New Edition of RED BOXES

Well, it has been asked for, even been ordered before being written, but now the first batch of the new book should be here this week, The New Edition of When Phones were Immobile and Lived in Red Boxes has four new chapters and extra illustrations. It follows my marriage at Beeston for three years and then our move to Loughborough. The birth of our three sons, my husband's redundancy and our move to the Furness region of what is now Cumbria.
This new edition costs £7.50 and postage is free within the UK. That is if ordered through Magpies Nest Publishing. It can also be bought at Ulverston's The Tinners Rabbit Bookshop, or ordered at any good bookshop. 978-0-9548885-8-9

It was fun to write and so much more could have been added — maybe for the next edition?

Cockermouth Before the Flood

Two years ago we were on holiday in the more northern areas of Cumbria and we spent a day in Cockermouth. The town looked like a typical small town that existed when we were much younger. The riverside walk was quite splendid and made us determined to visit the town again in the not-too-distant future.
Now that delightful town has been hit by the worst rain for many years. Views of Cockermouth under water have frequently splashed across out TV. No doubt, many people, including around the world, have seen these dreadful pictures. I decided to show folk the other Cockermouth, one with a delightful river walk and that will ever live in our memory as a splendid place to visit when touring Lakeland. Words are not needed - the photos speak for themselves.

Morning Bliss

For me there is something spiritual about November skies as the sun rises and streams of golden light touch the earth. Shades of blue from turquoise to slate blue-grey, and soft billowing clouds touched with golden beige. I was so much in awe that it had to be captured by my camera.
The scene is quite different looking SW. As we sit in our bay window with my hubby reading to me, I am free to soak in the subtle beauty of both sky and garden. A side window opposite where I sit, reflects the sun's rays bursting through the trees behind me like a many faceted diamond. But the sunbeam soon goes behind trees. Even so, there is much to gaze at with an inner eye. All this and being read to as well!
A few years ago, I used to take our dog (no longer with us) for a walk up Hoad Hill. I would take a break at Little Hoad and sit on the seat to take in the sea and sky. What magic when clouds split open to release a beam of light on to the dark sea. Gold, silver, precious jewels? They are free for all with eyes to see.

November Jewels — My Ulverston Home

A few roses in the garden — in November!
But it is the foliage, glowing like an Impressionist painting, that brings joy to the whole scene.
And yesterday, a light frost glittering in the early morning sunlight, with shimmering diamonds on dark evergreens and shrubbery. Such beauty made my heart sing in praise!
Ah yes, and crisp russet leaves — more sweeping up for hubby to do!

Rainbows over Derbyshire

November when it's raining is not a particularly good time to be walking in Derbyshire, but WOW what rainbows we managed to capture. I guess when things are dark and drab, looking for a rainbow is not a bad thing to do.
Last Saturday in Ulverston a trail of little lights (candles in jars covered with sculptured pots) made its way through woods at the Gill, Ulverston. SPOOKY! Lovely for the kids on Halloween. But we were off to Derbyshire, hoping for a bit of walking. We dodged a few showers in Chatsworth woods but that was the only walk we managed during our short birthday break. But visiting Cromford near Matlock, magnificent rainbows appeared stretched over the valley in full half-circles.
There is something about a rainbow that gladdens the heart...
As the old hymn goes —
'I trace a rainbow through the rain
and find the promise is not vane
that life shall endless be...

You don't have to be particularly religious to see beauty in nature, or to appreciate the imagery of light cutting through the darkness. Dark clouds will pass - somewhere the sun is shining. When I feel down, I find rainbows uplifting.

Autumn in Ulverston

A lovely sunny day in early autumn, and what better place to spend it than in our own area?
Last week we walked part way up the Hoad but the day after we found our feet covered in itchy bumps, some turning to blisters in spite of medication. So we did not take the walk today. We had a stroll along the Gill footpath, always a delight any time of the year. On the railings we spied the imaginative pottery plaques, made by locals at one of our local resident Geoff Dellow's pottery sessions (open to all). Geoff is one of a number of people in this town who work for the good of all. The Gill footpath follows the path of a bubbling stream, which, years ago, helped power Ulverston's water mills. It is a grand walk any time of the year, but the bronze, golds and copper of autumn, under a clear blue sky, show the scenery in full glory. A touch of heaven. Back home and a cup of tea. What more could a couple of oldies ask for?
Photos taken today on the edge of Ulverston.

Self Image. Who Am I? What Am I?

I recently cleared a lot of stuff out of the attic. Precious blocks and patterns from my designer years, Boxes of fabric that have come in handy for many things, a set of Nativity costumes used in school performances, school stuff generally. And from my bookshelves a host of books used for study - degree, diplomas and certificates. Books related to Divinity, Sociology, Psychology, Education, History etc etc. Remnants of my past life as a Designer, Teacher, Lay Minister. Stuff I kept thinking I might write a novel set in Victorian times or maybe in the era of Roman conquest. These are like the framework of personas that came and went away. Now I write. Little different to saying, 'I paint'. I have pictures around the house and my books on my shelves. Who am I? What am I? Questions we all ask ourselves at some stage of our lives.

I looked through the photo album to find a photograph that seemed the most relevant at this stage of my life. I decided on this one. Looking forward. I am standing alone, and that is the way it has been in most of what I have done and achieved — academically and in the workplace. But I am not alone in my life. Does our work define who we are? To me that is a side issue. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, a homemaker, friend and neighbour. If we cling to what was, what might have been, to faded hopes and dreams, the 'stuff in the attic of our lives' then we miss the scene around us and the joys that may well lie ahead.