Sunday 21 April 2013

Reflections on the past and a bit on the future

 Celebrations of a certain type are due soon and instead of cards I thought it would be so much nicer to celebrate with fresh flowers and these are what we started with. Two bunches of lovely Dutch tulips from the market in Aylesbury.
 Some mini daffs from Thame market...
 And some marvellously pink stocks for the scent!


 The next morning I was still celebrating how they all looked in Saturday's sunshine...


 I am being very good, went a few lbs over my allowed limit above target for WW recently , mainly due to the cancer scare so I am pulling back a bit: this is fabulous Asda porridge with drained pineapple chunks: delish!
 There was a good talk at WW this week about portion sizes, feeling full or ''deprived'' and the size of our dinner plates. Did you know that in the 1950's the normal dinner plate was equal or less than 9''?
That's the top one, we have now progressed to the lower one: with a concomittant effect on obesity rates!
 Then I've also discovered Waitrose's THIN bread, and I mean thin! Only 1 propoint each slice, which is a mere 0.8cm or 8mm.
 Enough said, I've been clearing out, spurned on by my eldest who at 15 needs room in her book case for make up, of course....Ooooooh I can remember reading these to them both at bedtime!
 Especially the magic pony for Miss Y and the rainbow fairies to both of them, endlessly moving through each series as they came out, colours, talents, pets, musical instrument, you name it.
They lapped it up, but they were a bit too formulaic for me and I'm glad to pass them to Oxfam.
 It got me thinking though, as I kept back the classics and the one's I loved myself mainly with rhyme or superb illustrations or just because they have memories attached: those lovely happy bed-times before they could read when I would read , sing and pray with them each night. We sang the same bedtime song- translated into English of course- that was sung to me in my childhood days. And there was always a bedtime prayer too.
 Now I'm thinking will my grand-children- should I be so blessed- have bedtime stories? Will there be books even? Or will they have their bedtime ''kindle'' with books stored digitally on some device?
Will there be no more page turning and feeling of textures on board books for babies? Will it be a swipe of the hand or a voice command? Or a voice reading electronically from a device like a watch on a toddler wrist? No mummy needed? Who'd do the cuddling? Or the ''voices''?
 How I loved doing the voices! Deep ones for the baddies and squeeky ones for fairies and growly ones for dwarves and so on. And I would neigh and whinney for the ponies....
There they go, off to Oxfam.
 Ah yes THOSE WERE the DAYS!!! SEE? This is pre-blog: photos on our fridge from about 10 years ago...
 This one's more recent, probably only 3 years ago..But she's already changed sooo MUCH!
 We used to go to this farm every Spring where they could feed lambs, walk kids, cuddle rabbits etc.
 And this is Miss E, definitely 10-11 years ago....with all her little friends, some dressed as princesses.
 And we didn't have dogs then, let alone two. Pippa came as a puppy in 2007 and Lucy was born here in 2009. The litter growing up IS on the blog- see February/ March 2009 archives.


 THE DREAMING SPIRES OF OXFORD: from a lecture room at Oxford Brooke's University at one of my Epidemiology lectures.

 A very clever man ( Tony Robbins an American) once said:
PEOPLE overestimate what they can achieve in a year but they UNDERESTIMATE ( hugely) what can be achieved in TEN YEARS!!!
 So where will we be in 10 years time? Will we be in a larger home, preferably with a country view and period features....? Heres' some inspiration: except it's in Oxford and not Edwardian or Georgian...
 What are the possible ideals for 2023?
Both girls have finished University with good degrees, are happy and settled in family/careers and possibly the first grandchild is on the way? ( if they do 3 rather than 5 year degrees) Independent living and we see them monthly? Quarterly? Texting/ keeping in touch daily/ weekly?
The business is hugely successful and big and has brought us the millions which we can use to donate and better some issues in the world. And live more easily.

I have gained my MSc and PHd and am partly working in PH and teach crochet and textile classes in the other half. Several books have now been published and I speak at conferences and give talks on cruises and specialist holidays etc.

 The house has room for textile courses and artist/ craftperson's exhibitons are held in a nearby venue.
Teaching Scottish dancing and have designed/written a dance ( or 2)...
JJ and I travel a lot and spend time walking the long distance pathways in UK and abroad whenever we can.
 Lucy had her litter and her child and grandchildren are our dogs now, Lucy herself is elderly but well for her 14 years.
And I'd best stop dreaming- or is it planning- there and walk those dogs , here are some wild flowers for a floral finish today.

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