Autumn days

Waking up on sunny mornings in September is one of my favourite things... As the low, bright sun flares through the trees and you can smell the crispness of the air, I feel truly awake. The clarity of the light is amazing and it is at moments like this that I really wish that I could draw or paint what it is that I am seeing! 

This is also one of my favourite times of year because it is a time of new beginnings. The Girl has gone up to her new school and seems to be enjoying it. She is making friends, learning new things and joining in with new activities. The Boy is much more settled this year - I do believe that he missed having his sister with him last year! He, too, is trying new things and seems to be growing up almost before my eyes. I noticed the other day that he has become a bit of a 'gangling youth' with limbs that seem to long for his body - looks like a growth spurt is about to hit... Ah well, back to the shops for more clothes it is!  My goodness, I cannot believe how quickly they grow, to me he is still a babe in arms...

Five autumnal smiles for you today:

1. The colours of the leaves
2. The nip in the air
3. Cold tips of noses
4. Kicking leaves as you walk through the woods
5. A shaft of light through bare trees

Cheery smiles, D x

Mixed blessings

As I write this, the sun is shining through the window and all looks well with the world. My family and I have spent a lovely weekend with friends at the seaside and at home. We are blessed...

But whilst this goes on, I am aware of feeling guilty for enjoying the simple things as one of my friends would give anything to enjoy those again. This weekend his son was killed in a road accident, bad enough to begin with, but then to discover that the person who caused this wrenching of life from the universe did not stop... It is beyond belief and my heart goes out to my friends and their family and all who knew Timmy. He was a good man who worked hard, loved all and laughed - his sunny spirit is the one thing that all of the comments have said will be remembered. What a legacy this 27-year-old is leaving - to love and be loved is one of the greatest things in this life.

My heart goes out to the family left behind...

D x

http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/latest-news/hit-and-run-update-family-s-heart-rending-tribute-and-plea-1-4268356

Birthdays

It is the younger Venerable's birthday today - and we have spent a few lovely hours together. We have chatted and laughed and put the world to rights - all over coffee and cake!

The Younger Venerable is one of my heroes. She has managed to be light and love to so many people throughout her lifetime without seeming to try too hard, just being her caring self in everything that she does.

Happy Birthday, YV!

The Boy and the Girl are starting to feel more settled in their school routine, I do believe that they quite missed each other in their separate schools last year! They chat in the morning on the way to the bus stop and I hear them giggling, or disagreeing, on the way home long before I can see them from the window - happy days...

His Lairdship is working as hard as ever and hoping for a transfer in the very near future; in fact we are all hoping for that as soon as possible. I do miss him during the week - and not just for babysitting! It is the simple companionship of an evening, having someone to share a laugh with and to cuddle up next to on the sofa...

Five smiles for the day:

1. Sharing birthday smiles
2. Home-made lemon curd
3. Cats cuddling up next to you
4. Enjoying the last days of the summer
5. Dinner with friends

Cheery smiles, D x

Being...

Sunshine is one of my many favourite types of weather - it lifts my soul to the blue skies and I sing as I do my chores around the house and garden. I like to sit outside when I am all alone and just gaze at the trees as I have a lovely fresh coffee, quite often accompanied by a biscuit...

We went to the vintage day at the local water mill with the Venerables on Sunday - it was Senior Venerable's birthday - and we thought it would be a good thing to do. It was more than good, it was amazing... We strolled in the sunshine as the music from the folk group floated in the air. We watched the spinning, the smithying and the green oak worked. We ate scones and chatted to craftspeople who really knew their stuff and were more than happy to share that love with everyone who asked. We learnt about the mill and the process, we saw the flour baked into loaves and got to sample them. We even watched the morris-dancing, albeit briefly. We learnt about making coracles and the Girl was taken for a ride in one on the millpond. The Boy had a close up view of the workings of the steam engine, where no one else was allowed.

We came home weary but fulfilled with our hearts and minds buzzing about the beauty of the simpler things in life - strolling and talking, birds and insects, music and laughter. 

Such things as these make life wonderful...

Five sunny smiles for all of us:

1. Family time and ties
2. Outdoor music
3. Hand-crafted things
4. Birthdays - no matter which number
5. Scones piled high with jam and cream

Cheery smiles, D x

A sunny Saturday

Just a quickie on this lovely sunny day...

Five smiles for you:

1. Sunglasses
2. Unexpected invitations that you are free to take up
3. Friends popping round
4. Home-cooked meal with extra veggies
5. A red, red sky at night

Cheery smiles, D x

Last day of summer

Well, the six weeks of precious time with my family is coming to an end - and for once, I am very sad. The Boy and the Girl have become such wonderful people in this past year, I am bursting with pride whenever I think of the gorgeous beings that they are now.

The Girl is off to a new school tomorrow and is looking forward to it already. Her clothes are ready and she is planning to lay them out tonight so that she looks her absolute best in the morning. Her big brother is already at the school and I am not sure how he feels about it! He is certainly eager to see his friends again - we seem to have been away when they are home and vice versa. I have a feeling that mornings are about to become very interesting indeed - at least we have enough bathrooms to stop most of the arguments!

Being a supply teacher I am back to work too, at some time in the near future. One of the things I love about my job is the spontaneity of it - I never know what I am doing from one day to the next but that's fine by me.

His Lairdship has managed to spend more than two full weeks of the holidays with us and it has been a real joy. Our family feels complete when he is here, as is only right.

Five smiles for today:

1. Back to school haircuts
2. Early nights...
3. ... and relaxing baths
4. New exercise books - oh the smell...
5. Sharp pencils and clean pencil cases

Technically this may be six but I just could not resist!

Cheery smiles, D x

Testing, testing, one, two three...

Oh I have sooo much to share with you - and it is all good!

As you can imagine, the last few months have been extremely hectic and I shall share that with you bit by bit - you don't need to be overwhelmed by someone else's life, your own can be busy enough!

These last six weeks have been the summer holidays for our children - and The Boy and The Girl have had a whale of a time! We started with a week in Northumberland and had so much fun... The rugged bareness of the landscape is so very different from that down here in sunny Suffolk. Where we have gentle rolling hills reminiscent of the once flooded landscape, Northumberland has a landscape which has forced its way out of the waters and then continued onward and upward towards the birds wheeling in the sky...

We flew on brooms at Alnwick and played with jesters, we got lost in the Labyrinth at Cragside and claimed the hill at Hadrian's Wall - a real, proper family holiday. I love it up there and was so happy to spend time with my Look-a-like S and the marvellous Long-suffering G! We all just needed to relax and reconnect with ourselves and our family - we succeeded... We played together, ate together and laughed together - such happy memories were forged in the old chapel.

One of the most amazing things was the opportunity to meet Nell, the blind and deaf dog. The fact that she can hear from just one ear and see nothing and next to nothing from her eyes does not change the fact that she is the most gentle and caring dog I have ever met... Awe-inspiring!

Okay, my five smiles for you:

1. Family holidays come rain or shine
2. Sharing laughter with friends
3. Walking on history
4. Birds in the sky
5. Delicious new recipes for cake

Cheery smiles and love to you all, D x

Oh good grief!

to quote Charlie Brown... When life suddenly feels very hectic without you actually doing any more in life, without adding anything, why is it that the things you really enjoy are the first to be pushed to the outskirts? I've thought about this as I have raced from vet's to doctor's to optician's to school recently and have come to an important decision. It may not be life-changing but it is life-affirming... It is perfectly alright to take some 'me time' when you are feeling this pushed - in fact, it is vital, how else will you cope with everything that life throws at you?

So this is what I now intend to do - take time for myself when I feel at my busiest. And also get a good night's sleep, although I must confess that I am not so good at that and then I wonder why I feel tired the next day...

So, in the interest of my (vague) sanity, here are five smiles for today:

1. Celebrations of all things in life - great or small
2. Hugs 
3. Amazing friendships
4. The smell of dry earth after rain
5. Finishing works in progress

Cheery smiles, D x

I'm back...

I apologise most sincerely for the delay in writing - it has been one of those busy wonderful times in our household.

Here is a large list of things that have made me smile in the last couple of weeks:

1. Sunshine
2. My cats enjoying the sunshine
3. More importantly, my children outside playing
4. Working in the sunshine in the garden
5. Planting our new rose in the front of the house
6. Finishing things that I have been making
7. Spending time with my parents
8. The Venerable Lady buying yellow shoes
9. Swimming in the rain
10. Daisies in the garden
11. Foraging walks with the Marvellous Mrs M
12. Clearing out
13. Making little smiles for other people
14. Being pestered for more smiles - you know who you are! Thank you xxx
15. Smiling at people in the street
16. People smiling back...
17. Wonderful wool shops
18. Beautiful jumbly haberdasheries
19. Midweek meals with the Friends Over the Road
20. Baking
21. Having a wonderful family and friends

Some of these things are ones that I take for granted, but each and every one of them is, in some way, a smiling miracle. 

Cheery smiles, D x

Yes, I know...

It has been ages but finally I seem to have scrounged some time and energy from somewhere to write a little something here...

Since my last missive, when it was parties galore, I have been busy working - I was surprised, too! I have been helping out at the primary school with some French for the year 4s, the Girl is in that year and so I am more than happy to try to give an extra boost before it's off to middle school. The Girl will be in the last intake to the middle schools in our area, quite sad really. It means she will now be one of the youngest in her school for the next three years...

The Knitting Club is going well, out of the eleven members about eight are now quite confident knitters and the others are catching up fast - don't tell anyone, but I'm really enjoying it. And I've got to get a piece of work finished for the Jubilee celebrations in our village - the Women's Institute is having a stall/display so I shall put something out for them. This could be the push I've been needing to finish the blanket that I'm crocheting - finally! The bunting that our WI made was spectacularly long, there is a huge amount of talent in that group, and some people try to keep it very well hidden...

My private students have now finished their work with me for their French GCSE - it's always fabulous to see how far people progress and how confident they become just when they need to. It's one of the things that I love about teaching, the little successes that make a student smile from within.

Since I took the leap of leaving my previous job at the beginning of the year I have done a great deal of soul-searching - writing these pages really helps me, too - and am starting to realise that the things that make me happy are not those that I would previously have considered. I have less money but more time, I travel less in the car but more in my soul, I have time to notice all of the little things rather than trying to race from one thing to the next without really enjoying anything.

I am happy.

Five smiles from my corner of the world:

1. The bird box being used for the first time ever
2. So much sunshine
3. Silent moments
4. Celebrating with friends
5. Granny's bonnets in my garden

Cheery smiles, D x

Busy, busy bee...

Okay, we have partied and partied and partied and partied this week...

First with friends - fabulously feasting with the Marvellous Ms. Our occasional get-togethers of curries from barely warm to blow your head off and all through the spectrum. His Lairdship and Mrs M are of the milder variety, along with the children. Mr M and I, however, are at the hotter end of things, the one which warms the cockles of your soul and blasts them out of your socks! Fortunately, the others allow for us - we are given our own end of the dining table with extra water and fire extinguishers. Ooh, isn't it fabulous when someone else cooks for you? Even better when they wash up, too!

Then it was the Girl's birthday party which involved a trip to Norwich, five other Girls and the reluctant Boy. It was fantastic - Build-a-Bear parties are perfect, you just turn up and then the staff make the whole experience as much fun as seven young children could possibly need. And to top it all, everyone takes home a bear of their own - aaahhh... It was really one of the best parties we have ever done, especially as our Extended Clan were so well-behaved in a popular pizza restaurant afterwards that a large percentage was deducted from the bill for us. His Lairdship and I nearly burst with pride.

The next day it was thirteen years since His Lairdship and I tied the knot, and what happy years they have been, too. We celebrated by going out to lunch and then home for pudding, really we were too full even to think of pudding, and, besides, I do make excellent coffee...

And the rest of the week has been a blur of work and appointments and life in general, all good!

Five smiley smiles:

1. Reading
2. Being with the Clan, extended or otherwise
3. Parties :o)
4. The nodding of pansies
5. Chatting over the fence

Cheery smiles, D x

May? Already?

Where has this year gone? I know that it has been very full and busy - but really, May? This is a lovely month in our clan as it is the Girl's birthday and mine and His Lairdship's wedding anniversary the next day. And, in most years, this is the turning point of the year when exciting things happen with light and gardens. I'm not quite sure that this is happening this year, what with the wettest drought on record here in the UK!

This year is our 13th wedding anniversary - the traditional gift for this is lace. How pretty... How lovely... How can I buy something for a 6'3" tall long-haired and bearded biker that is lace? Any ideas will truly be appreciated... I have been racking my brains for ages and have come up with some ideas for decorating fairly butch things with lace, I just can't see it somehow! Hopefully inspiration will strike in time...

Five cheery smiles for you:

1. Friends popping in for a cuppa and staying to supper
2. Unexpected compliments
3. Birthday plans
4. The Venerables
5. A dry-ish day!

Cheery smiles, D x

And it rained...

... and it rained and it rained. In amongst the tempest between the flashes of lightning and the rolls of thunder there was a moment's respite. And in that moment there was the most beautiful rainbow, a double one, right across the sky. It is a sight that never fails to gladden my heart.

It amazes me that in the middle of horrible times there is always a little ray of light. For me, in this awful week, it has been to see how much the people I used to work with have pulled together. Friends have all been there for each other with love, support and understanding. Throughout the week they have carried on working so hard and so professionally to bring lives into the world and help to create miracles every day for other people. Midwives are truly amazing people and deserve so much respect from each and every one of us.

Five smiles:

1. Rainbows
2. Midwives everywhere
3. New life
4. Hugs
5. Stillness

Cheery smiles, D x

Hannah the Beautiful

Hannah was a bundle of love and laughter wrapped in a dazzling smile. She was gentle, intelligent and funny - very funny, indeed. When I first met her she was a student midwife just entering her final year of training and yet I felt as though I had known her much longer. She came to the ward and learnt from everyone and taught us all, too - she had a harsh word for no one and a kind hug for everyone. She was a very special person.

As she grew in her skills and confidence and came through her graduation, it was clear to everyone that she shone in her love of her job. Nothing was too much trouble and she was always the first to lend a hand. Once graduated, she lost none of her gentleness and respect for life, if anything it seemed to grow. She was a wonderful young lady full of vibrant life and love.

Today her colleagues and I found out that the shining star had been turned out. She shall be missed so much by all of us who knew her, she will always be Hannah the Beautiful in spirit as she was in person.

May you rest in peace, Hannah, it was an honour to have known you and shared your light xxx

And breathe...

Well, I did it. I went back into the classroom and I loved it. Mr Mentor controls the supply teaching at the school I went to in a dim and distant past. He knows what I'm good at and gave me classes in my own subjects - French and German - hurrah! And the students were fabulous, I'm not saying that they always will be but for the last week they were - I'll take that.

This Friday was 'The Big Sleepover'; the Girl and the Boy had a friend to stay for the night to avoid any of the issues that arise with just the one child having someone to play with. The Girls, as they shall be known, were very good and spent most of the evening tickling His Lairdship or tucked away in their bedroom dancing and goodness knows what else! The Boys were also very good and hid away from civilisation in the bedroom playing with lego and other things that ten year old boys do... So far so good. Supper was pizza and garlic bread, not home-made as I had a long day at work, which disappeared within minutes. More playing ensued, marvellous.

Then came Bedtime. The Girls are younger and were off to sleep before 9.30pm - excellent. The Boys... oh the Boys... Suffice to say that His Lairdship and I were tucked up in bed and sleeping before they settled down at, they think, about 1.30am. And then the Girls woke everyone up for breakfast at 8.00am.

How we were all so cheerful I have no idea - but it worked!

Five cheery smiles for you:

1. It is sunny again
2. My friend running in and finishing the London Marathon
3. Sleepovers for the Clan
4. Children being children
5. Inferno pizza...

Cheery smiles, D x

Back to work...

Good evening, it's time for another one of my night-time rambles... The Boy and the Girl went back to school today - hurrah! Although the Easter break has been wonderful and we have all relaxed together, it was time to get back to normality. And, sad to say, I am included in that - oh no! My two months off have come to an end and I go back to work tomorrow. Well, I say 'back' but it's actually back to a job that I love doing but have not done for six years... I'm not sure if I'm excited or nervous or what! I am looking forward to it. I think. No, I know I am; it's not an easy job by any means but I do enjoy it - I shall let you know how it goes.

On a less scary note, my students have come back today as well and I have been overjoyed to see them. It's not until I have time off that I realise just how much I enjoy tutoring them and helping them through the bits of language that they find difficult. It also means that I get to speak my languages again and that never grows old...

Despite the downpours and howling gales of this morning, I managed to get some of my washing dry on the line this afternoon - still one of my absolutely favourite things to do! It is the essence of spring and summer for me.

Five smiles for today:

1. The Clan going back to school
2. Me going back to work (gulp)
3. Washing smelling so fresh
4. A goldcrest in the garden
5. Planning the Girl's birthday party

Cheery, if somewhat nervous, smiles D x

Nearly there...

It's Friday again and, like most people, I love Fridays! There are lots of reasons for this - His Lairdship comes home after a week at work, the children are more relaxed, plans are made... The best thing for me though, is that since I spent four years working an awful lot of weekends, I really appreciate the time with my gorgeous family and friends.

The weekends which I so often took for granted were the ones where we didn't do much. The ones where we just chilled, did a bit of this, a bit of that and generally enjoyed each other's company. It is only now that I am beginning to get an inkling of how precious this is, this time to be ourselves. This is when we learn to love each other even more, to appreciate all the different facets of our personalities, even the ones that we are not so proud of, and to unearth more of our talents. There is very little pretence in a young family, tired Boy and Girl are easily discerned, as is tired Lairdship. Tired Daisyship is, of course, very difficult to spot... But the joyful moments when we laugh together or just cuddle up together with a movie and popcorn are also there; I sometimes forget to look for those. As my report so often said, 'Must try harder'!

Un-busy weekends - very precious commodity when you think about it.

Five smiles for this weekend:

1. It is the weekend
2. Car boot sales
3. Undiscovered talents
4. Invitations
5. Just be-ing

Cheery smiles, D x

Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny...

The Clan went out for a curry yesterday, a very grown-up affair. The Boy chose a prawn dish, His Lairdship chose chicken and I chose vegetable. After the (alleged) grown ups had eaten their fill, the Boy proceeded to mop up every last drop of sauce with every last crumb of his naan! Next time, we may have to order more... His favourite part of the meal was when the hot towels came at the end - accompanied by a lolly for him. Such simple things bring such great happiness.

To cap it all, his loose tooth came out in the restaurant, great leaping things! He had been fiddling with it all week and estimates from his parents varied as to when it was most likely to come out, suffice to say his mother won... So, after carefully putting it under his pillow in a hand-crafted envelope, it was off to sleep. And this morning? Both the Tooth Bunny and the Easter Fairy had visited - money and chocolate; could a Boy wish for more?

Then he was off with His Lairdship and the Marvellous Mr M to the world's most enormous model shop to buy a new model plane while the Marvellous Mrs M and I wrestled with the new curtains for the conservatory. This is round two of curtain wars, sometimes my creativity runs away with me and I get strange ideas - like patchwork curtains for the largest space in the house... Fortunately, my best friend understands these moments and is willing to come and help me with her technical expertise. Today we hit the major problem of the ring system we had planned not working. At all. However, about three years ago I had bought some rufflette tape in a closing down sale and, when I found it in my stash, it was the right length - woohoo! So the curtains are now hanging in their rightful place and waiting to be hemmed, hurrah!

Five extra smiley things for today:

1. The curtains are up!
2. The Marvellous M's
3. The Tenacious D video for Tribute
4. Tooth Bunnies and Easter Fairies everywhere
5. Long weekends with the Clan

Merry Easter from the whole Clan!

Cheery smiles, D x

Little Big Girl

The Girl has gone off to her first ever Brownie camp today. She will be away throughout the Easter weekend and whilst I am exceptionally proud of her and know that she will have more fun than she thinks possible with her friends - I miss her. The Girl chatters almost incessantly, not nonsensically because she is a bright little thing, as she looks at the world in her own sweet way and smiles. So, after a last-minute bakeathon of cupcakes, it was off to the neighbouring village for the camp where we met her friends and leaders, looked around and hugged her tight before leaving. Our Little Big Girl.

Thank goodness for the Marvellous Ms - we went round for tea and hot cross buns, some home-made, some from the Co-op - all delicious! Then it was home for a Thursday Surprise for tea, to the uninitiated that's whatever is left in the fridge or pantry before the weekend shopping trip, and Mythbusters with the Boy and His Lairdship... All-in-all a good evening at the end of a sunny day.

Five smiles for today:

1. The Girl's first camp
2. The Boy's helpfulness...
3. Lots of home-made goodies
4. The Marvellous Ms :o)
5. His Lairdship at home for an extra day again this week

Enjoy your Easter break wherever you may be.

Cheery smiles, D x

A glorious day!

Don't you just love it when you have one of those amazing days where everything seems to just flow and be as easy as pie? I had one of those today...

A simple arrangement to meet up with the Boy's new school friend and his family at a nearby lake mid-morning and then have a picnic together. Nothing fancy, nothing to pay for, just a couple of hours in the park. Well, it turns out that the Boy and his friend have been carved from the same mould, as have the Girl and his younger sister. And as for Mrs B and I, we could both talk for England about almost anything. The sun shone, the weather was kind and we strolled as the children played, we ate lunch and the children played, we strolled some more and the children played... How fabulous! Oh, I nearly forgot, His Lairdship was with us, too! A perfect day in so many ways.

And yesterday His Lairdship and the Boy worked like Trojans to almost finish the decking in the garden, it was only running out of screws that stopped progress - I do think it was the chance to use the power tools that kept the Boy quite so engrossed, but I'll take that! And the Girl and I re-arranged her bedroom completely before sorting through everything - we've also chosen the colour of paint for the not too distant future, very exciting times...

Five lovely smiley smiles:

1. Five hours in the park
2. Picnics - always a pleasure
3. Extra days with His Lairdship
4. Hot chocolate
5. Playing with willow withies

Cheery smiles, D x

Holidays - hurrah!

Good evening, things have been a bit rushed at Clan HQ for a while, please accept my most sincere apologies for not having written too much lately - I shall try to remedy that!

In all this glorious weather, the Girl has been poorly so I have been playing nursemaid to her. As this involves many cuddles and interesting films, it is not too much of a hardship. The fact that I may have contracted her bug is not quite so cheering, it seems that the holidays and lie-ins have arrived just in the nick of time...

Look what the Girl has made while she has been unwell; she is so clever.

His Lairdship has been using up some of his holiday allowance recently which is fantastic. It also means that the fence that I received for Mother's Day is now accompanied by some half-finished decking, too. At this rate I could have a garden for Easter! He is so clever - most of the materials are up-cycled and his ingenuity seems limitless... He's even stopped getting a slightly worried look when I suggest some very small modifications, the latest being a system for hanging pots and utensils next to where the barbecue will live...

On top of all this he also cooked the most delicious supper today of slow-roasted pork and lots of veggies. How fortunate am I?

Five smiles for today:

1. Knitting in the garden
2. Extra days with His Lairdship
3. No school runs...
4. Someone else cooking for the Clan
5. Chatting over the fence

Cheery smiles, D x

Hello again!

Oh my, what a week... let me try to retrace my days to find some smiles - there have been lots in every little bit of the week.

Mothers' Day, it may seem like a lifetime but it was only a week and a half ago, was a lovely day. I received some gorgeous gifts from my family - the best two were a new fence from the Boy and His Lairdship and a gorgeous 'little box of love' wrapped by the Girl so beautifully. I was also given two huge cards along with lots of cuddles and cups of tea!

Since then we have had such gorgeous weather and it makes my heart shine, really it does. The new fence has started the transformation of our back garden, it is beginning to feel like ours after just seven years :) If we can get it all finished by this summer I shall be so happy, one of my favourite things is to have breakfast in the garden on a warm day. And lunch. And tea. And any other excuse/reason to be outside in any clement weather at all...

Five of the loveliest smiles:

1. My new little box of love
2. My new fence
3. My new very yellow washing up bowl
4. Fresh growth starting to poke from the ground
5. Paint colour charts :D

Cheery smiles, D x

Happy heart, aching feet...

I have so much to tell you about from this weekend and the last couple of days! It has been a time full of joy and love and that is precious beyond all things :D

On Saturday, the Marvellous Mrs M and I went on a coach, no less, to Olympia for the Stitch and Craft show and a very big pop! Having set off at the crack of dawn, well the coach left at eight, we settled in with our crochet projects to travel down to our gorgeous capital city. That's one of the things that I love about coach or train travel, you get to see things from a different perspective - that lovely building over there, the tiny little detail over that doorway, those flowers clinging on to a corner of a building site... Everything seems exciting and I almost become a child again - not that I've ever been that far from my inner child. And when we finally arrived there, oh the loveliness! We started at the top floor - yarn, wool, patterns, needles and, one of my greatest weaknesses, buttons! Mrs M and I looked at all 400+ quilts that had been given for the Olympic countries. Some were beautiful, some were accomplished and some were full of love - the recipients should enjoy them. Then Mrs M and I made a patch for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee quilt by Janice Gunner, should you get to see the finished article look for ours, it's the small floral one with our names on it.

After a picnic lunch on the floor, chairs were rare to say the least, we went down to the ground floor to look at the sewing and stitching stalls. The colours were enticing, not quite as tactile as the wool, but the best bit was meeting Mr X-Stitch and seeing his work and the other subversive cross-stitchers amazing stuff. There was one by Lord Libidan which you had to wear 3D glasses to look at - truly the product of a twisted mind, but soooo clever... Here's a link for you http://lordlibidan.com/2011/12/18/3d-pokemon-choice/#comment-207

Five super smileys for Saturday:

1. A day out with the Marvellous Mrs M
2. Lots of delicious and tempting yarn....
3. New knitting patterns
4. Carrot cake (twice)
5. Meeting inspiring and incredibly talented people

Cheery smiles, D x

Evening all...

Goodness me, how I have missed writing this... For the past week I have been trying to find the conjunction of time and internet access to write my smiles.

So far this week I have chatted with friends, caught up with people that I haven't seen properly for ages, offered to help in the school (and been taken up on that!) and generally let life take me where it will. I haven't had a week like this for so long that I barely know what to do. On Saturday, the Marvellous Mrs M and I are off to Olympia for the Stitch and Craft Show - a gorgeous long pop for the two of us, hurrah!

The Boy, the Girl and His Lairdship are all doing well and being lovely. I'm not sure if that is because of me being at home and able to relax more in myself and with them. I certainly feel much more confident and happier - yes, definitely happier...

Five smiley smiles for the past few days:

1. Sunshine burning through the fog
2. Tidying the Boy's room with him
3. Catching up with long-distance friends
4. Meeting new people
5. Guilty pleasures...

Cheery smiles, D x

Busy, busy, busy...

This glorious sunshine seems to have renewed the Clan's vigour and drive in the gardening department!

Our small but not-so-perfectly formed plot needs work, there is no avoiding this fact - unfortunately, with his Lairdship being away all week, my work and two young and wonderful people to keep us busy, it tends to get pushed to the end of the queue homewise. Not today, oh no... Today his Lairdship and the Boy started taking down the rickety old fence to replace it with a new shorter one... Imagining how it will look when it is finished is very exciting.

Lunch was home-made mushroom soup and the Boy made his first loaf of soda bread to accompany it - very scrumptious it was, too. Supper on our menu was to be enchiladas, thanks to friends for the recipe, discovering I had no onions was a bit of a hitch in the smooth-running of the kitchen. Bumping into the Cheery Ms C, who I hadn't seen for ages, in the shop, was a real delight - it's always good to talk, although dinner was a wee bit later than planned!

Five smiles for the day:

1. A happy Clan
2. Bumping into old friends
3. Soup and soda bread
4. The garden taking shape
5. That tired but good feeling

Cheery smiles, D x

Washing on the line...

What a sunny day! How it lifts the soul and makes the heart sing...

Spring was starting to peek through as I walked the Girl to school this morning, we chatted and giggled and listened to birdsong on our walk. It takes only five minutes to get there but on a good day it can be long enough for the world to seem right...

After hanging out the washing, one of life's greatest pleasures, I spent the day with the Venerables. They really are some of the most wonderful people on the face of this earth - kind, loving and giving, not to mention slightly mad around the edges. This is a phrase used about most members of the Clan - it is a badge of honour. We pottered about and went to the garden centre to get some fresh bedding for the Venerables' back garden; it is a tiny, well-loved place to sit and just be.

Five truly smiley smiles:

1. Leaves pushing their way into the light
2. Just being outside
3. The scent of washing from the line
4. Lunch with the Venerables
5. Birdsong

Cheery smiles, D x

Midweek smiles

Good evening,

I didn't have much of a plan for today, I was happy to go along with whatever life threw into my path. As it happens, I went out with the Marvellous Mrs and Mr M today - car shopping was on the agenda and I was cast in the role of back seat passenger and various others as required. I sat in the back of some very nice cars and threw some spanners in the whole decision-making process along the way. I do like to be helpful where I can!

This, followed by a lovely lunch and a quick whizz around the sewing shop, made for a good day despite the rain. I am so lucky to have such wonderful people around me, it really does make all the difference.

I have discovered that I may not be over my wool addiction just yet - I found the most delicious recycled cotton yarn for a project that I have in mind. It is the most gorgeous soft blue and eminently strokeable!

Five smiley, happy things for today:

1. The Marvellous Ms
2. New yarn - I know, I know...
3. Helping with homework
4. Two clean plates at supper
5. Snuggly cats

Cheery smiles, D x

A life full of song?

Good  morning, I was going to write this a couple of days ago but have trouble connecting to the rest of the world!

I love old films, especially comedies and musicals, and get immense enjoyment from watching them - life seems so much simpler! I sometimes wonder what would happen if I posed questions in song as I went about my daily life - would it be more interesting? would people sing back to me? would life change for the better? I must admit, the Clan and I do have times when we sing to each other instead of talking, not songs but conversations with random tunes and words. That may be too much information for you, but hey, it's who I am!

The Marvellous Mrs M sat with me as I went through some of my wool stash yesterday, it was a good thing to do and I shall now be sharing some with others - perhaps a knitting club at school could be started, I'll look into that this afternoon...

Five smiles:

1. Rediscovering the lovely Nic at Halfpenny Home
2. Clearing some of the stash
3. Norman Wisdom :)
4. Chocolate brazil nuts
5. Pixie Dust wool...

Cheery smiles, D x

Gardening...

I quite enjoy gardening, I enjoy it even more with a gardener. Fortunately, I had the Girl on hand to help out in the evening sunshine yesterday. The pots at the front of our house no longer look quite so forlorn - they now have some cheerful pansies in them and we are waiting for the first shoots of the new bulbs to start twitching through the earth. The anticipation...

His Lairdship came home today, which is always a wonderful thing, and we strolled round to the school together to fetch our Girl home again. She raced full pelt across the playground when she saw His Lairdship and threw herself into his arms, twas a sight to gladden any parent's heart!

Five marvellous, smiley things:

1. Gardening with the Girl
2. Watching father and daughter be reunited
3. Cheery pansies nodding in the garden
4. Chatting for ages on the phone :)
5. Using up the leftovers in the fridge!

Cheery smiles as ever, D x

Found it!

Don't you hate losing things? I will admit that I have 'tidiness issues' and today brought things to a head.

Let me explain, I am in the process of making a jumper for the Boy and have been for about two years... I bought some delicious Noro wool in shades of blue and green. I started to make a jumper and then decided that I didn't like the pattern. So with the help of Miss G, I started to un-knit the jumper. I have since re-started with a pattern that I like and am making good progress. So much so that I realised I would soon need the remainder of the gorgeous wool to be able to finish it... You're ahead of me, aren't you? Suffice to say that after two hours of searching it has been found. As have the long lost library book, the ten bags of yarn that was just too lovely to leave in the shop and a large book of ghosts - in German...

I may have to admit to 'yarn' issues to go with my 'tidiness ones. Okay, it's time for some serious stash-busting!

Today's five huge smiles:

1. Finding the missing wool (it really is too gorgeous)
2. Spending time with my best friend
3. Knitting...
4. A big stash of yarn :o)
5. Supper with marvellous friends

Cheery smiles, D x

PS: 'Stashbusting' is the act of using all the yarn you already have to make lovely things before you buy any more... It's always a possibility!

Hurrah!

Hurrah and fine things - what a gorgeous weekend! The weather, family and friends all combining into one enormous smile...

I had a fabulous day on my birthday. The gifts were wonderful and very 'me' and the friends were even more 'me' - love and thanks to everyone who helped to make it a fabulous day xxx

Yesterday, Saturday for those of you who are in different time zones/planets, I had a girls' night out with some lovely people. We went for a drink and then to the old cinema in town to see 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' - it was hilarious, uplifting and touching in equal measures. If you should get the chance, go and see it - it will warm the cockles of your heart :) We all came out smiling and joyful with renewed vigour for life - wonderful...

Today we all went for a stroll around the nearby lake in the spring sunshine and warmth. So much growth was starting to come through, despite the fact that the water levels are quite worryingly low. I have photos of violets and snowdrops (note to self: take camera on walks, not just phone)! Then we came home and started to tidy our little plot of garden, lots of bags for me to take to the tip tomorrow, I love doing that. We also re-introduced the cats to their leads and took them out into the garden. Reggie loved it, Elwood thought we were mad - he could well be right...

Today's five smiles:

1. Afternoon strolls in the sunshine
2. Celery and dip
3. Really good films
4. Having a sort out
5. Cats on leads!

Cheery smiles, D x

Birthday smiles - hurrah!

I love birthdays! This is mainly because I have a wonderful family and friends with whom I share them. I am so blessed and spoilt on these days, it is unbelievable...

It started with my husband coming home early this week, just so we can be together when I wake up - his Lairdship goes to incredible lengths to make the whole family's time together very precious. This morning I was woken with a cup of tea and cuddles from the whole clan before the children had to go full speed ahead for a day at school. They brought me cards, both hand-made and carefully chosen, gifts again of both kinds. They had made me a whole set of little cards with loving thoughts on them, beautiful. There were book tokens, too - I am building a stash of them to put towards something very lovely!

The Marvellous Mrs and Mr M came round for a quick cuppa before the hurly burly of their days. And brought me a lovely gift - a stash of yarn, some daisy cupcake cases, some daisy ribbon and a mad tiger tape measure for my work bag! A quick tidy up before we were off to round three...

The Venerables had an electrical emergency so off we went post-haste, problem fixed, on to town - his Lairdship drove straight through town to one of my favourite pubs for lunch with the Venerables! I try not to think of myself as gullible but fear that I may well be so...

After picking up the Girl and friend from school it was back home for a party tea - chocolate cake decorated by the Girls, nibbles, cheese straws, gingery ginger cake, lemony bites and spicy snacks... Mrs and Miss M, Super Ms S and family and a jolly good time was had by all.

Five smiles today - oh, what to choose?

1. Mornings with my family
2. Opening birthday cards in bed
3. New, delicious-smelling perfume
4. Gorgeous kitchen equipment
5. Friends and family to fill my home with smiles :D

Cheery smiles, D x

And in case you were wondering, yes, we did have lashings of pop for tea, too! xx

Sunshine and warmth

These come in so many different guises. Today was very warm, up to 18 C here, and sunny all day long. Everyone smiles and is much more laid-back when the weather is like this... fabulous!

Of the other sort of warmth, the one from the heart, I spent the day with my Mum. The Venerable Mrs R and I went shopping - new shoes and pre-loved lambswool cardigan - in town. We had so much fun giggling at silly stuff together and chatting, we haven't had a chance to do that for ages. We managed to squeeze in a trip to our favourite café, too.

And then there was His Lairdship surprising me by coming home early this week - he can be awfully sneaky when he wants to!

My five smiles for today are:

1. Sunny days
2. His Lairdship creeping up on me in the playground...
3. Spending time with my wonderful Mum
4. Stew and dumplings
5. The Girl planning my birthday tea for me and cooking up a storm

Cheery smiles, D x

And breathe...

I could get used to this not working malarkey! If only it were a viable option for us... Never mind, I am using this time to catch up on me and do little bits and pieces. For the first time in ages I don't have a schedule set in stone, I can come and go and potter. I bumped into my friend today as I wandered back from the Co-op - to have the time to stop and chat with her was a real joy :) Just five minutes in my day, but five minutes of loveliness and my day was all the richer for it.

I am baking more, cooking proper meals more - even tonight's pizza was home made! - and tomorrow is stew and dumplings, which used to be a real weekend treat, it's been fun to plan the menu for the week and be able to stick to it. This is unlikely to help my waistline but my mental plane is flourishing! The Girl has made cheese straws tonight, the Boy made Gingery Ginger Cake on Monday... And we're going to do more baking tomorrow ready for Friday when it is a significant day in our family life, we shall have candles on the cake!

Five smiles today:

1. Bumping into my friend
2. Making a quick pizza
3. Laughing with my children
4. Organising a trip to the cinema
5. Relaxing

Cheery smiles, D x

Hugely smiley day!

What glorious weather today! Children in the garden, washing on the line - all too exciting!

His Lairdship and Mr M went on a play date to a model shop and came back very excited with lots of bits and pieces. Mr M wanted to make his car go faster, and it does; his Lairdship and the Boy are getting quite advanced in their plans to take over the house with model trains... More track was bought today along with fishplates, which are apparently an essential piece of model trainery kit and not a nasty rash!

Meanwhile, back at HQ, the Marvellous Mrs M and I were cooking to our hearts' content in a girly, team-work way. We are both quite competitive but work well together in the kitchen. The Curry Feast was declared worthy of high accolade - eight clean plates - and then followed up by home-made pavlova. This did not touch the sides for the most part! Such fun...

As I strolled home with the Boy we were discussing the constellation of Orion and admiring Betelgeuse, as you do, if you're unsure it is the pink-hued star on his right shoulder. However, neither of us could remember the name of his left shoulder star... Further investigation is definitely required!

Five very smiley things:

1. Curry feasts
2. Meringue
3. Frosty walks
4. Star-gazing
5. Good night kisses from the Girl and the Boy

Cheery smiles, D x

Where did the week go?

Good grief, I can't believe that it's Saturday already... I have been meaning to write this since Thursday! That's the thing with family life, it bowls along at such a pace that it is all too easy to lose track!

Wednesday evening was my leaving dinner with colleagues from the hospital at Strada - I had a wonderful time... My friends came along and we shared a fantastic meal and lots of laughter. Then they spoilt me rotten, I was given a huge card, a planter for the garden, a white daisy, some gorgeous bubbles and, to cap it all, a new bag... Cath Kidston no less - I am so chuffed it is unbelievable!!! It is red and flowery, absolutely perfect for me.

Thursday was lunch with my parents and then dinner with one of my best friends, the Super Ms S and her girls, Friday was playing catch-up with family and friends, today was chill-out and shopping and tomorrow it's round to the Marvellous family M for our big curry cook-up!

In between all this, here are the smiles:

1. Excellent friends
2. Good food and service :)
3. Shiny new handbags :D
4. Catching up with family
5. Warm, un-disturbed baths...

Cheery smiles, D x

End of an era...

Today was my last day working at the hospital on the maternity ward - I felt quite down as I really loved the people there. I've had flowers and a card and lots of hugs and been treated to scones, too. Lots of people came round simply to say goodbye. I shall miss the madwives - they are some of the most dedicated and giving people I have ever had the privilege to meet.

And so on to pastures new... I have to hand in my paperwork tomorrow for going back on to the supply teaching register. I shall have a quick pop around the town, too!

It was the WI meeting tonight and we had fun playing with fans... It's always good to catch up with people and have so many shared laughs! And the tea and cake afterwards is pretty good, too!

My list of five:

1. Hugs from colleagues, this is kind of bittersweet
2. Finding my degree certificates!!!!!
3. Wearing my own clothes to work instead of the dreaded uniform...
4. Giving back the dreaded uniform!
5. Meeting new neighbours

Cheery smiles, D x

Gorgeous friends, gorgeous day...

What a beautiful, if chilly, day. Who'd have thought we would get down to -9 C in England?! The light was amazingly gentle and made our town look even more beautiful than it usually does... Mrs A, who is seeing it all for the first time, cannot believe how lovely it is. She is also rather taken with the cats - who are very, very sweet. And she likes the Boy and the Girl, too - mind you, they are even sweeter than the cats!

A very chilled day all round...

Lovely, smiley things for the day:

1. Cats stretched out in front of the fire
2. Walking in the cold sunshine
3. Still catching up...
4. The Girl loving her new haircut
5. My amazing family :)

Cheery smiles, D x

They made it!

Hurrah - his Lairdship made it home through the snow, apparently our village does indeed have its own weather system! And, just as wonderfully, my friend Mrs A has made it here :) We have spent the most wonderful afternoon catching up properly with tea and cakes - thank you to the school PTA - on the past seven years. Just to cap it off, the Marvellous M's popped round to join in with supper from the local Chinese - very delicious indeed...

The fire has been re-built and is burning brightly thanks to his Lairdship's ministrations. I thought that making it last until Wednesday was pretty good for a novice.

And now it is half-term, time for everyone to breathe and catch up. We may even have time for a touch of housework...

Today's smiles:

1. Catching up with Mrs A
2. Impromptu suppers with friends
3. A blazing fire
4. PTA cake sales at school
5. Cats investigating warm fires

Have a wonderful half-term...

Cheery smiles, D x

Will it or won't it...

It is quite cold here at the moment and lots of people are saying that they're watching snow falling. Not here! My family have always said that our village has its own weather system and it would seem that we're right... The only foreseeable problem is that his Lairdship and my friends may not make it here this weekend - this would be a very bad thing :(

On a brighter note, the Marvellous Mrs M and I went for a pop today with her oldest daughter. It was a surprise pop for me as I had no idea where I was going. It turned out to be the loveliest cafe in Lavenham called Cafe Knit - yarn, good coffee and cake! Could anything make us happier? Very little actually, apart from everyone being safe to travel this weekend. I was very restrained in the yarn shop and bought one ball of wool for Miss G Pixie's hat. She would like one like the one that I made for myself but in a darker blue... I've almost finished the purple one for my friend, too :) What a fab day, big smiles and hugs all round.

Today's smiles:

1. Suffolk in the snow
2. Cafe Knit - big smile for this one and a repeat visit already planned!
3. Salt and sweet popcorn mixed together in a big bowl
4. Finishing a project
5. Carrot cake

Cheery smiles, D x

Serendipity

'Happy accident', 'pleasant surprise' 

Don't you just love the word 'serendipity'? It is one of my favourites, although that is quite a long list if truth be told. To me, serendipity sounds as lovely as it is - I even looked it up in the dictionary to be certain that I wasn't completely wrong in my understanding...

I love happy accidents - when you stumble across exactly what you've been searching for in a charity shop for less than a pound/dollar/krone (!) or bump into a friend who is going for a coffee at the same time as you when you least expect them... These are the happy accidents that make life so much fun!

Today's five happy things:

1. Cheese and celery loaf - yum!
2. Friends feeling so much better
3. Impromptu shows from the Girl and her friend
4. A heartfelt apology
5. New shoes :)

Cheery smiles, D x

Sssssh.....

Good evening, how are you feeling today?

I have had another good day - I have done something that I have been putting off for ages, six months all told. For some reason I had a mental block about this piece of paper that I have to send off, I knew where it was, I knew what I had to do, I just could not do it... Well today I did it! Hurrah and fine things! I have also made an appointment for next week for the penultimate step in my changing life. An altogether fulfilling day :)

Five glorious things to smile about today:

1. Day 2 and the fire is still going strong
2. Finding something you thought was going to be tricky is actually quite easy
3. Crunching snow under foot
4. Warm baths
5. A house which is gradually tidying itself...

I'm at work tomorrow for the first time in a week so am going to treat my self to an early night.

Cheery smiles, D x

A good day :)

Good evening, I hope that this finds you as well and rested as it does me...

I've had a lovely day today catching up with friends - both in person and on the phone - always such a good thing to do. My Gorgeous G rang today for a proper catch-up. Our children were at school, our husbands at work and a cup of tea to hand meant that we could witter on in our usual happy way without having to negotiate other people's whims! I should explain that this wonderful sister lives in Norway and we used to live within five minutes walk of each other; cups of tea post-working days were essential. We both miss that. Despite living far apart geographically speaking, we remain close and treasure any time that is spent together.

Another friend had time for a cup of tea this morning after dropping children at a snowy school, it is so good simply to take the time to catch up - and very important to the sanity of every Mum who knows the morning rush...

Today's cherishings:

1. The telephone
2. Cups of tea
3. Home-made biscuits (I fear that they have disappeared again at the speed of light)
4. Keeping the fire in all day
5. Online shopping

I should explain that the fire is usually his Lairdship's area of expertise, for me to keep it in all day and not kill it completely is some kind of miracle for which I am very grateful!

Cheery smiles, D x

Giggles and snowballs

Why is it that the silence of snow is so complete? Does it really muffle every little sound or is it just that we are more relaxed when we see this pure world around us?

The Children have been out to play today - as have his Lairdship and myself... Giggles and snowballs flying in equal measure between the family! The cats have had their first experience of snow - their verdict was 'definitely too cold!' I haven't seen them move so quickly for a long time... Elwood decided it was safest to view everything from the sanctuary of my shoulders, not the easiest way of moving around a snowy garden :)

His Lairdship is cooking a marvellous roast for lunch with all the trimmings - this is our almost every Sunday treat - and he does it so beautifully, I am very lucky.

Today's five smiles:

1. The silence of the white stuff
2. Jumping into a pristine patch of snow
3. The scent of dinner gently wafting through the house
4. Snowball fights
5. Cuddling up with an afternoon film and the Children

There may be some more smiles later!

Cheery smiles, D x

A friendly day...

Good evening, I hope you have had a lovely day - we certainly have! The Boy and the Girl have had friends round to play today - as this means them disappearing for about three hours, it is beautifully relaxing for his Lairdship and myself :)

This evening the Marvellous Mrs M was away, so the Marvellous Mr and Miss M came to supper. The Boy prepared potato wedges, carrots, kale and sausages for everyone - delicious! I was persuaded to make volcano pudding - one of the Nigella recipes that has our household's seal of approval - definitely not a diet day today...

Cheery smiles for a gorgeous day:

1. Sharing simple food with good friends
2. A blazing fire
3. Children old enough to really help around the home
4. Snuggly jumpers that are like old friends
5. Laughing...

As I write we have no snow here, although it has been reported about ten miles away, my thoughts and smiles go to anyone who is starting to feel the effects.

Cheery smiles, D x

Curtains...

Does anyone else have a thing about curtains and the way that they affect the light coming into the room? I'm prepared for it to be just me, one of my many foibles!

Allow me to explain... In our bedroom his Lairdship and I have vintage red curtains that used to hang in my childhood home. They are beautiful quality and have daisies all over them, this could be why I have always loved them. Anyway, yesterday when I walked into my room after breakfast, the sunshine was pouring through these curtains and the room was bathed in the most beautiful rose-pink light. It was a heart-warming moment at the beginning of the day. So that is why I love curtains and the play of light that they allow :)

And here are today's five icy-cold smiles:

1. Mittens!
2. Crocheting a purple hat for my friend
3. Warm Christmas hats from my children
4. Studio Ghibli films - Nausicaa of the valley of the winds was today's choice
5. Catching up with old friends

Cheery smiles, D x

Sunshine and ice

Despite the chilly temperature today, it was very beautiful out there. Ten minutes to scrape the ice from my windscreen and then a beautiful drive to work. A brilliant parking space at the workplace, too! I work on the first floor of the building and as I looked out on to one of the flat roofs I was sorely tempted to climb out for a quick slide. It was as slick as an ice-rink. Had it not been over 20 feet up I would have been out there like a flash!

So my five sunshiney smiles for today are:

1. Sunshine - no matter that it is very frosty...
2. My lovely friend who offered the Girl supper and a long play with one of her best friends
3. My son inviting friends round out of the blue
4. Seeing Orion - my favourite constellation
5. Still having the urge to slide when I see a patch of ice

I now have a week off work, this is always a cause for celebration. Lots of mundane things to do but I hope to be able to fill in the gaps with some smiles!

Cheery grins, D x

It's good to help!

Well, hello! What a beautiful day...

For me, it started when I got into the car with the Girl - some of the most beautiful frost patterns on the windscreen that I have seen for ages, so pretty! Then we had snow and sunshine and more snow - glorious, indeed.

Here is my list of five smiles for today:

1. Pretty ice patterns on the windscreen
2. Sunshine on icy grass and leaves...
3. Catching up unexpectedly with friends
4. Being able to help friends out of the blue :)
5. Inspirational friends, whatever their age...

Sometimes I learn the biggest lessons from some of my youngest friends, amazing...

Cheery smiles, D x

Sorry for the delay...

Hello, many apologies for the delay in writing - what with internet not letting me on, headaches and feeling generally poorly... Anyway - that's enough moaning and groaning, let me get to my list of positive things for the past few days...

Cheery smiles for:

1. Sunshine
2. Frost on windows
3. The Boy being fab and getting a bronze certificate from school
4. The Girl continuing with her knitting
5. Vegetarian haggis with neeps and tatties
6. Meeting up with old friends and generally having fun
7. Hugs 
8. Wibbling Wools in Bury St Edmunds
9. Nice warm duvets and a good book
10. A cup of tea and a home-made biscuit

I keep trying to take a photo of the biscuits but they don't seem to last very long in our home, I shall attempt this again this week. I have lots of baking to do and only two days in work, in theory I should be able to do it but life has that fabulous way of interfering...

Cheery smiles, D x

The long weight and other stories from the workplace...

Good evening, a little late today but I've made it :)

It's a long time since we've done the 'can you get me a long weight, please?' anywhere that I have worked - but today it worked a treat with my friends and the new girl... All four areas of the department were in cahoots and it worked a treat - tee hee! Simple ideas are so good...

Five lovely things to smile about:

1. More sunshine, so good for the soul
2. Amazing angel friends xxx
3. Old jokes...
4. Fortune cookies
5. Cuddles on the sofa

Gung hei fat choi! We had a delicious stir-fry for supper and the children loved their fortunes, always good. Mine said that my life was full of adventure and that this week would be radiant - what more could a girl want...

Cheery smiles, D x

Happy day...

What a beautiful, sunny day... I was lucky enough to spend it with my family - three generations around one table, bliss.

We went to the Greyhound pub in Chevington - if you haven't been, you must go there. It is a lovely old pub which has kept its traditional style but does the most fabulous food. They make the best curries in this area by far - all of them freshly cooked to order and with such delicate spicing... Delicious! The Boy perked up in the back of the car when he realised where we were going :) And the desserts are very, very good - do not go there to if you are on a really strict diet x Home made blackcurrant cheesecake with a honey and lemon base anyone??

Five very cheery things:

1. Sunshine :)
2. Really, really good food
3. The Boy's love of good food
4. Baking with the Girl
5. Seeing a shooting star this evening...

I love shooting stars, I saw my first one on a roof terrace in Bologna and they still make me smile whenever I see them. 

A new week beckons, hope yours is full of love and smiles, D x

Weekends will now be spent with my family!

What a glorious day - fun and scones at work this morning, a mini-party if you will, as it was my last time to work a weekend or bank holiday :) And it was good to clear my desk - always a bonus!

Cheery thoughts for today:

1. No more weekends - huge, smiley grin 
2. The Girl and I having to go shoe shopping 
3. Laird C humming Bonzo Dog Doodah Band songs under his breath all evening
4. The Boy creating his own comic
5. The Girl telling me that I was just so lickable - like a skinny lollipop!

And tomorrow we are going out with family for a lunch at our favourite pub.

And one of my loveliest friends just asked me if it would be okay to come and visit soon...

It's so gratifying to have such exciting things to look forward to...

Cheeriest grins, D x

Last weekend shift...

Thank you to the lovely people on F11 for helping to make my last weekend shift so much fun xxx

The end of another week...

Hurrah, it's Friday and Laird C comes home today! He had a horrendous journey, no doubt because of the torrential rain... And I didn't even get a chance to use my brolly today because I was at work and am terrified of leaving it there :(

The Boy and the Girl are overjoyed to see their Dad every Friday - especially if I'm not here, hmmm... but homework has been completed and now they have the weekend free! It's my last weekend shift tomorrow, the end of an era. I am so looking forward to being able to see Laird C when he is at home rather than just pass each other by in the kitchen and accepting the odd cup of tea from a tall, dark stranger!

Five cheering things today:

1. His Lairdship is home - hurrah!
2. The Boy's face when his new comic arrived today
3. The Girl loving her homework - it was to do with cake
4. Working with people that I haven't seen for a long while
5. Making new friends

Cheery smiles, D x

Excellent day - big smiles :D

What a marvellous day!

Five smile-inducing things today:

1. Walking to school in the rain sharing an umbrella with the Girl
2. Spending the day with the Marvellous Mrs M
3. Laughing
4. Seeing how well the Boy is growing up
5. Cuddling the cats on the sofa

After an early night yesterday - one of the reasons I didn't post yesterday - I woke up feeling pretty blinkin' good! The Children were up and cheery and ready for school on time without any tribulations, it was raining so I got to use my favourite umbrella, I'll post a picture soon, and then had a lovely day out with the Marvellous Mrs M.

The sun was shining as we walked through town for a quick 'pop'. This is when we go out for the day and look at lovely things and have a good, old-fashioned catch-up with everything that is going on in our lives. Plans are made, goodies are bought and there is generally at least one coffee stop!

Today we went to our favourite wool shop - Wibbling Wools in Bury St Edmunds. We stroked lots of yarn and discussed the benefits of this and that helped by Theresa, the fastest knitter in the East. We were remarkably thrifty having both decided that we need to bust our stashes rather than buy more to create UFOs or sit looking beautiful... Mrs M has nearly finished the most beautiful crocheted afghan in glorious muted technicolour and needed some new wool to edge it. I needed a pattern to make the Boy a jumper, I already have the yarn... Then lunch at our favourite restaurant - The Lounge, followed by a swift pop through town, window shopping as we strolled.

This afternoon I had the chance to go to the Boy's Tudor open day at school. I was so proud of him, he had made a game of memory based on the Tudor VIPs. Poor lamb didn't have a chance to show me other people's work because he was too busy helping all those who came to see him! It does a mother's heart good to see one of her children so interested in what he was doing.

My amazingly talented friend Smokey has just taken up lino-printing and has sent me a beautiful print from her first tile - a shell in dark, bluey green on a white background. I shall post the photo of it when I have found the right frame for it!

Cheery smiles, D x

Phew - what a day!

Well, what a day! Both the Boy and the Girl had friends to play after school today - two of whom stayed to share veggie toad-in-the-hole with us, it was meant to be veggie shepherd's pie but there was a slight mistake in the catering department... All this followed by an impromptu sleep-over, too! I shall enjoy meeting my pillow tonight.

I've finished three things today - the hat, as evidenced by the photo, making a huge batch of chocolate-vanilla cupcakes and remembering to put half in the freezer AND reading a wonderful book by Gil McNeil. It's called 'Needles and Pearls' and it was thoroughly heart-warming. I stayed up far too late reading it last night and then snuck in some extra reading time this morning. Loved it, loved it, loved it - I've got three more to look forward to now :)

Maybe I should add a new aim for the year to finish off all of my UFOs, that would certainly help to clear some of the stash that my husband comments on quite regularly.

Five cheering things for today:

1. Impromptu cuppa this morning with a very dear friend
2. Finishing the hat, does it show that I'm really quite chuffed about that
3. Having a houseful of children and still finding a quiet place to sit
4. Having children enjoy my food
5. Being able to help out the marvellous Mrs M

Cheery smiles, D x

I've finished the hat!

Me with the new hat!

Okay, here is the hat with me wearing it - it fits, always a bonus and sometimes a surprise, and I love the colour, thank you to the Marvellous Mrs M for the birthday wool.

Now I just have to make a flower to go on it and it will be completely finished - I'm not sure what colour I should make the flower so any ideas will be gratefully received.

Cheery smiles, D x

A bit of a late start...

This morning didn't start too well - the Girl came through at 8.05 saying, 'Mummy, why haven't you woken me up yet?' Cue mother leaping out of bed and racing through to the Boy's room 'You've missed your bus! Get up now!' Followed by stumbling downstairs to make two packed lunches and a vague sort of breakfast, 'yes, cheese straws are fine for breakfast :$' We made it, a four mile journey in the car to the Boy's school, tipping him out of the car and heading back full pelt to arrive looking serene in the playground in time for the Girl to go in!!! I blame the cats - they woke me at 2 am complaining that they hadn't been fed yet today - hmmm...

The hat is nearly finished now - four rounds of crochet to go before I get to wear it, it is looking very cute if I do say so myself! As the cheese straws were finished for breakfast, I managed to make a fresh batch which, for the first time ever, the children are eating without complaining AND saying that they are better than the shop-bought ones. Gosh, who'd have thought it!

My five smiles for today are:

1. Another gorgeously sunny day in Suffolk
2. Cheese straws that the children will eat
3. Cuddles from my children
4. A car that works when you really need it :D
5. My marvellous husband who is always there when I need him xxx

Cheery smiles, D x

The next day...

Well, I've managed to come back to my blog. After a lovely sunny day spent relaxing with my family, I'm taking a moment to catch up with this new venture...

Okay here are my five things to smile about today:

1. A day full of sunshine and love.
2. Mr C cooking the most delicious paella for dinner.
3. The Marvellous Mrs M's most reliable cookie recipe.
4. Cranberry and chocolate cookies made using said recipe...
5. Snuggling up and watching The Navigator with the family.

Those are good things to be happy about, as is the fact that we have a sofa that is still just the right size to snuggle on!

The hat is coming on nicely, I should be able to post a picture on here soon, if the technical deities smile upon me. I have to admit to being better at techy things than I like to admit, it's not good for my tree-hugging hippy image!

Time to snuggle up with some mango and orange juice and carry on with the beanie - I'm quite looking forward to sharing an image of something I have made :)

Cheery smiles, D x

By the way, if you move your mouse over the fish to the right they follow it and you can click to feed them - some people are so very clever...

Wow, new stuff to do...

Hello, my name is Daisy and I like to smile.

I've never blogged before so this is all very exciting and new to me - I may not do this very often, but I will try to do it at least once a week...

I'm at home with the family this weekend and am enjoying time with them. My family consists of his Lairdship, the boy and the girl - they are aged ten and eight and a half. My family fill my heart with joy and pride because they are all so wonderful :)

I love ribbons and buttons and gorgeous yarns and fabrics and am going to spend some time stashbusting this year, who knows what will appear - I'll show you photos if there are any good projects, and probably even more photos for the ones that don't go entirely according to plan!

I've started on a lacy, crocheted hat for myself today - my wonderful friend gave me some recycled yarn - I've been trying to find the right pattern for it for ages. Thanks to another friend, I've found it! Smiles all round, I'll show it when it is finished :)

We are in a state of flux at the moment, I handed in my notice before Christmas and have yet to find another job to keep me out of trouble. There are several possibilities floating on the horizon and I'm sure that the right one will show up as and when... well, fingers crossed anyway...

Cheery smiles, Daisy