Happy International Women’s Day - I am Generation Equality

Happy International Women’s Day to all my lovely Lady followers. I come from a long line of strong, independent & confident women & I am happy to acknowledge their contribution. Us women need to lift each other up, to champion their successes & stand together.

I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights

I previously blogged about the strong women in my family  , women who met life’s challenges head on & I am proud to call them mine.

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I have raised two strong daughters - both engineers - who have to stand their ground in a world that is still dominated by men.  There is still overt & covert sexism in the workplace that they have to call out.

The girls both mentor others in their career fields - raising standards by lifting others up ..

However this year I am championing the ordinary women we all are & who we all know because not everyone is destined for greatness but everyone deserves to be appreciated. 

Following a lifetime in education, I am championing the Mothers who do their best often in challenging circumstances - we all know the working ones rushing across the playground, several children in tow, lunch boxes hurriedly made between breakfasts & finding PE kits, homework supervised while they juggle supper, laundry,  clubs, shopping, & making cupcakes for school cake sales at midnight because that is when they found the scrunched up note in the bottom of the schoolbags. They are hugely under appreciated by all but they are the ones who keep the family going.

I am also championing the single Mothers that circumstances have left them as lone parents - they have the added financial stress of making ends meet while juggling way too many things; we know that their time is so stretched that they fall asleep on the sofa watching the news, they are torn between doing it all & finding a few minutes to themselves.

I am championing the ordinary Mother’s who had dreams of their own which could not be realised; many make sure that their children are free to dream & achieve loftier things - not held back by the social restraints of a generation ago.

I am championing all the ordinary mothers who are under appreciated & taken fore granted - there is still a generation of men who do not do their share, who still think of life in terms of men & women’s chores & have yet to realise that women do not need their permission or approval. These ordinary women still do most of the work & cooking at home as well as working; these women find their frustrations rising because they are unappreciated even in the 21st century.

I am championing the ordinary Mothers whose efforts are invisible to society & their family - the ones who are not appreciated for themselves, their talents & achievements. In the celebrity age, so many have the ideal image & many ordinary people fall short of these expectations. We forget that these celebs have a legion of helpers doing all the ordinary things that normal women have to add to their day. These ordinary women are the backbone of family life ...

So on this Women’s Day, straighten another women’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.

Celebrate & take stock of the successes of women - mothers, sisters, daughters by inspiring each other so that the ripples filter down to the next generation.

Why do we still have inequality &  how can we improve it for everyone? Don’t just think about the impact you have today but think about the impact you have on future generations ....

Thank you for stopping by, I look forward to your company & comments, 

Dee ~💕~

The pretty town of Monschau ...

I have wanted to visit the pretty western German border town of Monschau near the Belgian border for a long time. It is one of those amazing towns that are just so attractive & is a tourist destination. It is known as ‘The Pearl of the Eiffel’ region and time seems to have stood still for 300 years.

It is home to half timbered houses & cobbled streets & the Rur river running through its medieval town centre. It was first mentioned in 1198, the castle was established in the 12th century by the Dukes of Limburg.  The town is known for its mustard, produced there for over 120 years.

The Red House / Das Rotes Haus was built in 1752, the house of a wealthy cloth merchant family of Scheibler family. It has a self supporting oak staircase which rises through the house to the 8th floor.

The Historische Altstadt in the heart of Monschau is made up of row upon row of beautiful half timber houses, some black & white, some with red details, all beautifully maintain
ed & so attractive & picturesque.

Eschbachstrasse & Kirchestrasse are some of the oldest streets - many of the pretty winding cobbled streets have interesting houses with lovely flower boxes, delicate bridges, steep streets,

Beautiful details, tall houses, built on to the river Rur as it flows through the town, a crisp morning with frost on the grey slate roofs. 

A crisp, cold morning has beautiful corn blue skies that accentuated the shapes & colours of the buildings. 

 The historic town centre with the river Rur to the left as it winds its was past beautiful buildings.

The half timbered buildings follow the river Rur through town, they are supported by cantilevered wooden supports & everywhere, the gentle sound of the river as it babbles along ... 

Monschau has a thriving Christmas market, but the entire town has beautiful & tasteful decorations everywhere - lovely pots with touches of Christmas, this car, lanterns etc .

 Several lovely hat shops

Some of the lovely decorations I saw around the town ... 

Do you not just love the buildings?

Thank you for stopping by, I look forward to your company & comments, 

Dee ~💕~

Salzburg’s Cafe Tomaselli

I just have to share the charming Salzburg cafe life with you. Salzburg is such an elegant & charming city& I loved every second I spent there. It is a place that leaves you wanting more, to want to return to visit every single corner of it ...

While there with Ms M, my sister in law (family by marriage, friends from choice) treated me to a gorgeous afternoon coffee at the oldest coffee house in Salzburg. It was my wedding anniversary & she kindly treated me - how spoilt am I?

The Cafe Tomaselli in Salzburg is situated in the heart of the old town or Alter markt where it has been for the last 150 years.  It is an iconic cafe, visited by locals & visitors alike ...

The very elegant entrance ...

Some of the cakes are brought around in perspex containers to each table so you can select from those on display.

I choose the classic apple strudel which everyone must indulge in there.  We selected the coffee with  the Mozart liquor to go with it. The waiter helpfully told us to have a sip them pour the rest in to the coffee ...

Such a wonderful way to take coffee & cake ...

It is a very elegant cafe, busy with people who want to enjoy the surroundings.

Cafe Tomaselli since 1703, Ms M posing at the entrance ...

What a fabulous treat that was, a special coffee in a special place, very thoughtful of Ms M

Elegant horse carriages glide through the streets, a scene not changed in generations ...

I hope you have enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed sharing it,  thank you for stopping by & spending time on my blog, 

Dee ~💕~

Festive sideboards at home

I like to look back over my table settings because it is different depending on who we are entertaining & if it is families or couples. I like people to feel the table is special for them ... 

I used some of my brass deer & coloured glass candle holders for this ... 

I love the little battery lights on the sideboard - they are warm & pretty. We use the china straight off the sideboard / dresser so it is useful to have it to hand ... 

I like to look back over my festive table settings - this one is similar but I have used the large silver candelabra & the gold rimmed glasses for adult visitors ...

Warm & inviting mix of red, silver & gold with the glass gems reflecting light from the candles ...

I love reds, golds & glistening silver - I love pretty tables ... 

Our Festive sideboard which contained many of our favourites which we used straight from the shelves. It is also a pleasure to look at the things we find pleasing ... 

The dresser / sideboard is well used all year round - it is a useful place to have the things I love using, & the space is used for serving right from ...

This gave way to a different one for the New Year 

I love the warmth of the little battery lights ...

Glass cakes stands elevate a simple pudding - a vanilla cheesecake (bought as I was just away) with fruit & a berry compote to go with it. Sometimes we just need to relax & buy in things so that we can have friends at our table without stressing ourselves about it ... 

A vintage glass cake stand was perfect for serving the pudding straight off ...

Seeing in the New Year & the new decade - I like mixing up the glass candle holders & candles to make it more informal & fun; the new year needs the TIME plates on the sideboard. Each plate has different times - they always remind me that TIME is different for each of us .... 

A white tablecloth with a festive natural coloured table runner, coloured glass candlesticks & candles, a string of battery lights,  tea light candles in silver goblets & pretty little glass gems - simple but pretty to see in the New Year ...

Twinkly lights make it all inviting ...

The coloured glass candlesticks & candles bring welcome colour to the table 

TIME - a New Year, use your time wisely ... 

I hope this has inspired you to surround yourself with things you love, to have friends at your table even if it means buying in the things you don’t have time to make. Do you have a favourite setting? Do you change things about each year?  

Thank you for stopping by, I look forward to your company & comments, 

Dee ~💕~