Auld Lang Syne - Mairi Campbell

God's promise.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.                                                                       Jeremiah 29.11

Life is too short to wake up with regrets
So love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the one's who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.  

Harvey Mackey

Artist's Wife sewing - Hans Heysen, 1877-1968

My New Year Resolutions are :

• Take one step at a time and relax.
• Eat more foods that grow
• Resume my sewing and crafting
• Make the time every day for a walk
• Radiate more Love and Kindness out to the world for the collective good of all.

St Stephen's Day : Lá an Dreoilín

I'm a day late posting this : Lá an Dreoilín : ♫The Wren, the Wren, the king of all birds, St. Stephen's Day got caught in the furze♫. The Cork and Kerry tradition of the Wren Boys out and about yesterday, the 26th December, chasing the wren.

St. Stephen's Day or Boxing Day as it's known in England.  After my daughter and her husband left yesterday, I did nothing but watch the television all day, there were so many great films and programmes on offer. I started with an Affair to Remember followed by Ben Hur and in the evening the Christmas special of Downton Abbey, of course.  I recorded the new BBC series Death comes to Pemberley ,which I watched this evening, very enjoyable.

Happy Christmas

To wish you and yours a very happy and loving Christmas.  May love, peace and harmony enfold every person and home.  May God in his wisdom guide us all this festive season and surround us with love, patience and joy.  God Bless you all.

♫ Joy to the World ♫

♫Joy to the World, the Lord is come, Let Earth receive her King.  Let every Heart, Prepare him Room. Let Heaven and Angels sing♫

Come, let us adore him.

A few of my favourite Christmas films, in no particular order:

Sleepless in Seatle

Miracle on 34th Street

The Santa Claus

Home Alone

Meet me in St Louis

While you were Sleeping

All that Heaven allows

It's a Wonderful Life

Jussi Björling - O Holy Night

Blessings for the Festive Season.

The Festive Season is upon us once more.  Life flows on here and all is well, thank God.  I am so glad that I started making handmade gifts (with a few machine sewn ones as well), earlier in the year for this Christmas. Following the awful pains in my arm in July and subsequent surgery, I don't know where I'd be, if I hadn't made a few items at least, particularly after promising everyone last year that I would make Christmas decorations. The first of this year's Christmas family 'get-togethers' is lunch next Saturday at my niece's house.  It's an all Girls lunch where we exchange gifts.

With busy schedules and babies it is getting harder to see everyone, so this is a very welcome and lovely gathering.  We used to have a tradition of a 'Present Night' in one of my sister's houses for all the family, up to a few years ago.  As the children grew up and some got married, it became difficult to get everyone together the week before Christmas. All are grown up now, so my niece has begun a new tradition of gathering her sister, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephew to lunch to celebrate the Festive Season in her lovely home.

Here are a few samples of the gifts I have made. There are still a few finishing touches to do. I hope they like them.

A little hand embroidered heart for my lovely neice.  The pattern was free from a lovely inspiring blog called
Cindy at her Country Home. 

Handmade decorations made from a pattern by Daisy Chain Designs which I bought at the
Festival of Quilts in Birmingham.

More little decorations

Pixie houses from Helen Phillips book and my own felt holly decorations.

Teacosy and matching heart made with Lakehouse Tea Fabric

Teacosy and matching Mat made with Clarke and Clarke material and little pixie house made from scraps.

Three little peg bags below:

I am really looking forward to spending the day with my special niece, whose hospitality and generosity are so appreciated.  She loves her family and makes such an effort with us all, despite her demanding job and busy life. How blessed we all are.

I hope this Christmas brings special blessing to all..  ♫May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may his light shine upon you and may he be gracious unto you♫. 

Sxx

Advent : O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Today 1st December 2013 is the first Sunday of Advent.  This is my favourite time of the year in the church calendar.  Advent from the Latin adventus meaning ‘coming’ - prepares our hearts and minds for Christmas.  The beautiful celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ on 25 December.  Our choir sang the beautiful hymn, my favourite of the Advent hymns, O Come O Come Emmanuel, this morning at 10.30 mass.

Sung here by the Choir of the Clare College, Cambridge.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Catherine Deneuve

The french actress Catherine Deneuve celebrated her 70th birthday on 22 October 2013. Her beauty has remained to this day.

Catherine Deneuve in 2013

The 60's

While browsing on YouTube, enjoying some great songs from the 1960's I came across this classic.  Enjoy!

Nancy Sinatra at her best.

Pearls

"Pearls are for Tears, the old legend says".  Gilbert had objected.  "I'm not afraid of that. And tears can be happy as well as sad.  My very happiest moments have been when I had tears in my eyes".

Excerpt taken from Anne of Green Gables.

Pearls certainly don't make me cry, they make me feel good in every way.   One of the first items I bought when I began work, back in the day, was a beautiful Pearl ring which I have worn for years and rarely take off my finger.  I love my single pearl, pearl earrings, strings of pearls and of course, where would we all be without those wonderful "Pearls of Wisdom".

"Pearls are always appropriate".  Jacqueline Kennedy

I must confess, I am a little bit superstitious about them, in case they bring tears of sadness. My sister was given a present of a pearl ring by her boyfriend, they were very much in love.  She was so upset. They never married as planned.  I agree with Shakespeare when he said that "Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so".  However, I have bought my own pearls.  So much so, that I had to buy special clear jewellery boxes to store them, which I really like because I can see them. I have many different sizes and colours of necklaces, bracelets, earrings and broaches. They make me feel good and well groomed.   

Below are some gorgeous examples of Pearls found on the Internet:

    

Hollywood leading ladies in pearls

The beautiful Elizabeth Taylor

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffneys

Grace Kelly in Rear Window

Jacqueline Kennedy looking her best

Kiera Knightly as Anna Karenina

and of course a Woman in her Own Right - Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel who loved her pearls.

Coco Chanel




Gorgeous Chanel handbag!

I am still recovering from surgery and I really miss being able to sew and craft. 

Hence today's title : Pearls.

I have quilts to finish and gifts to make for Christmas, alas.  I am unable to do housework, which I miss, because I love it.   I also won't be able to take a table at the Christmas Craft fair this year. So, I must occupy myself with reading, listening to the radio, watching television and updating my blog with beautiful things I love, such as Pearls.  Every cloud has a silver lining!!  I am counting my blessings.

Happy 5th November.  

S.

If Music be the food of love - play on!

William Shakespeare "If Music be the food of love - play on", Twelfth Night.

I think this piece of music from the Furey Brothers is quite beautiful.  Today is a very rainy Wednesday, I am listening to music and thought I'd share this beautiful haunting piece with you.   I hope you enjoy it.

And for something completely different :  

Maria Callas sings "Vissi D'arte" from Puccini's Tosca.  Magnificent!

Autumn

To Autumn:  "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness".   John Keats

 Blackberries and rose hips growing on the hedgerows at present.  
The photo is taken from The Country Diary of a Edwardian Lady. 

This delightful book on Nature has given me hours of enjoyment.

Vintage Laura Ashley fabric bedroom cushion for our yellow bedroom.

 Co-ordinating lampshade cover.

New light weight bag for carrying music to choir practice

One of my favourite poems:

The Wayfarer – Pádraic Pearse

The beauty of the world hath made me sad,
This beauty that will pass;
Sometimes my heart hath shaken with great joy
To see a leaping squirrel in a tree,
Or a red lady-bird upon a stalk,
Or little rabbits in a field at evening,
Lit by a slanting sun,
Or some green hill where shadows drifted by
Some quiet hill where mountainy man hath sown
And soon would reap; near to the gate of Heaven;
Or children with bare feet upon the sands
Of some ebbed sea, or playing on the streets
Of little towns in Connacht,
Things young and happy.
And then my heart hath told me:
These will pass,
Will pass and change, will die and be no more,
Things bright and green, things young and happy;
And I have gone upon my way
Sorrowful.

Last of the Summer flowers.

The sweet pea are still blooming and fragrant.  Our Agapanthus didn't bloom this year, we had 21 flowers last year. The weather is still lovely thank God.  Today is the 31st August 2013. I don't know where the year has gone.  The schools have reopened and next week my friends and I will start planning our autumn and winter pursuits.  There will be evening classes to select, hobbies to resume and in my case, back to sewing and choir and choir practice with routine for another year. 

I spent yesterday in the garden enjoying the late August sunshine.  I took a few photos on my Iphone, to remember it by.

Enjoyment doesn't get any better than beautiful late August sunshine in the garden.

Sweet pea in a jug, Oh the beautiful smell!

Fill the house before they're gone!

Even the ladybird was enjoying the sunshine, isn't she gorgeous. I love to see ladyybirds.
 They are a real sign of nice weather.