Post Share & A Giveaway!

Please pop over to Leann's lovely blog, The Old Parsonage, and bag yourself a chance to win a gorgeous prize package in her giveaway! Complete rules on her site.

The Old Parsonage Giveaway


Photo courtesy of The Old Parsonage

A Nice Surprise!

I won a contest I forget entering. This is getting to be a regular thing with me; entering competitions and then promptly forgetting which ones I put in for. Mind you I seldom win, so I don't suppose it matters.

I got a nice surprise today when the UPS man delivered a box that, upon opening, had a selection of Palmer's cocoa butter products inside!

Now the thing is, I love their shea based products and the new olive based ones too. But I loathe the scent of the regular cocoa butter and the coconut stuff. I smell like I've been rubbed down with a Mars bar or something. I opt for the unscented Palmer's c.b. when I buy it. Not to worry though. I shall find good homes for the stuff I'm not keeping.



So add this to the fancy toilet paper I won last month! And also have no recollection of entering to win. You could say I'm on a roll, in a small way. Now if only that five star luxury weekend to London would drop into my lap!

November

November's sky is chill and drear, November's leaf is red and sear (withered)' - Sir Walter Scott

The first of November. Another new month and we're closer than ever to the end of the year. It's five p.m. and full dark out there now. There's a gorgeous, icy pearl of a full Moon outside my front room window . The heavy rain and high winds earlier in the day have finally moved on. It sits against a blue-black sky, the odd bit of cloud scudding slowly across it. Almost hypnotises you, watching it!

I've tidied up from Halloween and things are back to normal around here. Or at least what passes for it around here.

My daughter has been discharged home from the hospital and is happy to be out of there, but for not being able to take the new baby home with her too. Miss Amelia has to spend a few weeks yet, catching up from her early arrival. Mum will go to see her every day and count the days until she can bring her home.

I start my new job in two week's time. It's part time and at this point, limited to the Christmas season. But if I enjoy it, and I've no reason to think I won't, with a bit of luck I might be able to stay on after the New Year. And I've submitted the first assignment due for the History degree I'm working towards. We've survived the first year in hubby's new business and, fingers crossed, we may actually turn the corner before the end of the year. If we don't, it certainly won't be for lack of trying!

Happy November!

Happy Halloween!

Have a safe and happy Halloween weekend everyone!

Just Call Me Grandma!

Miss Amelia Ann Boyce was born at 7:14am at the Regional Hospital in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. She's 4 lbs 8 oz and just beautiful! I'm a grandma! Can you dig it? ;)

Baby is in the Neonatal Unit and will be for the next few weeks. However she's fine and mum, though very tired and sore, is well and happy. I'll post a photo when I get one.

Warning: Rantage Ahead

“The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.” - Fred Astaire

Never a truer word was spoken. And I know what I'm talking about. I wonder sometimes if the once vaunted British reserve and good manners was just a myth. You don't see much evidence of either characteristics in young or old. A pensioner is just as likely to be rude and obnoxious as any twelve year old. Or even destructive. Assault and destruction of private property is no longer confined to the usual suspects.

It strikes me that children aren't the only ones who know all about their so-called "rights", but have little or no knowledge of (or interest in) the responsibility that comes with them. Perhaps that's because somehow, the consequences that used to be part and parcel of bad behaviour have disappeared along with so much else that once made civilised society possible. I'm not suggesting everything from bad manners to lawlessness is a recent occurence. But the fact that so much of it now goes unpunished, either at all or in a way that acts as any sort of reasonable deterent to future acts, is definitely new.

Government is to blame you say. Perhaps. Lax parenting? Possibly. School systems that are more warehouses than centres of learning. Could be.

But who votes government in? Who raises your children? Are you prepared to speak up and pursue your concerns? In other words, do you lead by example?

Think about it.

The Persona of the Chivalrous Man (or Woman!)

....taken from an article on Modern Dating Etiquette on Debrett's online site. For anyone who wants to argue that chivalry is out-dated and patronising, substitute "chivalry" with "good manners and common sense". Both of which we seem to have a woeful lack in both sexes. See? No sexism here!

* He has an air of sociability and hospitality.
* He is unrushed, calm and always has time.
* He is in control of life, and never stressed.
* He is naturally charming to everyone he meets.
* He rarely loses his temper, and never in public.
* He can seemingly handle any situation that is thrown at him.
* He is patient, and left unruffled by life's daily irritations.
* He is modest, yet confident, and cultivates an air of ease.

Reading through the list, I think you'd be pretty hard pressed to find a man (or woman) today who embodies all these qualities, even on a part time basis. But what's to stop you from cultivating at least two or three of them? Think how much pleasanter our day to day interactions with other people would be if we all tried that wee bit harder.

Read more here; Introduction to Chivalry

Happy Friday!