Thursday, December 30, 2010

Keeping the candle burning in 2011


Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times,
 if one only remembers to turn on the light
-
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Another year is coming to an end and we start afresh all over again. I look back over the year now and realise just how busy it has been and so many changes have taken place. I hear about New Years resolutions too and remember that I haven't made one in 2 or 3 years at least. I'm not sure why really as it is always good to aim for improvement somewhere in life and it never has to be advertised. It can be as personal and private as you like. So I think this year I will be making up for it and having at least 2 resolutions.
 However, as far as this blog is concerned,...

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Tapping into our conscience...

Pure, clean and precious

We are at last in the land of the Forty Shades of Green again and its good to be back! The rain has been falling and dare I say I've missed it and the temperatures have risen. So whats next? Well according to the weather forecast, floods! Still, we're not there yet so lets keep fingers crossed that perhaps it wont happen, but it reminds us that things are fast changing in this world of ours and maybe there is nothing we can do to stop the change. Or is there?...

Monday, December 27, 2010

"Beautiful to look at, Lovely to behold, But when the winter comes, consider it COLD!"

Winter wonderland

Its been a really cold Christmas for us Irish who are neither ready, equipped, or able to cope with 6 inches of snow and have much to learn from our North American and Canadian friends who would only laugh at us locking ourselves indoors for days on end avoiding work, school or everyday life, because of our fear of the white stuff. Well I tried to take a leaf out of their book this Christmas and got out the shovel (more like a spade actually) and brushed and cleared the driveway so that at least we could attempt to get out. I was chuffed with my human snowplough abilities. Outside sorted! Inside however was not so good...

Picture of natural beauty


Friday, December 24, 2010

My Christmas wishes to you all...


THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a Goodnight!"

xxx

Thursday, December 16, 2010

A greener Christmas...

                                      

Just in the process of writing my Christmas cards. Well, typing actually because this year I am sending e-cards. No I'm not being lazy, there are several reasons for it but one important one is that I have seen where all of the cards go to after Christmas....

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

It's been a tough couple of weeks feeling under the weather to be honest and I haven't had the strength to put finger to keyboard. Still on the mend and not quite there yet either. So I wondered if there is anything that I can suggest with all these rotten colds around. There are the usual home remedies of course: the honey and lemon, garlic if you can stomach it and of course to help you sleep I would suggest a hot whiskey or brandy providing you will not be driving for 24 hours of course. Still it often happens that we need something stronger and even have to go to the doctor on occasion. If your sick, you shouldn't take it lightly and there comes a point when you have tried everything but must give in and trek off to see the family GP and get the big boys in to fight the infection.
Whether its a bottle of pills or a liquid medicine or a host of things there isn't much you can do here to prevent buying more plastic or whatever it is. Your too sick to really take in much more than the basic information and anything you've been given is received gratefully (even though you have paid a fortune for it probably). So at the end of it all you are feeling back to normal thank goodness! Maybe you have been told to take all of the medicine and maybe not but I'm sure you have put all the pills and bottles out of harms way and maybe after a time have forgotten them altogether. So now it's out of date. DONT throw it out. The chemist will gladly take back any medicine that is out of date, so have a look in the cabinet and get down to the chemist. I'm nearly sure  that they would take the empty bottles too. Well, where do they get them from in the first place! Would it not help them if they could reuse them? I bet it would.
Thats better!
So now, there is a way of being green here too and of course at worst any plastics might be recyclable so check out the type of plastic used on the bottle and if it's glass well then that's easily sorted. So out of the doom and gloom of being ill, your now feeling on top of the world and also getting a little boost because you've managed to avoid the landfill again. Well done you, so now all you have to do is to keep warm and well for the rest of the year!