Seeing Thankfulness: Week Two

A Million Little Somethings

This post is a little bit late as I have had a manic past few days. So, here is what I intended to post on Friday:

This week I am thankful for...

...my husband. Here he is pictured just at the start of the Seaford Half Marathon last Saturday. The race is predominantly off-road, starting on Seaford Seafront, on over the South Downs, along the River Cuckmere, and up and then down Seaford Head back onto the seafront. He did really well. I admire his determination to succeed in all that he does, which is why I wanted to include this photo of him running. He has the same passion and drive for all his interests - running, photography, youth work, cooking, stand-up comedy, subterranean exploration, and most especially science. He inspires me to strive for better in the things that I love.

It was also his birthday this week, and I was reminded again how thankful I am that he is such a big part of my life, that he loves me so much, that I can be myself around him 100% of the time, that I can share everything with him, and that he is an awesome cook. I am thankful that he is my best friend and confidante. And I am also thankful for his amazing hugs.

...Victorian innovation and technology...I guess... I mean, I'm not ungrateful for it. We went to the Bluebell Railway, our local steam railway - most regions in Britain have one or two - for my husband's birthday, and I don't really know how else to be thankful for stream trains, but they look pretty cool and they're fun to go for a ride on. So, yeah, here's a picture of a steam train chugging  into Horsted Keynes Station on the Bluebell Railway!

...that my parents never made us put Oxo cubes in our milk, bleurgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...that the violas we planted in May have flowered beautifully. They're like happy, smiley faces and have sprung up cheerily all over the flowerbed.

...roses. This is the rose tree in our garden that has flowered beautifully, as it does every June. I absolutely love roses!

...that I live in an historical town. It really is a great place, with old houses and flint walls everywhere. The castle sits proudly in the middle, and is a constant reminder of days gone past when blood was shed in great Medieval battles, when the majestic priory was destroyed during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, and when Protestant martyrs were burnt at the stake during Mary I's reign, as well as numerous other feats of history. Whatever may annoy about my town, I am thankful for the fascinating history that whispers from its walls and roads each day.

...water. This is the ruins of a water fight night that we held at the youth group. I am thankful that water is so abundant in this country that we have plenty to play with, let alone to drink, wash and cook with. I want to always be thankful for the provision we have so that I may keep campaigning for those who don't.

Well it's been quite a week. I have had so much more to be thankful for that I haven't been able to take pictures of, but I do love that this project has helped me to be more intentional in my thankfulness, which was Kayleigh's aim with this link-up.

Photos my own.

The House Inspection

We've just had our 'house inspection' by our landlady. It's been bothering me for a few weeks now. Our rented cottage is Victorian so complete with draughty sash windows, damp inviting old brick, and creaky floorboards. All these charms lose their romance when it's challenge to keep things clean. Add to that all the stuff we own and our general untidiness and you can see why house inspections cause me to break out in a cold sweat.

Thankfully we passed, although we'll be receiving a few recommendations by e-mail. Now I can relax a bit more. The whole thing has given me cause to remember the time when my brothers and I used to play 'house inspections', the memory of which always makes me laugh.

When we were children we used to construct houses for our figurines. We'd use books, Sylvanian Family toys, Duplo, Lego, and even bits of real furniture. We would then use our imaginations for the rest.

Once our figurine families were neatly settled in their homes we'd come up with various adventures for them. One event that nearly always took place was the 'house inspection.'

"Look at the state of these walls!"

An evil house inspector, usually played by the Sheriff of Nottingham, Jafar or Emperor Palpatine would knock on the door, rudely barge into the house with no invitation, and proceed to criticise anything and everything about the house from the layout of one room to the size of another, to the choice of furnishings in the living room (usually Sylvanian floral) to the colour of the units in the kitchen (usually Duplo blue)

"You call this a house?"

Eventually this iniquitous villain would turn to insulting the home owner and their family. The end result would involve the offended characters chasing the inspector from their home in a humorous fashion. More than once this would involve one of the Puppy in my Pocket dogs biting his bottom to more bizarre retaliations such as when one of the inspectors walked in on John Smith from Pocahontus in the bath. John proceeded to drive the bath, which had suddenly developed wheels for the occasion, after the inspector forcing him down the Duplo stairs, out of the house and down the carpeted street to the distant land of the laundry basket. Ah the imaginations of our childhood...

"Your face is a disgrace!"

Who these tiny plastic house inspectors worked for and what rights of enforcement they had we will never know, although they did manage a couple of successful evictions which would lead our main characters to another exciting adventure.

Needless to say my view of house inspections has been tainted by these childhood experiences, causing me unnecessary anxiety. It is a relief to open the door to a kind landlady who just wants to check we're not digging up trenches in the kitchen, and who I don't have to chase down the streets, with or without the aid of my magically wheeled bath.



Sheriff of Nottingham - http://www.totalfilm.com/features/9-villains-who-stole-the-movie
Jafar - http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/jafar/images/14792933/title/jafar-photo
Emperor Palpatine - http://lucasfilm.wikia.com/wiki/Emperor_Palpatine

Seeing Thankfulness: Week One

A Million Little Somethings

This week I am thankful for...

...summer evenings. I love that it is lighter for longer, and I welcome the coolness at the end of a hot day.

...lunch breaks in the park in the sunshine, complete with a good book to read.

...blackbirds. I love their tuneful song. We have one that is regularly visiting our garden at the moment, on the hunt for juicy worms. The one in photo isn't the same fella, but this one was serenading us beautifully on our walk yesterday evening.

...for the colour pink and the memories it triggers. It was eight years ago today that my grandma died. She would have loved the dress I wore today, as she always liked seeing me in pink. I am thankful for my grandma. I was her first grandchild and only granddaughter. She introduced me to reading and fairytales which in turn gave me my passion for writing stories. I am thankful that I have those precious memories of sitting beside her, reading book after book on the little wicker chair she had especially for me. I miss her, and today she was particularly in my mind.

...for my imagination. This wooded rockery area in the park near work is always really peaceful. I call it the "Goblin Garden" and can just see the goblins, fairies, and other forest creatures running about their daily business as I wander through it. I am thankful that the same imagination helps me create stories full of crazy characters and their wonderful adventures. I need to be reminded to use it more often, and am thankful for any inspiration that comes my way.

...large cups of tea at work. I find tea comforting and a necessary aide to sitting at a computer all day. It's important, therefore, to have a good sized mug to drink it from. I had a lovely Cath Kidston mug with strawberries on it. Now, pranks and what we know as "gross buffoonery" are the order of the day in my office. Earlier this week one of my colleagues was committing the latter when my mug was caught in the fray and fell to the floor smashing into pieces. I was quite upset because it meant that I would now have to drink out of one of the manky mugs in the kitchen that no one ever claims ownership to. Feeling guilty he bought me another Cath Kidston mug, which I didn't expect him to do, but I certainly appreciated. As you can see it's not the same pattern but it's just as pretty as the previous one, and of course I have forgiven him.

So I am thankful God for the beauty around me, for the summer sunshine, the birdsong, and the long days. I am thankful for memories, for imagination, for silliness, and for tea.

Photos my own.

June

This month I've decided to join Kayleigh's link-up over at A Million Little Somethings - Seeing Thankfulness - for the month of June. I love Kayleigh's blog and really enjoy her writing.

I don't tend to do link-ups as I'm afraid of not keeping up with them, but this one seems achievable and I love the concept. I would be lying if I said that life wasn't a struggle at the moment, because it really is, but I also have so much to be thankful for and I believe that I should mark that in some way, and what better way than with photos?

June is a special month for me. It involves two celebrations with my husband and it is often our holiday month. It is the month of roses, dragonflies, sunshine, blue sky, white fluffy clouds, the longest day of the year, sweet peas, strawberries, pretty dresses, swifts, sweet williams, and green green grass. All of these things make me smile and I am very glad that June is finally here.