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Category Archives: quotations

Dandelion, Clematis and Wallflower

I love dandelion clocks, especially this one among the bluebells. You might like to look at an earlier post about the dandelion, quite a special ‘weed.’

This is the first flower on our Clematis Montana. There are hundreds of buds waiting for some sunshine.

I’m delighted with the wallflowers. They were lovely last Spring and I didn’t ever get around to pulling them out. I didn’t expect them to flower again so this is a real treat.

Coffee time after singing this morning was a time when we especially missed our Dear Friend John, remembering and sharing how missed he is.
“And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.”

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 16, 2026 in environment, garden, nature, Postaday 2026, quotations

Tags: Kahlil Gibran

Note books, Marina Lewycka and A Poem

14 Nov

In 2008 my lovely SIL gave me a beautiful box of twelve little note books. I was known for always carrying a notebook and they had become known as SallyBooks. I am coming to the end of the set having just started no 11.

I was looking at the first book today and the first notes I was taking were at a book event, Readers’ Day at Falmouth University, where Marina Lewycka was talking about her first novel, “A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian,” recently serialised on BBC Radio 4. I was reminded by my detailed notes, of her warmth and easy discussion style while talking with Mac Dunlop, and was sorry to hear that she had died yesterday. I also made notes of some of her comments – “Humour is the gift that lifts you out of the sh!t. It enables us to keep our humanity.” We need to remember that in these difficult times.

I’ve shared poems by the American poet, Billy Collins before and here’s another for you, taken from his collection, Questions About Angels.. I just love the ‘glass bottomed boats.’

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 14, 2025 in Postaday2025, quotations, Uncategorized

Tags: Mac Dunlop, Marina Lewycka

Seed Head, Berries and Words

29 Aug

I posted these words five years ago and they still work for me.

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 29, 2025 in environment, garden, literature, nature, Postaday2025, quotations, Uncategorized

Tags: Albert Camus

Jigsaw, Topper and New Yarn

09 Apr

We’ve just finished our latest jigsaw. It’s been really good fun.

There’s a new post box topper in our street, an Easter Bonnet!

I decided I needed a new knitting project. I read about some research into the benefits of knitting and thought that sounds as if it’ll do me good.

“Knitting has been cited as a therapeutic technique known to reduce anxiety (Anderson et al, 2016) and historically has been shown to “reduce chronic pain, boost mood, reduce stress, treat panic attacks, combat loneliness, boost confidence, curtail caregiver burnout and more” (Medaris Miller, 2016)

Off I went to my local wool shop and bought some rainbow baby wool to make a little cardigan. You can read more about the research by clicking on the red link.

A Posy and International Women’s Day

08 Mar

Today is the wedding anniversary of our lovely neighbour, Sue, and I always take her a little posy made of the same Spring flowers that they had at their wedding and with a sprig of Rosemary in remembrance of dear Bill-next-door.

We love our shopping bag which commemorates many women who changed the world for the better. .

I saw this quotation today and thought, how apt.

“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”

Maya Angelou

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 8, 2025 in art, Celebration, flowers, garden, nature, Postaday2025, quotations

Tags: rosemary for remembrance

Camellia, Good Words and A Special Invitation

20 Feb

There being no choir today as it is half term, a good friend from the tenors came round for coffee and we spent a happy couple of hours ‘putting the world to rights’ – if only we could! P brought me some beautiful Camellia blooms from her garden.

The following quotation is one to be treasured and acted upon.

Our choir leader, Claire Ingleheart, has spent the afternoon at Buckingham Palace! Since both her choirs started raising money for Shelter Box in 2015, even despite the ‘covid years’, between the two choirs, we have raised £7,800 and as recognition of this, Claire was invited as one of the ShelterBox contingent to a reception being held by the King and Queen at the Palace for four Humanitarian charities. What an honour! We are looking forward to hearing all about it next week.

Balls of Light and A New Book

04 Feb

I saw this quotation from Ezra Pound in the bookshop today.

Here is the ball of light we saw setting on our journey home.

And, I have a new book, ‘a ball of light’ in my hand. I read the first ten pages or so while I was waiting for another book to be chosen, giving it the ‘ten page test’ I used to suggest to children in my classes. Books and cats on the cover drew me to pick it up.

Share Everything!

08 Jan

Cold, heavy rain here all day (snow around the rest of the country) and it’s been a reading and jigsaws kind of day so I thought I’d share this that I read a while ago. Lessons for life I think.

Book: https://amzn.to/4dGfQtq

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 8, 2025 in Postaday2025, quotations, Uncategorized

Tags: Robert Fulghum

Jigsaw, Kindness and Love

04 Jan

While in Tate St Ives last week, we bought a jigsaw in their fascinating shop and have spent a happy afternoon starting on its 1000 pieces.

This quotation from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien seems most apt as this New Year begins.

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 4, 2025 in art, games, Postaday2025, quotations

Tags: J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Story Coat, A Poem and Beth Shriever

02 Aug

I was booked on a Story Coat workshop today and spent a wonderful quiet hour sewing with like-minded people. It did me the world of good. We were making free stitched circles with a 3d effect to represent Gwennap Pit. They will border the story coat that our young Town Crier wears at all our special events, the next being Pasty Day in September. Two of these are mine and I’ve made two more tonight while watching the Olympics.

I’ve posted poems by Mary Oliver before. Somehow she always touches the spot. This one took my breath away. I shall try to “Remember my tools.”

Wage Peace

Wage peace with your breath.

Breathe in firemen and rubble,

breathe out whole buildings

and flocks of redwing blackbirds.

Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields.

Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.

Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.

Wage peace with your listening:

hearing sirens, pray loud.

Remember your tools:

flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.

Make soup.

Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages.

Learn to knit, and make a hat.

Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,

imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty

or the gesture of fish.

Swim for the other side.

Wage peace.

Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious.

Have a cup of tea and rejoice.

Act as if armistice has already arrived.

Don’t wait another minute.

by Mary Oliver

We have just watched the wonderful Beth Shriever who, having won every heat and the semi-final by a mile, didn’t win the Olympic final of the BMX races. She was asked how she felt. I hate it when they ask that when you think they must feel devastated.
Her smiley reply was wonderful – “I’m happy, I’m healthy, I’ve got my family and my friends and that’s all that matters.” She is so right.