Spring

Spring is all around

new beginnings

re-birth

it lifts the soul and makes me feel optimistic

warmer days aren't too far away
I crave sunshine
I'm happy and motivated when the sun is shining
I'm morose when the weather is dull and cold

a vase of cheerfulness

sweet birds are singing their little hearts out

and in just a few days time this wood will be resplendent with sweet scented bluebells

Courtesy of http://www.powerpointhintergrund.com

~Be warm and well ~

Polly x

A Good Read

The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez
Sunny is the proud proprietor of a small coffee shop in one of the most dangerous places on earth. She offers hospitality to the expatriates, misfits, missionaries, and mercenaries who stroll through the doors. Sunny and four very different women befriend each other and form a bond of friendship and secrets. Working alongside Sunny is the maternal Halajan, who vividly recalls the days before the Taliban and who must now hide a modern romance from her ultra traditional son, who, unbeknownst to her, is facing his own religious doubts. Isabel is a British journalist on the trail of a risky story. Candace is a wealthy and well-connected American whose desire to help a local orphanage threatens to cloud her judgment, and when Yazmina, a young Afghan from a remote village, is kidnapped and left on a city street pregnant and alone, Sunny welcomes her into the café and gives her a home. But Yazmina’s pregnancy could put all their lives in jeopardy. 
Then there is Tommy, the love of Sunny’s life, who has gone off in pursuit of money and adventure. And the ruggedly handsome Jack, who left his family back home in Michigan to earn “danger pay” as a consultant. 

I enjoyed this. Depicting the nuances of life in Kabul, and the emotive issues concerning women, it is a thought provoking and absorbing read.

~Be warm and well ~

Polly x 

Arundel

My Friends live just outside Chichester in the small coastal village of Bosham

The village library

The villagers maintain the box.

I've seen a few like this one that have been given a new lease of life and looked after.

It was criminal that these lovely phone boxes were replaced by

the hideous Mercury glass and metal eyesores.

After leaving Chichester I stayed a night in Arundel, a lovely market town in the vale of the South Downs, West Sussex. It has a medieval castle and a Catholic cathedral.

View of the castle from my hotel room

Very nice comfortable room

Roomy bath and shower room

I didn't do my homework before planning this visit.

Being November the castle was closed......I think it's beautiful inside.

It's a pretty town

Muscovy ducks outside the tearoom



every time people arrived in their cars or left the tearoom the geese approached them en masse!

I liked Arundel

We have snow again, the temp reached 14C on Friday,
this morning the wind chill felt like -10!! crazy weather.

~Be warm and well ~

Polly x

Chichester Cathedral

Chichester, a cathedral city in West Sussex with a history as a settlement from Roman times.
I visited in 2014 when I stayed with some friends I met on a safari.

The Cathedral and grounds are beautiful 

Tucked away in a corner, this might have been a gardener's shed

A Chagall Window

After saying goodbye to my friends I travelled to Arundel ..... up next

~Be warm and well ~

Polly x

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day 

to all the wonderful, loving, caring Mums

Look what this lucky mum got: 

Not shop bought, my daughter put this hamper together

Such a cute little bear

guarding the Roses chocolates -  he knows they are one of my favourites  😋  

more of my favourite chocolate and a lovely breakfast cup

 scented candle, I like nice smells

hand cream

can never have enough hand cream, especially at this time of year

my darling daughter knows me well

beautiful flowers from my grandson and son-in-law

and this gorgeous card from my grandson
I keep all the cards my grandson gives me.
I'm a very lucky mum and nan.

~Be warm and well ~

Polly x