Live For Today

Saying farewell to our pet cat Jess last week was very difficult as he had been part of the family for 16 years. We have laid him to rest in the back garden and I will plant a rose bush so that eventually there will be a lot of colour and tranquility in this area.

Following events this week, I was reminded of how fragile life is and how  the comforts and situations we often take for granted, can change so easily. Since retiring I have a different outlook on life and I can now enjoy each day and live in the 'now', rather than waiting for weekends and holidays.

Over the weekend we visited my eldest daughter and her family who were camping in Anglesey. A lovely island and the campsite was near the beach with some beautiful views of the undulating countryside. Ideal for the children with no TV, just the open air to play games and enjoy the fresh air. Most of the day was spent on the beach catching crabs and small fish, whilst I sat on the beach and enjoyed the scenery and the 'holiday feeling'. Still can't do much as my toe is yet to heal!

A couple of days later we were off in the other direction to visit my youngest daughter in Chester. A lovely ramble along the River Dee, through the racecourse and finally, shopping in the town centre. We haven't had sunny weather since April as it has rained and rained so we took advantage of the warm summer evening and enjoyed a BBQ and wine.


I think that both daughters wanted to distract me from missing Jess around the home. I do miss our cat but I have some treasured memories and living in the 'now' is highly recommended.

Bitter Sweet

A week of highs and lows.

My son’s partner, Emily, is a lovely girl and we are blessed to have her as part of our family. She tragically lost her own mother in a car accident one evening and last Monday, July 16^th, was the fifth anniversary of her death. On the same day as this anniversary, Emily’s brother’s second child was born by caesarean section. I like to think that this gift of new life was predetermined by Emily’s mother, Liz, to be born on the same day. This day can now be equally viewed as a celebration, a celebration of a new life and a celebration of a life that has passed. I helped Emily to make a personalised gift for the new baby, a nappy sack that can be used later as a toy hamper.

I believe in life after death and have faith that our loved ones help us in this life although not always in obvious ways. But what about our much loved pets, are they only to give us pleasure in this life? We have two cats and one of them, Jess, is not well. He is now 16 years old and so has had a long life, but he has stopped eating and drinking and is wasting away. We took him to the vet a few weeks ago and nothing obvious was seen but I think he knows now that it is the end of his life. We are taking him back to see the vet and we will need to let the vet decide, as Jess is too precious for us to make that decision. 

So I say thank you Liz for giving us Emily to love and I say thank you Jess for loving us.

Yin and Yang?

First some good news.

 Whilst in France on holiday with the family recently, my daughter and her partner went to Paris for a couple of days. He proposed to her, overlooking romantic Paris and as she accepted, right on cue, fireworks started from somewhere in the city. Wonderful news, they were childhood sweethearts and are perfect for each other. We all look forward to the wedding which will only happen around 2015, in the meantime we are eager to try on the dresses and the preparatory work is as much fun. My own wedding only cost £350 in total, back in 1971, I expect this one will cost rather a lot more.

My second bit of good news is that my son has finally gained his degree in computer studies. After much heart ache and soul searching, he now can seek that ‘special’ job, or in these current climes, any job would be a bonus. So much pressure on our young people these days. Gone are the days when a job was for life and you could choose and expect to have employment.


My third bit of good news is that I have sold my first painting on line via my 'art shop' at http://www.etsy.com/shop/EssellArt  under the banner of 'Essell Art'. This painting has been packaged and posted to America and I hope it is the start of many future sales.

Now for the bad news

Does the universe really need to balance positive and negative energies? If everything has both yin and yang aspects, then my 'yang' is that I've fractured my big toe.

I was helping to load my car to help my son to move into a new flat when I dropped a marble chopping board on my toe. I will spare you from viewing any photos but it is not a pretty site as the nail bed is also damaged. The most frustrating part is actually the inability to walk far as I am hobbling and am unable to wear a shoe. It is amazing how such a small part of the body can affect the rest.

However it hasn't stopped me continuing with my sewing as I only need one foot to operate the sewing machine so I've been busy making baby clothes. My new creations can be found at
http://folksy.com/shops/essell

Desert Island

I don't usually listen to Desert Islands Discs on Radio 4 but last week I was interested to hear about the life and choices made by the stand up comedian John Bishop. I began to think about the eight songs that I would choose, which favourite book I would take and which luxury I would want with me. They are all associated to either life events or special memories.

My first two song choices are 'You're my Everything' and 'Just One Last Look' by the Temptations. The Temptations were my favourite Motown band in the 60's and they still are. My starstruck teenage years, my first love that I thought I would never get over, my 'hippie' period, my first mini skirt and the make up I would reapply in the telephone box after my dad had made me take it all off before I went out! From the same era, I would choose as my third choice, Otis Redding and 'Dock of the Bay'.

Following a brief interest in Led Zeplin, I developed a crush on an older man - Andy Williams, so my fourth disc has got to be 'Moon River' as it made me feel very emotional (or was it my teenage hormones?). I also met my husband around this time.

The Motown hits started to be few and far between and I didn't care for the 'pop' music of the day and in the 70's the punk music emerged which I thought was awful. However, for my fifth disc, I would like to include from that era, Rod Stewart and 'Sailing'. This song is timeless and it conjures up a sense of freedom and now it is still relevant as I have taken a liking to cruising so every year I go 'sailing'

My sixth choice must include Queen as although I wasn't a fan of Freddie Mercury's extravagance, his voice was exceptional. The disc I include is 'Heaven for Everyone' which he made when he knew he was dying.

My seventh and eight choices are classical pieces. I used to teach relaxation techniques and when I listen to either of these recordings, I am able to sit and relax. So my chill out time on my island would be with the help of these two discs. Mahler 'Symphony number 5' has a sad, yet powerful sound. It begins with the sadness and ends with triumph and power. My last record is Barber's 'Adagio for Strings'. I never tire of listening to this as I can loose myself in its sensitivity and intensity.

My overall favourite song will have to be my number one choice by The Temptations.

I will be allowed to take the Bible and the Complete works of Shakespeare so I should have plenty to read. The first book I ever read was called 'The Mystery of the Everglades' by C.S.Rutley when I was thirteen years old. It was given to me by the district nurse who visited my grandma daily to give her insulin injections. I was intrigued by that book and I developed a great love of reading. I have since re read this book but as it was written for a younger age group, it didn't have the same appeal. For my book choice, I will take 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' by Thomas Hardy. I studied this novel as part of my English Literature '0' level and I would take pleasure in re reading this book.

My luxury item would have to be my oil painting items so that I could spend a lot of my time painting landscapes and seascapes of my own desert island. I could also paint the ship on which I am eventually rescued from this island.