Bit drizzly today and yesterday, but nothing bad, nothing like the awful storms hitting the Iberian Peninsula.. still hitting hard.

Tried to share a little video I made in September 2017, but couldn't directly, so this is it, by way of YouTube..

I was looking for something else, and as always stumbled upon a happy memory to make me sad..

Yesterday a visit to The Range, followed by coffee in Costa Coffee with an almond croissant, of course, and then Morrison's for groceries.. updated my Morrisons card! Such excitement.

 Sorry that was sarcastic.. 

Not quite the old life is it.. Still a life I should be better at living in a better way, a calm happy contented way.. I must stop struggling and go with my flow, stop battling against the.. against a life I didn't see ahead.. I guess..

And tomorrow I shall get the bus to town!! Keep telling myself I'll do it! It's not like I haven't taken a bus before!! 

M.

You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.

Jim Rohn -1930-2009, Author and Speaker

Just posted onto Facebook and these words below showed up on my feed.. they do, indeed seem to be very appropriate for these days..

What might have been and what has been

Point to one end, which is always present.

Footfalls echo in the memory

Down the passage which we did not take Towards the door we never opened.

-T. S. ELIOT, "BURNT NORTON"

Sycamore seed pod

On one of the steps going up to the back garden just now... life beginning... a tiny green shoot, making its way from the seed of a tree...

A seed pod from a Sycamore tree further up the garden... I have temporarily planted it near those steps... It wouldn't last long on the steps with Pipster up and down a hundred times a day forsure!

And it was nice coming home and seeing this new life... Firstly I  dropped some things off in town... parking right in the heart where its 'pedestrians only' after 10;30am... exceptions excluded!  I had gathered a lot of things, that I don't need any longer, and someone else can now make a new home for them, I hope, already one item is calling back to me from the store!! Oh no!!! I have had that little ornament for longer than my boys!!! But I am trying to de-clutter, I feel choked by all the stuff I have accumulated over the years, and I get too attached to each and every one of them, that's why the sooner I can also pass on my mom's things the better, except certain items of course!!!

I want to travel lighter from now on!

From town, I took the M4 off to Fforestfach, its such a beautiful sunny day, wall to wall blue skies and the sun feels warm to the skin... lovely!

So I drove there and sat inside [tables in the shade!], and had a wonderful Chai Latte in Costa!  I had walked around Home Sense... One of my favorite stores in the UK!  It is very difficult not to buy something every single time I go in!!  So I shop on ideas instead!  And today I got plenty of them!!

Things for my new Pinterest board on Plants!  And I saw somewhere on the net an idea using magazines tightly rolled up in small pieces used to make frames, boxes, art and decor... they had some there!!! Who saw what first!!  I always want to shout out "I'll have one of everything in assorted colors please!"

In Costa the barista was very happy! In fact she was extra happy and singing a song 'Pure Imagination' [from Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory], to everyone she served!!  I thought I would come away singing it... I did! :-)  Not a bad song to get stuck with!

Now back... Third day off, back tomorrow! Feels like such a long time!  Especially as I have to fit in a full weeks hours starting from Wednesday afternoon ending on Saturday!

TTFN
Marian

I don't think this is too clear it reads....

David Smith
279 Pentregethin Road
Manselton
March 13th 1924

...beneath the name and address it say...

David Smith is my name Wales is my nation.  Glamorgan is my swelling place.  Christ is my salvation.  When I am dead and in my grave.  when all my bones are rotten look in this book you shall see my name when I am quite forgotten.

How very strange, and eerie, and sad too... the book was published between 1909 and 1914, its a first edition, but not sure which date this was published in!  I did check online, and the only David Smiths from that area in Swansea all died in the 1930's or 40's, so would be interesting to know the journey of this book... how many people have read these words he wrote I wonder!

Today began with ice on the windscreen, then blue skies to the post office and inside it too I am guessing, but when I came out it was Sleet, with a capital 'S'!!  I still continued onto Swansea a little bit of frozen water never stopped me in my tracks!  And once I was on the road it stopped and the sun was back out, the sky the most amazing blue, ice blue!  Parked in the city centre and walked through the shops, was such a beautiful day, I had my Costa Coffee, of course! And back out into the town centre, it was either bright blue skies or sleet!  I was almost back to the car when I caught a message on my Facebook and following instructions, returned into the town and to the Free Book Shop, Healthy Planet... It was closed, it was sleeting and I asked for shelter under an umbrella, me and another lady both!  The store opened and I waited for the exhibition to open upstairs, I wandered around the book shop and picked up three, for free, books, old ones, the one aforementioned and two others, and upstairs after quarter hour, it was a great exhibition, the rooms were being used to demonstrate thoughts on books.... the blood and taped area around a body, the pizza box left unattended to demonstrate a who-dunnit;... a wonderful piece of shadow expressionism showed the way small pieces can become brought to life by light; then my friends husbands piece was a mannequin seated holding a book, a pile of books at his feet, behind him a movie showing short film clips displayed upon the pages of a book, to show how when reading our minds eye sees the images the author is telling us in their writing... a ticking clock with random chimes accompanied the scene to further expand the sense of time moving quickly when we are lost in a good book....

When I left I felt very uplifted, what a great, and unexpected morning!  I carried my three books back to my car and drove back, through.... sleet and sunshine!

I had lots to do this afternoon on a book I am reformatting for Smashwords, but got lost in cooking dinner and cooking dinner for another day, and trying to find out who the heck was David Smith of 279 Pentregethin Road Manselton...

TTFN
Marian