Charm

My friend makes jewellery in her spare time..she gave me the F today...she made the heart a while ago..she stamps letters and words on...I love that...something so personal and meaningful.

Birthday flowers

Peach roses...
No, it's not a florist's, they're all the birthday flowers I received! How lovely.

Crusts

When do we learn that there's more taste in crusts than in the soft, middle part? What is it that makes us not want to eat them in the first place... are we swayed by the views and habits of others? Try it..you might actually like it and just think if you do like it...of all the opportunities that you have wasted in thinking you thought that way. It's so easy to think the same as others...follow well worn paths of thought...convenient ways of doing things the way they've always been done. Sometimes it's good to tip things on their head and look at them from a different perspective altogether. Eat the sandwich from the outside in, instead of from the inside out as it were...

Pancake Day.

Ooh we have air time!!


My little piglet flipper....
Dairy free batter...

I love Pancake Day...I remember making them at primary school and making wax crayon drawings of them...being fascinated by the difference in appearance of each one; some speckled, some even golden brown. We have pancakes here quite often, my children love them. I make dairy and egg free ones for my allergic daughter but my son likes them too. Lemon and caster sugar and golden syrup are the preferred toppings.

Cat

Even Boom wanted in on the painting act...

Painting session.

Sometimes what's left in the palette is just as interesting as what's on the paper...

Valentine's Day

Lilac roses, dairy free chocolate muffins, foil hearts....

Foot prints

As I walked home this morning through the dusting of icing sugar snow I was struck by all the foot prints...you can tell a lot from them...how people walk..fast, slow with sliding feet, dragging along. Even where they are going. Someone pushing a pram or walking a dog...even birds' foot prints, now they do look amusing and very random hopping along looking like someone actually stencilled them there. It made me wonder what my own foot prints looked like...so I looked behind and I was amazed to see a flowery print mark from my boots. I had literally no idea that's what I left...and I've had these boots for about 4 years! You see the thing is you keep on going forwards and are so busy with all your thoughts that very rarely do you seem to have time to stop and look what you're leaving behind for the world to see. And that thought stayed with me all the way home. Sometimes we become so wrapped up in looking at the foot prints of others wondering where they are going and what they are doing, that we neglect our own progress in this world. I would hate to get to the end of the journey and look back and realise I hadn't left any foot prints.

Snow

Well I can't quite believe that once again we're looking out at snow...just when we thought we'd turned the corner into Spring..all the bulbs had started to come up and we'd put the wellies away...now they've all been dragged back out..still I had an inkling when I saw all the corners of the fields still with a line of white as I drove over to Hebden Bridge...always need some more to take it away...let's hope that this is finally it..well I can hope.

Nostalgia

Windowsill

When did we get too big to stand on the windowsill? When children are small it's easy to measure their growth....notching off each year's achievement and being constantly amazed by upward progress. A small person in a giant's world where everything feels too big...do we ever know when things are just right a la Goldilocks? Is it better to keep striving onwards and upwards as weeks turn into months into years? If we stop and look through that window, unable to fit on that sill anymore, I wonder what we will actually see. And it's the journey that's important of course..we all already know the destination, but I suppose it's a matter of whether you take the scenic route or head straight for it, no stop offs..It comes as quite a jolt to realise that you have become a grown-up...when did that happen? Even now it feels like I'm playing at it, like some other adult is going to come along and take charge. I might not be able to stand on that windowsill, but I can still kneel....

Fried jam sandwich.

What is it about a fried jam sandwich that is so lovely?Warm, buttery sweetness...melting jammy middle...crisp, crunchy outside....hot from the pan, sat at the kitchen table with Mum. A hug on a plate...

Imbolc

Here's my Imbolc altar....my little shrine to welcome in the new season....white and red are important colours and the snowdrop, moon and candles. I keep lots of things on my window to remind me of special things that hold meaning for me and memories.

Slender, silver sparkles thread

through the dismal

uncertainty of endless darkness.

A glimmer of pure belief

renews splendid pleasure.

Release a shard of hope anew.

Serenely reassure and soothe

our nurturing dreams.

Warm saddened hearts

in your enchanting light.

Welcome,

oh how we

have missed you.