Today I went down to Marazion to visit Shevie and deliver (at last!) her prize for winning my giveaway last month. The sun was shining and warm and St. Michael's Mount looked quite a picture.

I parked up and walked along the beach.........the sea was sparkling

In a side street I spied the entrance to Shevie's shop, "Fine and Dandy'

oh what a scene of candy-coloured delight greets your eyes as you walk in.....

As Shevie unwrapped the giveaway I wandered around and took more photos, stopping to chat and share experiences of running a shop. We have so many mutual friends it's surprising that we hadn't met sooner!


Everything is so beautifully presented, just look at those hand-stamped price tags!




(I love the blue colour of the floor - it's a brave decision to go for a colour but boy does it enhance the harmonious look of the decor)



So did I succumb? of course........but I can't show you what I bought because that will spoil the surprise for certain individuals

It was so lovely to meet you Shevie, another like-minded vintage fanatic!


I bought a pasty and sat in the sun out of the wind and just gazed upon this marvellous view. The mount appeared dark and foreboding with the sun so bright behind. Shevie has the good fortune to actually live on this fairytale isle.


As I reach the car again I take one last look back at the mount with its castle atop and little harbour and cluster of houses beneath. The tide has covered the causeway..... Shevie will be taking her children home from school on the ferry by now.......

Get dancing yeah!

Something you probably don't know about me is that I am learning to bellydance! Once a week I go to an evening class and I'm absolutely loving it. I have tried various types of dancing in the past: ballet, tango, Bollywood, but I can safely say bellydancing is the most enjoyable for me. You do not have to be very fit or super supple (neither of which am I) to be able to do the moves and anyone of any size, shape or age can do it. Also you don't need a dancing partner to fully participate; it is great dancing in the class, but you can equally well put on a CD and dance away at home completely on your own. After learning the basic moves you start to improvise your own dance sequences. Our teacher is a great choreographer and is teaching us new dances all the time. Trying to remember which order the different moves come in is good exercise for the brain too! I think the general resurgence of interest in dancing since 'Strictly' came onto our screens is fantastic. Dancing keeps you fit and is such fun; why not find out if there's a dance class near you? You won't regret it; you can't help but smile when you're dancing!
The following Youtube clip shows an American bellydancer called Sadie doing her stuff; the muscle control she has is just awesome! (I have a looooooong way to go yet!)

Sadie BellyDance

Kendinizi Ateşe Atın!

Pratik sınav I -
Zeytinli Ekmek
Hunharca geçen taşınma maceramın sonunda sanırım zavallı güzelim bilgisayarım artık internete bağlanıyor. Meğer ne vahim şeymiş kopukluk sevgili okuyucularım. Süregelen bir şeye alışmak ne kadar kötü bir şey! Gel gelelim benim muhteşem maceralarım son gaz devam ediyor! :) Okul sabahın köründe başlayıp şeker komasına girdiğimiz anda bitiyor! :) Hele ki beze yapımında Çiğdem'le şekerden başımızın dönmesini ve sınavda "aaa benim başım dönüyor galiba!", "Benimkide fenayım abi!" gibi sözlerin yükseldiğini söylemem gerekiyor size. :) Merak etmeyin, sınavım güzel geçti nitekim! :) Merengeler.. merengelerrrrrr.. :) Gözünü sevdiğimin ama şunu öğrendim ki, japonları her ne kadar sevsemde merenge'lerini sevmiyormuşum! :)  Kurabiyeler, ekmekler, dökme hamurlar, kekler, merengeler ve custardlar ellerimden öppperrrrrr!!!! :)) Pratik sınava gelince, kendime göre çok kötü bir not olan 94 aldım. Gülmeyin!! Hakikatten kötü! Pratik sınavda bir Zeytinli Ekmek ve bir de Kandil Simidi yaptım!Ahh be güzelim! Ne diye risk alırsın?! Kanımca 95-100 arası not alacağımı düşündüğüm cicilerim tabak sunumundan kaldı! 0_o Neyse napalım, böyle olması gerekiyormuş diyerek yolumuza devam ediyoruz sevgili okuyucularım. Öğrennn çocumm, öğreeennnn! MSA tarihinde ilk tamamı kadınlardan oluşan sınıf bizmiş! Ya öyle fal taşı gibi bakarsınız işte! Hala savaş çıkmamasına şaşırıyorum açıkçası! :)) Aman.. amannn diyeyim de ben! :) Daha önceleri bayağı dil döktüğüm el alışkanlığını birebir okulda da görüyorum. Gün geçtikçe eller daha da pratikleşiyor. Hatta bunca zaman bildiğimi düşündüğüm bazı teknikleri, sil baştan öğrenmem bile gerekti. Herşeyin bir püf noktası varmış yahu! Ve inanın, düşündüğünüz kadar kolay değil! :) Mesela benim gibi, fırından kekinizi çıkarmaya çalışırken, arkadaşınızın kekini tepeteklak düşürebilir ve hatta onu kurtarmaya çalışırken 200 derecelik tepsiye parmaklarınızı cassssssssss! diye dokunabilirsiniz! :)))) Sonra fırının kapağını uzun süre açık tuttunuz diye şeften fırça yiyebilirsiniz! :) Onun üstüne çil yavrusu gibi boynunuz önünüzde kaçışabilirsiniz! Bunlar mümkün tabi! :) Amaaaaa işin en kötü yanına gelirsekkkkkkkkkk sevgili okuyucularım!!! Kilo almamanız elde değiiiilllll!!! Yani manyak gibi dikkat etsemde bana mısın demiyor kerata! Akşam kısayım diyorum; yok! Öğlen yaptıklarımı yemeyeyim diyorum; yok! Yokta yok! :) Pofidik bir şey olup çıkarsam şaşmayın yani! :)) Hey gidi günler heyyyyyyyy! Filinta gibiydim filintaaaa!! :) Esas ocak sonunda, tez vericez. İlk taslak bugün verildi. Uykusuz geceler boyunca yapıldı kendisi. Vayy bee! Bu hallere düşecek kız mıydım?! :) Saçlar darmadağın! Tırnaklar erkek çocucğu gibi! Kendime şöyle bir söz verdim; okul biter bitmez, tırnaklarımı gidip direk kırmızıya boyatağım! :)) İşin şaka maka bölümünü geçersek, inanın, bütün fedakarlıklara değiyor! İnandığınız ve başarabileceğiniz bir şeyin peşinden gitmenin o dayanılmaz hazzı yok muuu? O anda şöyle bir durup, diyorsunuz ki, "Aferin kızım" Sonra derin bir sessizlik..
Herkesin çeşitli hayalleri var benim gibi. Herkes birşeylerin peşinde.. Ki bu bence inanılmaz! Bir yerden başlamak gerekiyor istediklerinizi gerçekleştirmek için. Unutmayın; "Başarı, doğal yanmanın bir sonucu değildir. Kendizi ateşe atmanız gerekir" demiş Arnold Glascow amca. Hadi bir yerleriniz yansın..Sonra ağlayın biraz ama şu üzerinde oturduğunuz çakıl taşlarının üstünden kalkma zamanı geldii hatta geçiyor bileee! Hop Hoppp! :)
Bon Appetit!
Recently I have started making up what I call 'Inspiration Packs' to sell in the shop and on my stall at fairs. They've proved to be quite popular, mainly because there is such a revival in home crafting and scrapbooking at the moment. They are a mixture of original old documents/pages/pieces and also papers and stickers that I have printed out myself directly from vintage fabrics, letters etc. Nicky over at The Vintage Magpie bought a pack from me at the last fair, and spent some time with her daughter today making lovely labels from the bits in the pack, go take a look!
If there's anyone out there interested in buying an Inspiration Pack, I have put together two very different ones that you can buy; just send me an email!

Pack No.1 is called 'Roses', pictured above, and consists of the following:

Two original illustrated pages from a book on botany,
An original handwritten page from an old book,
3 x A4 printed papers,
5 round printed stickers,
and 2 original Victorian flower scraps.

The cost of the Roses pack is £6.50 + £1 p+p

Pack No. 2 is called 'Airmail' and consists of the following:

An original page from an 1814 book on Cornwall,
An original handwritten page,
An original bank receipt,
2 x A4 and 1 x A5 printed papers,
a sheet of 9 printed stickers,
Two original old stamps,
a luggage label and four blank cards (with envelopes) of two different sizes for you to decorate.
The cost of the Airmail pack is £8.00 + £1 p+p

Last week I had a phone call from a charity called World Vision, asking me whether I might consider sponsoring a child in the developing world. It's something I have been meaning to do for some years now, but I'm ashamed to say had just never got round to doing. So I said yes, and two days ago I received notification of the child I am now sponsoring. He's a 10 year-old boy called Kou, and lives in a very mountainous region of Laos, a land-locked country in South East Asia, next to Vietnam. (You can choose whether to sponsor a girl or a boy if you wish, and also which part of the world). This is the card that they provide you with to send to your child as the first point of contact. You are encouraged to write, and send small simple gifts (such as pencils and notebooks) for birthdays and at Christmas, and in return your child will write to you. The money that you give monthly goes to a community project where your child lives, and so benefits the whole community; such as access to clean drinking water, essential healthcare, agricultural assistance etc. The projects are chosen and run by the people of the community, overseen and assisted by a World Vision Project manager. Once all the goals of the project have been reached, the project ends and a new one begins elsewhere, and you are invited to start sponsoring a new child.
I know that I am very fortunate, and I find it incredibly humbling to know that my life is now in some small way connected to this little boy on the other side of the world, who is growing up in a harsh and difficult environment, quite unlike my own childhood in every respect.
Perhaps some of you reading this are already child sponsors; I would love to hear your experiences. If you are interested in finding out more about World Vision, then visit their website: www.worldvision.org.uk
If I have encouraged even one more person to take the decision to sponsor a child then this post will have been worthwhile.

"We will not rest until every child in every part of the world enjoys the right to life, dignity, justice and hope so that they can fulfil their God-given potential and, one day, see their own children grow up to experience the same."

Ooooh, what's in the box?

Today I received my box of 40 mystery goodies from the lovely Lizzie over at The Pea Pod after winning her giveaway last week. Each item was neatly wrapped in an old French map and tied with red and white string, which must have taken ages. Lizzie celebrated her big '40' recently, hence the number of gifts, but it certainly felt like my birthday today!


One pile of map wrappings and string later..............

Here is the veritable cornucopia of wonderful gifts from Lizzie!

Items included numerous papier mache and felt decorations made by Lizzie herself. Sherbet Fountain, Refreshers and Cadbury's Fudge: wow I haven't had those since I was at school!

A little peg angel, a wind-up tin chicken (it pecks as it walks along!) a colourful felt garland and some cute badges,

two edelweiss brooches and a felt embroidered brooch,

a vintage mini sewing kit, retro dish, green bead necklace and a wonderful book on 'How To Draw Birds'

two toy wooden houses and a horse, and , my favourite pressie: this vintage diamante choker necklace!

I am such a lucky girl! Thank you so much Lizzie, you've been very generous in your lovely gifts!
Ah, such glorious weather this week......

On Tuesday I drove to one of my favourite beaches, Polly Joke near Crantock.


As soon as I had learnt to drive when I was 17 this was somewhere I loved to go to be alone, sometimes with a good book or sketchbook and pencils in hand. There are no buildings in sight from this beach, no cafe, no toilets, only a small car park a five minute walk away but hidden in the valley. All the surrounding land is owned by The National Trust and so will thankfully remain unspoiled, hopefully forever. It was this particular stretch of the north Cornish coast, from West Pentire to Polly Joke, that the author Winston Graham most frequented when writing his Poldark novels, and where he imagined Nampara, the home of Ross and Demelza, to be located. I was so homesick for Cornwall when studying my Textiles degree at Winchester School of Art that I read all 11 Poldark novels back to back. They transported me back to the places I loved so much.

Today - Sunday lunch at Halwyn!

The hot chocolate is to die for - choose either plain choc or mint choc chip, with whipped cream and a malteser on top!

Organic bacon and cheese in a granary bap, with lovely crisps and a salad full of berry fruits (Strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries) and home-grown salad leaves and cherry tomatoes. Yum! Have I mentioned the three different kinds of salad dressing and two varieties of fruity pickle?

The lovely couple who run Halwyn Tea Garden completely renovated the old farmhouse they now live in. It really is a blissful spot at the end of a dead-end track (deemed 'Not Suitable for Motors'), with the most wonderful views over the River Fal and the only occasional sound: the chugg chugg of a boat engine as it glides along far below.


Walking back after lunch through the woods the dappled sunlight was beautiful; glimpses of sparkling water through the trees, the shrieks of children actually swimming in the river!

I promised you some pictures of the creek with the tide (almost) in......






Sublime stillness

Do hope the sun has been shining on you too today and it has recharged your batteries for the week ahead. x

Rare Disease Day and the promises of personalized medicine

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