The Road Not Taken

'Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference'

What magnificent words by the Poet Robert Frost. I came across them whilst writing the other day and resolved to have them engraved on my headstone .

Swimming against the current requires courage and determination. It's not the easy option standing up against convention, but if you are going to make a difference, however small, you have to stand up for what you believe is right.

We live in a consumer driven and selfish society. It's Christmas day and our local radio was trying to encourage us to go online today to snap up the latest bargains! On freecycle the only listing for the day was a WANTED advert and I felt sorry that we are not grateful for what we already have.

One of my most cherished gifts today was a hand crocheted bag filled with home made preserves and pickles which had been lovingly made for me. The hours of love and kindness which had been put into that gift far out-weighed the most expensive gift that Harrods could supply.

I am surrounded by my lovely family.We have been well fed and are warm and clothed. The children are happily playing with their presents and I'm about to curl up with my book as I was kept awake by one little boy until 1.30am last night!

Let's be thankful with what we have rather than yearn for what we have not! Happy Christmas to you all!

A Flock of Fieldfares!

Placing the bird feeder outside the cottage window has been a great success. Today we were visited by a flock of Fieldfares, obviously hungry due to the prolonged spell of cold weather. I was treated to a close up view of one as it sat on a branch outside the window nibbling at a rosehip. Living in the country has opened up my eyes to the abundance of wild life around us!
A trip to the grit box was required to scrape the last remains up so that Graham could get up the drive after his trip to the supermarket. Despite leaving shopping for Christmas until Christmas Eve there was an abundance of food, all being sold off at half price in an effort to enable the shop assistants to get home early. Instead of the Turkey crown we intended to buy we've ended up with a turkey large enough to feed seven people for only £15.Christmas trees were even being given away free at Home base , it makes you wonder just how much waste we are creating in our Consumer society.
Evie and I set off across the snowy fields to the Christingle service in the village. The snow is still powdery and crispy and the sun was shiny as we walked towards the church. so I took some pictures  as we went.
The church was slightly quieter than usual because of the weather but there were plenty of children, all very excited at the prospect of Santa's visit tonight. When we came out of Church it was dark so we walked back in the moonlight over the fields to the house.
Tomorrow is Christmas day and it looks pretty certain to be a White Christmas in 2010!

True Grit!

I was trundling along the lane with my wheelbarrow today having just collected enough grit to get me up the drive which is still covered in snow when I came across my seventy year old neighbour coming in the opposite direction wheeling her wheelbarrow. I smiled thinking we'd had the same idea and that she had visited the grit box at the other end of the village. As we stopped to pass the time of day I glanced down into her wheelbarrow to see a packet of Special K sticking out of a shopping basket lodged in her barrow.Refusing to be daunted by the snow she had walked the mile along the road to our village shop with her wheelbarrow to buy in provisions for her daughter coming to stay over Christmas! I had to admire her spirit, whilst others around us are moaning about the lack of bin collections and the lateness of the post each day in these unusual conditions here was someone showing true enterprise and using some creative thinking to solve their problems! And before you ask, we did offer to help out with the shopping , she is just one truly independent lady!