If my Dad was still alive, this week my parents would be celebrating their blue sapphire wedding anniversary. I thought all sapphires were blue.  After all the word ‘sapphire’ comes from the Greek word for blue.  But they come in all colours apart from red. Sapphires are very hard and durable, hence their suitability to…

In the last few weeks, a highlight of my week has been to take my 20-month-old granddaughter to a mother and toddlers’ group. She’s quite independent (now she’s got used to it) and loves to run around exploring the various activities while ‘Grandma’ watches from a distance. Occasionally I’ll hear a little voice call ‘Help,…

Walking through a well-known discount store today, I was drawn to their “Fall display”. Autumnal leaves and pumpkins, orange and brown gnomes and squirrels – harvest time already!!! I was reminded that with the harvest comes sorting and sifting and sieving – getting rid of the husks and chaff to save the grain of value.…

I’m sure that at some point over the summer months most of us will spend some time by the sea.  Even if we can’t physically get there, we will see films or postcards that will evoke memories of being on a beach. The wild and tempestuous waves remind us of the awesome power of our…

Tomorrow is St Swithin’s Day. St Swithin  was born around 800 AD and became the Bishop of Winchester. Tradition has it that he didn’t want to be buried in a prominent tomb inside the cathedral like other religious dignitaries,  but rather chose to be buried outside “Where the sweet rain of heaven may fall upon…

Today, July 7th, is World Chocolate Day. What an excuse to eat chocolate! If you go on the internet, you can find menus for the day encouraging you to incorporate chocolate in every meal, snack and drink in this 24-hour period. Cacao trees may have been growing in the wild for 10,000 years. The Olmec…

As any parents reading this will know, it’s very difficult to choose names for children. I was reminded of this when the birth and name of Princess Eugenie’s second son was announced recently. One has to consider family names, appeasing both sides of the family, names that go with the surnames, if the initials spell…

During half term, I was treated to lunch at the Blitz tea rooms in Ipswich. I’d never been there before.  It was amazing. It has a small frontage but covers three floors and is set out like pre 1940s sitting rooms – with genuine furniture, crockery, photos and posters. And beautifully embroidered tablecloths! Our waiter…

Young George was playing outside in his sandbox one Saturday morning. He was making roads and tunnels for his cars and trucks to drive along and through. However, in the middle of the sand was a large rock.  At first, he used it in his game as a roundabout but eventually he decided that it…

The greatest picture of a father’s love is found in the familiar parable found in Luke 15, commonly known as ‘The Prodigal Son.’ When the son comes to  his senses and decides to return – it is to a person rather than a place. It seems that he expects rather a judgemental court martial type…