http://halfdozendaily.typepad.com/my-half-dozen-daily/2012/06/june-custom-wallet-giveaway.html#comment-6a016300f919ba970d016767c40ed1970b
Love Mrs Thrifty
xxx
Trying to do things differently ....Finding ways to use and re-use resources to make a beautiful home and save the planet from waste. I want to be more frugal, save money and de-clutter once and for all!
Friday, 22 June 2012
Carla's give-away
The wonderful Carla is hosting yet another give-away; this time for one of her fabulous purses:
You can take a peek and join the give-away here:
http://halfdozendaily.typepad.com/my-half-dozen-daily/2012/06/june-custom-wallet-giveaway.html#comment-6a016300f919ba970d016767c40ed1970b
http://halfdozendaily.typepad.com/my-half-dozen-daily/2012/06/june-custom-wallet-giveaway.html#comment-6a016300f919ba970d016767c40ed1970b
Home again, home again
... and watching the rain from the window. Canada was super hot, so a bit of acclimatisation to take place.
Good Evening Lovely Readers and a very warm welcome to Compostwoman - thank you for joining,
As you can imagine, there is a huge pile of 'to-do's' waiting for me, so while I decide how to blog about my wonderful holiday I'll leave you with this picture:
Good Evening Lovely Readers and a very warm welcome to Compostwoman - thank you for joining,
As you can imagine, there is a huge pile of 'to-do's' waiting for me, so while I decide how to blog about my wonderful holiday I'll leave you with this picture:
Back very soon....
Love Mrs Thrifty
xxx
Monday, 4 June 2012
Canada here I come
Good Morning Lovely Readers and a huge, warm welcome to Maria
Today we are off to Buckinghamshire to drop my best friend, Zena, with Hearing Dogs. I shall miss here tremendously as she goes everywhere with me normally, but they are going to do some training updates with her and I know she will be fine. They have arranged for a puppy (?) socialiser to have her evenings and weekends because she caused such a rumpus last time they tried to leave her in the kennels overnight. She is quite the madam! It will be interesting to see the Bucks centre too because Zena came from the Beatrice Wright Centre near York and we have never been to the main HQ in Princes Risborough.
Tomorrow the very wonderful Mr Thrifty will take me to Gatwick for my 8 hour flight to Toronto and tomorrow afternoon I will be with my friend Ruthie and her fabulous family.
I don't know if I'll be able to blog from there, but I will try. In the meantime stay well
Today we are off to Buckinghamshire to drop my best friend, Zena, with Hearing Dogs. I shall miss here tremendously as she goes everywhere with me normally, but they are going to do some training updates with her and I know she will be fine. They have arranged for a puppy (?) socialiser to have her evenings and weekends because she caused such a rumpus last time they tried to leave her in the kennels overnight. She is quite the madam! It will be interesting to see the Bucks centre too because Zena came from the Beatrice Wright Centre near York and we have never been to the main HQ in Princes Risborough.
 |
| The Grange, Saunderton, Princes Risborough, Q of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People |
 |
| Restaurant at The Grange |
If you haven't come across Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, there's a short video below that you might like to watch.
Tomorrow the very wonderful Mr Thrifty will take me to Gatwick for my 8 hour flight to Toronto and tomorrow afternoon I will be with my friend Ruthie and her fabulous family.
I don't know if I'll be able to blog from there, but I will try. In the meantime stay well
Love Mrs Thrifty
xxx
Friday, 1 June 2012
New Beginnings
Good Evening Lovely Readers and a warm welcome to new follower Miss in Bloom,
The title of my blog is New Beginnings and in order to allow new beginnings in our life, we have to let go of old things. Regular readers will know about the war we have been waging on clutter. Some of you may have had a look at my new blog, following the Harcombe Diet with Sue from Our New Life in the Country http://thehowlowcanyougofooddiary.blogspot.co.uk/
Today was my last day at the Academy I have been working in. I found the experience very stressful but this has had absolutely nothing to do with the students who are quite delightful. Many of the staff were lovely people and I came away with these gifts, which I certainly hadn't expected:
This orchid really is magnificent.
Yesterday I said goodbye to the year 11s and today was my last day with my year 10s. Those of you who are teachers will know what I mean when I say that every now and again a really special class passes through your orbit and really touches your soul. There is a connection there. This year 10 group were/are like that and I am going to miss them. I taught them for 3 hours today (a one hour lesson this morning and a double this afternoon). They chatted to me, we took photographs; talked about endings... and new beginnings .. and there was music, cake, laughter and some tears. They gave me flowers and chocolates and made me a memory book with their comments in, which any teacher would be proud of. I felt very humble and hugely privileged to have known these very special young people. On the board they wrote 'There's only one Mrs P.' and I thought. well thank goodness for that - I don't think the world could take another.
Klaudia's entry, as well as many others, had me in tears. As teachers, we don't do our job for rewards, but when moments like this happen they count for a thousand bad days. The school I taught in is a deprived area and these students don't come from privileged homes. This makes their gifts all the more meaningful. I expected nothing.
As teachers we are used to beginnings and endings, but some students find them difficult. Students come into our lives and eventually move on to the next phase of their lives. Many we will remember. Students who come from broken homes and lack secure attachments will often form attachments (healthy ones) with teachers. A teacher does not just impart knowledge - in fact, it is my belief that we should be following the root of the word education - 'educare', meaning 'to lead out'. Unfortunately our National Curriculum and its fervent quest to impart facts allows for little of this. I have always believed that teachers are often so much more than educators. We spend 5+ quality hours with students 5 days a week. We have huge influence, which can be used for good or sometimes misused. We can help students to understand healthy boundaries that come with secure attachments when they have not experienced these in their own lives. We can help the lawless understand that sometimes rules are there to protect us and keep us safe. We can show what respect looks like through modelling it and this is a powerful lesson to those who have never received respect. We can raise self-esteem and confidence and instil a life-long love of learning through our own enthusiasm. We can explore issues in a safe, holding environment and teach that it is important that every individual has the right to be heard and their opinions respected. We teach, hopefully by example, that difference is to be prized and not feared, and this is all the more pertinent in a modern languages class. This particular year 10 group included students from Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Romania. They brought such wonderful diversity to the group with their amazing life stories and experiences. One of their peers who sat his GCSE this year with the year 11s comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His story is one that moved me to tears. We too learn from our students and as human beings, we may be sad when they move on. I hope that I have done enough to help this group get the grades they deserve next year. Knowing them has made me a better person and taught me many things. I will miss them. That said, this move is the right one for me and I am looking forward to my new school and the next chapter in my life.
When Little Sister was in hospital recently I was given the opportunity to say thank you to a teacher of mine and her husband who had gone the extra mile for me when I was at school. Sister spotted a name on the ward list and realised that it was the teacher's husband and the following day I took flowers and strawberries to say a huge thank you, 36 years after the event, to express what their kindness had meant to me. I had NEVER forgotten them. I bet there are teachers that you all remember; some fondly and some with anger, but teachers have an impact and my job as a teacher is to never forget that.
The title of my blog is New Beginnings and in order to allow new beginnings in our life, we have to let go of old things. Regular readers will know about the war we have been waging on clutter. Some of you may have had a look at my new blog, following the Harcombe Diet with Sue from Our New Life in the Country http://thehowlowcanyougofooddiary.blogspot.co.uk/
Today was my last day at the Academy I have been working in. I found the experience very stressful but this has had absolutely nothing to do with the students who are quite delightful. Many of the staff were lovely people and I came away with these gifts, which I certainly hadn't expected:
Yesterday I said goodbye to the year 11s and today was my last day with my year 10s. Those of you who are teachers will know what I mean when I say that every now and again a really special class passes through your orbit and really touches your soul. There is a connection there. This year 10 group were/are like that and I am going to miss them. I taught them for 3 hours today (a one hour lesson this morning and a double this afternoon). They chatted to me, we took photographs; talked about endings... and new beginnings .. and there was music, cake, laughter and some tears. They gave me flowers and chocolates and made me a memory book with their comments in, which any teacher would be proud of. I felt very humble and hugely privileged to have known these very special young people. On the board they wrote 'There's only one Mrs P.' and I thought. well thank goodness for that - I don't think the world could take another.
Klaudia's entry, as well as many others, had me in tears. As teachers, we don't do our job for rewards, but when moments like this happen they count for a thousand bad days. The school I taught in is a deprived area and these students don't come from privileged homes. This makes their gifts all the more meaningful. I expected nothing.
As teachers we are used to beginnings and endings, but some students find them difficult. Students come into our lives and eventually move on to the next phase of their lives. Many we will remember. Students who come from broken homes and lack secure attachments will often form attachments (healthy ones) with teachers. A teacher does not just impart knowledge - in fact, it is my belief that we should be following the root of the word education - 'educare', meaning 'to lead out'. Unfortunately our National Curriculum and its fervent quest to impart facts allows for little of this. I have always believed that teachers are often so much more than educators. We spend 5+ quality hours with students 5 days a week. We have huge influence, which can be used for good or sometimes misused. We can help students to understand healthy boundaries that come with secure attachments when they have not experienced these in their own lives. We can help the lawless understand that sometimes rules are there to protect us and keep us safe. We can show what respect looks like through modelling it and this is a powerful lesson to those who have never received respect. We can raise self-esteem and confidence and instil a life-long love of learning through our own enthusiasm. We can explore issues in a safe, holding environment and teach that it is important that every individual has the right to be heard and their opinions respected. We teach, hopefully by example, that difference is to be prized and not feared, and this is all the more pertinent in a modern languages class. This particular year 10 group included students from Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Romania. They brought such wonderful diversity to the group with their amazing life stories and experiences. One of their peers who sat his GCSE this year with the year 11s comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His story is one that moved me to tears. We too learn from our students and as human beings, we may be sad when they move on. I hope that I have done enough to help this group get the grades they deserve next year. Knowing them has made me a better person and taught me many things. I will miss them. That said, this move is the right one for me and I am looking forward to my new school and the next chapter in my life.
When Little Sister was in hospital recently I was given the opportunity to say thank you to a teacher of mine and her husband who had gone the extra mile for me when I was at school. Sister spotted a name on the ward list and realised that it was the teacher's husband and the following day I took flowers and strawberries to say a huge thank you, 36 years after the event, to express what their kindness had meant to me. I had NEVER forgotten them. I bet there are teachers that you all remember; some fondly and some with anger, but teachers have an impact and my job as a teacher is to never forget that.
I'd love to hear your 'teacher' stories.
Love Mrs Thrifty
xxx
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
I have a dream
Good Evening Lovely Readers
What a gorgeous day it's been here! Simply glorious.
So, my dream, well I'll explain it to you if you promise not to laugh!
We live in a beautiful Suffolk market town which is on the broads and close to the sea. There is also a mystery which I find intriguing and which involves our town. The parish church is St Michael's. This church is reputed to lie on a ley line which runs from the Norfolk coast to St Michael's Mount in Cornwall.
The theory is that the land on which we stand, run, play is criss-crossed with mystical lines. It has been noticed that particular places of interest seem to sit along these invisible lines, for example churches and ancient monuments. Strange and wonderful things are said to happen on these ley lines and this is connected to the belief many hold that these special lines hold a peculiar kind of mystical energy – sometimes good, sometimes bad.
The whole idea of ley lines was conceived by the British businessman and amateur archaeologist Alfred Watkins who, in the 1920s, wrote his book The Old Straight Track. In it, he laid out his findings that churches, burial mounds and various other spiritually significant places stood along one straight line. He christened these ‘ley lines’ after the Saxon meaning of ‘ley’ – meaning a cleared glade. His theory wasn’t that mystical actually – he believed that ancient Britain, which was covered with forests back then, had been crisscrossed with travel routes, and landmarks had been built along these routes for navigational purposes.
It wasn’t till a few years later that a more mystical element was added to these ley lines. There are loads of theories flying about but the main belief is that directly beneath ley lines are underground streams or cosmic currents that are part of the earth’s energy. Over the centuries, roads, paths, monuments and more have been aligned along these ley lines by groups who are either aware of their location, or by a sheer mystical force that draws people to these spots.
The St Michael line runs from St Michaels Mount in Cornwall all the way up to Hopton in Norfolk,
My dream is to walk this ley line. I want to raise money for Hearing Dogs who placed the amazing Zena with me (my life-changing Hearing Dog). Now I may be over-weight and unfit right now, but I believe that I will do this and Mr Thrifty is going to do it with me...... and Zena. My hero, Satish Kumar, has walked a heck of a lot further than this! When Satish walks he takes no money with him and relies on the hospitality of strangers. He did this on his first epic walk from India to America, taking peace tea in the 60s to Russia, France, England and America (the nuclear super powers). I can't even imagine this as a possibility. I can't get my head around the logistics - how? when? etc. etc., but the seed is there and my dream is growing. I firmly believe that if the universe intends this to happen, a way will emerge...........
What a gorgeous day it's been here! Simply glorious.
So, my dream, well I'll explain it to you if you promise not to laugh!
The theory is that the land on which we stand, run, play is criss-crossed with mystical lines. It has been noticed that particular places of interest seem to sit along these invisible lines, for example churches and ancient monuments. Strange and wonderful things are said to happen on these ley lines and this is connected to the belief many hold that these special lines hold a peculiar kind of mystical energy – sometimes good, sometimes bad.
The whole idea of ley lines was conceived by the British businessman and amateur archaeologist Alfred Watkins who, in the 1920s, wrote his book The Old Straight Track. In it, he laid out his findings that churches, burial mounds and various other spiritually significant places stood along one straight line. He christened these ‘ley lines’ after the Saxon meaning of ‘ley’ – meaning a cleared glade. His theory wasn’t that mystical actually – he believed that ancient Britain, which was covered with forests back then, had been crisscrossed with travel routes, and landmarks had been built along these routes for navigational purposes.It wasn’t till a few years later that a more mystical element was added to these ley lines. There are loads of theories flying about but the main belief is that directly beneath ley lines are underground streams or cosmic currents that are part of the earth’s energy. Over the centuries, roads, paths, monuments and more have been aligned along these ley lines by groups who are either aware of their location, or by a sheer mystical force that draws people to these spots.
The St Michael line runs from St Michaels Mount in Cornwall all the way up to Hopton in Norfolk,
 |
| Hopton, Norfolk |
passing right through some of the country’s most mystical places such as Glastonbury, Stonehenge and Avebury. It even passes through my daughter's favourite place in the world; St Nectan's Glen. I have never been there, but she has been a few times and Mr Thrifty went last spring. It is a place I need to visit too. There is another line, a few miles to the north called the St Mary Line which weaves its way to St Michael's Mount criss-crossing the St Michael Line.
 |
| St Michael's Mount, Cornwall |
My dream is to walk this ley line. I want to raise money for Hearing Dogs who placed the amazing Zena with me (my life-changing Hearing Dog). Now I may be over-weight and unfit right now, but I believe that I will do this and Mr Thrifty is going to do it with me...... and Zena. My hero, Satish Kumar, has walked a heck of a lot further than this! When Satish walks he takes no money with him and relies on the hospitality of strangers. He did this on his first epic walk from India to America, taking peace tea in the 60s to Russia, France, England and America (the nuclear super powers). I can't even imagine this as a possibility. I can't get my head around the logistics - how? when? etc. etc., but the seed is there and my dream is growing. I firmly believe that if the universe intends this to happen, a way will emerge...........
So that's my dream.
Do you have a dream? I'd love to hear it...
Love Mrs Thrifty
xxx
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Spring means Rabbits
Good Morning Lovely Readers
Yes, rabbits (or hares) and I absolutely do not mean the ones that Gomez insists on extracting from the woods and presenting to us. We seem to have a burrow beneath our lawn (meadow) which isn't great for a cat-owning family - at least not for the rabbits. Rather, have you visited this website yet?
http://sbmillefeuilles.blogspot.co.uk/
I am lusting after one of Stephanie's hares! I would post a picture here but Stephanie's photos are quite rightly copyrighted so you will have to visit her to see. As soon as she opens her Etsy shop, I will be in to buy one of these adorable creations. It isn't often I HAVE to have something but I do so want one of these. I collect moon gazing hares and have one in brass and 3 in stone that have all been gifts. I love their link to our pagan heritage.
If you have some time, take a look at Stephanie's talented daughter's blog here: http://une-averse-de-mots.blogspot.fr/ Although this is in French, you can use the translate button if you need to and I am sure you'll agree that it is a lovely blog. She paints and draws beautifully and I am sure she would appreciate your joining her.
Tell me, which are your favourite blogs? Do you have crafty blogs that you visit that make you feel excited at someone else's creativity? Do you visit blogs that you want other people to know about? Please do share them!
Yes, rabbits (or hares) and I absolutely do not mean the ones that Gomez insists on extracting from the woods and presenting to us. We seem to have a burrow beneath our lawn (meadow) which isn't great for a cat-owning family - at least not for the rabbits. Rather, have you visited this website yet?
http://sbmillefeuilles.blogspot.co.uk/
I am lusting after one of Stephanie's hares! I would post a picture here but Stephanie's photos are quite rightly copyrighted so you will have to visit her to see. As soon as she opens her Etsy shop, I will be in to buy one of these adorable creations. It isn't often I HAVE to have something but I do so want one of these. I collect moon gazing hares and have one in brass and 3 in stone that have all been gifts. I love their link to our pagan heritage.
If you have some time, take a look at Stephanie's talented daughter's blog here: http://une-averse-de-mots.blogspot.fr/ Although this is in French, you can use the translate button if you need to and I am sure you'll agree that it is a lovely blog. She paints and draws beautifully and I am sure she would appreciate your joining her.
Tell me, which are your favourite blogs? Do you have crafty blogs that you visit that make you feel excited at someone else's creativity? Do you visit blogs that you want other people to know about? Please do share them!
Have a wonderful day
Love Mrs Thrifty
xxx
Monday, 28 May 2012
The Harcombe Diet
Good Evening Lovely Readers
I am blogging over here today http://newbeginningswithfood.blogspot.co.uk/ and have joined Sue from Our New Life in the Country in her new food blog http://thehowlowcanyougofooddiary.blogspot.co.uk/ . We are both trying this diet and she has now completed phase 1. Mr Thrifty and I have done 3 days, so 2 to go and then we can move on to phase 2.
I am blogging over here today http://newbeginningswithfood.blogspot.co.uk/ and have joined Sue from Our New Life in the Country in her new food blog http://thehowlowcanyougofooddiary.blogspot.co.uk/ . We are both trying this diet and she has now completed phase 1. Mr Thrifty and I have done 3 days, so 2 to go and then we can move on to phase 2.
I have lost 7lbs in 2 days. How great is that!
Hope you are all well and enjoying this lovely sunshine (UK readers).
Love Mrs Thrifty
xxx
PS. Thank you for all the lovely comments on my garden post yesterday .... a wild flower meadow seems to be the consensus of opinion!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)