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| Take at Peterborough Cathedral's Heritage Weekend last year. Last year's post here |
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Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Wordless Wednesday - Vikings
Friday, 10 January 2014
Familiar Routines Once More
So the weekly routines start to take shape again after the initial madness of Christmas, the catching up over New Year and then the lounging around to rest and recuperate. The shock of a Monday morning 6:30am alarm call with one eye open willing the time to be wrong and then the panic of trying to fit everything in before its time to leave home. Oh yes, the year has started!
Everything is now a bit bare, both with decorations coming down and the beautiful sleeping skeletal trees, waiting for the sap to rise so they can breathe again.
The daily drives to and from work have been very dark with rain and wind hammering down. Rainy days are a big positive in my life, I love the sound of rain hitting the window pane or the top of the umbrella, but when driving to and from work it is not as comforting as if curling up on a soft cosy sofa with the fire flickering and a black and white movie on the TV. However, the sun decided to make an appearance towards the end of this week and I couldn't wait to dust off the camera lens and get my feet working again and just have familiar walks to the canal and around the Cathedral precincts.
The shadows were so beautiful to see once more. It was chilly but no wind. Heaven! The red Cathedral flag against the comforting blue, clear skies was so uplifting.
And here I go again, gates and doors are a passion of mine, I don't know why, but it could be the fairy tale of what happiness may be behind the facade. This little door is hidden behind some ivy and reminds me of the Secret Garden gate.
Nearby, the vivid red berries were such a visual delight. Do you ever feel self conscious when taking a photo of something so 'everyday' while people pass you wondering 'why'?! Well, they made me smile!
I took a little detour and went to see the memorial to Henry Pearson Gates who was the first Mayor of Peterborough
The memorial was moved from Cathedral Square to the Bishop's Gardens in 1967. The detail of the stonework looked wonderful with the sunshine casting shadows to show more detail.
The building behind the memorial is the Almoners Hall and you can walk past this into the precincts. This is the part where you start to feel as though you are in a different century and the modern world is being left behind.
I went a little further towards the canal and the beautiful swans (my mid week post has some of my little friends who posed beautifully). This swan was just drying off his feet.
And the others were saying hello to a very kind lady who was providing lunch.
The shadows on the bark of the trees were inspirational to take shots of. Something so simple but seeing the shadows once more made my heart skip.
The cycle paths were pretty clear and I could have easily walked the mileage to further places, however it was time to go back to work and finish off the week.
How I would love to hop onto this canal boat and travel on the calmer waters, but the routine of weekend housework, ironing and family life now awaits.
I hope you are all enjoying being back into your day to day routines and the weather is allowing you some normality.
Welcome also to some kind new followers, thank you for visiting, and thank you to those who are keeping with me, you are all so wonderful for dropping by.
Keep safe and warm.
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Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Saturday, 4 January 2014
2014 - The Start of a Positive Year
2014 seems to have a positive feel about it, not just with me, but with blog land as a whole and friends that I have spoken to. Everyone has such amazing thoughts and feelings about this year that come across as a new start and one to feel glad about. It lifts the heart and mind to have such positive feelings surrounding us all and encourages these thoughts to continue. I always think that if you surround yourself with positive people then nothing but good can come from it. Even the weather as unpredictable as it is, is not getting me down!
My first positive for this year was picking up my much neglected crochet hook. Within two hours I had completed a project! Yes, I surprised myself, but after receiving a Kindle for Christmas with the sole purpose of reading blogs snuggled up on the sofa, it needed a snuggly jacket. So with the use of some squares I crocheted last summer and a bit of imagination, I put together this little project in two hours. Two of my favourite colours, pink and grey.
In my last post I said that this was the year of change for me. So far it hasn't disappointed. I have had the advantage of two weeks' away from the day to day work, so have put a few things in place. Grandad Tom's book now has 550 words written, not many when I type this figure out but it has started and that was the hardest part.
Patience has paid off in one area of the garden, the greenhouse! Yes, FINALLY, my tomatoes are ripening!! It's January for goodness sake and the vines themselves are rotting but the red gorgeousness shone through like rubies as I went to get the bird seed. Yes, they are edible and taste even more sweeter that I can pick these off the vine in January. A positive thing indeed.
So with the decorations down and safely packed away until the end of the year, I am now hopping back on the hamster wheel of life and keeping positive thoughts in my mind as I look at my living room with Pinterest boards dancing around in my head and the wind and rain lashing against my window panes (which is pretty much why there isn't a lot on this week's blog - rain on a camera lens is never a good thing).
May I wish you a very positive weekend and week ahead.
Saturday, 28 December 2013
A Review of 2013 at Sweetbriar Dreams
2013
How can I sum up this year? I think the first thing that comes to mind is 'discovery'. I have been 'riding the wave' a term I say to quite a lot of people, meaning just going with the flow and seeing where I land. Sometimes it is a good place, sometimes it is a place that I am not entirely comfortable with, but for me this has helped me carve out what I want to do in 2014. My blogging journey has been one of the good places that I have landed, where I have found so many wonderful, like minded people on this particular 'wave'. My blog has gone through many changes this year, with twists and turns, but I think I have finally found my voice and how I like to write along with the visual input as I tell the story.
I have had lots of fun today looking back on this year and re-discovering the different events. Each month was so different.
The days we went out on either locally or a little bit further afield were always fun and educational. One risk I took during 2013 was taking my two teenagers to Greenwich, London for the first time. Our visits to London were numerous this year but I skirted around Greenwich as I felt that I would not do my Grandad justice by bringing the place to life with the history he imparted to me as a child. This ended up to be a great success with my kids falling in love with this quieter part of London and begging to be taken again and again. 2014 will be full of weekends here as I bring the stories to life as we walk around the streets, some still standing and then through the London Docklands where so much has disappeared and been re-generated.
From looking back at 2013, my crafts obviously took a back seat! The wallpaper is waiting patiently in my dolls house and the amount of unfinished crochet projects is quite embarrassing!
Our garden was beautiful this year, even though a bit slow in waking up from its winter slumber. The flowers all bloomed in the glorious summer, giving a spectacular show throughout the months.
However, the produce from the greenhouse was pretty poor, in fact quite pathetic! But, the fruit crops this year were huge! Along with the lavender which was tenderly cared for by the bees.
The wildlife was more abundant in the garden, with the bees arriving quite late but then being so busy that they actually slept on the lavender at night! So much life this year.
2013 also has allowed me to plan ahead for the journey of writing 'the' book on my Grandad's research and stories. The pens and note books are ready for notes, my fingers are itching to tap away at the keyboard, the papers, maps, photos and books are ready and waiting and I have an idea of how to start the initial lines of the book, I am excited to start to see how this flows.
So what do I have planned for 2014? Well, 2013 was 'discovery', 2014 is going to be 'change'. Change is a good thing and should be embraced fully. I am one that loves change, things start off as a mess but then after re-organisation and diligence, everything falls into place for the better. I plan on changing things in a lot of ways next year so I can concentrate on the things that really matter to me (such as the book) and not focus too much on things that I do not agree with and that hinder my progress in my life. There have been times where I have not felt comfortable with situations around me and where they are totally against my own morals, so these things have to change. Hard words I suppose but 2013 has made me discover who I really am and what I want to do.
One thing that won't change is my love for reading your blogs and discovering new ones. It's a catch up at the end of the week with friends over a coffee and a chat. Around the world in 80 minutes... usually longer!! I love the evenings when settling down to read what has happened in blogland.
So as I close the door on 2013, may I wish you all a wonderful 2014. Thank you all for your generous and kind comments and visits during this year and encouraging me to continue by following me with all the various methods that there are now (I've just discovered Feedly - great for Kindles!... a gift from hubby!). I look forward to reading and seeing what you get up to next year.
Happy New Year!
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