Here And There

Sometimes it is wise not to mention something on the blog in case it doesn't happen. Like moving house, or a holiday. In October last year we had planned a rather expensive trip to France. It was cancelled at the last minute due to Bob's back issues. I only wrote about it after everything fell to bits. Saga Insurance were brilliant, and we put the money into a separate holiday fund, to be used after Bob's treatment. We spent some of that money in September, when we had our wonderful week in Cyprus with Peter and Wendy.

A few weeks after that, staying with SIL on our London Bayeux trip, she was telling us about all her holidays. We decided to spend the remainder of our holiday fund on a winter mini city break somewhere in Europe [otherwise it may end up paying the dentist's bill]

We chose where to go, and discovered good flights from Manchester Airport. Sunday we drove to Steph's [cheaper than airport parking, and a chance to spend time with family] Tuesday Steph drove us to the airport at 6am [thanks]

And now we are here...

And it IS wonderful! [As are the subtitles in the clip above]

Have you ever visited Denmark? 

Armistice Day

World War One ended on 11th November 1918 with the signing of the Armistice, but now this day is often known by different names- Remembrance Day, or Poppy Day in the UK, Veterans' Day in the USA. Here in the UK, there are now poppies in other colours apart from the traditional red ones - these include

Red for remembrance and hope,

Black for pride, honour and glory - since 2010, these have been worn to commemorate the contribution of African, Black, West Indian and Pacific Island communities during conflict.

Purple for animals who died working in wartime -horses, dogs, and pigeons, worn since 2006

White poppies show a commitment to peace, and worn by those dedicated to promoting non violence and finding peaceful solutions to conflict.

But what about the rest of the world? How do they remember?

In the USA I understand that people wear a red/white/blue ribbon in their lapel

Alongside the poppy [worn in the UK, Canada, Oz & NZ etc] you may see

In France, a blue cornflower [le Bleuet]is worn

In Germany, the forget-me-not [Vergissmeinnicht] - also worn in Newfoundland and Labrador
In Belgium, a daisy - also worn in the Netherlands- it was a symbol of the Dutch Resistance

Scottish poppies have 4 distinct petals.

In India, the marigold is worn on Nov 11th, but in Mexico, the marigold [Cempasuchil] is worn on November 1st and 2nd

On Anzac Day, April 27th, sprigs of Rosemary [for remembrance] are worn in the lapel to honour the fallen

I shall be in Denmark today - which remained neutral in WW1 - and they mark September 5th as National Flag Day, remembering those who have served their nation. But there may be some wreath laying at various Commonwealth War Graves.

Wherever you are, whether or not you have a pin, a poppy, or another flower in your lapel [or not] please remember those who served, those who suffered, and still suffer, those who are bereaved - and let us work together for peace in our world...

Boxing Match

I cannot remember where I saw this, online somewhere. Apologies if it was your blog! I am the sort of person who has always kept ongoing craft projects in a multitude of carrier bags. Wool, needles, pattern - or fabric, threads, scissors, pins and needles - paper, pens and crayons, ruler, scissors, pritt stick and sellotape. And I carry them into the lounge, then later shove everything back in, and the carrier joins all the others on the spare bed. But there are disadvantages...

• They fall over and things roll out
• I have to sort through lots as I cannot remember what is in which bag
• I have to scrabble in the bag to find the thing I want

What I need is a neat basket or box with a open top so I can see the contents and locate things easily. And here it is, the carrier bag box. Made from things I had already, in a few minutes..

I used bags from Morrisons, their woven reusable bags, around £1 each. I cut up old grocery boxes, to make stiffening panels. You simply open up the bag, and fold the sides down inside, till the top edge touches the bottom.
Then slide those card panels up to hold everything stiff. Now I have two useful boxes, which I can turn back to bags whenever I want. TaDa!

Ever So Enthusiastic

We had a lovely day out on Tuesday, celebrating Bob's birthday. And twice people remarked on my enthusiasm. 
Firstly, over the birthday lunch we enjoyed in Tallow Steakhouse in St Benedicts Street. Liz and Jon had recommended this place. A very simple menu - but beautifully cooked. When the waitress came and asked if everything was ok, I said I thought it was fabulous, and utterly delicious "I love your enthusiasm" she said.

Then Bob went off to M&S for handwash, and I went to Lush - but diverted into the new Lego store. Wow!! There was a model of La Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona [Steph and Liz went there two decades ago] I was about to take a picture, when George, a cheerful young assistant with gorgeous red hair [just like my George in Manchester] said "I can take the picture so you can be in it too!" We talked about Lego together, and the model at Bury St Edmunds. It is completed now, but in 2019 [pre pandemic] I added my brick to the model. Perhaps they could do Norwich Cathedral?
Another member of staff remarked on my enthusiasm.

My purchase in Lush was a little pot of cuticle butter. Liz put a dab on my fingers last Saturday and I really liked how well it moisturised my fingers. So I treated myself to a tiny tin for my bag,

The word enthusiastic comes from the Ancient Greek word enthousiastikós (ἐνθουσιαστικός), meaning "inspired" or "excited," which is built from entheos (ἔνθεος)—a combination of en ("in" or "within") and theos ("God"), literally translating to "having God within" or "inspired by a deity". I'll take remarks on enthusiasm as a compliment then!

Remembering

The November calendar picture. A reminder on this Remembrance Sunday to be grateful for peace and beauty, and to pray again for those places torn apart by war, where once beautiful surroundings have been reduced to mud and rubble.

The little bear looks alone and pensive on the bench as the two swans swim by together. Beautiful surroundings, but an awareness that for many people today they will be remembering lost loved ones.

May God bring peace and comfort...

You Can't Always Get What You Want!

 
Here is the 2026 John Lewis Christmas Ad with Kristen Scott Thomas - it is the 20th one they have done. You can find a link to all the other 19 here. My favourite was 2011, the little boy who couldn't wait to give his gift. I confess to being in the NO group in my response to this year's offering. There are so many things about this that just don't hang together... 

The family have obviously come a long way, so of course the first thing they will say is "I need the loo!" It is usually the first thing I say when I arrive in Manchester. And the usual response is "OK. Shall I put the kettle on, Mum?" That is not a sign your grandchildren do not love you, or are being rude. They do not want to wet their pants, and you do not want to have to shampoo the carpet. 

Grandma KST is clearly rich  - I think she should explain to her family that they are very wealthy but a lot of people are lonely and hungry at Christmas. Perhaps she could invite her MI6 colleague Jackson Lamb round to share lunch with them - that would give the children a new experience, I think they would love him and his scatological sense of humour

I cannot say "what kind of granny fills a room with sparkly foil and twinkling lights then plays music loudly and dances about enthusiastically with the children?" because that is exactly what I did recently at the Church Funday. But I do think Christmas gifts require forethought. 

I could go on, but I won't. My main gripe is that KST appears to live alone in a massive house in London and is extremely wealthy. 90% of the families watching the ad will not be able to identify with her lifestyle. I think the advertising team at JL have missed the mood of the nation. 

Huge thankyou to Eleanor who alerted me to the lovely M&S ad. Where Santa SHAVES!!! 

What's your favourite Christmas advert? 

A Short Extract

Yesterday I had a dodgy molar removed. It was huge, and cracked, and needed to come out. Roshan removed it smoothly, in one go, with no pain. Lots of anaesthetic involved. Much numbness. And then 4 months for the gum to heal and then an implant to fill the huge gap. [leaving a huge gap in my savings account...]