Beautiful Day

I have had a beautiful day surrounded by beautiful people and things.


Firstly, Hermione awoke with a very swollen and dark lip but at least it had started to heal and was no longer flapping - which is always good. She felt a bit self conscious about it, but right on time some pictures arrived from a friend which cheered her up no end. I wish I knew how to do this funky writing on pictures.



Little surprises and smiles.

A gathering of friends for china tea, cake, stories and crafts. I am truly blessed to have a friend who is a professional children's story teller. She loves coming to read and craft with a small group of local children every few weeks. I put on the china tea and cakes and she takes care of stories and crafts. It works like a dream and she makes sure never to leave without having arranged the next date, which I am delighted about.

Hermione was a very lucky girl today (which I'm pleased about as she needed a boost after her nose dive last night) and received cards and gifts. A cute hama bead heart and a hand made bag which is absolutely fabulous. My photographs don't really do it justice - particularly not the embroidery. I love the way it opens and fastens.

All of this and I still have valentines celebrations to come! Craig and I don't celebrate on the 14th as the first year we were together we were both working that evening and made a dinner date for later in the week. Although moving valentines day to suit your work shedule isn't particularly romantic, when we did meet up later in the week for our delayed valentines dinner, he asked me to marry him and we have celebrated valentines on that later day ever since. It's quite good actually as restaurants are quieter by then and cards and gifts are in the sale!

I often wonder where I would choose to celebrate valentines evening if I could choose anywhere. I always conclude that I would like to go to The Witchery. I've never been but I read about it years ago and have always wanted to go.

I hope you too have had a fab day!

Dreaming of cherub lips

What a wonderful day we have had today - an absolutely fabulous day. It seems that we are all finally recovering from our various lurgies and life is returning to normal. You can no longer write your name in the dust on the hall table, we all sat down to lunch around a clear table and listened to music while chatting. It was so nice that I didn't even care when during the course of the conversation Hermione said, 'Oh no, I didn't mean Shakespeare - I was getting him confused with Britney Spears'.

We baked fairy cakes and decorated the house ready for Valentines celebrations tomorrow. Do you like our Valentine wreath?

Sadly the bliss was shattered when Hermione some how dove face first onto the kitchen floor this evening. I'm still not entirely sure how this happened. I just know there was lots of blood (bucket and mop job as opposed to kitchen roll) and she now has a really deep cut where her tooth has sliced her lip. She also has a bit of an egg on her forehead and what looks like the makings of a black eye but these are less noticeable alongside the frilled edge lip *sigh*.

When I finally managed to have a good look at it I was horrified and wondered whether to go to A&E in case it requires stitches. I decided against this after looking online and reading that lips are not usually stitched unless they are pierced or the cut crosses from the fleshy lip bit to the ordinary skin of the face. Also, at the risk of sharing to much information, I have to say that my nether regions were much happier second time round after having instructed my midwife in no uncertain terms to keep her needle kit in her bag (to which she agreed, 'unless I'm faced with something like the Grand Canyon' - oh how those words gave me a chill!) .

Well, she's had lots of arnica and reiki - which I'll repeat throughout the night. Here's hoping that she wakes tomorrow looking more cherub less Donald Duck.

My name is Claire...

...and I suffer from vacuum rage.

I publicly apologies to all of the stuffed fluffs currently stuck in the workings.

Even though everyone refused to take the hint when I dumped the vacuum in the centre of the living room, and just stepped over or walked around it for three hours, does not justify my vacuuming over the top of everything as opposed to going around it.

Off to tell Craig we've got a gonk in the tube - again!

Facebook

I'm still convalescing from my lurgy here and am trying to rest my voice - or perhaps I should say I'm trying desperately hard to talk but it hurts. This has made me realise just how much of my time I spend having those educational 'purposive' type of conversation with the children and reading aloud to them. I'm ever so frustrated. I always think of myself as a rather quiet person but now being very conscious about the amount I do talk I'm really not so sure.

Anyway, stuck in this frustrating low volume space I have been doing lots of thinking - I've been doing lots of crafting too but that'll keep for now.

I tend to be a bit slow on the uptake of many things so it's not at all surprising that I am relatively new to Facebook. In addition to being slow on the uptake there was also a considerable period when I was aware of it but just wasn't quite sure. I suppose I've never been quite sure for lots of reasons but I just started pondering that again today.

I know that Facebook and other similar sites can be useful in some business networking scenarios. They can also help you to track down people who you may otherwise have never regained contact with - which is great. But at what cost?

Facebook and the other sites are businesses. What kind of business? What's their product? How are they making their money?

Could we be forgiven for thinking that Facebook et al represent capitalism gone mega crazy? Trading not in friendship and reunions but collecting information and matching it with businesses making everyone a sitting target for sophisticated marketing. Encouraging us not to connect with people we know in a direct form but rather sitting alone at a screen tapping away at a keyboard. Eroding many aspects of community in the process of creating a new community - a community which operates in a way in which some folks make wads of dosh!

I don't know. I'm still thinking. If you have ever thought about this (or are thinking about it now) then have a look at this article. It explains lots of points much better than I could.

I hope my throat feels better tomorrow. All this quiet thinking is giving me brain ache!

Lantern tour

Craig and Hermione went on a lantern light tour of Durham Oriental Museum last night. I wish I had been there. Apparently it was really spectacular.

Hermione returned home with a couple of paper lanterns and wondered if we could put candles in them. Obviously the answer was 'no' - a tea light in a small paper lantern would not be a good idea. However, I've had a scoot around online for some sort of alternative on I think these may fit the bill.

Not exactly a Chinese lantern but they do glow, they are orange in colour and are made with oranges which are associated with Chinese New Year festivities. They don't look too difficult to make (says she who has never made a candle in her life) and if the orange peel starts to smell mouldy before the candle is all used then presumably you can just 'peel' the candle and reuse the wax that is left.

Possibly a bit late for this year as I think Chinese New Year is all but done. Must make a mental note of this for next year.

Scarves for Survivors

Debs over at a Simple Life has set up a venture called Scarves for Survivors. She is making scarves herself, many from reclaimed wool and selling them to raise money for Rape Crisis. I think this is a fabulous idea and hope that you will all pop along, check out what's on offer and tell your friends and family about it.

Having spent most of my adult life working with women in need, in the capacity of solicitor, counsellor and homeopath I know how desperately these organisations need funds. The trouble is that many people don't want to talk about rape. It's not nice. It's not pleasant. It doesn't make for polite conversation at the bus stop or have the 'feel good factor' of a gift donation for the third world to purchase a goat (another very worthy cause I hasten to add).

Please support people like Debs in bringing rape out of the closet. It happens. It's real and there are women out there at this very moment in desperate need of help.

On a different note, I want to thank Debs for giving me the Lemonade Award for bloggers with great attitude or gratitude.

I don't know many people in the blogosphere so instead of choosing folks to pass this award onto I just want to say a huge thanks to all you folks out there who let their attitude be a positive guiding light for others.

Hearts, gourds and speckled swans..

I awoke today feeling lighter and brighter. I've let go of the fears and stresses that kept dancing across my mind yesterday. Back to focusing on each new moment and all of the potential and possibilities that life holds. Coming back to comfort and ease.

Miles is still doing well, generally messing as I type. Hermione is coughing slightly less and is busy playing Trivial Pursuits with Craig. I think I'm getting a touch of the lurgy now too. I've a very sore throat. Ho hum. I was hoping that we could reschedule all that we cancelled last week - I hope we don't end up having to cancel more arrangements. Why does lurgy always hit when you have so much stuff to do?

We made some hearts from a beyond repair brushed cotton sheet and some 3d fabric paints yesterday.

Not long to go till Valentines Day. I'm hoping we get round to making a wreath of sorts but will have to wait and see.

I've reviewed our January learning objectives and I'm pleased. I think we're quite on track. I think it was helpful from my point of view to make a list on post about it as I've referred back to it a few times during the month. I'll have to pull together what we are doing next. We're going to make a start on Shakespeare and have other stuff in mind too.

Do you like the latest addition to my handmade ceramics collection? Another fabulous piece that cost me not a penny, just 'hours' at Durham Exchange.

I love the community feel of our group, the social aspect, the going 'shopping' with no cash plus the sharing of skills and resources. One member has agreed to teach me how to massage Craig and the children. Another has agreed to show me how to transform my wax scraps into pretty and practical candles.

The children have been perusing the seed catalogues trying to decide what they would like to grow this year. Ornamental gourds seems to be the way to go - they grow fast and are good fun. Also, since they are not edible we don't have to worry about them being in the front garden which is closer to traffic and fumes. Wondering if we could plant them in our old wheel barrow - a gourd wheel barrow as an alternative to pots of bedding plants.... I like the thought of that.

Miles has opted for Speckled Swans.

Hermione wants snakes.

We're going to get Russian Dolls too.

The seeds are all available from Thompson and Morgan online.

Surfing about I came across this picture. Am I a prude or are other people asking just why did she bother with that top?

Thank you to all of Hermione's customers. The orders keep coming and I'm delighted by the kindness and generosity of folks. Some orders may be delayed slightly this week depending upon our lurgy status *grin*.