Friday, April 29, 2005

A little past the middle!

Yes, I am a little past the middle of the muddle in our kitchen renovation job, but only a little. We still have a long way to go, but, with the help of my sweet niece Sarah and our kind neighbour Brian, we are moving right along.

The wall paper was THE WORST stuff to get off, but Sarah won the battle yesterday and got the last bits of glue to let go. Yahoo!




Sarah is painting today, and even though that is hard work, it is going much smoother and faster than the scraping the wall paper phase went.

I sure don't have much time to relax and write these days, but will be back soon.

Talk to you all later.



Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Daffodils

Wow! What a difference a day makes!!!!

On Sunday I thought the daffodils were down for the count for sure and we wouldn't see them again until next year. Yesterday we had a brief visit from the sun and although the visit was short and cool, it made the air warm enough to melt the snow and revive the old yellow heads just a tad.

I got up this morning and was shocked to see the whole bank of flowers completely revived and soaking up a gentle spring rain. Isn't nature grand?

The storms pass, they always do.

Sunday April 24th


Tuesday April 26

Monday, April 25, 2005

Tears

There must be something strangely sacred in salt. It is in our tears and in the ocean.
Kahlil Gibran

At times in our lives we feel like we are shedding our own ocean of tears don’t we? The hurt is that endless and fathomless, and we just can’t see to the other side of it. Adrift in the sorrow we think it will never end, and we will never feel solid ground under our feet again. Even though we can’t see it while we are in the middle of the ocean of tears, there is a shoreline waiting for us on the other side of the grief and we will get to it one day.

While we are adrift in the middle of the sorrow, we must allow ourselves to just be, to float where the wind and currents take us each day and let those tears flow freely. There is salt in our tears and a healing property in salt. Maybe, just maybe the salt in our tears will help to heal the open wound in our heart.

There will be a time to stop floating and to start swimming towards that distant unseen shoreline, but the heart has to rest and heal a bit first. So, when the grief is fresh and raw, let the tears flow freely and apply the salt liberally to the wound.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Crushed



It is snowing here in our corner of the world and somehow it goes with the feelings swirling around me like snowflakes today. Things seem all out of whack with life, and I am ruffled in my sprit, so it seems only normal for nature to reflect those feelings.

Here it is the 23rd of April, and we are having a winter storm. Unbelievable! Our lovely daffodils are in full glorious bloom, but they are crushed right down to earth under a layer of heavy wet snow. The winds are gusting up to 70 km/h, and the snow is blowing around in a fury.

Yes the weather reflects my feelings perfectly today and my heart aches for Karla and Mark. I think of them when I look at my garden weighed down under the snow and wonder if they feel beaten down too. This was supposed to be a warm sunny time in their lives, but instead they are in the middle of the worst storm imaginable and are under the cold weight of sorrow. Take heart dear ones. Your family and friends see you there in that cold dark place and weep for you and care. You are not alone.

You might feel crushed by the storms of life right now, but you will feel the sunshine again. It is behind the clouds for a time, but it will shine again some day. Take heart.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

With Love

Ava’s Gift

Nine months in utero, seven hours in Mommy and Daddy’s arms, eternity in God’s embrace, and a lifetime in our hearts and memory.

Sweet little Ava, your time on this earth was much too short, but your gift to us is special and to be celebrated.

The sight of the imprint of your tiny hands and feet moved me to tears and touched me deeply. Your little feet might never run and play on this earth, but they tiptoed across my heart and left an impression there. Your little hands touched my spirit and I thank you for that gift. Your life has spread feelings of love and compassion around the world and the world is a better place because you were in it, if even for such a short time.

Thank you Karla and Mark for sharing your joy and sorrow so openly with all of us. Your little Angel’s life is a gift we will treasure and remember.

The Heavens are crying too.

I awoke to the sounds of rain this morning and it reflected my feelings perfectly. My first thought was “Oh the heavens are crying too!” I am so sad and feel such sorrow for Karla and Mark that my heart is breaking for them. God help them and comfort them today.

I feel so helpless and don’t really know what to do or say because I haven’t walked in their shoes. I don’t know what it is like to lose a child after carrying her for nine months and only holding her for seven short hours.

As I sit here thinking about Karla this morning I am reminded of this story I heard years ago.

A young mother was busy doing her housework when she noticed her little daughter and her friend sitting out on the patio crying. She went to the door and asked them what was wrong. Her daughter turned to her with tears streaming down her face and said, “Mary’s dolly is broken and that makes her sad. I can’t fix her dolly or make it better, so I am just sitting here helping her cry.”

Oh Karla, I can’t fix it, make it better, or take your pain away, but I can sit here beside you and help you cry.

Love, hugs and tears! Cuppa

Saturday, April 16, 2005

Middle of a Muddle

Here we go again. As you could probably tell from this blog (Guest Room), I am not an interior decorator. No, it is NOT my favourite thing to do by a long shot. I like the finished product but not the planning or the doing. Some people thrive on the thrill of picking paint colours and flooring and counter tops and putting them all together to change a room completely. But not me. My sister, my daughter, my sister-in-law — just to name a few, seem to love it and have a knack for it, but they all live too far away to help me right now. Drat! I don’t have the smattering of a knack for it, and I plain don’t like it.

Having said all that let me tell you that right now we are preparing to redecorate the kitchen as it is sorely in need of it!! Yes, the kitchen of all places. The hub of the house, my first stop for coffee every morning, the place where all the meals are prepared and eaten, the place where phone calls are made and the appointment calendar kept, and above all, the place where I make my afternoon cup of tea! Yes, the hub of the house. Oh dear! I am in the middle of a muddle supreme!

AC and I know that we can’t do the actual painting because of our backs, but we have to get the kitchen ready for the workmen, so this past week we have been be sorting and packing and cleaning the kitchen cupboards. Yuck! It is almost done now, thank goodness. Multiple boxes are stored in the basement; other “stuff” is spread out on tables in the living room and dining room and 5 boxes went out to the Goodwill. Today, we moved the last two items to the dining room — the microwave and the coffee pot, and now the hub is all set up in the new location for the duration of the redecorating. Whew!

The kitchen will get new cupboard doors, coats of paint inside and out, wallpaper stripped off walls, new flooring put down, new counter top installed, three new light fixtures added to brighten the place up and a new range hood to finish things off. We are not doing the work, but we have to live in the upheaval for the next little while, and I am not looking forward to that at all, but I am trying to focus on the positive. The light at the end of the tunnel — a bright, spanking new kitchen, does look and sound good to me. The end product will be really nice. My daughter keeps telling me to enjoy it. It is fun she tells me. I can’t quite see it like that, but I am trying Butterfly. I am trying!

You might be reading this and wondering what all the fuss is about. Why would I be so stressed out about a little redecorating? What is the big deal already? I am not sure why it is so stressful for me, but I think it stems back to what my house was like as a kid.

We lived in a tiny house that was bursting at the seams with four kids, mom and dad and my grandparents all living under one roof. Things had to change but rather than move into a bigger house, mom and dad decided to renovate and add on to the old house.

My dad was up to the challenge and set to the building project with gusto. He knocked down walls, put up framing, nailed dry wall into place, added windows and doors, put in new floors, along with myriad other things, but he never seemed to finish anything. For a large part of my childhood I lived with plaster dust all over everything; plywood floors waiting for linoleum, or carpet; drywall waiting for paint, baseboards and quarter-round; windows and doorways draped with tarps waiting for the finishing touches — like glass and doors; and, the endless mess and muddle of building supplies everywhere. My dad’s intentions were good, but he worked a full time job and did all the renovations and redecorating during the evenings or on weekends, and I think he just ran out of time and energy. My mom wasn’t the greatest housekeeper to begin with and the insidious plaster dust and mess broke her spirit, I am sure.

Yes, we lived in a disorganized, plaster-dust-coated-muddle and I didn’t like it at all. I longed for a tidy house with some order in it. I would go to my friends' houses when I was a kid and marvel at the finished walls, shiny floors and tidy rooms. I wanted that too. To this day even the thought of a redecorating upheaval gives me the shivers. I want to run away to a neat and tidy corner of the universe until it is all over.

I am not sure if I will be able to hide away in my little upstairs nook and write a lot while the transformation takes place in the kitchen, or not. We shall see. If I don’t post many blogs in the near future at least you will know the reason why. On the other hand I might find that it is my salvation and sanity to tuck myself into my little corner up here and write the next few weeks into history! I have stacks of books at the ready beside me to run away into if the need arises. Don’t you just love the way books can transport you to a whole new time and place when the one you are living in becomes too stressful? I did that many times as a kid.

In spite of all the cleaning, sorting and packing that went on last week, AC and I managed to bike out to the lake three times, and it was a great stress reliever. I have a feeling that if the weather permits, we will be out on the bikes a lot during this redecorating event. Pedal, write or read that stress away, will be my motto for the next few weeks.

Well, I must toddle down to the new hub and rustle up some lunch now. I hope you all have a great weekend and are able to pedal, read or write your stresses away too. Whatever muddle you are in the middle of, focus on the positive, focus on the positive, focus on the positive.

Take care. Talk to you all later.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Molly, Jessie, and Pearl

Molly, Jessie, and Pearl were the best of friends. They grew up together, shared their hopes and dreams as teenagers; attended each other’s weddings; held on to each other when their young husbands marched off to war, rejoiced together when the men all returned safely, gave each other support as young mothers, encouragement as the mothers of teens, and shared in the joys of weddings and grandchildren as they aged together. They never lost contact and were always there for each other. What a rich treasure friendship is.

I am the daughter of Pearl who died on Christmas day, twelve years ago. The busyness of life and geographical distance caused me to lose contact with Aunt Jessie and Aunt Molly after mom’s death. Well, that gap was closed this past weekend, and we all got together for a walk down memory lane. Molly, Jessie, my sister Heather, Jessie’s daughter Sheila (my best friend when I was growing up) and I all gathered at Molly’s house for lunch! What a wonderful time we had. We talked and laughed the afternoon away and lots of hugs were shared all around.

Molly and Jessie are in their mid to late eighties now, and they look marvellous. They are both in good health and are mentally and physically in top form. Neither of them looked a speck older to me. They keep active with their circle of friends and are members of the Red Hat Society. Molly talked about the latest play she had attended, and Jessie doesn’t let any grass grow under her feet either. She had to leave early to attend another party that day. Busy, busy, busy, and active ladies they both are. What a joy to not only walk down memory lane with them, but to talk about current events, learn about the latest books they are reading or who their favourite authors are. These gals are so with it and alive and living every moment of their lives. What a joy to see. I want to be just like them when I grow up!

Sheila and I caught up on family news and exchanged email addresses, so I am sure that notes and letters will be flying fast and furious between us now. The internet makes everyone seem so much closer, and it is so much easier to stay in touch. We promised to write and set dates to get together again soon. Our moms kept contact through the years, and we are determined to renew ties and keep our friendship alive too.

Molly made us a delicious lunch and Jessie helped her serve it. They said that the "girls" - meaning us, the almost 60-year-old-kids - needed to visit and chat. So we sat and talked while "the moms" made and served us lunch. It was such fun. The table was all set with fine china and silverware, and we gathered round it to enjoy a most elegant tea party. Before we sat down at the table Molly brought out her string of pearls and said that mom needed to join us too (my mom's name was Pearl), so she draped a string of pearls over a vase of yellow tulips in the centre of the table (see yellow circle in photo), and she put a book that had belonged to my mom on the sideboard by the dining table. It brought tears to my eyes.

Visiting with these special friends of mom was just like visiting with her. We all felt as if mom was right there with us, and I am sure she was peeking over the clouds at us and had a cup of heavenly tea while we sipped tea from china teacups and talked about old times and enjoyed memories full of her. She felt so close to me that day, and it was very special.

Thank you Molly and Jessie for continuing to mother me and be there for me when my own mom can’t be. You both touched my heart as only a mother can. Heart hugs to both of you. Love Cuppa

Monday, April 11, 2005

Thank you Terry

AC and I arrived home from our trip late last night, so we slept in this morning and then puttered away working on this and that until lunch time. After a light lunch, we set off on our bikes for a ride out to the lake. It was a bright sunny day, but too cold and windy to picnic by the water, so we settled for a ride along the trail and a hot coffee at Tim’s at the half-way point.

Usually when we pedal into the wind we will make comments back and forth to each other about how tough the ride is and how strong the wind is. This afternoon we were both unusually quite. I pedalled along in my own little world and AC was in his.

After about 15 minutes of tough slogging into the cold north wind we stopped at a street crossing to catch our breath and wait for a few cars to pass. AC turned to me and said “It might be cold and windy today, but if Terry Fox could run 42k in cold wet weather on this day 25 years ago, I can pedal into the wind and not complain today. “ (Read AC's thoughts about Terry here.)

I had forgotten that this was the 25th anniversary of the first day of Terry’s run, and AC’s comment sent my mind back to that very special time in our lives when this young runner captured all of our hearts. We soared with him and hoped with him as he ran, and our hearts broke for him when he had to abandon his run in Thunder Bay because the cancer had once again attacked his body.

The traffic soon cleared, and AC and I set off on our ride again. My thoughts during the next portion of our ride were filled with memories of Terry.

My mind went back to a car trip we took a few year ago along the Trans-Canada highway north of Superior. I remembered how moved I was when we drove through that rugged terrain and saw pictures of Terry all along the section of the highway they had renamed “The Terry Fox Highway of Courage”. As we drove up and down those hills I looked out the car window and tears streamed down my face as I realized that the young one-legged runner had jog-hopped every inch of this path. I was tired just driving that long distance and he had jog-hopped every inch of it. Amazing! Truly amazing and inspiring!

We drove into Thunder Bay and stood at the monument placed there to honour him, and we wept for the loss of his life and the sorrow cancer brings into so many lives. He truly touched all of our hearts in a deep and profound way.

Thank you Terry. We won’t forget you and we will continue to hope that cancer can be beaten.

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

First picnic at the lake

Time to celebrate! We got out on the bike trails today and had our first picnic at the lake. Yahoo! We packed a lunch, then stopped along the way at our favourite Tim’s for coffee with double cream. Yum! We packed the drinks carefully in the carrier bag and took the feast to the water’s edge. Mmmmm, cheese and lettuce on a fresh whole-wheat roll, followed by a crisp sweet apple for dessert, never tasted so good! It was grand and glorious indeed.

We pedalled about 32k in all and soaked up lots of sunshine and fresh air along the way. The sun was shining and the air warm when we set off, but as we got closer to the lake and had to pedal into the wind the old hands and face got a bit cold. Brrrr. There is still a lot of ice on the lake so the wind coming off the water had a real bite to it. We did find a calm sunny spot for our picnic though, so we were as warm as toast as we munched our sandwiches and sipped our hot coffee.

By the time we set off for home the clouds started to roll in and the wind picked up strength considerably, so the last few klicks were tough slogging let me tell you. We were rather pooped by the time we pulled into our driveway, but it was that nice kind of tired that comes at the end of a long enjoyable ride. You know, that delicious mixture of being tired and exhilarated both at the same time.

The weatherman is calling for rain tomorrow so we won’t be riding again until next week now. We are off to Toronto to visit family this weekend, so my blog will be quiet for the next few days. I will talk to you all next week.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy a smooth ride no matter what trail you have to navigate or what weather you encounter along the way. Have fun with life this weekend and enjoy the ride.

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Soft Day

The roar is way off in the distance today and the soft gentle sounds of spring are filling the air in my corner of the world this morning. How wonderful to hear them again. The sunshine came streaming in the window early, early, early, and brought along with it the sounds of Robins frolicking in the back yard searching for their breakfast. I got up and went in search of my breakfast too. I made coffee and took my steaming mug full of the fragrant brew over to an open window and drank in the sounds of the morning along with the delicious coffee. Mmmmmmm good!

We got out on our bikes yesterday and enjoyed a windy by wonderful 24k ride. As we road along the sunny trail it was hard to believe that we drove through such a blizzard just two days before. Oh well, such is spring in our little corner of the world.

The garden is starting to come to life and even show some colour. AC posted a great picture of the first crocus in the back yard on his blog here. The tulips and daffodils are coming up and will soon be in bloom too. It amazes me each year that so much life and beauty can come up through all that dark cold ground after such a long dark winter.

If you don’t have a spring garden about to burst into life where you are, go out and buy yourself a little pot of spring bulbs and put them in a sunny spot of your home to bring the beauty and the wonder of the garden to you.

If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a hyacinth to feed your soul.
Anonymous

Well, I must run now, company is coming for dinner tonight, so I am off to purchase fresh bread and salad fixin’s while AC whips up a feast in the kitchen. Oh yes, I will buy a hyacinth too.

If you can, get out for a walk today, or take time to sit by an open window and enjoy this soft day full of the wonders of spring.

Talk to you tomorrow. Take care.

Monday, April 04, 2005

Butterflies and Lady Bugs

I am not sure if I can still be called Cuppa or not, but I think so!!! Kids really make life interesting and fun don’t they?

Anvilcloud (AC) started a blog last May, and then got me hooked on blogging too. What fun. We soon convinced Daughter #1 to give it a whirl and she loved it in no time. Daughter #2 is in her third year at University and is up to her ears in schoolwork, so she hasn’t ventured into the blog world yet, but I think she might one day.

Daughter #1 set up her blog and called herself Butterfly, so her blog name is just that. Daughter #2 came home this Easter weekend and said she wanted a name other than Daughter #2 in our blogs, so we told her to choose one she liked and we would use it in our future blogs.

Well, we just got word this week that she wants to be called Lady Bug!!! I thought I should pass this little bit of information on to you, so in future when I talk about Lady Bug and Butterfly in my blogs you will know who in the world I am talking about.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I am not sure if I can still call myself Cuppa if my daughters want to call themselves Butterfly and Lady Bug but I think I can. Over the years their antics have sent me in search of a good hot cup of tea to calm my nerves, lift my spirits, or warm my heart chilled with fear. Now when they come home as adults for a visit, they share a good hot cuppa with me and we talk about hopes and dreams and we celebrate their achievements over a steaming mug of that good old Brown Betty Brew.

I might have bugged them a lot as they were growing up, and they sure drove me buggy at times, but they have now each taken wing and become beautiful women adding richness and colour to this old world. They are so different, yet so much alike and are both warm, vibrant, caring human beings.

Love you bunches Butterfly and Lady Bug. Flit on by for a cup of tea soon.

Love and hugs Mom.

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Take me out to the ball game

On a wintry day in March I was reading Lynn’s blog and in it he mentioned that he longed for a sunny day at the ballpark. I sat by my snowy window that day and let my mind wander to that sunny place too and I could almost hear the crack of the bat and the muttering of the crowd. Mmmmm, that really warmed up a cold wintry day. We had another blast of winter yesterday, but the baseball season opened today, so sunny summer days can't be far away now. Yahoo!

We used to enjoy going to the old Tiger stadium in Detroit to watch major league games. It was a bit harrowing to drive in downtown Detroit, when we were accustomed to navigating quieter roads in our small Ontario town, but it was well worth every minute of the nervous drive, to sit in that fabulous old ballpark and watch the Tigers play.

Sunny afternoons at the park were great, but I think the night games in the summer were my favourite though. All the sounds seemed to be more intense at night and the field was dazzling under the lights. I would look up at the dark night sky all around me and seem to be in a magical bubble in the middle of the big city of Detroit. Oh yes, take me out to the ball game!!!

Most of the games I enjoyed were spent in little ballparks not major league ones though. Daughter #2 played ball and she was a member of a travel team, so we enjoyed many years of cheering her on in ballparks all over Ontario and a few in Michigan.

The travel tournaments were played in big fancy ballparks, but the home games were a different story. We have lots of farms around us here where we live, and when Daughter #2’s travel team played at home they played teams from all over the county.
We would spend two or three nights each week going to these little communities and playing on diamonds literally in the middle of a cornfield. I absolutely loved it.

As we drove down the country roads, we could see the lights for the field we would be playing on long before we could actually see the field. We would then turn a corner and there would be this ball diamond in the middle of nowhere. The lights would be on, the stands starting to fill up with people and the air alive with a certain kind of magic. It was like something out of "Field of Dreams", and I would sit there and expect ghost players to start coming out of the corn and want to join our game. The field would be all lit up, but if we turned around in our bleacher seats, the area around us would just be dark fields of corn. It was totally awesome.

I remember one time Daughter #2 was pitching in a big city tournament north of Toronto, while my dad was dying in a hospital in downtown Toronto. I had to miss the tournament to be with my dad but Daughter #2 and AC went to the tournament to face many big city teams with lots more talent than our little travel team had. Daughter #2 pitched her heart out for grandpa that weekend and her team won the gold medal and she took the tournament MVP award. She came to the hospital on Sunday night to see grandpa and tell him about her games. He was in a coma, but we talked to him and felt sure that he could hear us. She held her medal and trophy up for him and told him all about her games as tears filled her eyes, and ours too. Dad didn't move or respond in any way while she talked to him, but two or three minutes after she finished and we stood around his bedside talking, dad opened his eyes and said to me, "You must be so proud of her." We all stood in amazement and said yes we were and he then closed his eyes and slipped back into his coma.

Just a few days after that he died and two weeks after his funeral I found myself sitting in the bleachers at a ball diamond in the middle of a cornfield back home watching Daughter #2 play. I sat on the top row of the bleachers and felt my dad stepping across the universe to me, to sit right there beside me to comfort me and cheer his granddaughter on. I cried through the whole game and felt healing come with each tear I shed.

Ah such sweet memories and the magic of a baseball diamond on a summer's evening. A touch of heaven indeed! Lynn’s comment on his blog brought all those warm memories back to me on that cold wintry day in March and again today as I write this. I miss my dad a lot, but feel him reaching across the universe to me once more as I relive that special last weekend with him and Daughter #2.

Angels do visit us wearing all sorts of different coats don't they? Sometimes they wear yellow cloth coats we can see with our eyes, but other times they wear the mystical coat of a memory we can only see with our heart.

Batter up! Play Ball!

Lion still on the prowl…

We were out on our bikes on Friday and had a nice ride even if it was a bit cool and a tad windier than we expected.

Yesterday we went to the big city to meet a friend for lunch and then visit another friend for the afternoon. This excursion involved a five hour round trip so we set off early in the morning and planned to be away for the whole day. When we left early in the morning it was pouring rain, but by the time we got to the restaurant we were faced with gale force winds (55 – 60 kph) and snow!!! Yes snow! How cruel on April 2nd.

We spent a couple of hours visiting at the restaurant and then continued on our way to see our other friend for the rest of the afternoon. The rain/snow had stopped at this point, but the winds were fierce. The lion was swatting his paw furiously at my hairdo again and the lamb was in hiding.

As we drove along we notice the fields covered in snow and marvelled at the havoc the lion had caused on this spring day. Little did we know that the worst was yet to come!

We enjoyed a nice visit with our friend for the afternoon and then set off around suppertime for the 2 1/2 hour drive home. What an adventure that was. The lion had done nothing but build up strength all day and was really throwing a temper tantrum by that time. The winds were blowing across the highway at what seemed like hurricane force and the snow came at us thick and blinding. Our little CRV was rocked back and forth and it was a struggle to keep it on the straight and narrow, when we could see the straight and narrow that is. It was awful! The temperature was hovering around freezing, so we didn’t know if we would hit black ice or not, so even though we had traction at his minute we didn’t know if we would have for the next!!! What a ride! We could hardly believe that just the day before we had been out on our bikes enjoying a nice spring jaunt.

When we were about ten minutes from home the snow eased up, the road dried up and we could see some clearing in the sky ahead, but the wind continued to rant and rave and do its best to throw us into the ditch.

Exhausted and hungry, we pulled into town around 7pm and went straight to a restaurant for dinner. We fought with the wind as we walked across the parking lot and soon were seated at a table in the cozy eatery. We sat down and stared at each other in quiet, wild-eyed wonder for a few minutes. Were we really here safe and sound? Was the trip really behind us? Was this really April 2nd? Oh I was so glad to be off that highway and only 5 minutes from home.

The dinner tasted absolutely wonderful but I think it was because it was mixed with the rich flavourful feelings of relief and gratitude that we had made it home safely. Positively delicious it was!

Yes, the lion was on the prowl yesterday, and by the sounds of it, still is today too. We don’t have any snow or rain falling, but, 60 kph roaring winds will keep us off the bikes and highway today and safely tucked in here at home.

Whether the lion or the lamb is visiting your area of the country today, I hope your life is enriched with the flavour of gratitude and you have a delicious day.

Friday, April 01, 2005

Guest Room

Some of you know that AC and I got ourselves into a bit of a muddle trying to redecorate our guest room. AC's back went out when the room was only half done and my back wasn't up to much more than his was. You can read AC's account here.

I usually ask for Butterfly's help with decorating ideas, but seeing as this was to be a surprise for her, I couldn't do that this time. I shared some of my trials and tribulations encountered along the way with Iona over at Circles and Squares and she suggested colours and accent ideas that I really liked. So, thanks Iona for some great ideas, and thanks to the painter who came and helped us finish the job. I think it turned out really great. It is now a fresh, clean, relaxing, inviting, guest room done in shades of pale blue and accented with white. Quite a change from what it used to be - three white walls, one red white and black wallpapered wall, black furniture and red accents.

Butterfly was really surprised when she saw it and loved it too. I don't have anything on the walls yet, but these pictures will give you an idea of what it looks like now. Thanks for all your help across the miles Iona.


one

two

Better late than never!

Ahh, here she is. A day late, but that is ok, at least she is making an appearance. The gentle lamb toddled into my world this morning and her bleating could be heard loud and clear on the quiet calm air. The lion might be rambling and roaring somewhere off in the distance, but for this morning, the lamb rules here in my corner of the world.

I hope the gentle lamb visits your corner of the universe today too and you enjoy some sunshine and warm breezes. Mmmmmm, don’t you just love the first touch of spring? I think this might be a day to head out for a spin on the bikes. Yahoo.

Have a great weekend. Talk to you all later.