- Follow www.PoshPedlar.com on WordPress.com
Instagram
. 'There are three necessary elements in a story - exposition, development, and drama. Exposition we may illustrate as “John Fortescue was a solicitor in the little town of X”; development as “One day Mrs. Fortescue told him she was about to leave him for another man”; and drama as “You will do nothing of the kind,” he said.' (Frank O'Connor, b 17th September, 1903) . . Sarah Thomas is a long distance swimmer from Colorado. One day she decided to swim the English Channel. She completed her swim this morning, crossing the Channel FOUR times, it took 54 hours. Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. She dedicated her record breaking swim 'to all the survivors out there.' . . I watched all this unfold this morning on a large TV screen in the breast cancer clinic of Dumfries Hospital. What an amazing story. I drove back to the cottage and headed straight for the beach and managed about 40 minutes before my fingers turned quite wrinkly. . . Here's to all the survivors out there, ...only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go..... Xx . . Fabulous flowers from my lovely friend @derletztewolf ...because we can! 🌺🌺🌺📸 . . Ps I'm just off to Scottish Country Dancing in the School Hall, so forgive me if I don't respond pronto to your message xx. 'Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine.' (Ralph Waldo Emerson) . . Planted some winter colour in front door pots. Ambled into town. Picked elderberries for cordial. Made apple crumble. Tidied cupboard under sink. Sat by the fire and read the Sunday Papers from cover to cover. Stacked logs. . . I've done just about everything today, instead of what I should have been doing. 🤦♀️ So the mantra for the week ahead is: . Don't Stand In Your Own Way. . . What stops us from taking that first step towards where we want to be....? . . 1). Self-doubt, don't think about why you can't, think about what you need to succeed. Make a list of your achievements, however small they may seem. . . 2) Perfectionism, it's a myth, being perfect, nothing is. It's time to trust in yourself, you are a wonderful, constantly evolving human bean, it's time to say STOP - that's good enough. . . 3) Fear of the unknown, life is full of surprises, if you'd told me a couple of years ago that I'd be living in another country, swimming in the sea every day, recovering from open heart surgery, I'd never have believed it. 🤪 We have no idea what's around the corner. Step into the unknown, if staying with the devil you know is making your life a misery, take the plunge, what's the worse that can happen? Don't wait for an opportunity to just roll up. They don't, you create them! You are only confined by the walls you build yourself. So stop standing in your own sunshine, and start dismantling that wall, and give yourself a chance. . . #BestFootForwardForTheWeekAhead XXX Lots of love to you, you fabulous Iger Warriors! 😍😍😍 . . Now, should I just do the cutlery drawer before I crack on... 😲😉 . .. 'Life is ours to be spent, not to be saved.' (D H Lawrence, b 11th September, 1885) . . I was fascinated how a previous post touched so many - a little girl and her pony, having a picnic in a meadow.... . And then my daughter reminded me she was reading a book called Ice Cream for Breakfast - 'How rediscovering your inner child can make you calmer, happier and solve your 🐂💩 adult problems'... . And this reflects the essence of the previous post, good old innocent childlike fun, and how we lose sight of that when we become adults. 🙄 . . So slide down the bannisters, make popcorn, dance in the aisles, dream big, have a picnic (pony optional!). Don't take yourself so seriously. Life is a great big canvas, throw all the paint on it you can! Have fun, an adventure, life is a game, play it, don't save it! . What are you waiting for?! ⏳ . . . . . . A beautiful bowl of cheer for you from the flower goddess @cultivatedbychristin 📸💗🤸♀️🌟🌸🌺🌼. 'You have to live before you die or you'll die before you live.' (Peter Sellers, b 8th September, 1925) . . My father and I made the most of Doors Open Day today in Scotland. We baked bread in an Iron Age Roundhouse, visited the waterwheel at an ancient sawmill, and learnt about life in the Mushroom House of the old walled garden (pictured), before buying honey, a lampshade and two Victorian seascapes at Kirkcudbright Flea Market. . . I am kernackered. 😲 My father is ready for a walk on the beach. He is the very manifestation of Peter Seller's words... . . How is Self-Care September going? I hope you're Making Room For The Magic! 🧙 #BestFootForwardForTheWeekAhead'Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.' (Winnie the Pooh) . . The BEST thing I've seen on @instagram for a long time! . The delightful granddaughter of fabulous @mycotswoldslife sharing her picnic and jam sandwiches with Winnie the Pooh 🐻, Miss Twig🐶 and @mrjackbrock 🐴, who also happens to be an ambassador for @dementia_uk . . #Mine #Yours. 'The world we could have is so much richer than the world we have settled for.' (Malcolm Gladwell, b 3rd September, 1963) . . September is Self-Care month. What do you think is meant by self care? To me, self care is not about spa days and pedicures, it's about checking in with myself on a daily basis. This has taken years to realise, and lots of practice. And it took some pretty catastrophic events to trigger the notion that I had to put on my own oxygen mask before I could be of any use to others. . . It's about ensuring we don't neglect our own needs. So when I feel myself sliding a little down the valley, the first thing I do is make sure I have eaten well, drunk enough water, and am rested. Power naps are the way forward. And each morning I say out loud - Today Will Be A Good Day. And mean it. . . If I feel stressed or anxious I breathe in for five and out for seven. Repeat. It's instantly soothing. And I've learnt to say no. Once upon a time I said yes to everything. Saying no takes some getting used to, but it's a very powerful tool for self preservation. . . Any tips you have please share, I'll talk more about self care throughout September. We can't pour from an empty cup! . . . Don't settle. Create the life you want. Xx . . . . This is the perfect hug of a room in which to practice self care, warm, cheering, comfortable, from the charming account of @danielpieckielonslowik 📸💞😻🤗💛💗. 'The beginning is always today.' (Mary Shelley, b 30th August, 1797) . . I've only gone and joined a gym. I'm allergic to gyms, why on earth have I done that...? 🤔 Because it's currently blowing a hooley, lashing it down, and dark here in Scotland, and there's wild swimming and WILD swimming... I prefer tame swimming, but seasonal shifts say NO. . . There's a pool, and classes available, well, just one variation on the classes front, Spinning for Beginners or Spinning for Advanced... . . Last time I gave spinning a whirl, I thought the bike was broken... 🙄 wonder when Country Dancing starts again... It's open til 10. The beginning is always today...?! 🤨 . . Have a lovely weekend whatever you're up to, Spinning/Dancing or maybe a combo of the two... 🤕😲! . . . . The perfect Mudroom for the current weather situation from @buildingwalnutfarm 📸💚💚💦💦🐟🐟. 'WHILE not a leaf seems faded; while the fields, With ripening harvest prodigally fair, In brightest sunshine bask; this nipping air, Sent from some distant clime where Winter wields His icy scimitar, a foretaste yields Of bitter change, and bids the flowers beware...' (William Wordsworth, 'September') . . Beware lovely flowers, jostling in the breeze, September is waiting for you... . . Have a super weekend everyone, I'm off to extract honey this morning, almost time to tuck the bees in for winter.... 🍯🐝 let me know what you're up to, I love to hear your news xxxxx. 'To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch... to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.. This is to have succeeded!' (Ralph Waldo Emerson) . . . . . . . Success! Working towards...! . . Appreciating the beauty of the wonderful @floretflower 's 'garden patch'... 📸💮🌸🌺💮🌸🌺 . Love the pom poms don't you.... 'With books we stand on the shoulders of giants.' (John Locke, b 29th August, 1632) . . I went all the way to the Edinburgh Book Festival, and all I got was a photo of a front door. People, lots of people, everywhere, photo opportunities were few, then it got dark, photo opportunities were zero. . . So I took this the next morning on my way to the station. Where being a passenger on the train was Iike being a sardine in a tin. . . (I've got a good idea, let's close King's Cross Station on the busiest weekend of the year... 🤦♀️) . . Lots of blue front doors like this in Scotland, Azure blue, like the colour of the Scottish Saltire, (National Flag), which to be precise should be Pantone 300. Searched everywhere for a glimpse of the National Animal, but no luck, very shy these Scottish Unicorns... 🦄 . . Thank you for your fabulous recommendations. (See previous post if you'd like tips on what to do in Scotland's capital...) You are all so well travelled/well informed. 👩🎓🌎 Have booked to return to Edinburgh in November when I can get a seat on a train, the streets will be quiet, and the lesser spotted unicorn might venture out once more... . . . . Ps @kirsty_wark_ 's book The House By The Loch was launched, action takes place in my hood, a great read by a lovely lady... 🏆 xx. 'Live life as if everything is rigged in your favour.' (Rumi) . . Please write this down and pop it on your fridge, mirror, or maybe your front door, so it's the last thing you note as you leave your home. . . According to Professor Lewina Lee in a recent study just published at Boston University School of Medicine - 'raising levels of optimism may promote longevity and healthy ageing'. And over at Yale there's a free online course 'The Science of Well-Being' where Professor Laurie Santos aims to help us increase happiness and build productive habits. (Google Yale Coursera) we should be prepared to incorporate wellness activity into our lives .... 🤸🤸♀️🤸♂️ . . . . What do you think? I'm going to give it a whirl, and in the meantime I shall oggle the lovely sitting room of @carolinairving with it's very cheering happiness increasing pink sofa.... 💗💗💗☺️☺️☺️📸 @caitlinflemming xxx . .. 'One learns first of all in beach living the art of shedding; how little one can get along with, not how much.' (Anne Morrow Lindbergh) . . Down to a fine art now, towel, apple, water. . Wasn't always thus. . Once upon a time three or four journeys to and fro the sandy car park was the norm. Do you remember those days? Lilos, beach chairs, windbreaks, hammer for windbreaks, picnic basket, cool bags, buckets, spades, hats, snorkels, paddling pool, first aid tin, lotions, potions, umbrellas et al ad infinitum. . . These days I travel light. 'He who would travel happily MUST travel light.' . . Have a super Bank Holiday, self care is the name of the game today, (not a holiday in Scotland 😒), I've arrived back on The Machars from Edinburgh via Dorset, London and Cheshire, now staring at heaps of laundry and bags to unpack, didn't quite travel light enough... 🤦♀️ Self care - be kind to you today, rest, relax, enjoy something lovely, recharge for the week ahead. We can't pour from an empty cup xxx . . . . . . . . Thank you fabulous @gastonydaniela for the 📸🏖️⛱️🏖️⛱️🏖️. 'A city so beautiful it breaks the heart again and again...' . . (Alexander McCall Smith on Edinburgh) . . Off to Edinburgh tomorrow where the Fringe and Book Festival are in full flow. I've only been to Edinburgh once before. Hogmanay, many 🌛🌛🌛 ago. Where we stumbled upon the magnificent torchlit procession. A river of 🔥🔥🔥 snaking its way through the old town... . . Earlier in the day we heard the one o'clock gun fired from the Castle 💣 ...the squeeze du jour managed to convince me he'd organised it specially, a romantic gesture, just for me... #gullible #moi 🥺 ..which is why I now need a vetting committee... 🤦♀️ . . Anyhoo, I digress, suggestions please, what should I see in beautiful Edinburgh? (No cannons though, thank you very much 🙄) . . . . . The perfect Orangery...? Conservatory...? For the Bank Holiday Weekend ahead, papers, #tbr 📚📚📚 and list making, be afraid, it's time for list making... from the lovely @secretsofahostess 📸🍊🧡🍊🧡📙🍊📙. 'Summertime And the living is easy Fish are jumpin' And the cotton is high...' (Gershwin, Porgy and Bess) . . Last day in Dorset yesterday, and emerging from Marks and Spencer (stocking up Laura Ingalls Wilder-esque, on provisions unavailable in the Wilds of Galloway), I nearly tripped over a young chap sitting on his skateboard, head in hands, in tears, clutching a brown envelope. . . I walked past, stopped, turned on my heels and asked him if he was ok. He sort of shrugged, defeated 🤷♂️ so we had a little chat. I told him no matter how awful he felt, no matter how bad he thought things were, that everything was going to be ok. Life will be amazing, this day will be soon be forgotten.... Stay calm, the storm will pass.... . . I hope I did the right thing. I remember having a similar chat with Sister Magdalen on 'O' Level results day back in the Dark Ages, disappointed.com ... . . Here's to easy living, and THANK YOU to everyone for checking in, I stepped away from The Gram whilst I was on my Jollies. Back now. With a vengeance! . . Hydrangea Heaven - a lovely spot for lunch on the River Piddle in Dorset xxx. 'To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour...' (William Blake, d 1st August, 1827) . . Gardens battered and bruised by gusting gales and brutal showers. This geranium survived, ravishing in its scarletness. And a solitary sinewy sunflower. . . A summer snapshot illustrating Blake's verse on scale and fleeting time.. we are just specks of dust in a moment of time. Blossoming in a blink... it's such a privilege to be here, so make room for the magic... xx . . And on that note, I'm off with my daughter for sundowners at the beach... to meet her new boyfriend. ..🧐 . . With a list of instructions from her as long as my arm! This really could be eternity in an hour! 🙄😬. It's difficult to believe that the Victorians weren't huge fans of hydrangeas, and would often send a bunch of white Annabelles to declare someone a braggart, or worst still a cold fish 🐟 for turning down a romantic proposal. #unrequitedlovesucks 👎 . . However, Buddhists were huge fans, making a sweet tea from the flowers each year, to use as a cleansing ritual for statues of the Buddha... not too strong though, hydrangeas contain cyanide... ☠️ . . Don't you think it's been an excellent year for the hydrangea, braggart or no braggart?! . . . Wonderful, welcoming pom pom loveliness from the super account of @irenemylife 🌼🌼🌼📸💗💗💗 . . #ShakeYour Pompoms xx. 'Life is an occasion.... Rise to it ...' (Dustin Hoffman, b August 8th, 1937) . . Whilst other teenagers might have been up to all sorts of jiggery pokery, the wonderful @francis_terry_architect painted these murals for his younger sister, using water colour paints on creamy Georgian plaster... I think it's fair to say he rose to the occasion... 🏆🐰🎨 (more images on his gallery) (All I could manage was some David Essex graffiti behind my bedroom door... 🙈) . . In other news, I finally arrived in Dorset after an epic journey, dodging lorries on fire, abandoned caravans, and every type of weather. Suffice to say, I did not get my kicks on Route the M6. So I took out my frustration on the wisteria taking over my daughter's garden. . . ✂️😡🌿✂️😡🌿✂️😡 . . Thank you all for the tips and advice. You're such a clever, learned lot! Will share 'after' pics when it stops raining xxxx. 'Fairest of the months! Ripe summer's queen The hey-day of the year With robes that gleam with sunny sheen Sweet August doth appear.' (R. Combe Miller) . . An August abundance of local gardens open for nosey parkers like me. Including this one on a soft slope overlooking the River Dee in Kirkcudbright. It had rained heavily the night before lending a slight whiff of faded glory to the walled garden. . . The entrance was themed white. Alba, Latin for white, Spanish for dawn, Gaelic for Scotland. Alba gu bràth - Scotland Forever! . . And on that note, I'm off to Dorset. Google is predicting an 8 hour journey. Wish me luck! See you on the other side! 🥴😳 xxxx. Putting the Bad into Badminton with these fabulous floral figures playing Badminton 🏸 at Badminton, where the game was allegedly invented and originally known as Battledore and Shuttlecock - which sounds rather like a couple of dodgy characters from a Dickens Novel to me... . . Have a super Saturday, I'm off to #Kirroughtree with my friend Martyn, who knows everything there is to know about red squirrels and pine marten poop. Those winter nights are going to fly by....🙄 . . Leaving shortly so speak soon xx 😘. "Ten times a day something happens to me like this - some strengthening throb of amazement - some good sweet empathetic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness." (Mary Oliver) . . Does this happen to you? That throb of amazement, the ping and the swell...? . . I hope so, and I hope you persevered with our July experiment, starting each day with 'Today Will Be A Good Day.' . . Did you manage to keep it going? I remembered most days, and perhaps it works, perhaps it's coincidence, but I can certainly say that July was Champion 🏆 and I shall persevere... . . And for August, the Posh Mantra is simply - 'Pay Attention'. . . What do I mean by this...? I mean take notice. Focus. Pay attention to the details and textures of life, watch the sunrise, listen to the dawn chorus, walk barefoot through grass, stream, sand. Pick wild berries, dance, learn about the stars, ping, swell... . . 'Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.' . . And check in with me here, share, tell, what astonishes you... . . I was astonished to be stung twice today by a jelly fish, quite a lot of ping and swell let me tell you! 😬 . . . . . . . . And I'd also like to tell you about this astonishing dahlia from the lovely gallery of @comb_farms 🌸🌺💗📸🙀😲😍 #fridayflowers
Gorton Monastery
Rural idyll
Italian Majolica
Polcini Pierrot Brooch
What's hot?
1950's 1980's Accessories Antique Artisan Beauty Cheshire Collectables Community costume jewellery Craft Culture Dogwalking Earrings English Countryside Fashion Gardening Gorgeous Interior Design Jewellery Jewelry Lifestyle Musings Retro Textiles Vintage Vintage Christmas vintage jewellery vintage jewelry Writing
www.PoshPedlar.com · Purveyors of Bijouterie, and Beautiful Bits and Bobs.
