Celebrate the small things

This week we have been in chaos at home! We are having new windows and front door fitted and it has sort of taken over everything. Moving furniture and cleaning up afterwards - amazing where all the dust creeps to! On the plus side they are looking great and will be so much easier to maintain than the old wooden ones that were starting to rot. It has also made me clean some of those places that often get forgotten about - you know, like behind the TV! I want to wash some of the curtains before I re-hang them but the weather hasn't been great this week so I haven't managed that yet. Hopefully over the weekend, seems a shame not to whilst they are down anyway. Windows are important aren't they? Sort of like the eyes of the home I always think.

We caught up with some friends we haven't seen for a while in the middle of the week. The evening brightened a little and we had a stroll on the beach and a nice meal in a bar.

I surprised myself yesterday and wrote a short story! 2700 words just flowed and it felt good to write again as I haven't done much over the last month. It was a surprise because I had no intention of sitting down and writing it at all - I hadn't thought about it or planned it . . . then a first line popped into my head that I rather liked and well . . . 3 hours later a story written. It's in the crime/psychological genre which isn't something I usually write at all either. So another surprise there! I guess it's always good to try something new and when the muse strikes who am I to argue. My next job this morning will be to revisit the story and actually see whether there is anything there worth working on further!

As well as the windows my daughter has decided to renovate some old furniture this week. She really likes the shabby chic type look and we picked up a couple of little tables on Monday for a bargain price. She also bought the jugs. They are so pretty and apparently quite old. She is going to keep make-up brushes in the small one and some flowers in the large one (the middle sized one is undecided yet!) Anyway it really inspired her to try the technique herself so we went and bought a couple of tins of chalk paint and off she went. She has already given an old blanket box a new lease of life and the bookcase in the back of this picture is next on her list.

Then there's a little table that we were about to throw away and a pine mirror in the bathroom . . . anyway you get the picture. As long as I don't come home one day and find everything painted! We are having a switch around of bedrooms soon as our eldest is taking the huge step of buying a house with her boyfriend and she will be moving out soon so most of the pieces she is renovating will be for her new bedroom.

Looking back over the week there's been quite a lot going on really. Hoping for a sunny weekend and a break from the drilling and hammering . . .

Happy weekend to you all and thanks for stopping by.

       

       Thanks to Lexa and her lovely co-hosts

            L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge 

     Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate the small things

We are still adding to our fruit harvest this week with some gooseberries. I am planning to make a few mini tarts with those later. Although not ready to eat yet we have a couple of apple trees that are heavy with fruit and a cherry tree that has a handful of cherries on. They aren't quite ripe yet but I need to keep an eye on them as the birds got to them before me last year!

The weather is also continuing to be lovely - we even managed a BBQ last Sunday! We bought it last year and never got around to putting it together because the weather just didn't seem to warrant it but last weekend we unpacked the box and fired it up. Who knows, we might even get to use it again this weekend!

Last weekend I also enjoyed a surprise late birthday treat (my birthday is in the winter so not ideal time for days out!). It was organised by my lovely friends who gave me a  day to remember. First a car journey, then a boat across the bay, a paddle in the sea and a glass of champagne and then afternoon tea. A perfect day . . .

View while we enjoyed . . .

delicious cakes and sandwiches . . . 

washed down with pots of tea and glasses of Pimms.

       

       Thanks to Lexa and her lovely co-hosts

            L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge 

     Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate the small things

Writing this post on Thursday evening and I have to start by saying what a lovely sunny day we enjoyed here today, I hope it continues for a while. Our summer has not really shown itself yet, maybe it's waiting for the school holidays which are now fast approaching. However, the damp but warm weather has seemed to suit the garden well. The fruit bushes are bearing a good crop and we have so much rhubarb I don't know what to do with it all! Any suggestions for favourite recipes appreciated!

My patio rose also seems to be doing well with its lovely pink blooms. A close friend gave me this special 'Pearl' rose for our wedding anniversary last year.

We have been sorting out some old boxes from the attic this week and it has been fun revisiting some old memories like our girl's first shoes and a few outfits I couldn't part with when they grew up. I can not believe they are all grown-up now, seems like only five minutes has passed since they were little!

Finally this week I want to celebrate chocolate. I've probably eaten too much of it this week, but I felt in need of it. Do you ever get that feeling?

Happy weekend

       

       Thanks to Lexa and her lovely co-hosts

            L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge 

     Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

IWSG (July)

Thanks to Alex and his team of co-hosts today - Yolanda Renee, Tyrean Martinson, Madeline Mora-Summonte , LK Hill, Rachna Chhabria, and JA Scott!

The IWSG team came up with a great idea to pose a monthly question to answer alongside our posts. This month we are kicking off with the following question;

What's the best thing someone has ever said about your writing?

Seems like the perfect positive question to kick off this new feature. It's such a huge boast when someone says something good about your work. Obviously getting a compliment from an agent, publisher or reader is wonderful but the encouragement from friends and family is just as important to keep us going when all we seem to be receiving are "thanks but no thanks" comments!

When someone told me they could picture a scene I'd written as if they were watching a movie, it was a lovely thing to hear, but I think the comment that has given me the biggest boast was from an editor who told me I was a brilliant writer. I was walking on air for days! As I'm submitting work at the moment I am hopeful someone else will feel the same way about my work soon.