Three nights of Bliss!

Having had a fairly busy last six months, I had, at The Man's suggestion, booked three nights at Grayshott Spa. The time has come and I am here! Settled in my room and already two sessions of pampering done, so I now have pretty hands and feet.

I am looking forward to three nights of pure pampering and indulgence. Not, as one of my colleagues suggested, a time to dry out and detox (this is not The Priory), just attentive service and pampering.


Why is it that three nights here is like a fortnight away somewhere? Is it as simple as having others running round looking after you, or is it something else


Bliss.

Wild Swimming in Olney

Yesterday a group of us headed north to near Milton Keynes to find a spot to go Wild Swimming. We were heading for the town of Olney, on the River Ouse. We arrived in time for a very pleasant lunch at The Bull and then went in search of our perfect location. 

We had been pointed towards the Playing Fields, which have step access to the river, but found this was a little too popular. This is great in one way, but we were seeking some seclusion. The good side to the popularity is that there were a number of families making use of this wonderful location; particularly popular with boys aged about 8, who were jumping in without hesitation. But, as I say, we were looking for something a little quieter.

We had some very pleasant walks around the town until we found our spot, behind the Church, by the Old Mill. We walked down a footpath and across a field until we found some little beaches, we selected one of these and got changed into our wetsuits (other than The Man, who was trying to prove he was a MAN, and only wore swimmers).

And we were off. What a wonderful time we had, the water was reasonably clear, and surprisingly warm (once you were in!). We saw small fish, dragonflies, all sorts. There was quite a current, but not so much that it made it unpleasant. What a great way to spend the afternoon.

Five Things I'm Loving This Friday

 

I have forgotten this post for some weeks now, but it's back!

So, today I am loving:

• The sunshine being back, even if it is only for a short while.
• The mist on the River Thames this morning as I passed over Richmond Bridge. It may be a reminder that Autumn is on its way, but it was still stunning.
• Today is my last day at work for two weeks.
• Tomorrow will be spent with friends, playing with paper and glue.
• I am blessed with good health, even though I feel totally shattered at the moment having worked close to 12 hour days all this week.

See you soon.

Hold Your Head Up

Too many of us spend too much of our time with our heads down, determined to get to our journey's end as quickly as possible.

Stop. Look up. Be surprised by what you may see. I am sure most people would miss seeing this camel train above a bank in Great Tower Street, but there it is for all to admire.

Take the time today to look up and find the little pleasures that so many miss.

My New Toy

It has arrived!

It took a while, thanks to the DVLA losing the paperwork for my personalised plate. But it is here now and is perfect! How can you not smile when you look at it, it is just a little blue box of joy!

Worth the wait

Scrapbook Pages

As promised to some of my friends, here are some pages that I have been working on recently. Some of them use the same layout, but may look either subtly or quite dramatically different due to the papers that have been used. Some of the layouts have come from my head and others are inspired (or scrap-lifted) by Shimelle Laine.


These are the same layout, but one has been turned through 90 degrees

Close Up

These two both use the same layout:

Close Up

Again, these have used the same layout, but are meant to work opposite each other, so the papers are from the same range. Can you see the hidden information on the train layout?

Can you see it now?

These layouts are all singles, other than some close up details.

So for those of you thinking about joining my next class, I hoe there is some inspiration for you in these pages. You will see that I have a number of styles, both organised and geometric, and shabby chic/vintage. Don't get too tied to the 'theme' of your papers; the using the sepia photos used paper from a Bridal Range, but they don't look at all bridal as I have used them. Also, keep our eye open for pretty things; the corners of the sepia photo with the group of ladies, uses doilies that have been inked up to match the red highlight in the papers - the doilies were from a tea I had at an hotel I was staying at. Don't throw out clothing that has buttons without first removing the buttons, particularly if they are not just white shirt buttons. Remember that most blouses these days come with ribbon inside to help keep the blouse on the hanger, if you don't use them, cut them off, they are only going to stick out anyway; instant free ribbon.

Five Things I'm Loving this Friday - I'm Back

What a strange month June has been. By which I mean a number of things. The weather was more like April, I seem to have been rushing around like a mad person with no time to really do anything.

But I am back now, so:

Five Things I am Loving This Friday:

• I am really tired, but that doesn't matter because I have today off work
• The forecast for the weekend is really not too bad
• We have a good day planned, out and about and having fun
• Our National Trust Membership will be used again today
• Life is good