Walking for Charity

The Snowdrop Trust is a unique charity providing 'Care at Home' for local children who have a life-threatening illness or who may be terminally ill.  Based in the Chichester area of West Sussex, The Sussex Snowdrop Trust provides:

• Care at Home by Children's Community Nurses & Nurse Support Workers

• Emotional support which is met by Snowdrop Counsellors
 

• Financial help for families coping with the day-to-day problems of caring for a very sick child. 

And this Sunday (13th May) the Snowdrop Trust are once again holding their very popular Annual Charity Walk at Arundel Castle Park, Arundel from 2.00pm to 5.00pm.
There will be various stalls to browse and refreshments with homemade cakes.  If you are feeling energetic there is a very scenic 5 mile route or a shorter (and flatter!) 1 mile one to choose from.

Sponsored walkers are free, Aduls £3, children over 10 £1 and children under 10 free.  Dogs on LEADS welcome.

So if you have a spare hour or so and find yourself in the area come along and enjoy the sunshine we have been promised whilst raising funds for a very worthwhile cause.

Look forward to seeing you there :0)

Blue skies

These photos have been sitting in draft form for so long that I can't remember whether they are March or April and here we are in May already.  Where does the time go?!

As we didn't get much blue sky in April, lets go with March!

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The beautiful building below is Lancing College. 

Mum and I went there one Sunday afternoon for a craft fair. 

Imagine going to school everyday in such a remarkable and inspiring place.

Very Hogwarts! 

And these photos were taken whilst walking along my local seafront. 

They remind me of just how lucky I am

living here. 

I do take it for granted some times.

Self indulgence

This is a little pressie to me.

It's entitled 'Tangled'.

It arrived today in the post.

And I love it!

It is a mixed media collage by the wonderful artist Caroline Rose 

who I found via Lucy's delightful blog.

Take a look ... I know you'll love her work too :0)

School Trip

What super weather we have had recently ...
Spring has most definitely sprung.

Thursday saw us (Red Class) at Gaston Farm, Slindon. 

Set in the South Downs, it is a beautiful spot
where you have the chance to witness traditional lambing,
get up close to the lambs and sheep themselves,

hold baby chicks and ducklings and enjoy a free tractor/trailer ride.

It costs £4, with under 2's going free
and with the help of a strong base of volunteers,

all proceeds from the café and shop,
and all donations from the free tractor and trailer ride

go towards charities that Gaston Farm have supported for many years...a Nepal Orphanage and an African Soup Kitchen.

I've been back at work for a week now
and this trip was just what the doctor ordered. 

Fresh air, beautiful countryside and the miracle of new life. 

We were lucky enough to see triplets being born.

They were 10 days premature which in a 5 week gestation period
is a lot but with a very hands on approach by the shepherd
and his wife, all 3 were OK. 

I was totally caught up in the moment ...

thank goodness for sunglasses as they hid the tears in my eyes

from the children as I reassured them that all was going to be OK!

We got to hold baby chicks (the ducklings are arriving next week),

stroke a lamb which we named 'Digger'

and shrieked with excitment on the bumpy tractor ride ...

What fun!!

If you are in the area I would absolutely recommend you visit ... you can't fail to enjoy yourself.

p.s. I spotted Ashley from Country Rose 

enjoying the day with her husband and gorgeous daughter Rose

and rashly introduced myself ...

honestly I'm not a mad stalker Ashley :0) 

I hope you enjoyed your day as much as we did.



Happy Birthday Gran

 

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

- William Wordsworth -



xxx Thinking of you today xxx

I'm back ...

and ready to blog on with gusto!!

 

Sooooo, this year started with some really BIG news
that Mr P and I are really, really, really excited about. 
BIG changes afoot folks, really BIG and life won't be the same again!!! 
But that's all I'm going to say for now --- what a tease :0)

Am very tired at the mo - like super tired and have got myself really run down. 

Half term heralded a super duper mother of all colds,
accompanied by a very annoying tickly cough and general malaise. 
It's been a week of recouping and recharging, lots of rest and cups of tea. 

But with half term coming to an unwelcome end,
I've had to bite the bullet and knuckle down.
Yesterday was all about data inputting. 
 I have ignored, avoided and diverted myself from the task all week
but yesterday I knew I had to grit my teeth and approach it head on.

However, to help things along the way I decided
that a little of what I fancied could certainly  do some good.

Mmmmmm .... brain food!! 

Everyone needs a carrot, right?!

xxx

 

the a-z of me

let's play {a - z}

A. Age: 35 (and a half)

B. Bed size: Double (dreaming of a King)

C. Chore that you hate: Ironing (ugh!)

D. Dogs: Mr P would like a Boxer called Kevin or Steve!

E. Essential start to your day: Time to potter and wake up slowly ... at the weekends a nice cup of tea in bed and time to catch up on blog reading

F. Favourite colour: Blue and green

G. Gold or Silver: Silver

H. Height: 5"9

I. Instruments you play: None (sadly)

J. Job title: Teacher (in my head domestic goddess!)

K. Kids: None (yet ...)

L. Live: In a seaside village (at the ends of the earth according to Mr P who hails from the Big Smoke)

M. Mother’s name: Jennie

N. Nicknames: George or GeeDub

O. Overnight hospital stays: Eye op in my teens

P. Pet peeves: Things not being put away 

Q. Quote from a movie: "Tempting ... but no."

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: 1 younger brother

T. Time you wake up: Around 6.00am

U. Underwear: Yes thanks ;)  

V. Vegetable you hate: Cabbage

W. What makes you run late: Changing my mind about my outfit (among other things)

X. X-Rays you’ve had: toe, after dropping a chair on it at work

Y. Yummy food that you make: Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, Rockie Road and Fudge ... all mmm 

Z. Zoo animal: love the elephants : ) 

via faith hope & a whole lotta love 

❤

National Treasures

Isn't it amazing ... when you live close to a place of interest, you don't visit it.

Why is that? 

You listen to others extolling its virtues, ohhing and ahhing over its history/size/architecture/beauty and think 'That sounds good, I really must visit it myself one day, after all it's only down the road'

but somehow never find the time. 

Indeed, I'm far more likely to get into the car, drive 40 miles and visit another counties place of interest!! Hmmmmmm.

So last weekend when the Fairtrade and Ethics Fair was hosted at Arundel Castle

and having lived just 10 minutes away for the past thirty years,

I thought this really is too good an opportunity to miss and visited for the first time!

(And bonus, because it was in a castle, Mr P was inclined to come along too).

Impressive huh!

The seat of The Dukes of Norfolk and set in 40 acres of sweeping grounds and gardens, Arundel Castle has been open to visitors seasonally for nearly 200 years. It is one of the great treasure houses of England, each having its own unique place in history and is home to priceless works of art. Come and see paintings and furniture, tapestries and stained glass, china and clocks, sculpture and carving, heraldry and armour in stunning room settings.

Sounds good doesn't it?  I bet many of you have driven miles to see this beauty and I merely glance at it as I drive over the hill and around the by-pass on route to some other national treasure.

Anyhoo, I can now say I have visited.  And yes I loved it, and yes I wondered why I hadn't made the time before and yes I will visit again ... properly.

As for the fair - it was far too busy, in too small a space with too many deadends.   What a grump I sound!
But I did enjoy the bag of Toffee Crumble, from the traditional sweet shop in town, afterwards - mmmmmmm.

Blowing away the cobwebs ...

Woke up late today (9.45am!!) and felt out of sorts all morning.  Getting up late definitely doesn't agree with me and I end up feeling very lazy and grouchy.  So Mr P was in for a great day - poor man. 
However, I was persuaded to step out and take the air which proved to be the perfect tonic.  We drove up to The Dover and ambled through the woods for 2 hours.  Me taking photos at every turn (50 to be precise) and Mr P hunting for chesnuts, which we are going to roast later on this evening and enjoy with a warmed glass of red wine - mmmmmmmm. 
I even agreed to have my photo taken, which if you know me you will know is nothing short of a minor miracle!!
I thoroughly enjoyed blowing the cobwebs away today.

Out and About

The last couple of days have been very pleasant indeed.

Yesterday I visited an old college friend

who ran away to join the circus when we were 18. 

She became a lion/tiger tamer ---

makes me feel very boring indeed!! 

After 15 years with 'The Great British Circus',

which she co-owned,

she has joined Zippos Circus

and this means she gets to tour around the South Coast

and we get to catch up. 

Arundel Art Trail

It is well worth taking an afternoon out

to mooch around this beautiful town

and visit the numerous artists

who are exhibiting here this week. 

So many talented people in one spot ---

I wish I had the wall space

(and the funds)

to justify hanging more art :(

Anyway ---

London had elephants,

Bristol had gorillas,

Edinburgh had cows

and Arundel had rhinos!!!

Aren't they gorgeous --- mini versions available too!

Mini Breakers

Last week Mr P and I journeyed to the beautiful town of Rye in East Sussex. 

We spent our first night away together in Rye two years ago but didn't see much of the place as it was a boys' RC weekend spent at the Brooklands track. 

So this time it was to be two 'George Days' on the trot ... visiting, exploring, marvelling and adoring ...YIPPEE!!

Our first stop was a lovely little place called Middle Farm, just outside of Lewes. 

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous gift shop (purchased an iron key hook with hearts) and a delightful farm shop full of delicious, tempting goodies ... cheese scone anyone?

Then back on the road with a detour to the De La Warr Pavillion in Bexhill.  I've seen this building on TV and had an urge to visit.  Don't know what I was expecting but came away feeling disappointed -- a lovely building but lots of construction going on, which equalled noise and mess. 
So only a couple of pics taken from the rooftop to show we was here!!

Summer Walk #3

Dover carpark up to the Trig Point

7.30am

This morning I took 54 photos --- WOW I love my camera :)

This afternoon I have considered, pondered, ummmmed and ahhhhed and have picked my favourites. 

And isn't Picasa a wonderful application??
I can while away many many many hours ...

Summer Walk #2

Summer Walk #1

South Downs Way 

Washington - Burphan 

7.15 am start 

Hot and humid

Indulge me please ...

I have a new camera and I'm not afraid to use it.

A Canon PowerShot A2200 - and I'm lovin' it, lovin' it, lovin' it!!

Here are a few pics that I have been playing around with using Picasa 3. 

Worth downloading (it's free) but be warned, you can waste hours faffing around, adding this, changing that, doodling here, shading there ...

Birthday Girl

I have a new camera - Yay! 

Battery on charge.

 Memory card inserted. 

Patience being demonstrated ...

Feeling Techie

Since recently discovering the joyful world of blogging I have admired the photo collages that other bloggers post and have pondered how I could achieve something similar. 
Well, a little research, a smidgin of patience and Hey Presto ...

Feeling proud :0)  Can you believe it Mr P?!?!

Boost my mood

Recently, when reading the lovely Andrea's blog (Apples and Pears) I came upon a recommendation.  'The Feel Good Factor' by Patrick Holford - 10 proven ways to boost your mood and motivate yourself.  Now I don't see myself as particularly down in the dumps, but sometimes I think I could do with a little extra oomph and I have been feeling rather lethargic and lacking in 'get up and go' recently.  The title sounded so positive and proactive that I immediately purchased said book on Amazon and upon delivery devoured the first two chapters - 'The anatomy of feeling good'  and 'My top ten mood-boosting secrets'.  

The conclusion thus far is that I need to banish my 'sugar blues', which in turn should also help my concentration levels and memory (which are questionable at the best of times). The answer, it seems, is a cocktail of supplements on a daily basis. Cod Liver Oil capsules for healthy brain function (as well as oiling the joints).  Chromium tablets to decrease sugar cravings, adjust my blood sugar levels and to make me feel generally perkier.  And a high-potency multivitamin to cover all bases.

When I have read Chapter 3 and have got my head around 'Good Mood Foods', I'll be all singing all dancing and full to brim with va-va-voom!!

This moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.