Vintage, coloured cutlery - what is not to like ...

 I have a great love for eclectic things & have some vintage cutlery from my great aunt & my grandmothers set of cutlery in a canteen, as well as a larger 12 of everything I inherited from my mother-in-law. 

I have always loved interesting table settings & using various cutlery sets. The vintage coloured sets always look interesting on the table & they just mark it out as a special setting. These sets are naturally hand wash only, but who cares, they are not used everyday. 

On Sunday, daughter did pancakes & I helped to set the table - I opted for the pretty Portmeirion Portobello plates with their pretty flower borders & then dug about in one of the cutlery drawers (yes, more on that later) for coloured knives, forks & spoons to go with it. 

Sometimes, the exact match eludes me but close is good enough for vintage items; it is not the cutlery for perfectionists ... 

I rather liked the setting & it was a fabulous Mother’s Day breakfast. 

While looking for the coloured items in the many drawers (3 to be exact ... ) I moved some of the cutlery & found .... the nutcrackers that I had searched for several times at Christmas before buying one to use. I must have peeked through all those drawers several times but somehow missed them. They are the vintage ones we use every single year & not I know where they are at least. 

Please tell me that happens to you too? 

I needed spoons from a different drawer (in the conservatory - the ones that tend to hold the cake forks ... ) and I just find joy in the beauty of coloured cutlery. Some are fairly modern but some were my husbands grandparents items & yet they are still in use & that is very special. 

I need to unpack the 3 cutlery drawers & just take stock of what is actually there but that is for another day. 

Thank you for your time to stop by & read;  each & every visit & comment is much appreciated.  Most of all, be safe all please 💖

Dee ~💕~

Protecting the garden in winter

I have just realised that I did not share  how I protected the garden & plants over winter. Shropshire is in the west Midlands & we do get some really cold weather, our fair share of snow & cold temperatures. 

I always use commercial horticultural fleece sack shapes to cover some pots but have had too many pots from the summer that needed covering. 

While getting rolls of horticultural fleece at our local garden centre, I had an inspired idea to use the outdoors table as a greenhouse type shape. My late grandmother could think of a plan & in no time formulate a design & I take after her in that regard.

I quickly measured the top of the table once it was extended with the two flaps & then checked the measurements on the roll of fleece. 

By doubling up a long run of 2.6 m for the top, I added 70cm for the drop to the paving. I sewed the top pieces together to give me a firm shape, then I used 4 times the amount to stitch the skirt on to the top so it would slip over the table & could be held in place with a length of string around it & the table legs so we can peek in over winter.  I used both rolls of 20m costing less than £10. 

It took less than an hour to cut & sew. We moved the table to the side of the patio, popped a brick under each leg to raise it slightly &  once the loose pots were stacked under the table, we pulled the fleece over & secured it with garden string.  It has remained in place all winter; we have needed to tuck in the bottom under the pots after our strong winds but I am impressed with the design, made to fit what we have. 

My auriculars in their theatre, made over the summer, are not fond of being damp; they do not mind the cold but rot off with being too wet. I used a left over piece to just tuck over the top of wood & secured with the hanging bits on either side. 

How do you keep your pots frost free over winter. Please share your tips. 

Thank you for your time to stop by & read;  each & every visit & comment is much appreciated. in these trying times it is needed, especially by those who give it freely.  Most of all, be safe all please 💖

Dee ~💕~

My desk holds the special memories ...

 Hi all, 

I apologise for the silence but sometimes life makes you just take a step back. I shared the loss of my Father to Covid in January 2021  and I just needed time to adjust.

Many of you are familiar with my desk, in my private space at home. It is where I keep my sentimental things, the ones you don’t want to share because they are part of your soul. My Henry Macbeth Raeburn lady she has occupied this space. Her calming presence is very welcome each day ... 

These are some of the cards sent by my late Mom, I like seeing them & remembering that connection to being someones daughter ... 

A hand sewn letter holder I made to keep some of the many letters my Mom wrote. It was a labour of love, one that helped me to sew through my sadness ... 

A long time blog follower & Instagram ‘friend’ Lynda reached out again because she sensed the silence & shared some of her experience at losing a parent, she understood the feeling of being an orphan, the loss when you no longer have any parents. I found this so moving & it helped. She sent me some beautiful hand painted cards she paints. I had sent my Dad one of her last ones in October 2020 because I knew he would love it too. Some might remember this needle case I made her during lockdown after she sent me some cards. Reaching out & giving someone some of your support & counsel means a lot. 

How absolutely beautiful are these cards? They just lifted my spirit & she shared her experience of adjusting which helped me greatly. No one prepares you to be parentless, an orphan. 

I have shared photos of my upstairs desk in my bedroom before - my letter holder is at my desk because it contains some of the many letters my Mother wrote to me. She just loved sharing stories of their life & in return, I would write back several times a month, sending cards, letters, photos, newspaper cuttings etc of our life to bridge the gap of living on different continents. 

When she passed, my Dad who has never really been the writer, would send the occasional letter in his neat, copperplate handwriting, always neat, measured writing, a reminder of his time as a technical person & so these are very special to have. 

I have bought some fabrics which I think will contrast nicely with a shirt of his my sister has kept for me to incorporate (at my request). The bias binding / braiding is reminiscent of the airmail stickers used on our post to each other. The two letter holders can then sit side by side on my desk so I have them near me. 

Today marks 9 years since we lost my Mother to cancer, I marked 5 years, a milestone in my mind. It is also the year my devoted parents are together again. I think a second letter holder will be a good way to sew through the adjustments.  

These quote are special .... 

"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those we love, time is eternity. "

"Don’t be sad for me, we all come to this world as tourists, to enjoy life, go sightseeing, do good deeds. I just happen to be leaving earlier than others."

Thank you for your time to stop by & read;  each & every visit & comment is much appreciated. in these trying times it is needed, especially by those who give it freely.  Most of all, be safe all please 💖

Dee ~💕~

In the end, we’ll all become stories ...

 Hi all, 

2021 might be a New Year but it has carried with it the problem of the global pandemic & of Covid-19. It has been more than a year now since it was officially identified in China, more than a year since it was suspected in countries as it crept across the world & invaded our world. 

This year started with a sense of foreboding & the past two weeks has been a crazy time. My sister was admitted to hospital in South Africa with severe Covid-19,  followed soon by my aged Father who lived with them. 

Unfortunately due to his age, he quickly developed respiratory problems & then Covid Pneumonia which sadly took his life. 

No one could pay last respects & because our family are spread out over a large country & abroad, we decided on a private cremation ahead of laying him to rest with my late Mother & brother when travel is eventually allowed.  Many of you know their long love story, together for almost 57 years, childhood sweethearts, separated only by death. 

I had collected stones on my last visit home which I took with to our family graves with Dad & we stopped with Dad on the way back & he collected some stones & shells & gave them to me for safe keeping for ‘when the grave is opened again’ (for him).  These have been with me & today I placed them beside his candle. 

With the restrictions, Ms M kindly suggested we should all observe our own quiet time in our homes across the world for Dad. We lit candles at the same time as his cremation & remembered him in our own ways. 

This is some of ours ... 

The daughters sent me some of my late Mom’s favourite flowers, Proteas with angel candle holders, a tree of life image on the vase & I placed the stones collected too (not seen in the image)

My sister & family lit candles & played some of Dad’s favourite music too ... 

Daughter & her grandfather had collected shells together, along with some crystals & she added these to her candle tribute ... 

The cousins, Dad’s nephews who had seen him very recently to hand over my parcel from England to him,  lit a candle too ... 

My sister in law in England knew my parents too so Monica, who had suggested the joining of candles, set up a beautiful candle scene ... 

In the evening, I lit candles in my church candle holder to light the evening gently. 

I have been very grateful to those who have kept my broken heart in their prayers & thoughts, for those who paused their own busy lives to send kind thoughts, messages or just a ’thinking of you’ text.  Many knew of the close relationship I had with my Father & their understanding has helped me come to terms with it from a distance.  

I don’t think you can truly understand the loss of both parents until it is your experience too. 

For those mourning,  life seems to pause,  time suspended to make sense of the enormity of never hearing that familiar voice or seeing that beautiful script on a letter again. My Father was my biggest champion, he liked details, he listened to remember,  we spoke daily from across the world, he was a very proud great grandfather & loved news of the daughters &  their family from England. 

Likewise, I would not tolerate any slight or criticism of my Father who was one of the most decent, fair & even tempered people I know. He was tolerant & tried to stay out of arguments & disagreements, always trying to see the best in people. However, if someone criticised him, that would raise my ire ... 

He was passionate about his family tree, he wanted to know where his extensive family came from; he asked to do his DNA in 2018 & I took out a kit for him; we had to draw up a spreadsheet with all our results so his analytical mind could take it all in. He loved his family’s part in history - it grounded him. 

It is those & many other things I miss so much ... 

In time, when this dreadful virus allows, we will travel again to South Africa to unite Dad with my Mother. They were married for almost 57 years & it is right that they will united again for eternity - something they both wished for ... 

Thank you for your time to stop by & read;  each & every visit & comment is much appreciated. Be blessed in 2021. Carry love & kindness with you & spread it around; in these trying times it is needed, especially by those who give it freely.  Most of all, be safe all please 💖

Dee ~💕~

Create the life you want to live in 2021

 I am so grateful to each & everyone who stops by, reads, leaves a comment or just follows my blog. It is an important outlet for my creativity, thoughts & ideas; those who share this journey with me are special. 

As 2020 comes to a close, we can but say - we did not see the past year coming. We could not foresee how our lives would change but we had to change with it, adapt & adjust to the changes. 

It is important to realise that only YOU can create the life you want to live, people can support & help you but ultimately the choices are yours alone. You own your decisions & the mistakes. Your support chamber do not have to think or behave the same as you, because they are also walking their own path. We are all just walking each other home, but on our own path. 

Each path has its own challenges, & this year has made me realise how some invalidate others experiences. Some people listen to reply, not to understand what you are saying; those who carry their burden well, still find it heavy. Many do not speak to complain, rather than to give voice to their experiences so it no longer has hold over them. Someone in life will always be better or worse off than you, but that does not invalidate your experiences. Sometimes when someone speaks of things that burden them, a kind ear is better than an unsolicited opinion or worse still a comparison. 

Considering the challenges in 2020, the cancelled holidays (2 special trips booked, 1 planned) the sudden loss of income as a self employed tutor, the limited contact between daughters who live north & south of us, my increasing elderly Father on another continent that I cannot easily visit, we have still been fortunate to have come through it ok. 

I have steadied my concerns with the simple rituals to keep me going -  being in my garden; cooking interesting meals even when various things were unavailable; growing more plants & giving them away;  sewing & gifting some of it;  walking my local woods & lake for green bathing to steady the mind; communicating with friends & family far & near; lots of genealogical research to keep me distracted, reading some of the books I have stacked up, growing plants from seeds as they need time to be nurtured. 

While staying in my space, I have used a lot of time to fill in the many family tree gaps across my vast ancestry tree. Focusing on what you can control, helps to still the things you can’t. My Dad has been amazing in helping to fill in the gaps where he can, what he remembers of my Maternal family line that is diminishing fast. It really brings home that once a connection is gone, it is almost impossible to get those answers. 

Not everyone understands how having something to do, fills in the time & taxes the brain too ... 

My thoughts moving forward 

Life is short 

Jobs are temporary

Health is wealth 

The rainy days all come together - save for them. 

Be thankful

Be kind 

Friends & family are precious 

Thank you for your company, each & every visit & comment is much appreciated. Be blessed as you move in to 2021. Carry hope, love & kindness with you 💖

Dee ~💕~