Time to Say Goodbye

Five years ago, I ventured into the Blogosphere, tentative steps at first and then gaining confidence along with changing directions as I went, from crafts, day to day life, recipes etc.  Then as my photography gathered pace and trips to various places were enjoyed (especially my very much missed home town of London), my blog's journey changed again.

My little corner of blogland began to gain momentum in followers, comments, emails and  was incredibly rewarding and a joy to get to know those who were reading me, asking questions and giving support.  Bless you all for that.

My writing and photography helped me through the stressed years of parenting with  mid teenage angst and exams and Sweetbriar Dreams was my escape from the negativity that surrounded that time.  Now, all that angst is behind us and both Miss Teen and Mr Teen are venturing out into the big bad world themselves and making me proud.

In these five years I have rediscovered my love of photography that  I had many years ago and the confidence to go out with the camera and see the world rather than just look at it along  with my writing, to write the book rather than just read it.

I have made some wonderful friends along the way who share my interest in historical places, the pressures and loves of blogging, photography and the weekly catch up with each other.

And so after months and months of fighting with my thoughts, it is finally time to say goodbye to Sweetbriar Dreams.  It has been a wonderful journey and one that has made me look at things in a different way.

Believe me, it wasn't an easy decision and it will be something in my life that I will miss, but as bloggers know, to write a post, insert links and relevant content and edit photos takes up a huge chunk of time, which with a very busy and demanding job, along with being a parent and running a house, is time that I have less and less of unfortunately.

And so, I would like to say...

T H A N K   Y O U

Thank you all for your support, encouragement, comments and emails over the years!  Thank you for making me laugh and cry!  Thank you for being that virtual shoulder to rest on.  Thank you for being there!

It is now time to say goodbye and please take good care of yourselves!

ps.  Thank you all for your amazing comments and emails.  I will be carrying on microblogging through Instagram for a little while but I thoroughly recommend a truly inspirational blog by Mike at A Bit About Britain.  Another blogger who loves to visit places and tell the story behind the site. You can visit him here!

My Word for 2017

2017 is going to be a year that I want to remember.  A year that I rediscover and push myself to the limit.  It's a tall order, but as the countdown begins to that day when I turn 50, I want to enjoy every moment.  I am looking forward to this phase of my life and have a lot more confidence to hit that day hard with a beaming smile on my face saying 'I made it'!!  Time to embrace life and be comfortable and confident enough to enjoy everything around me.  There will be challenges, things that take me out of my comfort zone, times when I will not be my usual self while I rediscover who I am, how I used to be before becoming a mother, connecting with friends again who are so far away, and those who I am so so grateful who are a lot closer.  So what would be my word?  It's been so hard this year to think of something appropriate.  New Year's Eve had me all of a tizz, words were spinning around in my head, enough to keep me awake well into the small hours, and then going onto the fen mid morning to listen to the rain pounding my car windows while I jotted down word after word after word.  

T I M E, M E,  S E L F I S H,  R E D I S C O V E R, 

C H A N G E,  H A P P I N E S S

As I wrote words in my book, they had a common theme - ME.  With my two teens fully independant it's MY turn to think about what is important to ME.  Am I being selfish?  Well, yes I suppose I am, and that's something that takes me out of my comfort zone, but as a couple of close friends said to me on New Years Day, it's about ****** time!  You see, I look for the good in people and get let down (a lot), this is what I want to get away from.  I want to be the person I once was and not be afraid to do that.  Believe me, the last 24 hours have been quite an eyeopener and nerve wracking as my mind tackles 'the word'.  So, what word have I settled on?...

I D E N T I T Y

This word encompasses all the others, rediscovering who I am, changing parts of my life that I no longer want to live, learn to be ME again , learn to be selfish in a self preserving way and enjoying any happiness that comes across my path, which I am hoping will be in abundance this year.

Have you discovered your word yet?

Take care.

Chel

The Cobweb of Memories

The North wind doth blow, and the East, West and South too!  Buffeting, knocking and damaging. Every evening it has been relentless, Mother Nature picking up her vacuum cleaner and hoovering Britain's fair land - I just wish she was a little quieter while I try to get my sleep!    So, this weekend I was determined to surround myself with books, notebooks, good old fashioned pen and paper, maps and plans.  No trips this week, just planning them.  Writing must have been playing on my mind as it seemed that everywhere I looked I could see leaves of paper - including the beautiful roses that hubby had bought me.  I felt I could write on these perfect petals.

After the inevitable housework and hanging out the washing to dry (would you believe it, not a breathe of wind!), I picked up one of the many boxes I have of my Grandad's notes and photos and reached up for an open file high on one of the study shelves that is full of maps and plans.  Even though I wasn't walking the streets of London, I was visualising them instead.  Aren't rolled up plans so intriguing, especially when covered in cobwebs? (Very Victorian!).

Did I say I had finished the housework?!  Let me explain before you judge me, the shelf is very high and the box is open at the top - I work full time - It's in a corner that I don't see very much - OK, OK I missed it!... a few times!!

What could be faceless pieces of paper doomed for the shredder, are coiled up pieces of information just waiting to burst out and tell their historical stories, completing the jigsaw puzzle of times gone by.

Each piece so precious with little notes on them on the London Docklands from the 1800's until late last century.  What used to be there, the stories of the people who lived there and the family memories.  Priceless!  One day each one will be in an A3 binder, flat and dust free... one day!

My house is full of books on London that have come from my Grandad's collection but occasionally I will open one of his boxes and I will find something I haven't come across before.  Today was one of those days where I picked up a Bartholomews Map on the Lake District.  Clearly my Grandad's, but it seemed so out of place amongst all his writings.  The rich, fragile paper was glued to hessian and just looked gorgeous!

I very carefully opened this 1920's map and found the faded colours printed on each sheet.  With time the paper has detached from each other but this gave it even more character.  As I looked at the map I noticed little notes, circles and pathways that were written and drawn by my Grandad, obviously where he had traveled to and walked - maybe a trip for me and my family this year?  Until then, I will be looking for a frame that can display this historical and personalised map.

For now though, I am enjoying the wind free, dry, calm weather and I will continue to write about his life's journey and enjoy every cobweb, frayed binding, stained page and his clear informative writing for the weekend.

Of course I need to plan for the future as well, so me and Miss Teen are busy discussing where we will be going in London this year.  The usual haunts of Greenwich, Camden Town and the South Bank will be obvious choices but we want to see things off the beaten track this year.  I do hope you will come and visit with your tea and cake when we tell our own stories.

Keep safe and warm and I do hope if you had these awful winds, and in some cases snow, that you have not suffered too much damage.

Take care.

      

January - Having Time To Stand and Stare

So January has now left us with a huge yell, not a quiet weather month by any means.  It's been a lively, moody teenager who wants to make a statement and test all boundaries. Cold, wet and drearily dark where the usual winter walks have been quite difficult to enjoy.  January greeted us with truly awful high winds and flooding.  It's been soggy, really soggy!  I feel despair for the people who are affected by the rivers breaking their barriers and homes destroyed, as cliffs give up their fight with the unforgiving sea.  I have used January to reflect, recover from the festive season and getting back to the regular routines.  The thing is, I love rain, it calms me, it makes me feel comfortable at home, but the jet stream has outstayed its welcome now and the flooded fields and flood barriers need to rest.  With my January mosaic I realised just how little my camera has captured life this month.  

For those who are regular readers, you will know I have been looking at things differently this month, seeing the ordinary as extraordinary.  Thank you SO MUCH to those who have left comments and taking time out of your busy day to do this, they were all so humbling, no... extraordinary!  Mumsy reads my posts with your wonderful comments and felt inspired to send me a poem.  You may know it from the funeral in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral':

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs,

And stare as long as sheep and cows

No time to see, when woods we pass,

When squirrels hide their nuts in grass,

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams of stars full, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

Hyacinth roots - growing in a glass.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

This beautiful poem was by William Henry Davies and called "Leisure".  I have put a link here for more information on his extraordinary life.

I hope you are all keeping safe and warm and thank you again for your lovely visits and comments.

Next week... a visit to my home town... LONDON!!!

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Advent Calendar Door 22 - Remembering

December 22nd

My twenty second Advent calendar door has now opened revealing a time to remember. There are some anniversaries that pass by after a while but today is one that I will never forget.  It is the anniversary of my Grandad Tom's passing who was my inspiration, my safety, my thirst of knowledge and history, my trips to Greenwich and the Docklands.  Sometimes it isn't until the person has gone that you realise just how much of an impact they had on you.  I am surrounded by his papers, his CD's, his books, his research.  Each piece is a gem and as I head towards 2014, my inspiration has finally come back to me to take the plunge and write.  Write the book he never got around to completing and re-live his life once more.  His smile will encourage me and his voice on the CD's will bring me back to the times when I sat on the floor next to his chair listening to the stories of the Docklands.

Remember those you love.

Enjoy your day.

Sharing with:
A Pause for Advent

Advent Calendar Door 2 - Re-living Stories of the Past

December 2nd

My second Advent calendar door has now opened reflecting the stories we share with our loved ones at this time of year with our friends and family.  My old Collins book always accompanies my Granddad's stories and will one day be filled with family traditions and his words  passed down through the generations.  I love the swirling old ink on the sides and the excitement of knowing that one day each page will be read and reflected on by future members of the family.

Enjoy your day.

Sharing with:
A Pause for Advent

It's The Little Things That Matter in Life

Isn't this a lovely saying?  This week has been full of trials and tribulations.  Being a mum to two teenagers has its interesting moments and holding down a full time job while things are going a bit 'pear shaped' at home can be a test to the system.  BUT, as I sit here writing my blog post and just letting my fingers tap gently on the keyboard, I look at what is surrounding me right now.  A hubby who is happy and well after receiving his last health tests (all clear!), a Mr Teenager sitting quietly and happily in the same room, Miss Teenager in the study engrossed in her Twitter/Tumblr while talking on Skype with Mr J  Artwork and Coco snoring (quite loudly) in the kitchen.  Life throws some real challenges along the way but once worked through and sitting down on the other side of everything, you know what?  I shouldn't complain, it's the little things that matter in life - health and happiness.

A thing that isn't little in my life are my friendships.  Friendships can be all shapes and sizes.  Some we build from children where we support each other as we develop through the tough school years, some through work where after a while the social side shines through, and then there are friendships where you would never imagine they could ever happen.  After all, what if you have never actually met them - and probably never will?  How can this be called a friendship if you don't know the sound of their voice?  Would you know them if you saw them in the street?  Blogging has taught me all sorts of things - the thoughts going into each post, the photos taken along the way to show events as we see them and then that thoughtful, special moment of clicking 'publish'.  Into the world flies an electronic 'penpal' post firming up the interlocking chains that hold special blogging friends together.

I can remember receiving my first comments and being so happy that someone had taken time out of their busy day to let me know they were there.  I was not a lonely cloud anymore.

Each week I learned more, more about me, more about my readers and more about the wonders of blogging.  I look back now on my first posts and cringe a little, however it has recorded my journey and taught me how to find my voice and practice my writing skills for the book journey I will be venturing on soon.  Yes, gearing myself up for my Grandad's story and the creative juices are overflowing into different branches on recording his life.

Along the way I have found some truly wonderful, inspirational people who have encouraged me and the exchanges between us have been like catching up with very precious friends with the same hobbies, thoughts and dreams.  One of these is the wonderful Julie from Julie's Lifestyle who has made me blush with her latest blog post.  Please go and visit this lovely lady from across the pond and savour her creations from cooking to all sorts of crafts.  Thank you so much Julie for your wonderful friendship!  And thank you all so much who have continued to be extremely kind and visit me to hear about my little ramblings along with a very warm welcome to my new followers, I am looking forward to catching up with your posts.

Take care. 

 ♥ Chel ♥ 

 (Remember that if you want to see a larger version of my photos just click on one and a slide will appear)

 

Saying Goodbye to Summer

Saturday was the last day of Summer and I was going to embrace this being the eve of Autumn.  I have been looking forward to this for so long and now it is here I feel so happy and warm inside. The preparation for autumn was surrounding me and Mr Teenager as we went for an evening walk near our village.  Tick tock went the dandelion clock once again, not for summer this time, but the anticipated new season of autumn.

The gold and reddish glow of the gradual sunset was enveloping our surroundings as we quietly walked along the bridalpath listening to the migrating birds overhead.

I love these rare and precious times with my son.  Sometimes they are quiet walks, sometimes debates are had but always with smiles on our faces.

Our walk was a slow, short one but with each step the colours of the sky and earth were changing.  The last hints of sunshine were reflecting off the old church in Cowbit (pronounced Cubitt) and the old hay bales prepared themselves for the night time protection for the little creatures coming home after another day of preparing their larders for the upcoming weather.

In the distance we could see a hare playing with its brothers and sisters enjoying the dry weather.  We were far away but they were still wary of our presence.

The farmers had been busy ploughing the fields and the smell of the freshly dug earth was enough to make us sigh happily (no manure dug in yet!).

With our shadows getting longer and the fields becoming more golden we carried on with our walk to some old haybales.

These would be our seats for the theatre.  5ft tall and just about the right height for me and Mr Teenager to climb onto and enjoy the last moments of summer.

The time was edging closer as the sun started to sink.

The dandelion clock began to tick away.

Along with the wind turbines turning their blades against the sea of clouds and the sun's rays.

And then, everything fell silent as the sun gently disappeared.  Summer was over.

We sat for a while, chatted for a while and then happily started walking back.  I looked across the fields and thought of the two does looking back at me.  The mother with her baby, showing her child the sunset with happy thoughts and dreams.  All hoping the same.

And now tick tock goes the dandelion clock, now waiting for the next season.

Have a wonderful week.

 ♥ Chel ♥ 

This week I'm sharing with:

Sunday's in my City

Seasonal Sundays

Memories by the Mile