Global warming - does it mean lots of rain?

Summer - ha! If you live in England then you may well be wondering where that glorious summer we were promised in April, has gone... Maybe on its hols or hiding cos it doesn't want to upset us after all its bad publicity. For those of you who are hankering after some glorious summer sun - here are some very pretty sun flowers, doing what sun flowers do...

The sunflower is so named because of the way in which it turns its head from east to west to follow the sun.

Whatever you have planned for the next few weeks, I do hope the sun will shine on you - it cheers things up, makes us feel generally better and gives some of us who otherwise look far too pale and uninteresting, a slight glow of colour that cheers the spirit.

Kalo Kalokeiri - Happy Summer as they say in Greece (apologies for dodgy spelling!)

Summer days!

Hi - how are you and how are you doing with this summer? If you are here in England then you may well be having to cope with one of the wettest and gloomiest summers in many a long day. Here is a nice picture of sun flowers doing what sun flowers do

The sunflower is so named because of the way in which it turns its head from east to west to follow the sun.

We all need a bit of sunshine to brighten our days - and these days we are made to feel guilty sometimes becasue of the 'damage' sun can do. Well, I spent 8 yrs of my life living in countries where the sun ruled and I can say that, tho my skin may be crinkled from over- exposure, I really enjoyed the benefits it gave, including that wonderful feeling of well-being we get from just being around it.

Having lived in Greece for 4 yrs and seen how the Greeks loved the sun, I agree with what one philosopher said - 'Moderation in all things' but you do need at least a bit of it to be able to be moderate.

So, I hope you can find a bit of your own sunshine somewhere this month and if you can't find it literally then hopefully you can get some metaphorically, if only from this picture!

Gawthorpe Hall

This time I have not really got any idea what the blog is about - just thought I would put one up and see where it goes. I have had a fairly low key weekend with a nasty cold to keep me company. Had to cancel friends coming over for the weekend and my son is with his Dad, so went thru the usual downer when I am on my own, feeling sorry for myself.

Well, got bored with that and decided to go out this afternoon as I was feeling a lot better. Drove over to Burnley and visited a National Trust house, Gawthorpe Hall. It is full of the most amazing embroideries from around the world, including China, Afghanistan, Egypt, Japan, South Sea Islands and the UK. What really took my eye was the display of miniature embroidery - tiny little pieces, mostly no more that an inch square, of the most exquisite work. There were two minute 'Elizabethan Gauntlets' that would have fitted A's hamster, with delicate stitching only really visible with the magnifying glass provided.

And it was just so lovely to see work that had taken those who produced it, both men and women in the past 50 yrs, such time and effort, simply for the sheer beauty of it. And when I got back home, after driving through rain, hail and brilliant sunshine, I felt heaps better and quite relaxed. I had had a much needed rest, got over the doldrums and enjoyed the afternoon a lot.

Hope it was a good weekend for you and that the summer brings some moments of exquisite beauty for you too!