Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Don't put all your dreams in one basket ... " ♫

I never put all my dreams in one basket.....nor all my shopping - especially when it won't fit!

I went up to Craig-y-Nos Country Park again today to spend the day with my Lovely Man, and on the way called in to the boot sale, where I got this absolutely gowjus little basket, some lovely plants for the house and garden, and a cute little clock to use in work, because the desk where I sit now has no clock nearby. Not that I clock watch, but it is nice to know what time of day it is, and at the moment I don't wear a watch.

The weather was beautiful today on this bank holiday Monday and the park was packed with visitors, all enjoying the lovely sunshine. Look how blue the sky was!

When the weather is this nice, there is nothing for it but to sit outside and read & craft......

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Songs from the wood ... " ♫

I was up at Craig-y-Nos Country Park with my Lovely Man and Ollie today.

As usual, Ollie and I went for a walk with Jackie and Amber, and whilst walking I decided that today it was all about the trees! One of my favourite things to do is look up through trees and take photographs of the sky beyond.

Most of the trees up at Craig-y-Nos are donkeys years old, and I wonder about the stories they could tell if they could speak.....the people and animals which have come and gone over the years. Life is constantly changing but the trees remain the same - strong, upright, and beautiful.

These are the rhododendrons at Craig-y-Nos and I never tire of looking at them, or through the tunnel they make as their branches twist and turn towards each other, as if seeking comfort and reassurance from one another. In a few weeks' time, this area will be a riot of beautiful pinks and purples, when they come into bloom, but for now I'd just like to appreciate the beauty of their lovely old and tangled branches.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Carry me home ... " ♫

I popped over to Burry Port this afternoon for this little gem. Another Facebook Marketplace bargain. It's destined for the bathroom, and I love it already.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Here comes the weekend ... " ♫

Weekend and I are very happy to be together, and we're looking forward to entertaining Inspiration, Motivation, Organisation, Creativity and Productivity......but for this evening, it's all about the tea, the kitty cwtches, some chapters and a bit of fiddling with some pointy/hooky things and stringy stuff.

I wish whoever's reading this a very happy, healthy and safe weekend.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... I take it on up to my room ... " ♫

There was only one charity shop over in Burry Port yesterday, and because of Covid they are usually taking visitors and browsers by appointment.

However, they allowed us in because they had nobody else in the shop at the time. The only thing I found which I wanted to buy was this Audrey Niffenegger book. I have "The Time Traveler's Wife" down in my library lined up to read, so I may get it out and pop it with this one, then read them one after the other.

In any event, this one is going on my bedside cabinet 'to read' pile, which seems to be growing at an alarming rate! Ah well, what's life without a little bookishness?

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Mr. Blue Sky is living here today, hey hey ... " ♫

Today was such a lovely day, in lots of ways......Day Off.....quality time with some of my Lovelies.....beautiful weather...to name just three.

After lunch we took ourselves off down to Burry Port for the afternoon. I saw this bright windmill in a shop and bought it for my garden.

I love these colourful windmills, they are such happy things to look at, and I think Bob modelled it beautifully against the fabulous blue sky!

Of course we explored the charity shop, and I found these two lovely baskets which are just asking to be filled with lovely things!

......as well as some views of the lighthouse, which is probably my favourite thing down there.

You've heard of people hugging trees? Well, I love to do that, but I also love to hug lighthouses and I gave it a jolly good hug today, since it's been a while since I've been there.

We saw some pretty and interesting things on the beach, including an interestingly shaped piece of driftwood, lots of groups of lovely colourful pebbles, and one pebble which was particularly pretty with its blue and pink colours...and it wasn't until I was editing my photographs that I noticed it's in the shape of a fish!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Noise Annoys ... " ♫

One of my biggest problems at the moment on a daily basis, is noise sensitivity. It began about eighteen months ago and is really horrible. I find certain (high pitched) noises unbearable, and when there is a variety of noise in the vicinity I feel overwhelmed, unable to concentrate, and it makes the constant headache which I have worse.

There's always a fair bit of noise going on in work - it's part and parcel of the nature of our work. The radio, telephones, steam irons, sewing machines, conversations, sounds of things being packed into boxes. All sorts of noises, and some days it is worse for me than others. Yesterday was one of them.

To combat this when it's particularly bad, I wear headphones and listen to music of my choice (usually Nick Drake because he is so soothing). This doesn't cut out all the noise (although some), but it does allow me to tune in to what I'm listening to, and focus much better to be able to concentrate on my work. The drawback of this is that it makes me somewhat antisocial, because for this to be effective I do need to have the music I'm listening to up quite high. Although I can hear people when they talk to me, and ask me questions, etc., it is difficult to have a full on conversation without turning the music off or taking off the headphones.

The other problem of course is that I'm concerned about the potential damage to my hearing through having music piped into my ears through the whole working day. I already have tinnitus in my left ear, and I don't want things to get any worse.

Last night Bob suggested actual ear defenders, and we had a look online to see what's what. We found these little beauties and I picked them up from "Tool Station" on my way to work this morning. They are pretty fab, and I think a good solution to the problem I'm having. I wore them in work today, and they cut out most of the noise. I was still able to have a conversation with Julie (who I sit opposite to) whilst we were working.

However, I did find them a little uncomfortable - it felt like they were squeezing my head a bit, which again is no good for the headache - and they made my ears 'pop'. These things may of course get better in time. The other thing I found was that I could hear the tinnitus in my left ear quite clearly (usually I don't notice it unless I'm in silence) and I could quite distinctly hear my own heartbeat, which was a bit freaky. It felt like I had the opening track of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" on a loop! I think a way to combat these problems may be to still have some music via ear buds, although really quietly. This should take the edge off the tinnitus and heartbeat, and still ensure I can have a conversation. It's Day Off tomorrow, so I'll be trying that on Thursday I think.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Pack it all away ... " ♫

Today after work I collected another fabulous Facebook Marketplace find. This beautiful old trunk.

I've wanted one of these for years, and now I have one! Yaay.

Originally I wanted it to use as decorative storage for the front bedroom, but now I think I'll probably use it in the craft room for fabrics and haberdashery, and make a feature of it. It'll be a while before I do it, so plenty of time to plan something lovely.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Here stood my dreaming tree ... " ♫

This is definitely a very dreamy tree! This tree is on the edge of the duck pond up at Craig-y-Nos Country Park, and I've wanted to get a picture of it from this angle for a few weeks, but each time I've been there the lighting hasn't been quite right. Today it was fine, and I am pleased with the result.

I was up at the park today to spend the day with my Lovely Man and Ollie. It rained relentlessly all day.

Ollie and I did manage a walk with Jackie and Amber this morning. Then we had a visit from Bob's friends Chris and Moira. It was nice to have a catch up with Moira whilst Bob and Chris talked spinning wheels (the renovation of).

I then spent the rest of the day crafting with my needles, threads, hooks & yarns, in the cosiness of Bob's studio with the sound of the rain outside, and a regular supply of tea. Very Hygge.

Off to watch T.V. for a while before bed now. We've been watching Bette Davis films recently and tonight it's going to be "Watcher In The woods".

If you're reading this I hope you've had a fab weekend and I wish you a very happy, healthy and safe week ahead.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... You make everything groovy ... " ♫

Today something wild turned up in the post!

I've decided to subscribe to Wild deodorant. A work colleague uses it and says it's very good, so I thought I would give it a try. It has no parabens, aluminium or single-use plastic, and the original container they send you is refillable, with compostable refills.

I had an introductory voucher for 20% off, so used that for my first purchase. You then set dates to receive refills, and you can go into your account any time and change your subscription - to order extras if you use more, or hold off your next delivery if you're not using as much. You can also cancel your subscription at any time with no penalties.

Wild is also vegan and cruelty free.

I've been using the same brand of antiperspirant/deodorant for many years and have always found it effective. However, to my knowledge the product is not vegan or cruelty free and this has always bothered me. Also I've always been concerned about aluminium being present.

It will probably be a few weeks before I start using the Wild, because I still have some of my current deodorant to use, so I'll let you know how I get on.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... I can't tell you, but I know it's mine ... " ♫

I wasn't feeling my best when I got home from work today.....very tired, in pain, and a little on the low side. So it was a fab surprise, and very much a feel-good thing to come home to a gowjus gift in the post, from a lovely friend.

The gift is in honour of this year's "Strawberry Moon June", which is something I invented for myself three (or was it actually four? It could be) years ago, in order to turn June - proven to be a very sad month for me - on its head and make it positive.

I'll explain more about Strawberry Moon June and all it entails on June 1st when I kick it off. For that reason, I'm keeping the details of my friend's lovely gift until then, and this is just a little picture teaser!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... You lift me when I feel small ... " ♫

Two lovely products in the post today, which contribute to better self-confidence, and better health for me.

The product on the left - Florisene - is a hair supplement, which helps with the growth of healthy hair. Lupus makes my hair fall out, and this product helps to stop that happening, and also replenishes most of what falls out. It's so important for me to be at least reasonably happy when I look in the mirror. Call me vain if you like, but when I see how thin my hair gets at times, it's very depressing indeed. This product is nothing short of a miracle for me.

The product on the right is a Vegan capsule of plant-based Omega 3,6 and 9. Omega 3 is vital for me, again because of Lupus - to reduce and prevent inflammation. Omega 6 may not be so good from what I've read, and may even cause inflammation, but I've decided to give it a go and will reassess when I get to the end of these capsules, then I may just re-order Omega 3 capsules. I don't eat meat (haven't for years) or dairy (for just over two years), but I have still been eating fish, to get the Omega 3 for my joints. However, I'm really not comfortable eating fish any more and I'm so happy to have found a vegan substitute for the Omega 3.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Back on the road again ... " ♫

We were indeed on the road again today. This time we went to Winchester, so that Bob could pick up another spinning wheel which he has bought. Apparently this is a very special one, hence the distance.

We set off late morning and had a picnic on the way, arriving in Winchester around three in the afternoon. We decided not to go into Winchester itself, as the traffic seemed really bad, so we stopped off at a garden centre, where they had a coffee shop and we were able to enjoy a coffee in the marquee outside and a browse around the garden centre and shop.

......and these old buckets and a beautiful anvil caught my eye. I love anvils and would love one for my garden. I'm on the lookout, but they are really expensive. One day though!

I think the loveliest things though were these beautiful, brightly painted old caravans. Absolutely gowjus!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Spinning Around ... " ♫

It's Day Off tomorrow, and we're off on the road.

It was Ludlow last week.....and there is a blog post waiting to be published, which I will do at some time.

In the meantime, tomorrow we go a bit further again, on another spinning wheel quest.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... The cupboards are bare ... " ♫

This little cupboard is bare at the moment, but I'm sure it won't be for long, once I've found somewhere to put it. It's in a temporary place in the hall at the moment.

It's small and beautiful, and another lovely find on Facebook Marketplace. I might leave it as it is, or I might give it a fresh coat of paint and a different design on the fronts - although I do like the flowers that are currently on it. I shall have a ponder!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Let it blossom, let it flow ... " ♫

The weather at the moment is mainly lots of rain!

This doesn't bode well for actual gardening, but it does mean I can curl up with a good book, and if gardening is not an option a gardening book or two is! I picked these two up from a charity shop in Ludlow on Wednesday.

I really like Geoff Hamilton's style of gardening and used to love watching his country cottage gardening programme on T.V. Country cottage is kind of the style of garden I'm hoping to make. Geoff Hamilton may not be with us any more, but his gardening legacy certainly lives on in these lovely books.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... I'm still standing ... " ♫

These little beauties turned up in the post today.

I take Vitamin D because I have Lupus, and Lupus patients are susceptible to being deficient in Vitamin D. I was buying them in my local Tesco or Home Bargains, but found out that over the counter Vitamin D can be derived from an animal source, so decided to look for a vegan alternative. I found this one via Healthspan.

Whilst ordering them, I decided to buy some Glucosamine, as it is possible that it can help with pain relief for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis - both of which I have. I did take some for a few months last year, and I'm not sure if it helped or not, but since Healthspan sell a vegan version of it, and I had a voucher for 20% off, I decided to give it another go.

I also have two other supplements on the way - plant-based omega 3,6 and 9, and some Florisene. I've ordered those from a different company, and I think they'll be here in a couple of days.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Line after line, when you're taking it in ... " ♫

There were lots and lots of books in the charity shops in Ludlow.

I probably could have filled about a dozen carrier bags with books I'd like, but I do try to limit myself because the pile on the bedside cabinet is getting bigger again, and there is also the matter of the small room at the side of my house which I converted to a library last year, and which is filled with lots of books to read!

However, I couldn't resist these three. I'm slowly reading through the Kathy Reichs books, so I buy them when I see them, so that I hopefully have the next in line ready for when I need it. Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite authors, and I know I haven't read this one, so in the basket it went. As for "Blood Orange" by Harriet Tyce - it's been on my 'to read' list for a while, so that's that!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Pussycat, pussycat, I've got flowers ... " ♫

When we hopped off to Ludlow yesterday, we couldn't resist popping into some charity shops, where everyone was very friendly, and very welcoming of Ollie when we asked if we could bring in a well-behaved dog! I wonder if they would have said the same about Joe? He certainly looks very cute in this picture!

The nice thing about this fabric is that there are lots of colours to work with. I sort of had ideas for colours in mind for the spare room anyway, and was thinking of purples and blues. This cushion I finished recently, together with two others, are the sorts of colours I had in mind.

The new curtains will complement them well I think.

I also like that this cute little basket I bought from Home Sense a few weeks ago will go with it all.

Things are gathering together really well for my spare room.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... we go down the highway ... " ♫

It was Day Off today and we went off to Ludlow....mainly to pick up a spinning wheel, but also to have a bit of quality time together, looking around the town.

We left late morning and stopped on the way for a picnic, then arrived in Ludlow for around two-thirty.

There are lots of other little things to see, and lots of nostalgia in such an olde-worlde kind of place!

I love that there is an original red telephone box, and it was nice to read all the blue historical plaques around the place.

Also, around the castle area, there is an old drinking fountain. At least I think that's what it is!

I love this sign outside a music shop, and couldn't resist taking some photographs of it.

Today was such a nice day. I think we'll have to go to that area again and spend much more time there next time!

It took me a while to remember to get the hand-washing detergent, as I didn't have any in the house, since I put most things in the washing machine, and if I do hand wash anything, I use my regular detergent, which is non-bio.

However, I wanted to use proper hand-washing detergent for this special item.

I will also admit that I was more than a little bit scared to trim off the fringing, in case I made a mess of it! Thankfully, I didn't and now my lovely scarf is ready to wear. I just need some cold weather now to wear it.....oh hang on - Welsh weather! Ha!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... smell the rain ... " ♫

Another lovely Sunday spent up at Craig-y-Nos Country Park today with my Lovely Man and Ollie.

The weather was a bit grim - grey and rainy for most of the day, but it was dry to start so we managed to give Ollie a walk around the park. I could indeed smell the rain - the petrichor - and I couldn't resist taking this picture of the view of the sky up through some trees. I love doing that!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... got to have you some ... " ♫

I popped into Home Sense today - one of my favourite shops. I don't go there very often, because I could easily spend lots of money, so now and then it's a treat to go and have a browse.

I found these two lovely things.

I also saw this gowjus little basket. The picture is deceiving, as the colour is more of a duck egg blue than grey, and I think it will be a lovely accessory for the back (spare) bedroom when I decorate it. The walls are going to be a duck egg blue. I'm not sure what I'll use the basket for yet.

If you're new to the blog, or don't remember, then this picture is a reminder of it. I bought it originally for my garden, to put plants in, but then decided that it's far too nice for the garden, and I'll be using it in the house instead.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Family Table ... " ♫

I got this beautiful little table at a bargain price from Facebook Marketplace.

I wanted something for the lounge for Bob to use his laptop on, and to store bits & pieces which we use in the lounge, but if left lying around can cause clutter. It's only a small room, and because I have so much DIY, craft and other stuff going on in the house at the moment, the lounge is the only room we really have which is tidy, organised and clutter-free (most of the time) for us to retreat into and recharge our batteries.

This little table is perfect, as it's a good height to use the laptop, it has two magazine compartments either side, and a drawer and a couple of shelves on the front. It's vintage, which suits my style perfectly, and it fits neatly at the side/corner of the sofa.

I'm not over-keen on dark wood, so I'll probably 'shabby chic' it at some point, but for the moment it's fine as it is! What a lovely find!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Let me show you ... " ♫

Ollie was showing us just the way to go to see the Defynnog Yew today!

There is a website called Undiscovered Wales which gives more information about the Defynnog Yew.

Please click here if you would like to read more about it (opens in a new window).

......and this lovely ivy on a gravestone. I love ivies!

Prior to having a wander around, we had been for lunch at The International Welsh Rarebit Centre, which is also in Defynnog. They do the most yummy food, and made me this vegan Welsh Rarebit! It was delicious.

The Undiscovered Wales website also has an article on The International Welsh Rarebit Centre. Please click here if you would like to read it (opens in a new window).

The International Welsh Rarebit Centre also have their own Facebook page. Please click here if you would like to access it (opens in a new window).

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... start the day in the usual way ... " ♫

Yes, I know we've just had a bank holiday weekend and I spent Sunday and Monday in a beautiful place with my Lovely Man....and I know I've only been back in work for one day.....but I'm still looking forward to Day Off. So there!

For tomorrow we've made some firm plans of what we're going to do and who we're going to see.....and we've also made some loose plans, which will be dependent on the weather. However, I'm sure the words on my list will all apply!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Hangin' around ... " ♫

Another day up at Craig-y-Nos Country Park today with my Lovely Man....and what a contrast to yesterday!

It hammered down all day, accompanied by howling winds! I took the opportunity to sit in Bob's studio in the warm and get on with some crafting - crochet and cross stitch.

A sunny bank holiday Monday would have seen lots of people coming to the park to enjoy the surroundings and picnics, etc., but not today - there were hardly any visitors at all.

Even on bad weather days though, I think it's beautiful. I do actually love the rain, especially watching and listening to it. So I took this photograph to show how beautiful it is, even in the rain!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... but the river is wide ... " ♫

Today being Sunday meant a trip up to Craig-y-Nos Country Park to spend the day with my Lovely Man and Ollie, and to meet Jackie and Amber for a walk.

Ollie and Amber are such good doggie friends and they love to walk together and to splash around in the river, and play chasing stones.

Chasing stones is a game where we humans do all the work by throwing small stones for them (being careful not to hit them on the bonce obviously!). Then Amber chases them (probably just to humour us), and Ollie just looks from us, to the stones, to Amber as if to tell us we're all daft! I think Ollie would rather chase sticks, balls and squirrels!

The sky was so blue today, and the contrast between that and the greenery was such a joy to photograph......

......and again with the added delight of some beautiful fluffy clouds!

......after which I settled down with some crafty stuff, and took the opportunity to photograph the actual bench with those wonderful Acers behind!

......and this one. I never tire of the beautiful scenery at Craig-y-Nos.

......and such a busy day resulted in a very tired Ollie Dog!

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Pages turning ... " ♫

The pile of books to read on the bedside cabinet has been slowly reducing over the last few months.

Not so now though, since some more books were recently acquired and have somehow managed to pop themselves in the pile! Norty little books!

As well as the 'to-read' pile, I've also decided to revisit a couple of positive mental health books, which I've read before but feel the time is right to read again. I shall dip in and out of them.

I also started this one today, which was in the bedside cabinet pile.

I'm not sure of it so far, but I have only read a few pages, so we'll see.