in to, it's figure work.  And I do passionately believe that if you don't like doing something, then it's something you should push yourself to do until you can do it without any delay, or sense of dread!

I also attempt to keep a sensible spending diary, well mostly, and I keep all my receipts for simply ages past; some I now can't even decipher because of the faded ink!!  And keeping records of any sort is a good thing to do, if a little tedious at times, but most certainly helpful when trying to back-track your life.

For at times, one  simply must look back on earlier activities, spendings and various details, just to ascertain how one is doing now and perhaps, more importantly, how well one might do in the future?  And without figures and details to jog the memory, how can one possibly recall activities of an earlier date?

Also necessary to my way of thinking, a comfortable chair, some lovely dark chocolate, a cup of tea and peace and quiet......"with loved ones far away".  Now I believe that's a quote from someone I read somewhere, possibly a book of poetry I believe, which I must look up, when I've unpacked all my books, and let you know.  Do you know, we've been trying to give away our books, for both of us have so many, but it's such a difficult thing to do, especially a collection of cooking books.  And don't you just find the moment you've given something away, you need it yourself?  Last weekend, when I was converting my turkey meat into Confit and Rillettes, I was able to turn instantly to my collection of favourite books for tips and hints.  Now if I'd given them away, how lost I should have been?

Hey ho, one is busier now than when working and why, because the clock doesn't seem to tick so loudly or incessantly; of course, the other cause is the delay one allows to happen because you're working to your own time table with no-one pushing you to get their work actioned.

Actually, of course, ones own time is every bit as important as another's time, so really one should be even more punctilious about keeping time, for it's your own time your wasting.....now that's a good thought to end on, hey?

One other thing I must say....silly me, for there I was thinking I was older this year than I'm going to be, so in a way, I've gained a whole year, that I'm absolutely determined to make every minute count and do all sorts of things I've delayed because of that sense of a  terrible lack of time.

But, I must just get my figures sorted out first of all!!

Daisy

New Year....2013

A bright shiny day, crisp, sunny and cold.  In short, a beautiful New Year's day, which I do hope all of you were able to enjoy.

After walking Alice out in Daeda's Wood, I settled down to my box emptying again and becoming so involved and busy, was surprised to find it was early evening before stopping for a while.

Joyfully, I discovered a picture of a beautiful country cottage I'd removed from a magazine back in 1988, kept because I'd decided this was where I should have loved to live, given half a chance; and there it was, nestling amongst a batch of papers.  Surprisingly I also found a new picture frame and oh boy, my cottage fitted perfectly.  The magazine was the January issue of Homes and Gardens 1988 and the featured home, The Old Vicarage, Old Walden, Bedfordshire; the photographer was Jerry Young of whom I know not a thing.   I must see if  I can track down more of his work.

Well, whilst unpacking, we've watched the film of Lawrence of Arabia and now we have Russell Crowe in the film of Robin Hood and it's very good, so a brilliant evening for us.

So, as I've been rather pre-occupied today, may I leave you with a poem of mine and published last Christmas as a Kindle Book?

Mid-winter

On the cusp of bleak winter spring gives direction
The shortest day beckons summer's sweet inspiration
No heed icy blasts or snowfall caked roads
Thoughts of summer joyfully well bodes
Winter's necessity we have to go through
To get to the summer we love, don't you?
Mid-winter's season is a time to be merry
To dress the house with bough and berry
Candles and incense loved ones and gifts
For pleasure and joy and healing small rifts
The season of feasting merrymaking and praise
As men come together on winter-bleak days


Enjoy the new year

Daisy xxx

well hello there....

Happy New Year to all of you out there, wherever you are and what ever timing zone you find yourself in right now.

Lets hope we all have a marvellous New Year ahead of us, good friends, good connections, good health and much good fortune..

We had a lovely family Christmas and we were all as excited as my grandchildren were and I do hope your Christmas was as good as mine.

Wherever you were and with whom you spent your Christmas with, I sincerely hope you enjoyed a peaceful and happy time........and now good wishes for a Very Happy New Year and peace and prosperity and good luck in all you attempt in 2013.


Daisy xxx