The Best Things in Life are Free......

:: Heart Shaped Ice Cubes in Lime Cordial in a Green Glass ::

:: Wild Daffodils on the way home from the Dentist in Grindleford ::

:: Spirea Branches - From a weekend of Gardening ::

:: A Smattering of Summer Freckles - Sun Kisses for a Seven Year Old ::

:: Discovering the Dicenta in Full Bloom after a harsh winter ::

:: Open Windows letting in a Warm but Fresh Breeze ::

:: Forget me Nots - From the Garden ::

:: Blue, Blue Sky ::

:: Musscari from the Garden - In an old school Milk Bottle ::

:: Tiny Blooms against a Ben Simmons Clock::

:: Colour ::

:: Sunlight Sparkles up the Walls & on the Ceiling - My Favourite Place for an Afternoon Rest :: 

:: Handmade Mothers Day Card from my 7 Year Old ::

:: Yes, I really do look like this! ::

This weekend, I heard Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross on the Radio
It brought back memories of past Summers & inspired this post.

Wishing you all a week of Free Best Things

Lx

39

This weekend I celebrated my erm, uhh, ohhh, 39th Birthday. Just one year left till I have to move up to the next age group in anti-wrinkle creams - 20's, 30's, just can't say it yet's.....

The day started well - small people brought me breakfast in bed - tea, toast & cuddles, always good......

Despite the heavy snow, I ventured out to have morning coffee with a friend and a mooch round my favourite shops on Chatsworth road, Libby's, Created, Harley's and Moo Moo's. After 3 days in the house I had a good dose of cabin fever, so the time out was fab.... Even if it was a nervous tramp through the snow. My poor friend was witness to my 2 left feet and lack of traction control....

I treated myself to this lovely felted flower at Created, which I think cheers up my winter coat, along with my favourite striped scarf. I love this gallery, it's full of unique, locally sourced creations, very reasonably priced.

On Saturday evening we braved it as a family over to Buxton to see a production of Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol at the Pavilion theatre. It's the first time we have been to the Pavilion, usually we go to the Opera House, which is just stunning, and holds lot of special memories for me.

Whilst the Pavilion theatre lacked the atmosphere of the Opera House, the production was excellent, it held my 10 year olds attention, and it was a lovely family outing, made all the more special by mum and dad joining us.

I am looking forward to the next 12 months, my 30's have felt like a long hard slog at times, pregnancy (think whale) the early years of babies, toddlers, which you wish you could get back, minus the overwhelming knackeredness, and a good dollop of worrying..... so here's to my final year of being in my 30's, I have a feeling its going to be a good year!

On a final note we are still struggling with snow & ice here in my little patch of North Derbyshire. This morning it was -16 outside, and the side roads are just sheet ice, very scary as I have lost control of my car twice in the past 24hours. My 10 year olds school has been shut again today, due to the heating breaking down, and to be honest, its getting quite boring/tiring now, and it doesn't even look pretty anymore (although a small pink person still looks pretty it).

It's even stopping me from wearing my birthday presents from G (brought back from America at a hugely discounted price compared to the UK)....

Not that G has too worry about ice, work & small people - he's nice and warm in Taichung for the next 12 days - Ba Humbug.

Lx

I have had to Pause in Lent for weeks 2,3,4 (& even 5 is now late)

Hello. Very bad blogger here. 4 weeks without posting. A bit one sided. Taking pleasure from others blogs. Not offering back. 

Unfortunately I had picked up a bug - not flu, but whatever it was has taken a while to shake off, and I have felt lousy for the past 3 weeks. The warning signs were there. I was feeling really tired, a bit antsy, and  running on autopilot - that sense that you are exisiting, but not having time to feel. Work had gradually started to run away from the 30 hour week to full time + hours. I was leaving before the little people were going to school, and arriving home after they had gone to bed. My five-a-day was coming from the large packets of Jelly babies (well they do contain real fruit juices) being consumed as I dashed from one place to another.

Unable to sleep due to an over busy mind, I even got up at 4.30am one morning to work my way through the ironing pile - It was that or go to work nudey rudey....

So come the week of my annual leave - when I had planned to tackle the house work, get some organisation done, and be a better mum, my body went

- ENOUGH -

It has been a case of physician heal thyself.

So for the past 2+ weeks I have slept lots, pottered, rather than trying to work my way through unacheivable lists. I admitted defeat when the bug went on my chest & I was coughing like I was on 40 park drive a day, and went to the GP for antibiotics. I acknowledged I wasn't well enough to work, and took time off.

And I have thought, reflected and pondered.

In amongst all this, there has been some truley delightfull highlights. Above is the card from Angel - my swap partner in Michela's Venus swap - guess what my theme was?

I never really understood peoples facination for Yankee Candles until Beki sent me a Sweet Violet Tart as a congratulation gift last year - (then I did get it!) So I was delighted to recieve this candle - luxury!

& some Rose scented bath products to pamper myself with (well needed), and finally, my very favourite Rose Creams - Scrumptious indeed.

Thankyou so much Angel!

There has also been some Birthday Baking occurring. Firstly for one of our team at work - Lemon and Lime Cup Cakes. They looked so happy and spring like, and tasted delicious if I may say so myself, with mouth wateringly tart buttercream icicng.

My sister also has a birthday party, so I baked again, making the same Lemon & Lime Cup Cakes, however I used fuschia pink foil cases, to tie the theme in with her chocolate rocky crispy cakes that were finished off with a sprinkle of fairy dust to match....

I cannot explain how much I enjoy baking at the moment. It is such a simple pleasure.

Another lovely suprise to arrive in the post was this 'Thankyou' parcel from Lisa, who won my 1st Birthday giveaway. Juicy Lucy card!

Who me? Surely not!

It was a huuuge chore to eat this....

And new flip flops! In a large size! Lisa thankyou, you must have done your reading to know I have big feet & love my flipflops...

And finally this floral cuff bangle - so ready for summer now...

One of the good things about enforced slowing down, is that it has really given me time to hear my children. We have talked & listened to each other. With G being away for nearly two weeks in Taipai, I have had the 9 year old attention, which has been lovely, spending more time with him.

Several weeks ago I was thinking through my Pause in Lent 2 post. I had wanted to know what Lent & Easter meant to the children. The 9 year old, suggested that he give up school for lent, however I suggested this wouldn't be workable. He did say that it was sad that Jesus died, and that it wasn't all about chocolate, but more interestingly, he said he liked Easter, because I did things with him, like the Easter tree & Egg hunt. I was expecting great views from the 6 year old, as she is a proper mini praiser, however she threw a strop, so I never found out what Easter meant to her...

I have also learnt a lot from reading others posts. Floss, you have an amazing sense of grace in your writting, and Madhouse wrote about giving up shouting - why did I not think of that? So inspired, I have had a really good try at it myself - & goodness it takes some patience to keep repeating calmly when under pressure. I think it may be starting to work though.

Today I returned to work. I will try & get the balance back. I will look after myself better, so as I can look after others. I will enjoy being in the moment. Taking pleasure in the simple things.

Bathfoamed snowball baby.

& I will leave the Jelly Babies alone.

Love Lydia xx

Blue

This week I've felt all out of sorts.

It all started on Wednesday when I took a fall on some ice, outside the 6yr old's school. The earth literally went from under my feet, and I landed with an almighty walup on the floor. Much to my embarrassment a nice young man enquired if I was ok, or if I had hurt myself - did I need help in getting up? Oh no, I said, its just my pride that's bruised....

Except it wasn't. No my generously padded coccyx (backside) was also bruised. To the point it hurt to walk, sit down, and drive? I felt everyspeed bump & pot hole known to man was on the stretch of road I needed to drive on. There have been ooh's & aah's in the bedroon, not from passion, but from the pain in my derrier.

Even the small people realised it was bad, when I anounced that I could not bend down to unstack the dishwaher or move the laundry out of the washing machine, and that they would have to help.

I also had to tell them all at work, not to make me laugh, as it hurt my bum, and to say my patients found it amusing that I didn't know how to sit, is putting it mildly.

The weekend was quiet and simple. A steady pottering of  housework for me, and glueing & creating with sparkles for her...

I watched as the 9 year old got into his grove with his new bike, practising for his next big race in 2 weeks time, then lovingly, with joy in my heart, washed his sweaty muddy lycra....

And found him practising for when he becomes a teenager....

In an attempt to cheer my backside up, I took it shopping. Chatsworth road is our main road between Chesterfield & Bakewell/Baslow in The Peak District. Over the past 18 months it has started to gain some lovely shops.

Lovely Shops = Lovely Things 

Here's a sneaky peak inside Created....

I love Clare Gage ceramics, they are delightfully touchable with their textured surfaces, delicate forms, and would sit comfortably in an uber minimalist environment, or in a more homely one - such as ehemm..

Mine. ...

The use of fabric to provide texture would surely appeal to crafters & vintage/shabby alike? Thease were my two new purchases. Funded by my Birthday & Christmas pennies/pounds 

And here they are, joining the others in their new home...

Whilst in Created the lady who runs the gallery (& whom happens to be Clares mum), gave me this -

                                              

Think I'll be checking it out, & I bet someone else not so far from me will be too (Diane) 

Also on Chatsworth road is a new shop called Moo Moo (How funky is that name?) Of course, it would have been rude not to have a peek in it, and meet Moo Moo a tiny little-terrier-type-handbag-dog-not-in-the-least-bit-woofy...

And it would have been rude to have left this lovely twiggy wired heart - although I think G would have rather me been rude....

Whilst a lovely things shopping is nice, it didn't really cure the unsettledness. I have had this week off work, and as I have pottered around the house today I realised just how tired I am feeling, that sort of all encompassing physical & emotional tiredness that leaves you wanting to nap in the day, fall out with your own shadow, and feel overwhelmed with things.

I feel like I am going round in a cirlce. Never quite on top of things (laundry, housework, tidying, caseload etc). Clock watching, always needing more time as I dash to the next thing (pick up children, traffic etc). Wanting to have a little time for me in amongst being a wife, mother, daughter, nurse.

But the quite stillness of the house has also allowed me to think and reflect. I've had an extrodinary few months, we are still feeling the loss of G's mum, recovering from all that happened. I went back to work post bereavement, at an emotive time of year, to care for people in a similar situation to what I had just been in personaly.  

There has been  a lot of juggling - my case load at work, childcare, G travelling again, and its been all too much. I think the unsettledness is a nudge to guide my to think about what I am doing, trying to acheive. I know how precious life is, I spend my working days with those who face losing theirs, so I always try to be positive, grateful, thankful for all that I have.

However I've realised I need to look at my time - and how I use it. I need to learn to look after me, so I can continue to look after those I love & care for.

I need to stop stressing. Allow myself to stop trying to be 'perfect'. To enjoy the simplicity & beauty of light & shadows, spring on a snowy day....

And I don't think I am alone, I think that a lot of us can feel this way at times. And I think its ok to feel a bit pants too, so long as its not for too long.

I was listening to Woman's Hour a few weeks ago (yes, get me, cutting egde woman that I am!), and they were talking to the talented Ruthie Henshall. She said some lovely wise words "We spend our time, judging our insides, against the outsides of others". Thoughts to hold onto when I feel like I am drowning, rather than waving....

And finally - on a brighter Ta-Da! note to end.....

The winner of my First Birthday Giveaway is - Lisa at Jumble & Jelly - please pop across & meet her if you havent already - she has a lovely blog, 2 beautiful children & 2 cats. As well as a G like me....

Love Lydia xx