We Have a Winner!!!

This is the only hat I possess, but it did the job...

A BIG thank you to everyone who left comments for the give-away, and also to those who left birthday and anniversary wishes!!

And with a silent fanfare (all the trumpeters are down in the Abbey for The Wedding), here's the winner!!

Congratulations Saint Ursula!!

I couldn't log into your Typepad blog, I'm afraid, so could you contact me on my profile email, and send your snail mail address :)

But it's a long holiday weekend here in the UK, everyone's Royal Wedding crazy, so I won't be able to mail your goodies till Tuesday...

Birthday Booty

I've been a very lucky girl and thoroughly spoiled!!

Even though the house is now empty with the kids at school and hubbie at work, it's totally filled with love from family and friends near and far... I am truly blessed!!

But this is the most precious gift...

How many 15 year-old boys would walk into a shop and get an egg iced for their Mum and remember she likes dark chocolate?

Truly blessed, indeed :)

And there's still time to get your name in for the bon anniversaire give-away. I'll be drawing a winner tomorrow at 12 noon BST...

Virtual Coffee Tuesday - A Quick One...

Another quick catch-up, I'm afraid...

With the kids back at school today (for 3 days at least, then it's a long weekend for The Wedding...), and my birthday on Thursday, I'm meeting a friend for lunch, but I wanted to say 'Hello' and 'How are you?' and 'How was your Easter?'

The UK has been enjoying wonderful weather in April - great for the kids on Easter break - and we actually had a BBQ on Easter Day *an unheard-of event* 

My dad and brother came, and we had a great time - much more laid-back than a full Sunday Roast round the dinner table :) We even had choc ices for pudding!!

The house is full of chocolate - Easter Eggs abound!! I was very lucky, and got TWO of these!! I'm a real dark chocolate girl, and I adore Green and Black's, and best of all, nobody else in the family does, so I don't have to share *hehe*

Easter is not ALL about chocolate, though, and I've been thinking a lot God and 'stuff'... there's a couple of posts over at my newest blog The Leave-Taking - there's also a button on the side bar.

And there's still time to add a comment to enter my birthday/anniversary give-away. I'll draw the winner on Friday (our 22nd wedding anniversary), while watching Will and Kate on the telly...

So it's a busy week this week, but I hope I'll have more time - and pictures - to share next Tuesday....

In the meantime, stop by Amy's Virtual Coffee, and enjoy the company :)

Monday Music - Feeling Good

My favourite Nina Simone song. Just perfect for a sunny Bank Holiday Monday...

Bliss!!

Bon Anniversaire Give-Away

A week tomorrow will be my XXth birthday, so I want to celebrate by having a little give-away.

These are two lined, screenprinted pocket-size moleskine cahiers - just perfect for slipping in your bag for shopping lists, reminders, poems or a minor opus...

Keep both, or give one away, and spread the joy :)

They'll come in a handmade envelope, which I kept when I bought an amazing necklace from Amanda Davie. I love her jewellery and packaging equally!

I will also include a surprise gift... as we celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary on April 29... and yes, there's another nuptials happening on that day - a slighter grander affair than our wedding party...

So, just leave a comment, and I'll pop your name in the hat... I'll draw the name of the winner midday on the 29th BST, while watching William and Kate on the telly :)

ENJOY!!

Virtual Coffee Tuesday - By beauty surrounded...

 It is such a beautiful day, I think we'll have coffee outside :)

This is the view over our back fence - if you lift your head a little and block out the houses on three sides... I often stand at the kitchen window and pretend we live in solitude, surrounded by pines... I don't think we'd have any worse internet connection than we seem to suffer here in the depths of Lincolnshire... but aren't these beauties majestic?

Anyway, how are you? How's your week been?

As you can tell, I'm perkier than last week... though I'm dosed up with painkillers - had botox in my arm yesterday, so everything's rather sore... Who'd have thought something vain celebrities shoot into their wrinkles could help stroke victims with too-high muscle tone? But it does, and when it's kicked in (usually within a few days), I'm a much happier bunny, with a relaxed, pain-free arm and much better posture and aligment...

Last Thursday, I spent a lovely afternoon with a dear friend. These are the stunning flowers she brought me! They're an early birthday present, as she lives in Wales, and was up in Leeds at a conference. I especially adore big, flashy lilies and these beauties just fill the room with their heady fragrance, and I love the contrasting bright yellow sunflowers - just gorgeous!

And just for you, Lil Sis, this is my attempt at a moody, arty shot... I'm really not a photographer, and we have a very basic digital camera, but I rather like this out-of-focus, dreamy shot...

And, of course, I must try and draw, and even paint, these incredible flowers... when the arm feels better...

And don't forget to pop round Amy's at Lucky Number 13 to see who else is enjoying coffee.

See you next week, and in the meantime, have a really wonderful Easter weekend - let's hope this weather holds  :)

A new day, a new blog...

This is a recent purchase called 'Even I dream...' from Gillian Lee, an almost local artist (she lives in Nottingham) i discovered on etsy.

I can't exactly articulate what it is about Gillian's work, and this image in particular, that speaks deeply to me - I just know it does...

The characters she paints are timeless, though with hints of victoriana... they are delicate and finely drawn, yet their faces convey an inner strength...

Anyway, I love seeing this painting every day :)

And yesterday I started another blog - it's deliberately sparse, delicate and thoughtful... and captures at least one aspect of what I'm processing right now...