Thursday, January 10, 2013

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.....

....is my wish for you.

I hope you all enjoyed the Peace and Joy of the Christmas Season and as we turn the pages of 2013 may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and never in want.

Yes, I know it's been a while... 2012 was not my best year for blogging, in fact it was not the best year for us in a number of ways.   I had my fair share of health issues, a spell in hospital in March, then in July I broke my foot and was out of action for 10 weeks but, the most traumatic of all... at the end of October... John and I were involved in a motorway pile up.  Our car was a total wreck but we were thankful to walk away with nothing more serious than whiplash injuries for which we are still receiving physio treatment.  Part of my treatment has involved acupuncture on my shoulders and neck.  I was somewhat sceptical about this at first, but I have to say how amazed I am at the wonderful and great relief it has brought.   Due to all of these set backs, my lovely garden has suffered too...  sad to say its usual autumn tidy up did not take place and putting it to bed for the winter was not completed.

Before it gets too unseasonal for them, I'll share a few of my Christmas pictures...





What a success our 2012 Church Christmas Fair was.  Here am I with friend Olwen setting our craft stall out the evening before the event.   Our church has a very enthusiastic craft club... we meet every month and like minded ladies busy themselves making items to sell at the various Fairs we hold throughout the year... 



I made a selection of Christmas stocking....


....and some tree decorations, although folk were buying them to use as pin cushions too


...see the embroidered hearts in the rear of the basket...  I have been so inspired by lovely blogger Jenny http://the custards.blogspot.co.uk  
Jenny makes the most amazing items from old embroidered items.  The clasp purses she makes are exquisite.  Do search her blog and admire them for yourself.





Olwen was responsible for decorating these candles so beautifully, using patterns cut from paper serviettes.  They were very popular.



Like most places in the UK, Wales has suffered day after day of relentless rain, rivers have broken their banks and fields have turned into lakes... everywhere the ground is saturated.  The waterfalls look fearsome and sound thunderous but are quite spectacular.   Nevertheless, despite such adverse conditions it has been unusually mild and already there are signs that spring is in the air.  Each day is gradually lengthening minute by minute and on a recent walk around my neglected garden I was amazed at what I found.  Clumps of daffodils are showing quite a few inches of leaf growth so too are the snowdrops and bluebells and the new shoots of crocosmia are well through the earth.  I am delighted with the number of flowers on the hellebores, they must have been in flower for a while... how could I have missed them!  Several clumps of polyanthus have been flowering for a while too.

What a change this morning though! It is very frosty and dawn has broken into a crystal clear blue sky.  How blessed we are to have a rain free day and experience some precious sunshine... everywhere looks quite different.    I've just surveyed the morning from my window, the village looks quiet, I can see that some of the cottages already have fires burning from the tell tale smoke that rises from a number of chimneys.  I saw a flock of cormorants fly overhead, no doubt returning from the sea with a breakfast  of fish filling their tummies... they are on their way back to their nesting places on Bird Rock.  Now I must fly and start my day.

Blessings - Marion








                                                                                                                                                                                                            


Friday, October 05, 2012


MISSING - APRIL JONES

APRIL WHO IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD WAS LAST SEEN GETTING INTO A LAND ROVER VEHICLE EARLY MONDAY EVENING  1ST  OCTOBER WHILST PLAYING NEAR TO HER HOME IN MACHYNLLETH MID WALES. 
 A MAN HAS SINCE BEEN ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF HER ABDUCTION BUT THIS LITTLE GIRL REMAINS MISSING.
AN INTENSE AND UNPRECEDENTED SEARCH IS TAKING PLACE IN RUGGED TERRAIN THAT SURROUNDS MACHYNLLETH... IN CONDITIONS THAT ARE EXTREMELY HOSTILE.  
HUNDREDS OF SPECIALIST  RESCUE TEAMS HAVE BEEN CALLED IN FROM FROM ALL PARTS OF THE UK  AND TOGETHER WITH LOCAL VOLUNTEERS THIS RELENTLESS SEARCH CONTINUES.
PLEASE HOLD APRIL IN YOUR PRAYERS FOR HER SAFE KEEPING AND SWIFT RETURN TO HER FAMILY.






Monday, July 16, 2012

A VILLAGE WALK  


Which way shall we go....


I'd like to take you on a walk we did a few weeks ago.  
We'll take the car first, although our destination is just a 10 minute drive from where we live.... to the coastal village where my son has a property. We frequently visit here to keep an eye on the place, keep the garden in order, do general maintenance jobs and we often spend weekends away there too... enjoying the change of scenery of both coast and countryside.
We'll start at the village pub, it's a popular meeting place for locals as well as holiday makers who frequent this beautiful area.  The food is good too. 


I'd really like this unusual bench for my garden!  The back is made from a cart wheel... but great for a rest to watch village life go by.



We'll head off up hill,  there are some pretty cottages I'd like to show you....


As we look over the wall to our right the river runs by, so crystal clear but icy cold as it makes its way down from the mountain and yet the water looks so inviting as it sparkles in the sunshine.  Wherever you go in this village, the sound of water is ever present. 



I love these pretty  pastel colours.  I guess in time gone by they were fishermen's cottages


They must like cats in this cottage.


We've left the river behind and reached the point where there are cottages on both sides of the lane now.





The lane gets steeper and opens up glorious views over the village below and out to sea.




Many of the old signposts are being replaced with these bright new wooden ones in our part of Wales.   Hmmm!  I think someone nearby has a party.





I just loved the line of washing secured to the telegraph pole in this tiny front garden 

An unusual little holiday home which is built of tin... quite cute inside too...

...its tiny garden is built into the hillside...

 ...and its higgledy-piggledy entrance is approached up this....

narrow little passage way.

Walking on, there are many steps that lead to unknown places...

...doorways and gates on either side.  I'm left wondering what lies behind them all. 
Some are set into stone walls...

...some are old and rustic...

...others more classic in style.





What an enviable place to live....

over looking farms...

 the village below.. and out to sea.



We've come through a couple of gates that cross the lane to keep the sheep from straying and are now we walk amongst them

What are these two lambs looking for?

...They eventually tire of whatever caught their attention and walk away, looking rather miffed!


 Lovely up here on a warm sunny day but so bleak, windy and cold in winter.



An anxious looking mother and her baby


Time to turn and make our way back down to the village


This is an ancient water mill now converted into an attractive dwelling

The old mill stone now makes an attractive garden feature

And the stream that powered the mill rushes on down through this pretty garden









We continued our walk on to the Quakers Cemetery, but I'll leave that for my next post.
It continues to rain in most parts of the UK most days... however, we are blessed with an occasional day of sunshine and then our attention has to turn to work in the garden.  Like most folk, I'm very behind with outdoor work, never before have I know such relentless rain... and if that hasn't been enough to set things back, last week I twisted my ankle as I went down steps in my garden, fell with my full weight down to the next step and in doing so I have broken a bone in my foot... the 5th metatarsal, which I understand it is a common footballers injury!  I am now encased in a plaster cast from toes to knee.  Hey Ho! it could be worse I guess.
As I'm now forced to rest my leg... it may well encourage me to catch up a little with blogging.
Blessings - Marion