Friday 26 May 2017

When the world seems full of pain and sadness it is perhaps even more important to remember the people, places and events that brighten our lives.

Last Sunday I walked 10km with a group of lovely friends. We enjoyed the fresh air, chat and exercise but we also raised some funds for Cancer Research UK, a cause that is close to all our hearts.

Our youngest daughter finished her last university exams . . . where on earth did those three years go? She came home for a couple of days to relax before heading back for some fun and celebrations with her friends.

Produce from the garden. We have enjoyed some fresh rhubarb and a few cherry tomatoes so far. They taste so much better when you have grown them yourself!

Our wedding anniversary!

Evening strolls in the sunshine. Last night we walked by the sea and ate fish and chips to celebrate our anniversary.


It is half-term week next week so a few days off for me! Yay! Have some writing planned (of course!) but also a few days away walking around Dartmoor. Will be lovely to get away for a bit. Please note that internet will be patchy there so I am unlikely to post for IWSG next week.



Thanks to Lexa and her lovely co-hosts
            L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge 
       Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Friday 12 May 2017

Celebrate the small things and May Birthstones

May is one of my favourite months of the year, with it's longer and (hopefully!) warmer days and lots of blossom and flowers around to cheer us all up. It is also a time for traditional festivals. My local town is famous for Flora Day. This Spring festival celebrates the end of winter and the arrival of new vitality and fertility. Houses and shops are decorated with greenery, yellow gorse and bluebells. It looks wonderful. The dancers, and many of the crowds, wear sprigs of lily of the valley. Lily of the valley is often considered to be the birth flower for May.



For a snippet of this festival click HERE to be redirected to a You Tube clip showing the Midday dance. The ladies wear long dresses and the men top hat and tails. There are several dances throughout the day starting at 7am and finishing at 5pm. Local school children dance through the streets in white. The sound of the band playing the familiar tune vibrates through your head by the end of the day but it is an amazing spectacle that brings the whole community together.

Sadly, this year it was a little wet but this didn't dampen the spirits and a good, if tiring day, was had.

All of which leads me nicely on to emeralds, the traditional birthstone for those born during the month of May.  A very fitting gem for the spring time as the colour green symbolises nature and the renewal of life. The word emerald is derived from the Greek word, smaragdus meaning green. They are associated with qualities such as loyalty, faithfulness and friendship. Thoughts that are very much echoed in the verse from the Gregorian Birthstone Poem;

"Who first beholds the light of day,
In spring's sweet, flower month of May,
And wears an Emerald all her life,
Shall be a loved and a loving wife."

Through history emeralds have been linked to clairvoyance, memory and faith and have been reputed to be effective for a wide range of health problems including disorders of the eyes and spine, headaches, dysentery,fever, bleeding and panic.

Worn by royalty in Babylon and Egypt. Tools dating back to 1300 B.C (reign of Rameses II) have been found in emerald mines in Egypt. Queen Cleopatra's emeralds were thought to have been mined in Southern Egypt close to the Red Sea.

Romans dedicated emeralds to the goddess Venus.

Early Christians saw them as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ.

In the Middle Ages they were believed to have the power to foretell the future.

Their magnificent green colour was said to relieve the eye. Emperor Nero is reputed to have worn eyeglasses made from emeralds to protect the health of his eyes whilst watching gladiator games.

Emeralds were a popular choice in Victorian jewellery.

Emeralds are also given for a 55th wedding anniversary.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about some of the folklore surrounding emeralds. Do you have any May festivals or celebrations where you live?


Thanks to Lexa and her lovely co-hosts
            L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge 
       Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Wednesday 3 May 2017

IWSG (MAY)

Thanks to our host Alex J. Cavanaugh

co-hosts this month are Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan,Liesbet @ Roaming About, Michelle Wallace, and Feather Stone 

I'm trying not to let insecurities drag me down at the moment. They are definitely there, lurking and ready to pounce, but I keep pushing them away and trying not to let them get hold and knock my confidence which also feels a little fragile at the minute, so I am not going to talk about them anymore today.

What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?

I guess one person's weird is another's normal in the case of research! It depends what you are writing about and for who. A lot of my research centres around folklore and myth - and some of that can lead to some interesting reading. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope the insecurities are few and far between this month.