Hello Sunshine

The sun returned today.

Bathing our winter souls in some much needed warmth.

I ran errands, tidied the potting shed, and returned the last of the holiday decorations to their shelves.

Oliver snoozed.

There are new plant shoots poking out of the soil throughout the garden, I trust they know that Winter is not yet over.

 

 

Contentment

 

"Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,

A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest. "

~ Robert Montgomery

 

 

 

Hooked.

I love hand-hooked rugs.

They remind me of the carpets my parents had fitted in our home when I was growing up, usually a timeless floral pattern, manufactured by the Axminster Company, Royal Carpet Manufacturers to Her Majesty the Queen.  http://www.axminster-carpets.co.uk/

This particular rug is one of my favorites, and despite the cats using it to test their claw-skills every once in awhile, it has held up beautifully for over twenty years.

Saying Hello

Over the past few months I have met several new bloggers in the world of blogging.
It is always a delight sharing our lives, as we sit behind our keyboards, and connect with people from far reaching corners of the globe.

I ceased to participate in memes several years ago, I truly just didn't have the time to answer questionnaires, and the guilt of not doing so seemed to take the fun out of spontaneous blogging.
However, today I thought I'd share a few "about me" tidbits.
If you've followed my blog for any length of time you may well have read these previously, but for my newer friends, a little about me.......... 

 

 

One.
 

I won a writing contest in school, sponsored by The Cadbury Company.

The prize was a variety of free chocolate bars, for my class of twenty students over a period of one year.
Once a month our box of pure sweetness was delivered and we all turned into the school's Billy Bunter's.

I was voted most popular in class that year.

 

 

Two.

I spent all of my teenage years, riding and  show-jumping horses. I miss it with a passion.

 

 

Three.

I was the neat-diving champion of my hometown, I swam everyday.

 

Four.

I was an only child until I reached the age of ten. My closest companion was my dolly.

When my baby brother came along, I felt like the luckiest little girl in the world.

 

 

 

Five.

Despite my grandma owning and operating her own bakery for more than thirty five years, I wasn't blessed with the creating talent, but do extremely well with the partaking of.

Six.

I have worn my hair long, rather than short, for most of my life.
 

 

 

Seven.

Ever since being a small girl, I have wanted to live in a rose-covered cottage, I still dream of doing so.
*sigh*

Eight.

I'm a self-confessed tea addict, no apologies it came with the heritage.

 

Tight Fit

Oliver refuses to admit he has over-indulged just a little too much this Christmas season.

 

 

Winter Barn

The nesting season is upon us.

People and animals alike, hunkered down against the elements that Mother Nature throws our way throughout the next few months.

A warm barn, always a welcoming  privilege, to those creatures great and small.

 

 

 

Tons upon tons the brown-green fragrant hay

O'erbrims the mows beyond the time-warped eaves,
Up to the rafters where the spider weaves,
Though few flies wander his secluded way.
Through a high chink one lonely golden ray,
Wherein the dust is dancing, slants unstirred.
In the dry hush some rustlings light are heard,
Of winter-hidden mice at furtive play.
Far down, the cattle in their shadowed stalls,
Nose-deep in clover fodder's meadowy scent,
Forget the snows that whelm their pasture streams,
The frost that bites the world beyond their walls.
Warm housed, they dream of summer, well content
In day-long contemplation of their dreams.


~ Charles G. D. Roberts

 

 

The Wait Is Over

The most anticipated television event of the year is here! Downton Abbey Season 6  The Final Season premieres Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, at 9pm ET.
Check your local listings.

Make yourself a nice pot of tea, finish off the Christmas cake, be sure to use the best china.
The wait is over.......