A lovely Surprise Postcard from .............

 My lovely friend ..

 

Diane in Liverpool .

 

A wonderful SURPRISE!!

 

Also a big  thank you to her husband Ian ,

who chose the card..

 

Diane has a fabulous blog, she is such a great writer

and I am sure you will enjoy reading it.

She belongs to a group called ABCW, where they have to

write about a subject, place or anything to do with

the letter of the week, maybe month.

 

Go over and have a read ♥

 

I have tried to identify the buildings and link to them

but came a bit stuck on the Web.

Hopefully Diane will help me out.♥

 

 

Liverpool ..

 

is a maritime city in northwest England, where the River Mersey meets the Irish Sea. A key trade and migration port from the 18th to the early 20th centuries, it's also, famously, the hometown of The Beatles. Ferries cruise the waterfront, where the iconic mercantile buildings known as the "Three Graces" – Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building –

stand on the Pier Head.

 

 

I will do more Postcard posts when I am settled.

 

♥♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

Hello and Happy New Year ...2017

I would like to wish

All my friends

a Very

Happy New Year.

2017.

 

 

 

I have been away from the Blog world for nearly a year now.  Most of my friends will know what has been happening since then.  Last night I had a rough nights sleep. All I could think about was my blog , which was strange. I felt like I had to write there and then but it was very late.  I didn't want it to be a sad post.  People shy away from posts like this but it is so important to talk. To share and be truthful.  Why are we afraid of opening up? Are we scared of what people will say or how they will react?  No one knows what is going to happen to them, where life will take them. We all need support.

 

 

July 2015

My husband left me.

He has moved on, life with his

Vietnamese partner ( who he brought over from Vietnam)

, had a baby too.

 

 

2016

 

I suffered with severe depression for

a few months, and thankfully

I have recovered.

 

Divorce proceedings started

and I had to put my house on

the market.. sadly.

 

2017

We still aren't divorced and the house has sold.

In March I have to move out.

So now I have to find somewhere to live

and a job to support myself.

 

I have had lots of super support from friends far and wide,

bloggers who are my Face book friends.

 

I did a lot of thinking too. How my life has changed.

People say to me

"things happen for  a reason"

"Think what you can do, all that freedom"

"It is going to be a year for you to move forward"

 

When you are alone, we think too much.

All I have had to think about in the year is

Where am I going to live?

A very hard decision, especially when you don't know

what your financial situation is going to be.

 

People say

"Where do you want to be?"

Another hard choice, considering I have only

moved to where my husband's work took him.  

 

I have a very caring family, sons and grandchildren.

who have helped me enormously.

Super friends too.

 

During my Depression

I avoided all Social Media, even my phone.

I was so lost. And if it wasn't for a dear cousin

 in South Africa, who told me ..

GO back onto FB , it is a life saver, I

don't know where I would be!!

So a Big Thank you to her .

 

Last night I also thought of a lovely friend

 I once had. She is in France. And for a few reasons

we are no longer friends.. I miss her.

She might read this, she might not,

but I am sure if she does, she knows who

I am talking about.

 

We have to pluck up the courage to

open up and be truthful to ourselves.

Ask for help, share our thoughts and feelings.

Don't be afraid. What can happen?

People will either listen or turn away.

Up to them.

 

So now at the age of 60 (last year) , I have

to face a lot of changes on my own, It can be

a lonely life. I know I have family and friends,

but it just isn't easy being alone after all those years together.

 

I really hope to get back to blogging when

I have moved and settled down.

Where life will take me, who knows.

 

I also thought a lot about my dad ..

my wonderful dad who was so

cruelly taken from us to early.

50 years ago, next month.

I was 10 and he was 40.

WE missed out on so much.

 

I hope everyone understands why I have written this post.

Thank you for reading. 

 

I hope someone does read it.

But for me it had to be done.

 

Thinking of you all and a HUGE big thank you

to everyone who has been  and is there for me.

 

I would of put some pictures in the post, but unfortunately

I cannot get my phone to synch with my laptop :-(

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

SEE YOU AGAIN SOON XX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Two little Churches in France..-

 

 

This little church is in La Clusaz,

 right in the middle of the chalets

surrounded by fields and mountains.

Wish it had been open to see inside.

 

 

 

 

 

And this little church is a short drive away.

Wish I could remember the name.

This is also out in the middle of nowhere,

next to a play area and a restaurant .

 

 



A joy to see this one open. There are many little churches dotted all over France.

 

 

 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 

Beautiful Stained Glass windows ....La Clusaz , France.

La Clusaz is primarily a  ski resort  but also is a super place for all seasons, in the Alps near the Swiss border. The commune is part of the Haute-Savoie département. The town is in the Aravis mountain range. This fabulous town is 30 minutes from Annecy train station and 50 minutes from Geneva.

La Clusaz (originally from the word cluse - meaning a narrow path between two mountains) was once called Clusa Locus Dei meaning God's narrow place

There was so much to see and do.

 

Walks, play parks for the children, the Luge, plenty of places

to eat , also many supermarkets. And of course a fabulous market!!

 Lots of shopping to be done too!!

Very well catered for. 

 Easy reach to a fabulous place named Talloires

and of course Annecy.

 

In the middle of this town I found the

 

 EGLISE SAINTE FOY

 

The "Sainte Foy Church of La Clusaz was built in 1821 according to Camille Ruphy's plans, architect of Annecy. There has been a church in La Clusaz since 1285.

In 1974, the church was extensively rebuilt as it was in a state of disrepair. The bulb bell tower was built between 1751 and 1762. This characteristic is no doubt the alpine expression of baroque art, which was at this time, to be seen on various monuments in Europe.

 



 

Inside I discovered the beautiful stain glass windows.

 

 

 Holy Mary and a place to light a candle..

I loved this town , the weather was brilliant.

Walked through the chalets , listening to the Cow Bells and the forest,

went Luging and swimming in Lake Annecy.

 

Would love to go back.

First post of 2016 -

My lovely friends have been on their

travels in the last few months.

So great to receive their postcards,

and from new places too.

 

My great friend Brigitte in Paris,

went to the Canary Islands

over Christmas - Sun and Warmth.

We could all do with Sun and Warmth!

 

 

Parque Nacional De Timanfaya  is a Spanish national park in the southwestern part of the island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands. It covers parts of the municipalities Tinajo and Yaiza.  The parkland is entirely made up of volcanic soil.

The statue "El Diablo" by César Manrique is its symbol.

 

 

 

Timanfaya National Park

The Montanas del Fuego (Fire Mountains) were created between 1730 and 1736 when more than 100 volcanoes, covering more than 50 km², rose up and devastated this part of the island. The last eruptions were in 1824, however due to the low rainfall (and therefore lack of erosion) this area appears much the same as it did just after the eruptions. In 1968 the area was declared a national park, Parque Nacional de Timanfaya.

 

 

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

BIG THANK YOU BRIGITTE ♥

 

Blogging has taken a bit of a back step as life has thrown

some curve balls  which I need to deal with .

I know my friends understand.

 

When friends take time out of their holidays to think

of me and send me a postcard, no matter where in the world they are,

 I love to share with

you all. 

 

I have another postcard post soon. Take Care xox



Merry Christmas and A Very Happy New Year .....

To ALL my friends 

In  every corner of the world. 

You have kept my blog going with

All your fabulous comments.  

My little twig tree on the photo gallery table. .

💟💟💟💟

Love these Angels..

St Marys church in Oxford..

A candle lit for everyone 

 See you all next year.

Take care and a big thank you. 

Picturesque town of Mondsee - Austria

We had a very quick stopover in

Mondsee

as we were heading back to Germany
for our last night..

Linda and I chose to go into the town
rather than the lake ..

Mondsee is a town in the Vocklabruck district in the
Austrian state of Upper Austria , located on the shore
of Lake Mondsee.

Wonderful decorative houses.

The Rathaus is the Town hall..

For all you

Sound of Music Lovers

this the church used in the film

for the wedding scene.

The Collegiate Church of St Michael

formerly the monastery church

It was a very short visit but very worthwhile.

A super trip for Linda and I.

♥♥♥♥♥

The Art of colouring and a postcard..

As we all know

 

Colouring books for Adults

 

are now

the new relaxation to relieve

Stress.

 

I looked yesterday and the choice is amazing.

 

And just last week I received my first

 

Coloured in Postcard

(click on link to see a fab set)

 

from Singapore.

 

The Autumn Squirrel

 

Love the colours Krissa. Thank you so much. ♥

 

 

My friend Krissa had just purchased

 

Tropical Wonderland by Millie Marota

 

and was doing a doing a bit of colouring in the book above

and her flatmate gave her a colouring postcard.

 

Krissa put her book to the side and coloured this instead.

 

And here it is in England ♥

 

Thank you.

♥♥♥♥♥

 

 



Super Seven - Thank you..

Seven Wonderful cards from

fantastic friends.

This first card is from my great friend Marilyn who was on holiday with her

husband Trevor .   But didn't know where until she was at

the check in  at the airport. How did he keep this a surprise?

Marilyn how did you not know?? Thought you were the curious type.

Well done Trev!!!!

Pigeon Point Tobago

Pigeon Point is also known as Pigeon Point Heritage Park and is often considered Tobago’s most beautiful beach and is home to the famous thatch-roofed jetty which has become an internationally recognised signature of Tobago

 Sure we could all do with some SUN!!

The next three cards are from a very good friend Leon( also friend of my eldest son) ,  who  went for a break to

Ascension Island

where his family live. 

Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around 1,600 kilometres from the coast of Africa and 2,250 kilometres from the coast of Brazil

The Wideawake Tern

Known as the Sooty Tern in other parts of the world, here it is best known for it's call of "Wide awake!", and it gives the island it's second name. It is a graceful bird with a forked tail and pointed wings, generally white below and black above with a white patch on the forehead.

Their main food is fish and squid.
They are widely distributed around the world in tropical latitudes. On Ascension they breed in colonies called "Fairs", the main ones being in the south-west corner of the island, Mars Bay Fair, and Waters Edge Fair, but they are also found in small numbers on Boatswain Bird Island. In 1998 there were adjudged to be 400,000 birds in the two main colonies.

The Land Crab

(click on the link above to read more)

There is a lot of mystery behind the Land Crab. How did they get there? Nobody knows.

Apart from visiting green turtles and seabirds, the crabs were probably almost alone on the island for most of the million years since it rose above the waves. Johngarthia lagostoma is only found on Ascension and, in much smaller numbers,

on three Brazilian islands further west.

Since they can neither swim nor fly, nobody knows how they got here. Being land crabs, they are unlikely to have rafted over on timber from Africa or Brazil, says Richard Hartnoll of the University of Liverpool, UK, their only persistent investigator. Their larvae might have survived long enough to float over on the intermittent ocean currents from the Americas – but their nearest relatives today are to the east, in Africa’s Gulf of Guinea.

The donkeys are found mainly in Georgetown and around One Boat, those living in Georgetown are often woken in the early hours by their loud braying.  

Some are relatively friendly and will allow you to pet them, but they can become rather boisterous and dangerous to road users during mating season.  Ascension’s donkeys have developed rather curious eating habits –

probably due to the lack of vegetation for them to eat, they’ve acquired a taste for cardboard

and will happily devour any boxes left lying around!







This next card is from my great friend Jackie --

The super traveller. She has sent me cards from everywhere.

Jackie's blog is

JUNK BOAT TRAVELS..

You will have to click on the link to read more about her travels, amazing.)

 Palm Springs, a desert city in California, is known for its hot springs, stylish hotels, golf courses and spas. It's also notable for its many fine examples of midcentury-modern architecture. Its core shopping district along Palm Canyon Drive features vintage boutiques, hip interior design shops and buzzy restaurants. The surrounding Coachella Valley offers hiking, biking and horseback riding

The mountains in the background are the
San Jacinto Mountains
which help with the fabulous weather in Palm Springs.

We then go to

WARSAW

with a beautiful card from a lovely blogger friend from Poland



OLA...her blogs are

Lakomym Okiem  - cooking blog

and

Daleka Droga - travel blog

Both written in Polish and English.

Ola and I have been friends through quite a while and we

just exchanged postcards.

Here we have the

Lazienki Palace

The Łazienki Palace is a Baroque palace and is located in the largest park in Warsaw that occupies over 76 hectares of the city centre .

The Łazienki Palace is located in the largest park in Warsaw that occupies over 76 hectares of the city center. From 1674 the property and the nearby Ujazdów Castle belonged to Count Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, who built a Baroque Bath House named "Łazienka". The building, erected on a square plan, was richly decorated with stuccos, statues and paintings; some of the original decorations and architectural details are still preserved from that period.

In 1766 King Stanisław II Augustus purchased the estate and decided to

convert the pavilion into his small, private summer residence

(To read more please click on link above)

And today a card arrived from Trevor (my friend Marilyn's husband)

I love his cards as they are not only a huge surprise(like a lot of yours are  too, lovely and a surprise. )  but also what he writes!!!!☻

(Hi , Weather cold, Beer cold, Goulash hot!)

Thank you Trevor.

I know a few of you have been to Slovenia .

Esme from Chocolate & Croissants certainly has!!

Remember my postcard?

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL..

Interesting countries and interesting topics to write about.

All so different.

♥♥♥♥♥♥



Una bella cartolina consegnata a mano .

A beautiful card delivered by Hand..



A few weeks ago.

a very special   friend came to

Williams Conference Centre,

all the way from Italy

for 24 hours .

Taken in the Williams Collection/Museum.

He was invited by a friend of his
who works in Williams Factory to
attend a Staff  Open day.

It was amazing to see him as it was one year ago we met,
at the same event.  Christian is as passionate about Williams
as I am about Italy !!  So you can imagine how are chat went !!!!


We only had a short time to chat this time , I was working
and they had to leave.  But before they did, he gave
me this beautiful card..

It is a concertina card from Genova (Genoa)

(Very difficult to photograph  - sorry.)..

Santuario Basilica di S. M Delle Vigne

Santa Maria delle Vigne is a Roman Catholic basilica church in Genoa, northern Italy. It is known from the 10th century. The main altar was completed in 1730 by Giacomo Antonio Ponsonelli.

In the photo below, the little door you can see is where my friend lived!!

I have included this little video taken from the Internet..
to show you inside.. I hope you listen and enjoy.

 



 

Grazie to you dear friend. 

OXFORD - The Parish Church of St Frideswide

I have  lived near Oxford for 10 years and

never been into this church until two weeks ago.

I go past it on the bus

but it is seems to be always

closed.

 

Until one day two weeks ago, I was helping my friend

at the Bed and Breakfast and had an hour free.

 

There was a BEE FESTIVAL , being held by

the Friends of the Earth , Oxford Branch.

We need to protect our BEES!!

 

We need the British Government to stop using

Bee Harming Pesticides. They are actually illegal

within the EU !!  We are in the EU , so they need to listen.

No BEEs means NO Food ,

 

From the outside it looks unfortunately rather dull , grey and closed.

But once inside I think it is amazing.

 

St Frideswide's church

 

 

The church is dedicated to the patroness of Oxford, St Frideswide.  It was designed by the 19th-century Gothic Revival architect Samuel Sanders Teulon of Westminster, London, built by the local firm of Honour & Castle. The foundation stone was laid in 1870 and the church was consecrated on 10 April 1872 by John Mackarness, the Bishop of Oxford. It was originally intended for the church tower to have a spire.





^{(Info taken from the web)}

 

 

 

I think I was in the right place at the right time .