Friday 20 February 2015

Off to the seaside......

We are heading off to St Ives very soon..... the weather forecast doesn't look too amazing, but we aren't worried. I've booked a beautiful cosy cottage and made sure the iPad, Kindle, camera, sketch pad and a sewing project are in my bag.
We are going by train for the first time....a 7 and a half hour trip....must remember to pack a picnic.

Before I go....here's a mosaic of my latest completed needlecases .....


Hopefully I'll be able to post some photos from my iPad whilst we're away......back soon.




Tuesday 17 February 2015

When I Get The Blues....

My health has been a big issue for me over the past two years or so. It has affected my life (and my husband's) to a great extent ....we have had to cancel holidays, trips out, meals with friends and so on because I just cannot function when the symptoms hit me. It makes it difficult to plan things.....but we still do make plans because we have to be positive and try to carry on as normally as possible.
We are leaving for St Ives in a few days....a long awaited trip which means so much to me. As you can imagine, fingers are tightly crossed.

Kind friends have asked about my health so I have written about it in a separate section in case anyone is interested. I have listed all my coping strategies which might be useful for any of you suffering similar  symptoms. And of course I'd love to hear from anyone who can offer help or suggestions as well.
You'll find it if you click on the tab 'My Health Story' at the top of the page.

I avoid wheat and sugar...but I still have treats and will post recipes for these as the weeks go by.

Today I made 'energy balls'! :-) I make lots of versions of these....sometimes with dates, almonds, pistachios, dried cranberries, almond butter, walnuts....there are so many possibilities.
You'll find the recipe here... at 'Gimme Some Oven' (found on Pinterest).
The ingredients are (all  organic) oats, coconut, flaxseed, peanut butter, raw honey, chia seeds, vanilla extract and chocolate chips (high percentage cocoa). I keep them in a box in the fridge ...great for whenever I feel the need for something sweet.  

Today isn't a major 'blues day'. My oesophagus is rucked up - but I'm used to that. Brian and I went for a walk to Attenborough Nature Reserve and made the most of the glorious sunshine. This is the sight that met us when we reached St Mary's church.....
.......a sea of crocuses and snowdrops.We come here every year at this time....and every year it seems to get better.
The robins were serenading us, the ducks were a-dabbling.........it truly felt like spring :-)

Today's blues......


Sunday 15 February 2015

Occasional Blues.....

New name....new start!

Why 'Occasional Blues'? Well, I wanted to keep some kind of a link with my previous blog name and, although my tastes have changed, it goes without saying you'll still be seeing some shades of blue here :-)
And there's also the fact that I've been experiencing 'the blues' off and on over the last couple of years (and that will probably continue as I don't have a miracle cure yet). More of that later.
But I really had to get rid of the word 'girl'......... hardly appropriate as I approach my 63rd birthday ;-)

So what can you expect to see here should you pay me a visit?
There'll be lots of photos.....mostly altered in some way.
Moodboards and mosaics.
My little paper and fabric collages.
Healthy recipes and tips I've picked up over the last couple of years.
Rants about my health.....I'll keep them short.
And tales of my travels.
Talking of which....I'm off to St Ives very soon. And we're going on the train! I can't wait.

My aims:

  • to keep my posts short and frequent
  • to be honest about stuff important to me. Be warned....some of it may be controversial ;-)
  • to share any creative tips and ideas I can come up with
  • to also share interesting stuff I discover on other blogs and websites (I'm an avid reader of health and lifestyle blogs)

Next post.....the reason why I've been such a rubbish blogger over the past year. 
And some new needlecases.

I'll leave you with a recent piece of digital scrapbooking.... 

.... a photo taken with my favourite iPhone app - Hipstamatic




....and a lovely recipe from one of my favourite health bloggers 'Oh She Glows'...... a Happy Digestion Smoothie! I need this today.......





Be filled with Wonder and Peace.....and Cosiness

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