Relax.

You’ve probably gathered by now that I have been to Israel and back.  Two weeks in The Land. In the glorious sunshine. Soaking up the warmth. I have been three times now. (Click here and here to see what happened before). This time we had promised ourselves a more leisurely holiday. Time to look and think and inwardly digest. Did we achieve this? I’m not sure, but perhaps when I look back after these posts I will be able to say ‘YES, that was good!’

We started our time away in Tel Aviv staying at Beit Immanuel. The House of God with us. This used  to be Sir Peter Ustinov’s great grandfather’s property and the garden that is still there dates from the 1870s. Including this Banyan Tree!

Fascinating isn’t it? All those stems!

A gentle stroll on our first night to see the sea – which I love – and all the lights. Breath taking.

  During the day it is busy and colourful. Tourists and locals all mixed together. Not quite my cup of tea but a real experience!

Now Galilee is a different world. So calm and peaceful. Here we stayed at Beit Bracha. The House of Blessings. On the way a view over Haifa …

And our first view over the Galilee from our guest house that night was the beautiful moon! Really red/orange. Remember?   On the next day we were sailed away, treated to a display of casting a net and a gentle roll to the boat.

A change of scenery with views of Mount Herman and River Herman Springs. (Not a lot of water this time).

And a stop off at the Golan Winery. Sip sip….

Back to the guest house, a quick brush up and a birthday dinner in Tiberias sitting beside the lake. Cheers! (More tomorrow) 🙂

 

 

…..twinkle, twinkle

…little star. No not this time. I have a fascination for this…

Look at the moon!

….Home again jiggety jig

… and some unusual fauna! Yes that is a cat fish swimming in the river Jordan!

Home again…..

Some beautiful flora…

Hello again!

Hello again! I’m sorry it has been along time. Life just got very busy. We heard the call of the sea and just went with it. I love the sea. Its rhythm – hypnotic. The noise – swishing and swashing. Its colours – contrasts with sky and sand. And the peacefulness that comes over me. Yes I love the sea.

We have been up to Northumberland. Castles and open beaches. Alnmouth with the estuary gives you two different scenes. The above one and behind this one…

Lots of views for water colours I think!

Thirty minutes sitting on the harbour wall at Seahouses and I was snap happy. Seagulls!

Reflections. Happy! But back to the sea….

And you’re right, I didn’t want to come home…..

Buttons and bows.

Nearly three weeks ago a friend and I went to a workshop. It was pouring with rain, but the promise of a cappuccino and a piece of carrot cake was enough to draw us to the little coffee shop in town to play with buttons. Can you imagine huge boxes of buttons. All carefully sorted by colour. Red, blue, green, purple, yellow, and cream, with all the different hues in between. We learnt how to bend a silver papered wire and thread the buttons before twisting round and round to make a stem. Lots and lots of times! We spent nearly an hour and an half playing, adding some paper flower shapes and single buttons to some of the stems. Then we gathered them all together. A quick wrap round with a ribbon and voila – one button posy!

We really enjoyed it. Playing! We came away with a packet of wires each, but I left the offer of a bag of buttons. I have a lot. Not quite as many as the workshop, but enough to play at home. Conference is just around the corner and I have been trying to get some different things together for my Sun Shine School stall……. and failing badly. I have made my “initial” key rings and crocheted a few scarf edgings but that is about it! So the buttons came at just the right moment to get me going again. One or two posies on a smaller scale….

and some button brooches…..

Just right for a lapel of a jacket. Yes button fever certainly hit my workroom! 🙂

Before I go I want to show you this photo. I have been trying to capture this bird for weeks now but the camera shake has spoiled all my shots. BUT not this time….

I was chuffed to bits that the Gold Finch sat still long enough for me to go click!

Trundling again!

Yes we’ve been away again. We packed everything up and loaded up the car. We hooked up our ‘little home on wheels’ and trundled down the A1 to St Neots. The sun was shining when we left but sadly it disappeared as we neared the camp site. We’ve been here two or three times. A pretty little site in the bend of the river and just far enough outside the town to give a gentle walk into the centre. The last time we went I discovered a great yarn department in the town’s main store and I had promised myself a wander down to look and drool over all the colours and textures. Anyway, this is what greeted us when we arrived….

Puddles. Lots of puddles. Big and small. Deep enough for the ducks to swim and paddle. Yes they had really taken up residence. The tents were no where to be seen. In there place the ducks waddled and paddled…

And over head the sky became a deep charcoal grey….

before dropping these little beads….

Can you see the little white beads? Glittering the grass?

But it wasn’t all grey skies. No, Sunday was beautiful. A special day (anniversary day!) and the sun shone! We went off to Bury St Edmunds. A chance to visit the cathedral. Over the years we have visited most of them now. One or two ‘new’ ones still to go, but the list is nearly complete! My camera doesn’t always take the normal views when we visit these towering buildings. I usually take shots of things I want to use. Patterns, colours, shapes, contrasts. St Edmund’s is a little different. There is not a lot of age to most of the stone work. A tower was planned originally but was never built, until the Millennium. So the painting is very crisp and clear. I’m not sure I like it. Perhaps the ‘new’ parts should be completely different and not faux Gothic. Oh well – photos…..

The kneelers were beautifully stitched…

Pattern was very prominent….

From the very ornate to the simplicity of this cross, suspended high in the centre.  Fitting really…

Time to think, to contemplate and pray…

To remember He is with us no matter what….

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel 3.

Oh and the yarn shop visit? Not to be this time. The rain returned big time so we made a hasty, early return home. Ashame, but it will be there the next time we trundle down the A1!

The sun has come out…..

Yes the sun has come out and oh it is nice to see it. All those shadows playing around. Dappled here, dappled there. Sharp and crisp here and also there. You could say that I like shadows. So when they enhance and dapple something special woooohoooo! Look, look, look……

Do you know what it is? Another clue?

Yes it is felt and yes it is MarmaladeRose. It was my treat to me late last year and I have been waiting for the sun to arrive so that I can use it. I know I could have used it before but it definitely is a sunshine bag. Whoops! A slip of the tongue. Yes it is a bag.  Tah dah….

Pansies and anemones and a few violets scattered here and there.  Blues and purples and lilacs with the flash of bright green. I just love it. And inside the most vibrant purple….

Fi has matched it to me to a “t”! Oh and it has received the comments “What a fab bag!”

And I have to agree.

Thank you Marmalade Rose

I’m loving wearing my bag. 🙂

Views while Camping.

All taken from the same spot using the settings auto, p, and zooooom!

A beautiful pitch overlooking  a lake near Tewkesbury. Camping on Good Friday.

Happy Easter!

It has been a bit full on here over the last few weeks. I’ve been decorating. Whenever I visit someone on blogland, I have looked at their craft spaces and oooo-ed and ahhh-ed and WISHed. Oh how I have dreamed of having my own craft space. I have contemplated a little summer house at the bottom of the garden, or a little room at the back of the garage, but they have all been just that bit too out of reach. Lots and lots of money to turn a dream into a reality. And what if it didn’t work? What if the winter was too cold or too wet to keep my craft stashes dry? No, it was just a step too far. So my eyes looked anew and my mind started again.

It was really Vivienne over at Green Rabbits Design  that made the leap for me. A little craft room in the little bedroom! Of course why didn’t I think of that, there are lots out there in Blogland. So that is what I have been doing. Turning that little bedroom into a craft room. The paint came out of the garage, with rollers and brushes, and little step ladders. Kitchen roll and dust sheets, and plenty of wet cloths. (I’m a very messy decorator!!) The room was cleared and sanded and was already for action. Ahhhhh!

Now, with a splish and a splash, it is done. Barley White walls and a white ceiling have covered up the coffee colours and blue, which have been there for nearly 10 years! And I LIKE big time! Things are finding their places. My stashes of yarn, fabric and lots of other things are taking shape, and this time next week we should have that tah-dah moment. Ooooo I’m thrilled! Mr A commented last night about me “pottering in my nest!” 🙂 In a way Mr A, in a way. The room is full of my things and I can do what I like. No tidying up if a young man appears to sleep for a couple of nights. I can shut the door on my mess with not a care in the world. I know I won’t do that, it will have to be  tidy!!! But I could if I wanted too! Ahhh!  The photos are not quite ready yet to show you. There is a lot more organising to do. Tweaking and tidying – that is just me! Sooo…..

I do have these photos of our garden taken yesterday in the beautiful sunshine. Enjoy the flowers and marvel at God’s creation especially now. Easter time is such an important time of year. The time when my Lord died for me, taking all my sins away. And then rising again to sit next to God and be with me always. Just ask Him to do the same for you, for He will.  Happy Easter!

HE IS RISEN!