Saturday 18 July 2020

All things nice . . .



 Today I am flooding my page with all things that are nice, because in the light of what we have been going through in the year 2020 to date, we could all use a little bit of nice. 


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Keep the faith, it pays great dividends!
~Marjorie Pay Hinkley 

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."
~Isaih 40:31  

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Help us take nature's pulse by joining the Big Butterfly Count. The Big Butterfly Count is a UK-wide survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment simply by counting the amount and type of butterflies (and some day-flying moths) we see. To find out more click here. It involves sitting quietly in one place in nature for fifteen minutes and recording all the butterflies you see.  There are far worse ways to spend your time.


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She made a feast of little things,
A brown egg in a pretty cup,
A candle on a birthday cake;
A few stray flowers gathered up
And put in an old-fashioned vase,
As beautiful as Flemish lace.

She made a little daily rite
Of dressing up for afernoons,
And laid the table extra nice
Using her precious silver spoons,
The woven mats from Mexico,
The table napkins white as snow.

She made a feast of love and joy,
Of every common household task,
Sweeping the hallways and the stair,
Keeping them beautiful ... nor ask
A finer mission than to make
Her home a heaven for his sake.

She made a feast (Oh lovely word)
Of ordinary common things
Of bread and butter - jam and tea,
Her home a place where shining wings
Hovered above the summer night
And touched the roof with splendid light.
~Edna Jacques  


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Love has a hem to her garment
That reaches the very dust,
It sweeps the streets and lanes,
And because it can, it must.
~Mother Teresa 


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If you are thinking you might get bored or tired after being in Heaven for a while, don't worry! Try to imagine something with me. Imagine you are a little bird who lives in a tiny cage made of rusty metal. And inside your cage you have a food dish, and a little mirror, and a tiny perch to swing on.

Then one day some kind person takes your cage to a big beautiful forest. The forest is splashed with sunlight. Proud, towering trees cover the hils and valleys as far as you can see. There are gushing waterfalls, and bushes drooping with purple berries, and fruit trees, and carpets of wild flowers, and a wide blue sky to fly in. And besides all these things, there are millions of other little birds  . . .  

Hopping from one green limb to another
and eating their fill
and raising their little families
and singing their hearts out
all through the day
. . . 

Now little bird, can you imagine wanting to stay in your cage?  Can you imagine saying, "Oh please don't let me go I will miss my cage. I will miss my little food dish with seeds in it. I will miss my little plastic mirror and my tiny little perch. I might get bored in that big forest." 

That would be silly wouldn't it?  And its just as silly to think we might run out of things to do in heaven! 

~Larry Libby, from a children's book, What If I get Tired of Being in Heaven.  


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Silence is not an absence,
but a presence.
~Anne D. LeClaire 


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A man was walking in a wilderness. He became lost and was unable to find his way out. Another man met him. "Sir, I am lost, can you show me the way out of this wilderness!"

"No," said the stranger, "I cannot show you the way out of the wilderness, but maybe if I walk wih you, we can find it together."  



Princess Beatrice and her fiancee Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were married yesterday in secret at Windsor Castle in a very scaled down service with only 15 guests.  I wish the young couple all the happiness in the world. Hopefully we will see some wedding gown pictures at some point! 


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"Homes are the divinely ordained fountains of life. It is not by accident that men live in families rather than solitarily. The human race began in a family and Eden was a home. The divine blessing has ever rested upon nations and communities just in the measure in which they have added to these original institutions and have kept marriage and the home pure and holy. Back of the home lies marriage. The wedding day throws its shadow far down the future. It may be, ought to be, a shadow of healing and benediction."
~J R Miller, Homemaking 


As a child did you delight in playing house, in playing mother.  Washing, cleaning, cooking, etc. I did.  All I ever wanted to be was a wife and a homemaker, a  mother. I never ever really had any career aspirations.  I only wanted to be an "Aunt Bea," "June Cleaver," "Margaret Anderson,"  "Olivia Walton"  . . .  you get the picture.   And for a time I was  . . . 


A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *
Be an encourager,
the world has plenty 
of critics already.
~Dave Willis•。★★ 。* 。 



In The English Kitchen today . . .  Lemon-Raspberry Buckle.  Deliciously old fashioned.  


Have a great Saturday. Its raining here . . .  again.  Oh well, its all a reason why we are so lush and green here in the UK!  Don't forget! 


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And I do too!  








7 comments:

  1. Lovely thoughts..well we saw the Queen's ensemble..
    Do you follow Geoffrey walk on IG Oh what a guy.Dream 90 yr old.
    WE had some rain..now sun and heat again..summer..Have a good weekend Marie!

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    1. I do! Those Hollyhocks on his recent walk, amazing! I saw the Queen giving the honors to Captain Tom. Its rainy all day here today. We have had a lousy summer. Happy weekend to you! xoxo

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  2. Beautiful post, Marie. Thank you for these inspirational and loving thoughts. We're having very high temperatures and humidity here in Pennsylvania (not far from Philadelphia)- I would love some cool,rainy weather. This heat just drains me.
    Have a good week-end,
    Mary

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    1. I am sorry you are suffering from the heat Mary. I hate high temps and humidity. It is very draining for sure. Love and hugs and prayers for relief. xoxo

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  3. I love Edna Jqcques poem and your everything nice post. Very happy for Beatrice and Edoardo. Can't wait to see pictures of the wedding. It's still pretty hot here. I'm slmost longing for fall but not quite. Hope you're both enjoying your weekend. Hugs and love, Elaine

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    1. It will be here before we know it Elaine! I am waiting for our heat wave. A mix of cloud and rain today so far. Love and hugs, always. xoxo

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  4. Lemon Raspberry Buckle sounds so yummy. I loved the quotes and the poem. Lots of positive thought here. I too always just wanted to be a Mom. I was most of the time but did have to work as a nurse off and on at times. At least I did love nursing.
    I do love the Royal weddings and I like when they posts wedding gown photos too.
    The bird photo and pig ones were the cutest.
    I think it would be fun to be part of the Butterfly count.
    We haven't had a lot of butterflies around but at least a few more bees.
    Blessings and hugs!

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