am searching for a subject

The years's routine is starting to impinge on the potential blog posts.
Are we doing anything utterly fabulous? Semi - fabulous yes, but not utterly.
So where do I go for inspiration?

Will it be a showcase of flowers?

Will it be reminiscing about wonderful places we've visited?

Or pondering about the exoticness of our next trip?

Will it be about pride in our family's acheivements?

.... Or a more loved up family tribute?

I know, a foodie photo always goes down well.

Perhaps I should share with you my fondness for pineapple decor?

No; sorry folks; I've got nothing.

have so much to tell you

When we were in Roatan for the wedding of the year in July 2012, I found some special textile treasures sewn by the local Honduran women.

One of these was this amazing embroidery. My xmas and birthday present was getting it framed. I love the way it's turned out.

and a close up.

My birthday has dribbled into February as Myles kept reassuring me that his present was in the mail; he'd been tracking it online.

Yippee it arrived.

He knows me well and has a very good eye for what makes me happy. Here it is.

Thank you to my boys for indulging me.

am waiting by the mailbox

Every so often, a lovely surprise arrives in the mail box.
In the past week, I've had 3 of those days.

Firstly, a wonderful personalised calendar from Mey's Mum Mary (try saying that when you've had a Mai-Tai or 3).

On each page are photos representing the special days in our family's lives. Please note that
July 17th is National Cocktail Day.

Here are a couple of examples:

.... Then on Wednesday was a postcard from my dear friend Chris Jones who has been working her way through the 'mail art 365' challenge. The goal is to create and post 365 postcards. Hers have gone all over the world, and been featured in an exhibition in New York.

This is the one I received this week.Apparently she's adapted a card I'd previously sent to her.

Her decision to start this project came after the treacherous floods of 2011. She and hubby were away when their house was inundated.
In the clean up, a friend retrieved their photos and cleaned them, hoping memories would remain. What resulted was a whole new phase in her creativity, as she collaged, stitched printed on these photos.

Here's my first from Chris, soon after she started her project.

Yesterday's visit to the mailbox yielded a postcard from my gorgeous niece Emma who's been travelling around Europe in her Uni break. How lovely that she thought of us when she was in Scotland.

You can bet I'll be checking for the postie today.

want to reassure you that I'm still blogging

I know; I missed writing a blog last week. I'm hurting just as much as you are.

The past few days have had me feeling like this:

And this:

.... Not sure why really, I think it has to do with Oswald and anxiety over dear friends who've had real problems to deal with.

This is how they coped:

Stoically and with grace.
Their homes are intact and they are safe.

I'd like to thank my photographer Paul who recorded these images at San Antonio Zoo in July last year.