Virtually Coffee Tuesday - Coffee Before Christmas...

Every day i get an inspirational quote from values.com, and this was yesterday's:

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand, and for talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.

Dame Edith Sitwell

and i add 'virtual coffee with friends' :)

So how are the festive preparations going? Are you managing to keep sane? To get a few moments to yourself? To enjoy the moment...

I am in a much better place than last week :) 
Most of the gifts are wrapped and what needed to be mailed has been, and we have gifts under the tree...

And i have had an early xmas gift...

i managed to get into the only clinic this month in our area for botox treatment, and yesterday i had the injections in my arm. Usually it takes several days to kick in and give me some relief...

this was my hand last week...

... painfully cramped and tight...

and this is it already today

... i've never known it to relieve my hand and arm so quickly, and i am sooooo grateful! The release from pain is truly wonderful :) And it means i'll be able to wash it properly and get my nails cut...

Truly i am grateful for living in the 21st century and in a western country with access to medical care!!!

So i will wish you a very merry christmas, happy times spent with those you love, and above all good health and, if illness or accident do strike, good medical care...

With much love xxx


Enjoy the coffee chat over at Amy's...

Virtually Coffee Tuesday - This 'n' That...

Can you believe in two weeks' time, the whole Christmas shin-dig will be over and folks will be back at work??
And I've still got gifts to buy and then wrap and mail... *help*

But there's always time for coffee and chat :) Especially on a cold, blustery day...

Molly has the right idea...

... curled up on her bed in front of the fire...

... and the candles are already lit as it's so gloomy...

This is an after-lunch chat - the morning evaporated in buying last-minute gifts online and trying to remember where I've put/hidden gifts already bought...

This is what I had for lunch - pure comfort food...

... a mushed banana sarnie and a mug of tea :)

This was always my favourite Saturday tea-time snack as a kid watching Dr Who with my Grandad :) Rounded off with a slice of whatever cake Grandma had made earlier in the day...

But nowadays it's more fruit instead of cake, but I was spoilt for choice...

... I chose a pear :) What do you fancy??

I must show a new addition to my new-found teddy obsession...

His name's Pip, and nobody else bid on him on ebay - poor little guy - just because he's lost some mohair on his chest and arm...

Well, I couldn't resist that little face, and he was an absolute steal!! He and Henry have been eyeing up my sandwiches... I confess, they are rather teddy-bear-picnic food!

And, I received this beauty in the post yesterday...

My friend Poppy M always sends plants to brighten the dark yule season. This is a campanula - it still looks a tad shell-shocked from the journey, but hopefully it'll like the kitchen window sill...

Well, my coffee's now cold, and the present-wrapping/card-writing beckons...

I hope you're managing to keep on top of Christmas preparations, and more importantly, managing to find a few quiet moments each day to remember what it's really all for... light and warmth and love in a sometimes cold and hard place...

Amy hasn't put the VC list up yet, but she does has tea and berries from yesterday :)

Update 7.40pm (GMT) - The VC list is up :)

Virtually Coffee Tuesday - Beary Happy...

... First, I want to say a big thank you to those who left comments and sent emails re. my last post...
Thank you so much - all your words mean such a lot...

I am feeling much brighter this week...

E decorated the tree on Saturday, so the house feels cosy and festive :)

The kids' initials decorate the tree every year...

E made this little guy about 10 years ago - she loved her Hama beads!

... and she's never liked the angel topper I use, so this little chap has pride of place this year :)

I am in a very beary mood, since I was given this gorgeous young man the other day...

I think our relative meant for him to go to the kids... but they weren't interested...

His name is Henry, and he's settled right in...

... and today he got his very own bear...

He arrived this morning and is beautifully handknitted by the lovely Rowan at BearBovis... I think he'll help Henry feel right at home :)

As a child, I never had a bear...

I did receive a huge, orange Merrythought bear for my first birthday - I've seen pictures - but he stood over 3 feet high and growled, and I was terrified, so he was banished to the attic...

I retrieved him years later, thinking our kids may like him... but they were terrified too, so he went to the charity shop... :(

But now I have Henry, another Merrythought bear, but he's the perfect size (about 18 inches), the perfect colour (golden), the perfect weight (he's beautifully solid), and now at the ripe old age of ??, I have my very own bear - and I couldn't be happier :)

Do join us over at Amy's for more coffee chat...

Virtually Coffee Tuesday - In a reflective mood...

... for many reasons...

Nick and I went to the advent celtic service in the village church the other Sunday. It's always been my favourite service - candle-lit and laity-led. Before the stroke, I used to help lead services...

And on Sunday, I started reading this book

I hope to write more on my other blog following my responses to what I read, as I know I'm experiencing deep stirring changes, which I need more time to think about before I attempt to verbalize them...

But these words struck me from today's reading: 'God loves us as adult partners, with mutual give and take, and you eventually become the God that you love' (italics in original).

Needless to say, this provokes deep reactions in me as to what this could mean on so many levels - as a theology graduate, a former committed Anglican still angry with the church, as a soul seeking some understanding...

And I'm still pondering an item of news that has dominated UK papers - the apparent suicide  of Gary Speed, former footballer and national coach of Wales on Sunday - he was 42, married with two teenage sons, and had only been on the TV programme Football Focus on Saturday...

(photo copyright The Guardian)

I was listening to the radio, awaiting the commentary on a football match, on Sunday as the news broke... the shock and disbelief of the radio DJ and his guests were palpable...

What depths of despair the man must have been in...!! Apparently his wife found him hanged in their garage 7am Sunday morning... How could he have disguised his torment so well from colleagues and the public as he appeared on TV only hours before...? And the question that touches me most - how could the despair have been soooo deep as to leave his wife and children in this way...?

As a natural melancholic - it is my default position since childhood - I have experienced my own share of despair, and even seriously considered suicide after the death of Connie, our daughter who died in utero at 30 weeks in 1993. I had already lost two babies in the first trimester, and the grief was unbearable...

Yet, I did bear it with the love of my husband, my parents, my friends...

At the time, I had no desire to live, but I felt I couldn't inflict more pain and grief on them... and that glimmer of humanity/compassion/love kept me going...

So to think that this gifted, talented man was bereft of even that glimmer, is heart-breaking... and my thoughts are with those he left behind...

Linking up with Amy and others over at lucky number 13   - - - - - - - >

Virtually Coffee Tuesday - I'm still here...

 just...

it's been a tough few weeks healthwise...

finally, found i had an infected tooth which was removed last week...

still in discomfort, and finding it hard to eat, which is playing havoc with my diabetes *sigh*

so actually, virtual coffee chat is just perfect :)

and i wanted to wish you all a very happy thanksgiving *big hug*

it was always my favourite holiday when we lived in the US - all the love, and none of the hype and over-expectation of christmas (i've only whispered the 'c' word, so you don't get too stressed...)

and i have to say, i am thankful...

i have a beautiful family and wonderful friends.

i have warmth and shelter - it's turned a lot colder in the past week in the UK from the mildest november in 300 years!

i have access to dental and medical care.

we have food and drink in the pantry, and shops a short scooter ride away.

and i have a precious molly cat on my lap as i write, who has kept close by in the past week, as she knew i was struggling, proving love and understanding don't need words...

but here's one, anyway :)

PS almost forgot... make sure you google something today... what fun!!



Friday Fun: A Fantastic Fellow...

I felt I needed to post about this incredibly talented chap, Danny Mansmith, as I received a piece of his work yesterday...

This is the back of the envelope...

The front was more amazing, but I thought I'd better not reveal to address to the world...

Inside was another envelope (right), and an original sketch (left)

Inside this amazing envelope was the art book i bought...

Can you see the little guy peeping out??

And finally, here's Dan's handmade, unique business card - another work of art!

What a generous fellow he is :)

I confess, I want a dozen things from his amazing etsy shop - there's scarves, coats, collages, books, drawings - creativity just flows through his every pore!

And if you don't believe me, just google his images!!!! Talk about eye-candy! Your eyes will pop :)

Have a happy Friday - we're enjoying a heatwave in the UK at the moment - the glorious last hoorah of summer :)

Virtual Coffee Tuesday - Our gorgeous boy...

... turned 16 on Sunday... growing from this (age 2)

to this

Here's a better picture of him with his girlfriend, Anna

Having polished off the BBQ his dad prepared and cooked, we all settled down to watch this dvd

The language was a bit of a shock (!), but it was a very funny film, once you blocked out the puerile swearing...

(my brother, Jon, and my dh, Nick)

For some reason, I didn't got a pic of my dad or Esther...

After the movie, folk drifted off to do their own thing... and I had a nap and dreamed of here where I attended a Summer School to study Ancient Greek when I was 16... It was the first time I'd been away from home, and was where I realized I didn't have to settle and marry the boy from down the road (as my mother wanted)... and my escape route was to study hard, and eventually be the first person in our family to get a degree.

And it was when I was 16, I discovered Pink Floyd (whose music can collapse time for me like no other...) and this has the be the most appropriate track to share as I revisited my 16-year-old self on the day my boy turned 16...

Virtual Coffee Tuesday - Autumn Warmth...

Here's the view from my seat on the sofa...

Here's the flowers my dad brought me at the weekend...

And here's the stones I've 'collected' over the summer to help my morning meditations...

Upper left is from Elaine at RedorGrayArt and says, 'Be patient with yourself'.

Upper right is a beautifully painted stone from MonicaMarks.

Lower left is a hunk of chalcedony I've had for several years...

Lower right is a handmade mantra stone from Hank at In the Company of Saints. It bears the Greek word ἡσυχία which means 'stillness', and is the perfect shape to hold in my hand while gently rubbing the word to remind me to be still...

Hope you're embracing the change of season and keeping warm... enjoy sharing coffee over at Amy's...

Virtual Coffee Tuesday - Autumn Winds

The windy weather in the UK continues - though we're not as badly hit as the West and North...

My lack of energy - and words - continues, but I can still meet you for coffee... Join us at Amy's...

I'm just focusing on the small and precious moments...

Annie Lennox has the words - enjoy!

Virtual Coffee Tuesday - Not the best company...

... at the moment...

Got myself too tired, too stressed to talk, to reach out...

But I'm back at the computer, just to say hello...

Somehow, in my absence, the summer left, and autumn crept in...

(Blackberries my dh gathered yesterday... he's going to make jam... )

I don't have much to say, but I wanted to meet you for coffee and listen to your stories of summer...

And just to make you smile...

Apparently, we can eat more of it - it's official!!

I see Amy's got the link up... come join in :)

Virtual Coffee Tuesday - A Fun Weekend

Well, I've had a lovely girlie weekend up in beautiful Yorkshire with my friend's Andrea and Tina - Andrea lives in Wormald Green a lovely little hamlet between Harrogate and Ripon. Here's the view from Andrea's bedroom window...



On Sunday, we visited Ripon Cathedral. We weren't permitted to take photos inside, but here's one from their website of a beautiful sculpture...

Having worked up an appetite, we enjoyed lunch at a nearby brasserie - Andrea insisted she didn't want to be photographed, so here's just Tina and me...

We've known each other for 40 years having met in Brownies :)

After lunch we went back to Andrea's, Tina took a bracing walk around the area, I read the papers and Andrea watched the rugby (a game I simply do not understand...).

That evening we settled down to enjoy this movie...

It's absolutely beautiful, and Elsa Zylberstein looks incredibly like Modiglani's wife Jeanne (unlike Omid Djalil who played a young Picasso...). We all thoroughly enjoyed it :)

Well, those are the highlights of my lovely weekend - so what did you guys do? Anything fun?

Do pop over to Amy's and join in the stories, while I have a little nap as I'm still recovering... :)

Inspiration Avenue Challenge - The Forest for the Trees

I had such a great plan to make a mixed-media collage of ALL the tree photos I've taken - I've got a canvas ready - but our printer won't play ball :(

So my gorgeous boy showed me how to make a basic digital photo collage...

It's called The Four Seasons - obviously :)

PS I'm away for a girlie weekend till Monday, but I hope to have enough energy left for coffee on Tuesday... See you then x

Virtual Coffee Tuesday - Bits 'n' Bobs...

Hello again :)

This is an afternoon coffee as I've spent most of the morning at the diabetic clinic *sigh* But I was very helpful, and the new regime seems to be working...

So, how's you???

We can actually sit outside with our drinks if you'd like... it's a true summer's day... warm with a gentle breeze...

We've got some lovely flowers blooming, though I've no idea what any of them are... other than just beautiful :)
Any ideas???

And we can even enjoy music while we sit on the patio... I've finally entered the 21st century... A dear friend sent me an ipod shuffle a few months ago, and the kids have shown me how to put my CDs on iTunes... Then at the weekend, Nick got a cable so I can play the ipod through my beloved Bose...

Can you believe this little thing has 20 albums on it???? We've got a restful mix of Adele, Jamie Woo, Angus and Julia Stone, Damien Rice, Bill Withers, Iron and Wine, etc., etc...

Also, at the weekend I got some goodies for my art desk... If you remember from this post a couple of weeks ago, my brushes sat in an Alphabetti tin, but not any more...

I got the blue vase/brush holder and the funky dish/brush rest from the lovely Nicky's etsy shop - how pretty is this glaze??
 

 

Well, before I hand over the chatter to the rest of you over at Amy's, I'll leave you with my new favourite book, My Heart Wanders by Pia Jane Bijkerk. It's just perfect for sitting in the garden, chilled glass in hand, drooling over the exquisite words and pictures...

My pics don't do the book justice, but you get the idea :)

And I've used this little paper heart token at the back of the book as a bookmark :)