THE CHALLENGE!

Lady M loves champers!

 Hello Everyone,

Lady M here. I, like all I you, watch the news and feel over emotional, afraid, disbelief, sadness and despair. As I wrote last week, I just cannot believe what is happening in the Ukraine 🇺🇦 and my heart goes out to its people who are ‘lost’. Today, I shed tears as I saw a teenager being interviewed in Poland. Her father had spent 24 hours driving her to the border and safety. He was forced to return and fight for his country. They had said goodbye and she does not know if she will ever see him again. What if this were you? Could you bear it? First Covid restrictions and deaths, now this. Sadness permeates the world. We need happiness and positivity in order to survive.

With that thought in mind I am offering you THE CHALLENGE again.

                                                       ***********************

So what makes you smile? What makes you happy? What do you enjoy? What makes you get up in the morning? What makes your life worthwhile?

Here are Lady M's favourite things that make her smile and decide that life is worthwhile and then she will challenge you. Think about Maria in “The Sound of Music”, when she is sad she thinks of her favourite things and then feels happier.

Tram riding, watching peeps and the world go by and book signing

First, beautiful books. She has the Charles Dickens collected works; the green leather bound edition bought in the early seventies. They were the first items she purchased when she started teaching, She paid for them over a period of time at £2 a month. She has not read all of them yet but they sit on the shelves in her lounge and she adores just looking at them. Then, there are all her other books amassed over the years in her upstairs library. They make her smile each morning. She loves all of her books especially the ones she writes. The proof copies all sit on the shelf by her fireside chair where she can admire them and smile at the achievement. There are peeps who say that books are a waste of money. She says, Philistines!


Then, there are childhood memories. It seems the older she gets the more she remembers them. She was brought up on a hundred acre country estate. Life in such a situation is hectic; always too much to do... livestock, gardens, the country house, land. All always needing attention and it was a case of all hands on deck 24/7. It's only in recent years that she realises how fortunate she was to have that experience and the memories.  Walking in the private woods. Rearing the pheasants (her responsibility!) Later she would hear the shooting and know they had met their fate; that was the way it was. Sitting by the boathouse reading books, (her favourite place.) Her lovely Jack Russell Terrier, Sally. Lambs taking their first bleat. Birthday parties and fun. The annual week's holiday at the seaside. Village life. Brownies. Guides. Sunday afternoon cricket matches. Chorister. Church bells on a Sunday morning. The smell of freshly mowed grass. The hum of the combine harvester.

Watching her father wash sheep here

Plants! In his latter years her father would bring her plants each time he visited. She now spends hours each spring, repotting and taking cuttings to keep his legacy alive. She still has one of the original plants from 1986 which refuses to die. It has been repotted three times, grows, is cut down and then regrows. Such fond memories of a devoted and perfect father. A man she idolised.

Other things which make her smile in her retiring years are the thoughts of ice cream, chocolate, pizza, chips, paninis, wine and more wine! Lattes, sunny days, warmth, jewellery, new clothes, bubble baths, candles, music, flowers, reading, board games, birds chirping in the trees heralding each new dawn, butterflies

What does she enjoy doing? Visiting the cinema, libraries, taking afternoon tea, tram riding, art galleries and museums. She has a thirst for knowledge and loves quizzes, learning anything new. She spends hours watching the pigeons and other feathered species feeding from her bird table. It is strategically placed so that she has the perfect view from her chair.

Food? Yes, please!

Holidays? Yes please. She hates the hassle of airports and getting to places but adores it when she reaches her destination. She loves experiencing foreign cultures. Her favourite place is Paphos and the harbour. It is her second home. Souvenirs? Oh yes. She buys fridge magnets from every place she visits. Then, in the mornings at home she can remember the wonderful places when she staggers to the fridge for milk in her coffee.

   

Paphos sunset

Another thing she likes is her little red car. It lives in its own apartment. Others call them garages. They have travelled many miles together and seen many beautiful sites.

She is a great believer in taking new experiences and adventures.

 

So, now that she has shared her personal delights with you she offers you... THE CHALLENGE!

Until next week, enjoy whatever it is you enjoy and tolerate the rest of your life.

Yours, Lady M 

                                                  

Cure those January Blues!

Hello Everyone!

It's 29th January. Only two more days of this horrendous month and then it is February. I hope the tongue twisters, jokes and humorous quotations have helped. I thought for this final week of January I would resurrect my 'Cure those January blues'.

For years I found the 'January blues' hard to cope with and then I started to think of practical solutions in the hope that January would speed by and spring would come that much more quickly. Initially, one has to tell oneself that life is wonderful and convince oneself that one is really happy. Happiness comes from within and keep smiling. The positive act of smiling tells the brain that all is well.

Why should the parties all be over just because it is January? I found giving dinner parties a great idea. Everyone seemed to have free weekends and were as delighted at having somewhere to go as I was at having something to do; looking through recipes, buying the food and preparing delicacies. Also, I found I was quite popular after invitations had dropped on doormats in the aftermath of Christmas, dieting can  wait another week!

If you are tired of staying in and really want to go somewhere other than the theatre, cinema or a club in the hope that February will arrive more quickly there are places that are open all year round. Have you ever stepped inside your local museum or art gallery? For those interested in our past or heritage have a look at country houses and historical sites. Then there are leisure centres and an abundance of tourist places to visit. Buy yourself a present, flowers always cheer a home up particularly after decorations have been removed.

Okay, so finances are difficult but there are still many things that individuals or families can do together which do not cost anything. Have you thought of volunteering for charity work? Or just popping out for a walk? Neither of those options will cost anything. Look around your home. What have you all ready got which you may use that is free? Board games? Books which you've always meant to read? Or thought about popping along to the library? Libraries are a hive of activity and opportunities these days. Sewing or craft items that still need completing?

As a last resort there is always the computer or the television. There are loads of channels, in fact one is spoilt for choice.

So, whereever you are, whatever your situation, January will be over soon, but beating the blues until then is up to you. Happiness and content come from within. Be positive, keep smiling and remember to count your blessings.

Lady M

Afternoon Tea at the Library

                            

   Hello  Everyone!

 

  Lady M still here and for one more week before Sofia and Donald return from their travels. As many of you know she goes out on a Monday for afternoon tea at a local library. It is the Langley Library in Sandwell where many activities are offered throughout the week. For the 'Over 55's' there's tea/coffee and cakes from 2.30 until 4.00 p.m. on a Monday afternoon.        

                                                                                                         
Well, she didn't need asking twice! The library staff provide the tea and coffee and one of them makes excellent cakes. We pay £1 and it goes to charity. It's  the Macmillan Cancer Nurses, I think! There's usually between 6 and 9 of us gathered round two tables in the centre of the main library room. We use it as a social occasion for chit-chat and humour as well as discussing and selecting library books.

 You'll have noticed that I, as an author, like my books noticed! The local community know I refer to them as my 'babies' and I always look on the shelf and see how many are still there and how many are out in homes being read. If they stay on the shelf too long I make sure someone takes them home for a change of scenery. Sandra, above has the right idea as she fosters Time & Tide. Sandra, with Pauline and Maureen right are tucking into tea and cakes midst much laughter and joking. Ladies, thank you for brightening my Mondays!

 Gone are the days of libraries being places of reading, research or book selection in silence. They are now focal points of communities with numerous activities. More about that next week but before then, if you've not ventured into your local library since childhood days why not make it a kind of 'first' and pop in and see how its changed. You'll be amazed.

Lady M.