Frosty Rose

Most of the plants in the garden have succumbed to the frost. The compassion rose above refuses to be dictated to by the weather and the seasons. She blooms whenever she wants to bloom. Fragile in appearance, her looks deceive. She is resilient and hardy. She is a metaphor for life.

Hey, There Lonely Girl

It is very lonely over at the Linden Grove Kitchen. Want to join me so I am not on my own? Meanwhile I will listen to Donny Osmond. This song reminds me of a time when my heart ached for romance. My heart is still aching now.

Fading Beauty

Warning! If you are feeling depressed do not read the poem below! I need to run up a curtain for the front door today to keep out the cold but was compelled to write this poem as I was putting on my moisturiser this morning.

Another wrinkle, another fold

Another day of looking old

Saggy cheeks and drooping eyes

Lumpy arms and fallen thighs

The stresses and strains show in the furrows

The past revealing untold sorrows

The aging process is so cruel

And a reminder to us all.....

Beauty fades as we fade away

Judge not by looks; they do not stay

Now I have got that out of my system I am off to start on the curtain! Edited: Just snaped off the spool holder as I tugged the machine out of its hiding place so no curtain making for me today! I now have to glue the spool holder back together. That will teach me to be so negative!

Dinner Tonight?

Are you looking for an idea for dinner tonight? There is an update over at my new blog Linden Grove Kitchen. Any ideas, suggestions for recipes that you would like me to feature are most welcome too.

New Blog!

I have started a new blog called Linden Grove Kitchen. Here I will let you know the hints and tips and skills I learnt whilst doing a City and Guilds cookery course many years ago. I will also share with you things I cook, recipes and other foodie related things. Please come and join me on the start of a new beginning!

A Lesson Learnt

Last week on a whim, I decided to have my hair cut. No big deal? I have been growing my hair for about 3 years and only had a couple of trims in all that time. I wish I could turn back the clock. Last week I could tie my hair back in a ten inch pony tail. Today it is a two inch pony tail. I also have a very annoying wispy fringe. I now remember why I haven't had a fringe for years. It irritates like hell and I have to keep pushing it off my forehead because it itches so much. My 'thick' hair is baby fine in my opinion, I just have a lot of it. The hairdresser said it needed a layer so it wouldn't hang in a 'block'. The 'bob' haircut I have had isn't a bob at all. It is a lopsided layered mess. I could scream, shout and holler like a child having a tantrum but that won't bring my hair back. I just have to bide my time and grow out the fringe and the layers. The reason I have blogged about this is so that next time I decide to have my hair cut on a whim I will read this post first!

Edited: The photo above is a before shot. I can't even bear to look in the mirror to take a photo of how it is now. Also, my hair looks blonde with the sunlight catching it but it is in fact brown!

Storm - R.I.P

My lovely Bendish Blue hen called Storm has died. I found her 'asleep' in the hen house this morning. I posted about her back in May when she was very ill but somehow by a miracle she pulled through. She put on weight and started to lay eggs. Over the last week I noticed how light she had become and seemed to be off her food. However when I put some chopped up pear in the run last night she fought the other chickens for it!

I feel so sad. She was my favourite hen. I will miss the soft cooing sounds she used to make, her soft blue/grey feathers and gentle nature.

Goodbye Storm. I will miss you.

Baubles, Bits and Bobs

I have been busy decorating polystyrene balls this week. Why? I have no idea really I just wanted to 'do' something creative. I never realised how difficult it would be to paste cut strips of paper onto a round surface. It has been a learning curve indeed. The ball on the left in the photo above is made up of paper strips glued on and I added a Flower Fairy scrap. This was then sealed with a coat of decoupage glue. The large ball in the middle is covered in fabric strips and the ball on the right is covered with fabric strips which have then been sealed with glue. They are all still works in progress.

I then decided to make some 'snowballs' and added strips of white paper to the balls which have then been sealed and painted. I added some ultra fine glitter to a couple for a touch of sparkle but I think I like them plain. These are also works in progress and not the finished article.

However, this is a finished article. Back in July 2010 I posted a free pattern on here for you to use in your stitchery projects. I used it to make a candle mat and have found it to be decorative and useful too! If you make anything using the pattern I would love to see what you create.

Well, I may not be around for a while as I have a lot of catching up to do around the house. Crafting may have to go on the back burner for a while (but I may squeeze in an hour or two!)

Enjoy the week! X

Alternatively......................

I live a very conventional life, safe and somewhat mundane yet I have always hankered after the unusual, alternative and extraordinary ways of life.

When I was younger I experimented with alternative ways of eating. I used to look up to Leslie Kenton, health guru and author of the Raw Energy Diet and followed her raw health diet for months. It wasn't sustainable as it was too restrictive. She also advocated running along the beach and taking vitamin supplements.

Years later I started following a macrobiotic diet which is a very sensible but yet again restrictive way of eating. It was based on yin and yang foods and eating a mostly grain diet.

Now I eat a sensible well balanced diet (if you ignore the Friday cake bakes and the sweet treats!) based on the knowledge I have gained about healthy eating over the years.

Away from diets, I have dabbled with other 'alternative' things such as Reiki, and been attuned by a Reiki Master. I have used Bach Flower Remedies, Homeopathy, Aromatherapy oils etc. I have drunk clay, aloe vera juice and Bancha Twig tea!

I believe I am perceived to be slightly 'odd' by conventional types and too 'normal' by people that embrace more unconventional ways of life.

I like to sit on the edge, dipping my toes in the water and retreating when it all gets a bit too weird! Do any of you feel like this?

Friday Sweet Treat No.1

Do you remember the Friday Cake Bake I used to do? Well, let me introduce you to the Friday Sweet Treat!!! Today's treats are Granny Smith apples (sharp and tart!) dipped in a generous amount of melted Belgian chocolate and covered in chocolate sprinkles.

I made sure that the chocolate coating is good and thick! As much as I love eating toffee apples these are much kinder on the teeth. Do you fancy making a Friday Sweet Treat? Have a lovely weekend. x

p.s. Thank you for all the encouraging comments left for me on my last post. I get the feeling that I am not alone in my thoughts and there are many like minded souls among you. Coventry seems to be a very crowded place!

Sent to Coventry

Periodically, I feel that my blog isn't making its mark. These feelings of 'could do better' tend to magnify when people stop visiting let alone comment on my blog. I know the saying 'can't please all of the people all of the time' but I do like to try.

There was a time when loads of people with an interest in vintage things came to visit, I am not particularly into vintage and unsure as to why they came, although I do appreciate items that are well made and that have an interesting history to them. For example, I inherited the one eyed Teddy and doll in the photo above. I have a family connection to them so they mean something to me. The 'vintage' visitors tailed off when they became aware that my blog wasn't really about vintage items.

A few posts back I spoke about finding a belief system that fitted in with my ideas and lifestyle. I didn't mention what the belief system was because I didn't want to make anyone feel unwelcome here. Strangely, since that post quite a few people who make their faith publicly known on their blogs stopped visiting me.

Then we have the bloggers that are into their fabrics, crochet and baking but they too have found blogs more akin to their interests and hobbies and are not so interested in visiting.

Each day more and more people are starting up their own blogs. I am now a small fish in a very big pond, and I am floundering.

I try to comment regularly on other peoples posts as I believe that blogging is a two way communication and it is nice to have feedback or know where you are going 'wrong'.

As I am writing this it is becoming apparent to me that people may not 'get' me. I don't write in a chirpy, extroverted, happy style because that isn't me. I could put on a fake persona and I know that my comments would soar, but that is not me.

This is me. I talk from the heart. My blog isn't exhilarating but I hope it is gentle and informative. I don't wish to blog for bloggings sake but I want to blog to be part of a community even if I don't know what part of the community that is just yet.

As people are ostracised in the workplace, I feel they can be ostracised in blogging. I am sure Coventry is a very nice place but it is not somewhere I wish to stay.