Keeping safe and carrying on ...

 

It's been a week of ups and downs moodwise and healthwise

 

I've been practising some mindfulness listening and doing gentle exercising each day

We are still shielding at home, 72 days now

 

 

 

Here's some things that have been passing the time this past week -

 

 

Time spent doing a little colouring. I do love Peter Rabbit

 

 

 

 

I finished reading A Single Thread, the latest by Tracey Chevalier.

Started this new book one of my book group ladies passed on.

 

 

 

 

My granddaughter will celebrate her 9th Birthday next week.  A very different birthday for her this year. 

 

 

I stitched this card, a free chart at crosstitching.com called birthday panda.

She loves pandas.

 

 

 

 

A cake was made and shared with my over the road friend.

She picked it up off our doorstep when she passed by on her daily dog walk.  

We waved through the glass of our porch and had the best conversation you can like that.

 

 

 

 

 

DH and I were sharing a kit kat and a cuppa at the bottom of the garden.
 

Next doors kit cat, Jasper, wanted to share too....

"If I fits, I sits"  that's his motto!

 

 

 

 

 

A member of the community garden where DH is Chairperson rang the doorbell, she waved from the road and pointed to a parcel on the step.

 

Inside was a bundle of leeks for us she had harvested and shared - very tasty.

 

 

 

 

DD dropped off half a coconut cake she had baked to share with us. 

  

 

 

As you can see cake is featuring a lot in our week, but I am pleased to say the scales tell me that I am still the same weight I was at the beginning of the lockdown (result).

 

 

Sending love and blessings from our home to yours

 

Stay safe, take care and have a good week

 

Julie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scavenger photo-hunt ~ APRIL

 

 

 

 

Joining in with Kate and the other scavengers hunters.

 

 

The prompts for April were :-

Happiness is ....

Makes me smile .....

Relaxing with .....

Busy with .....

Positive about ..... 

My own choice .....

 

 

It's a strange world we are living in right now.

 

There is no normal

 

Things change from day to day and I've had a few pictures i was going to show and then changed my mind

 

I am not allowed out

  

 I'm home shielding so no daily hours exercise unless its in the house or garden

 

 

Finally decided on these :-

 

 

Happiness is ....

 

 

During April it's been seeing my little magnolia tree flower for the first time.  

 

Last year a little rascal squirrel decided just as the flowers were starting to open that they would make a nice tasty treat and we didn't see them.  They were on the floor when we got up one morning all chewed up.  With the flowering time being so short its been a long wait for this years blooms and it's been lovely to sit outside in the recent warm sunshine, enjoy the birds which have been so very vocal and watch these beauties open up over a few days in their full glory.

 

 

 

Makes me smile .....

 

 

It's unheard of to be the end of April and my camellias still have lots of flowers on them. 

They've given me a smile every morning as I open the kitchen blind and look out of the window into the garden.

 

 

 

 

Relaxing with .....

 

Midge our cat. 

Late starts, a cup of tea in bed to start the day.
I'm reading and he's cuddled up next to me dreaming with the sunshine streaming in through the window.

 

 

 

 

Busy with .....

 

Drinking lots of tea and doing more than a little baking to keep busy

 

Fruit scones with jam and cream

 

Cheese scones and a Victoria sandwich filled with lemon curd.

 

 

 

Positive about ..... 

This is the positivity of my 8 year old granddaughter to keep us going and hope for better things to come

She sent me a card with a drawing of the sunset at the beach from where we were last October

"We'll be here again" she has written with the smiley face

 

The diamond dome she mentions on the right hand side is the amusement arcade we had fun in a few times.
 

 

The other side was the bit that brought the tears ......

 

 

and yes, I am missing her very badly too. 

 

We've been having video calls and trying to make it fun when we chat.  Seeing her smiling face really is a tonic.

 

 

 

 

My own choice .....

 

 

 

 This is a metal sign a friend bought me some time ago.

 

  It hangs in my conservatory and is quite apt at the moment. 

 

It reads ... "If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need"

 

(of course it could also say plenty of stash to knit and sew with... which I do have!)

 

 

 

If you don't know about the Scavenger Photo Hunt, go along to Kate's blog and find out more. She posts prompts at the beginning of the month and it's up to you to find pictures that fit.  It can be a recent snap or an old one from the archives.

 

  It's fun, why not give it a go.

 

 

 

Take care everyone, stay safe

 

 

love and blessings

 

Julie

 

 

 

Boing, boing ... it's Spring

As I woke this morning the radio came on and 'Today is the first day of Spring' was what the happy chap was saying.   'Smile and welcome it into your world'

I've welcomed it today -

I changed my seasonal frame  :-  Goodbye winter ... hello Spring

 

 

There has been a little sunshine in the sky as well as lots of fluffy clouds today.  Much better than the rainy days we've been having.  Thank you Mother Nature

 

 

I walked in the garden and took note of the spring flowers and the bright colours

 

 

 

 

 

The whole world is living in uncertain times right now with Covid-19.  Things are changing hourly and we all need to find the happy and positive things in daily living. 

 

With my weekly chemotherapy and DH's heart operation that finally went ahead earlier this month so he too is vulnerable, we have been safe at home keeping the door firmly closed to all for a while.   My children have delivered food parcels when they have been able to get things and kept in touch by phone. 

 

I'm learning new things about technology.  It is such a good thing right now for everyone with exercise classes and peaceful and calming ideas online as well as the news that we all need to limit in our heads for our own wellbeing, but I do feel for those elderly who do not do it and are home alone. 

 

Many friends have been in contact to check on us, and we've called others.  I've never chatted so much on the phone, having fun and laughter as well as talking about how things are affecting our families and we've been supporting each other.

 

Some simple things we've enjoyed ....

 

I made a victoria sponge cake and filled it with homemade jam from the pantry.  That sparked a chat remembering the blackberries we harvested last autumn and that then brought the subject up about this years growing season at the community garden and how would that pan out over the coming growing season and months ahead?

 

 

I've knitted himself some hand warmers as he's feeling the chill still a little at times

 

 

A squishy parcel arrived filled with wool from a sale I couldn't resist last week.   

 

 

I've been reading quite a bit.  There is a list of books read this year in the left hand side bar.

 

A little stitching for an Easter exchange, but that might have to be postponed and celebrated later in the year.

 

Sending my love and blessings to you all as we walk this uncertain pathway. 

 

Keep your chin up and I hope you too find happy moments in each day. 

 

Stay safe and take care

 

Julie