༆generations

 how lucky we are to have our Nan

quite a lady and still sharp witted

we gathered to celebrate her 90th birthday

cake, family jokes, friends and stories

five generations sharing a special day

happy birthday Nanny 

❤

✚✙ these streets

a Friday off and the chance to journey to

The Photographers Gallery 

before the half term crowds

among the four floors of space

were these photographs by 

Geraldo De Barros 

 just the sort of thing I capture when

wandering the streets of hotter places

where the light is a delight

we wandered the streets in chilly London

and came to a small gallery

Pertwee Anderson & Gold

a dark space 

quiet but for the creak of floorboards

reworked found photographs by 

Butch Anthony

erosion of culture 

by Guy Laramee

go down the spiral stairs to the basement

The Museum of Curiosity

and this magnificent installation

by Swoon

a dream reliquary

inside the drawers 
typed dreams on yellowed paper

"I dreamt I was Stalin’s daughter… and he was nice to me."

filigree paper cuts and cast curios

we blink in the daylight to continue our mooch

to Lina Stores
green stripes entice 

choc full of Italian treats and eats

pretty packages

sweet day to get lost in Soho

}{ choice cuts

everyone is talking about horsemeat:

after commenting on a tweet on my timeline

I realised that I hadn't considered the people 

who are actually eating the mislabelled convenience foods:

at first I fell into the trap of thinking it must be low income or lazy

people who are buying this stuff, but wait!

I hadn't considered those who are time poor, too busy to

cook from scratch every day, those who just are not into food:

those who can barely use fuel to heat the house 
let alone cook a meal

the microwave dinner is quick and convenient and cheap:

when I was a kid, Findus crispy pancakes were a novelty 

an expensive treat we could not afford:

but those were the days of local shops

greengrocers and butchers

not everyone has the luxury of shopping close by now:

for too long supermarkets have dictated to us price and range:

too much choice and too much wasted in my view:

the big providers should be accountable:

let's get back to quality over quantity

〽 you don't know what you've got till it's gone

our high streets and shopping habits have 

changed over the last decade

so what do we do with the empty shops 

the abandoned spaces?

last year I went to a seminar about this subject

and there are interesting projects going on

all over the country:

people like 3Space who 'turn empty space

into an opportunity' by working with landlords

to allow local enterprises and community projects

temporary free-of-charge access to those spaces

community projects like FoodCycle

who create amazing meals from food waste

for people affected by food poverty

the youth club reinvented by Grassroots 

giving 16-25 year olds a place to hang out or 

take part in workshops:

much needed in most towns!

how about a free book shop on your high street?

take a book away, leave one behind

you can in Basildon at Books For Free!

it's not all about spending money or filling our bags

with shopping

what about community, contact and a sense 

of belonging

Mary Portas touched on this in her review into the 

future of our high streets

she recognises the potential in the future entrepreneurs

and the need for community and creativity:

imagine an abandoned shopping centre as a 

place to create, a place to skate

artists taking over high rise awaiting demolition

floors and floors of studios

empty shops as pop-ups for small businesses

and start-ups: 

a whole shop or just a small corner

when I was younger, we wanted to go into town:

it was a meeting place

somewhere to linger, talk and be:

I think we need to bring that back before our high streets

turn into ghost towns

◯●○ win

once I had never won a single thing in my life

ever

not even the rubbish prizes at the end of a raffle

 but that changed

the spell has broken

and a surprise appeared

 after I left a comment on an

advent giveaway blog

this delicious brooch came

to me from The Shiny Jane Company

it's going to be a good year don't you think?

☯ end and begin

today will see me

finishing off these

 & beginning this blanket for my Auntie Christine

happy new year to you all

x

❑❒ gifted

our usual low key Christmas was even more 

so this year ~

it wasn't meant to be!

the first time we had been invited to my

Aunt & Uncles for the 25th

and I got a dose of salmonella poisoning from

a meal in a restaurant the night before

my beautiful girl was so understanding at our

change of plans

we had a lazy day, just the two of us

watching films, all cosy by the fire

she also gave me beautiful treats

I adore those little green earrings

and an ostrich feather duster I've always wanted

brilliant plant markers from my little sister

I do like a practical gift

sweet scented herbes gathered

and beautifully packaged by

my lovely friend Suzie

{oh I can't wait to be in Sonnac again!}

chocolate chocolate!
you know me so well

this crazy knitted scarf from Robert

I've named it the seaweed scarf

and this amazing vintage picnic set from my 

bezzie, Sue

inside too ~

a bar of choc, a gorgeous hipscarf for belly dancing

and a Vajazzle

oh she is a hoot!

ps. you'll be pleased to know I am almost back to

normal {whatever that is}

and a complaint has been sent to the food safety 

department who will be visiting the restaurant concerned

in the next week!