Saturday Nice . . .

 

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The kids are racing up the street,

Squealing and jumping up and down,

While snowflakes weave a magic spell,

As lovely as a wedding gown,

'Broidered in pearls with spangled lace,

To frame a happy girlish face.

Two little tots went riding by

On a new sleigh that seemed to glide

On silent runners up the street;

The baker's horse careened and shied

At every step and covered post,

Decked in white garments like a ghost.

The cars went by on muffled wheels,

Like coaches wrapped in carded wool,

The postman looked like Santy Claus

With his old knapsack bursting full,

And every street and boulevard

Was lovely as a Christmas Card.

Here in a corner of the fence

A clump of scarlet berries glow,

Like jewels at a pagan feast;

The roof are quilted down in snow,

And the old house across the way,

Is decked in royal robes today.

~Edna Jacques, First Snowfall

Fireside poems, 1950

 

No snow here yet, but much of England, Scotland, Wales, etc. were blanketed in snow this past week.  My friend Tina said yesterday when we were talking on facetime that they had about five inches of it, which is quite a bit for them. The whole country comes to a standstill in the snow over there. They are just not equipped to deal with it.

All we have had here all week is rain, rain and, more rain. It is raining out there this morning as well.  If this was a bit colder, we would have been inundated with snow, so we must really count our blessings where we find them.  At least you do not have to shovel rain, and it is a lot easier to drive in!

 

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I had to pick up a bottle of brandy this week so that I could soak the fruit for my fruit cake. Printed all over the paper bag were things like "Smiles are Contagious" and "Keep the good going" and "Throw kindness around like confetti."  

A little bit incongruous on a paper bag covering a bottle of alcohol, or maybe not, depending on how you look at it.  It did bring a smile to my face, however.  I love all of those sentiments and think that if everyone applied those guidelines to their lives, we would live in a world that was truly transformed.

Can you imagine?  What a difference it would make.  I have always felt that change begins with me, and that if I do my small part, at least it is a beginning.

 

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I really enjoyed my day spent out with my sister this week.   I always do most of the talking, which works well as she is not really much of a talker.  I can talk for England.  I just jammer on and on.  I don't know if it annoys her or not.  I think probably not because if it did surely, she would say so. Or perhaps she just suffers in silence. I cannot say for sure!

It always feels good to get out of the house. To get out and about.  Breathe in some fresh air and experience a change of scenery.

A friend of mine posted a short video on Facebook last night of the last time the ladies of my church congregation in Chester had gotten together before the Pandemic hit.  We used to go out to dinner all together every late November/early December. It was always such an enjoyable evening.  As the camera panned over all of the happy faces, it was good to see them all. Everyone in a festive mood, enjoying each other's company.  A few are no longer with us, having since passed through the veil, but it was still nice to see everyone.  I do miss them all very much. They were a really lovely bunch.

The ladies in my church group here are lovely as well, I just don't really know many of them, and to be honest, I have not gone out of my way to do so. In order to have a friend, you really need to be a friend, and I have so many other commitments here that I could not be a good friend. Not really.

I did not have as many commitments over there and my church friends were really my family.  I am blessed here and now to have actual family about. I also think that I am becoming a bit more insular as I get older.  I do not know if that is a good thing or not!

 

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One of my nieces has gone to Toronto this weekend to the Taylor Swift concert.  My brother was able to snag them some tickets. She has posted a few pics on Instagram. I am happy for them, they (She and her friends) all looked so pumped to be there.  It is supposed to be quite a concert.  I am watching it on Disney.  It is called "her version" of the concert.  I don't know what the difference is. It is 3 hours long.  I do not have the patience to sit and watch it for 3 hours, but I am watching it in bits. That is just me.  I do that with everything. It is only very rare that I am able to sit and watch anything which is longer than an hour's length in one go. I no longer seem to have the attention span that I once had.  I am not sure what is up with that.

I have not been to many concerts in my lifetime.  I did go to see Tanya Tucker in Concert with my youngest daughter when we lived in New Brunswick and that was pretty good.  I did see The Stampeders in concert here on the base in Greenwood with I was a teenager. (Sweet City Woman) I remember that being pretty exciting at the time. Probably not quite the same level of excitement as seeing Taylor Swift, however.

I like her music. I used to listen to it all the time when I was painting and creating in my craft room in the U.K. I used to like to listen to Katie Perry and Mindy Gledhill as well.  Their music kept my creative juices flowing.

 

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I've been fitting in a bit of sewing here and there over this past week.  It is quite an operation and is done with a great deal of interest from the two felines in residence here. As I was sewing late yesterday afternoon, they were gathered closely around my sewing machine.  One laying behind it and the other next to it. I know I should shoo them away, but they don't have much of interest in their lives, so I did not want to spoil their fun such as it were.  So long as they don't get too much in the way I can tolerate their presence, and so far, they are not interfering too much.  I have not tried to paint, however.  That could be quite different.

 

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I have not really felt the urge to put up any kind of Christmas decor yet. I am hoping that will come. I do not know exactly why but I do feel a bit blue this year for some reason. Usually, I am all glitter and glue this time of year and getting stuck right into things. This year it seems to be escaping me. I have tried watching a few Christmassy films on the television.  I did manage to watch one Hallmark film all the way through, but most I have not gotten more than a few minutes into them.  Even my all-time favorite, A Christmas Story.  Hopefully I will catch the spirit soon.

Today is my son Doug's birthday. He is 43 years old.  He is the one who lives on the Island with the three "J's" for sons.  Jon, Josh and Jake.  He is a good man.  A great son, father, husband, etc.  I love him to bits and hope that he has a lovely day.  I did send out Birthday cards before the postal strike, but I have no way of knowing if they got there on time or not. 

His oldest son Jon had 15 inches cut off his hair yesterday and donated it to a charity that makes wigs for children. My daughter in law posted a video/reel of the process on Facebook.  He looks a lot different with hair just to his shoulder now. 

It has never bothered me, my grandsons having the long hair that they do.  That is just the way they like it, and it makes them happy. They are individuals and very confident in themselves.  That is just the way I like it.  I pray for each of my grandchildren every night and my only wish for them is that they are confident and secure and happy and successful.  And that they will always know that they are loved.

Everyone deserves to know that they are loved.

And with that I best leave you with a thought for the day.  Time is a marching on and I do want to get my Christmas cake baked today!

A thought to carry with you . . . 

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

 *.˛.Be grateful for the home you have,
knowing that at this moment,
all you have is all you need.
~Sarah Ban Breathnach° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today, Old Fashioned Gum Drop Cookies.  A very festive bake. Crisp outside, soft and chewy inside and studded with plenty of sweet gum drops and optional raisins.

I hope that you have a beautiful weekend.  Be happy, be creative in whatever way floats your boat.  Be content.  Surround yourself with beauty and love.  Whatever you do, don't forget!

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And I do too!