The First Snow of the Season

This week has been a mixture of blue skies and sunshine, but also dull, grey days.

On this particular day, I passed this beautiful tall Beech tree with still a few leaves hanging on.

There were also some pretty Winter Jasmine in bloom.

Two days' ago there was an icy wind blowing

and snow had been forecast!

When I got up this morning around 5 am, I put on a coat before pulling up the blinds

and going on my balcony!

It was indeed snowing and it continued to do so for most of the morning.

I took this photo just before 8 am when the street lights were still on.

The house is just across the road from me.

You can see the snowflakes falling against the dark paintwork on the house.

A pretty snow scene in-between two houses.

The first snow of the season is always so special!

I am happy to say that the roads were cleared by a snow-plough and the paths cleared by a blower.

I had a snug day at home, reading and doing crochet

I lit candles and this one looks so pretty on an orange tablecloth.

The little house is made of ceramic.

I did some reading about the life of a vet

and his love of animals.

This is a beautiful hand-painted Christmas bauble

which represents figs and their leaves.

This week, I visited a friend who lives further down the lake

We went to a Christmas Market and she gave me this lovely candle holder

with the winter trees and a moose.

A thoughtful Christmas present!

Isn't the Christmas card adorable too?

I finished crocheting my winter blanket.

It looks really pretty on my grey couch.

Now I'm crocheting some more squares in the same colours to make a cushion cover.

The little Tomte wearing a long pointed hat, is a Scandinavian gnome.

He was given to me by my daughter.

Isn't he adorable?

The tomte is an essential part of Scandinavian folklore.

He's a little gnome who is dedicated to one home or farm.

He looks out for the farm animals and children of the home.

He patters about by night, unseen, to check on everyone's welfare.

I chose this Swarovski crystal star for my blog header.

It sparkles so prettily by candlelight.

I hope that this month of December is treating you well.

Do you like this time of the year?

Do you have special traditions that you like to honour?

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Every Day in Life is Beautiful

A gentle morning sky

taken from my balcony.

Soft petals and curves in pastel colours

which remind me of the colours of my temperature blanket so far.

Under a large oak tree, these bright and charming tiny cyclamen were growing.

There's such beauty in skies at any time of the day.

This was taken today as the tiny moon rose in the pastels of the sky.

With the 75th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp.

last Monday on January 27th,

I wanted to re-read the story of Alice Herz-Sommer.

She was a gifted concert pianist and Holocaust survivor.

She said that music kept her and her young son alive.

I have two books about this lady. 

The one above and another entitled: 'A Century of Wisdom'.

I can recommend them both.

Alice was an incredibly positive person her whole life.

She is truly inspirational.

Her quotations are really meaningful.

Here is one of them:

"Life is beautiful. You have to be thankful that we are living.

Wherever you look is beauty.

I know about the bad things, but I look for good things"

Alice Herz-Sommer

The colourful presence of tulips in our homes brings such joy.

I crocheted a reversible heart for my front door with daisies.

The month of February makes us think of hearts!

I like the plain red side, but the three colours is fun too.

That's the one that's on show today.

I may change it for the red side on February 14th.

Here is a link for the heart pattern

I went for a lovely brisk walk in my neighbourhood

and on my way back, around 6 pm,

I stopped to enjoy this beautiful sky.

When I got home,

the sky was deepening.

"Every day in life is beautiful ... every day."

Alice Herz-Sommer.

The beauty is there even when we fail to notice it.

When we look around us with awareness

we can see it or hear it in the songs of the birds at dawn and dusk.

Yesterday, on returning from my walk, I heard a blackbird sing for the first time this year.

Continuing the 2020 Flower Challenge with a new flower to crochet every week of the year.

Here is Flower number 3

A little daisy.

If you would like to join the challenge.

Check out Anabelia craft design

May you find something beautiful every day of your life.

Photo Journal July 2018: Day 1 - Summer

I thought I would enjoy doing a daily photo journal here during the month of July.

I know that some people like to follow photo prompts.

They can be helpful, 

but I prefer to have the freedom of creating my own as I go along!

I would love you to accompany me on this summer's journey

and I will enjoy following you on yours!

Although the summer season has already started, 

July and August really feel the most representative of summer to me!

There is the mounting heat

The buzzing of the bees

A quieter city with people going on holiday

Very early morning walks before the heat builds up

Straw hats

Good books and taking the time to read them

Cold and refreshing herb drinks

Relaxation.

This morning got me out of bed before 5 am!

I opened all the windows of my home to freshen the air and cool my apartment down.

Then a lovely morning walk between 6 and 7 am.

Back for breakfast on my balcony

and now a new book to read outside.

All this spells SUMMER to me!

***

The Power to Choose

Sunday morning on my balcony!

My favourite place to be as soon as it's warm enough to sit outside!

I'm surrounded by window-boxes and big tubs of flowers

and there is birdsong in the early morning.

I can see trees from where I sit when I turn by back to the road.

I am happy, not only because of all these lovely things, but because I choose to be!

Whatever happens to us in life, whatever our circumstances,

whatever our state of health, we have the ability to choose our attitude

to every single thing in our life.

The book in the photo is a new one that I have recently started.

It reinforces my belief that we are able to develop our resilience

and rise above the hard knocks in life.

Of course, some things are more difficult to bear than others,

but however hard things may seem, our attitude is everything.

We are not the victims of our lives,

but we are the creators of how we want to live.

I love books like this, 

they make me feel empowered.

May and June have been busy months, both with birthday celebrations

and creative occupations.

On the creative side, out came my crochet hook and some new red cotton

which I recently obtained from a local store.

Forty-two crocheted hearts have been made as part of a table decoration

for my son's wedding this August in Switzerland.

I found this lovely rose in the exact same tone of red as the hearts.

There's such mystery and beauty in the heart of a rose.

The weather is already hot and humid

with daytime temperatures reaching 26C but it feels much hotter

because of the high humidity.

Storms have been building up towards the evenings.

This could be the start of a very hot summer¨

It will soon be time to get my ventilators out of the cellar!

Reading in Bed: a short story

She let it happen without any particular plan.

The weather outside was uninviting.

Two pillows against the bedstead

a hot water bottle

a book

a mug of something hot.

She loved the soft colours on the patchwork quilt

it felt so snug

It reminded  her of when she was little

and had one of her bad earaches

She had felt less abandoned when she was ill

Somebody noticed.

She put her book down and leant back

Remembering.

Why now?

Why ask questions she said to herself

Let things be

Let them happen as they will

No one is here to judge me

No one

Through the open window

a ray of sunshine came in and created dancing patterns on her desk.

She drank in the beauty of the instant

and that single moment was all that mattered.

The sunshine beckoned and said:

"Come outside!"

And she did.

She met a beautiful tree

and a shadow

"Who are you?" she said

but the shadow stared back and remained silent

Some days she was a complete mystery to herself...

Shiny Shoes and Other Stories

Her new shiny shoes made her feel special

like the little girl she used to be in her Sunday best!

The blue glow at the base of the coffee bar made her feel even magical.

She wondered if anyone was noticing her shoes.

Well, I think I was - and they made me feel a little magical too!

Just looking at his hands gave her a thrill ...

She'd always been attracted to beautiful hands.

He wished she would take off her sunglasses

to see the message her eyes were sending him.

A crowded terrace, but they felt totally alone in their togetherness.

Retirement

She had recently retired.

What on earth does that mean?

She felt even more vibrant than before 

she had more time to nourish her passions!

Passion!

What a wonderful word.

She felt a whole new world was within reach.

Each new day opened up a myriad of possibilities. The very thought made her feel quite giddy. She closed her eyes a minute to savour the excited tingling throughout her whole body.

What first? 

Well, she could read more and not feel guilty about frittering her time away. 

Yes, let's start with that! 

She sat on the sofa facing the window, running her hand over the cover of a new book. Preparing herself, through the illustration, to get the feeling of the story that was about to unfold.

The world is my oyster, she said, and I'm the pearl!

Author: Tracy Chevalier

"Never put off till tomorrow the book you can read today."
Holbrook Jackson
1874-1948

***

Have you ever thought what fun it is to contemplate an image and imagine the story behind?

Each image, each story is so intricately part of who we are.  I love just giving part of a story,

a mere slice,  so that all who read may be swept into something that maybe resonates with them where they can also find a part of themselves and be touched.