Decoration

I had an obsessive phase these last few days. I woke up on Thursday and decided to change the colour of the master bedroom. The last time I redecorated the room I was recovering from a near burn out and it reflected on the colour that I chose--mossy green. I really wanted powder blue but people kept saying that blue was too cold and it would be awful during winter.
Well, this time I stuck to my guns and chose white with a bit of blue--very light powder blue and it looks absolutely fantastic. I also decided to paint the ensuite (adjoining toilet and shower) with the same colour. I have to say, decorating is physically demanding. My lower back, arms and thighs were protesting on Thursday night but I managed to pull through thanks to ibufrofen!
Friday was a good day. Hubby and I went shopping to a place called Taunton in Somerset, a county next to Devon. I bought leather knee high boots from Clarks, an amazing winter overcoat from Next and underwear from Marks and Spencer. It was such a treat to be able to do that once in a while.
Today I cleared some clothes from my wardrobe. My body changed in the last six years and I certainly gained weight since I quit working in London. I suppose contentment does that.
I am currently cooking a beef casserole for tonight's dinner. The days are getting shorter and the temperature is dropping so I'm back cooking comfort food.
I still surprise a lot of people on my DIY capabilities. I do all the decoration by myself because hubby absolutely hates it. I am getting quite good at it too.

Patch of Eden

My garden
This is my back garden. I love it and tend it with full care and attention. I feel so relaxed in this place. I cannot ever be stressed when I am gardening. My mind just goes into alpha mode.
I grow scented plants like honeysuckle, lavender, rosemary, roses, clematis etc. My dream is to have a bigger and more secluded garden. We started from scratch in this garden and it has taken years to get to how it looks now.

My profile photo 

Smelling the roses

Taking the time to smell my roses!

This was taken in June this year when the roses where in full bloom. In case you're wondering, no, I am not in my gardening gear! I arrived work early one day and Hubby took this picture. I thought it was rather nice. I do love my garden. It is one physical activity that I do not object to because I love seeing the fruits of my labour. I inherited my love for plants from my mother. She was a green-fingered action woman-- always on the go. I remembered she grew these bouganvilleas in terracotta pots when I was a child. They had all the hues of the rainbow, wondeful during the summer months. She'd grow anything, anywhere and I found that a real comfort. My mother is a very special human being. I bet she has a fast track broadband to heaven!
Now I do the same thing in my own house. We have various houseplants, a front garden and a back garden to look after.
Today, hubby and I planted some ornamental grasses and bamboo for autumn. I also planted voilas for the sping. There's always something to do in the garden. Nothing stays the same. There are days when I just cannot be bothered but these are rare moments. Ultimately, I get into my gardening clothes and go out to tend my plants--I feel then that everything is right with the world.

Boat in St Martins

I took this photo in one of the islands. I've always liked beached boats. I also like the cloud formation , it provides a great backdrop to the idyllic setting. The sand was really nice and soft as well but the water was too cold for wading in. These were the times when I think of the tepid beach waters in the Philippines. Most of the islands didn't have a lot of inhabitants which was great as far as I am concerned. Having too many people in the beach does not give me the "getting away from it all" feeling.

Life's a beach

Finally, after several attempts, I finally cracked it! Thanks to my latest broadband connection at home, it did not take forever to download the necessary software to publish photos.
This shot was taken in the Isles of Scilly a couple of weeks ago. It was such a lovely place, great for de-stressing.
I still need to study the ins and outs of this software so I could at least change my profile! By the way, I was wearing my "tankini". It is very comfortable and not too skimpy!

Heirlooms

A couple of years ago my husband bought me a special piece of furniture--a ladies writing bureau. The desk was made of teak, with a flap that opens outward serving as the writing table. This could be locked up for security. The writing side of the flap is covered in green leather with gold details to make writing easier. Inside the bureau are pigeonholes and small drawers. I absolutely love it. I have a fascination with boxes, mini drawers and secret compartments. They echo mystery and encourage imagination.

My jewellery box is somewhat similar. I found it in one of the shops in Singapore years ago. It is heavily coated in dark Chinese mahogany varnish which sets off the inlaid mother of pearl floral design. The box looks like a mini wardrobe with small but exquisitely crafted drawers, lined in red velvet. It has a lock as well.

I also have a “memory box”, more like a casement actually. It is actually part of an old printer’s drawer when typesetting for the letterpresses was in vogue. The box hangs along the front door hallway. I keep all my travel mementos inside the tiny spaces, like for instance a shell, a thimble, knick knacks, etc.

I am attracted to items like these. I suppose these could be considered “heirlooms” someday.

I owe, I owe so

...off to work I go!
Today is my first day at work and I have just finished my first meeting of the week. Amazing how easy it is for the mind to get used to a relaxed way of life. I feel quite slow but I am sure I’ll be okay in the afternoon.
What can I say about my holidays in the Isles of Scilly? It was fabulous! Hubby and I explored the other islands (St Martins, Bryher, Tresco, St Agnes) and spent the days either lying in the beach or hiking around the main island of St Marys, which is the biggest and main island. The weather was brilliant. We only had one cloudy day of sea fret; it was a pea souper though. Anyway, it cleared up beautifully the following day. My in laws also enjoyed their time with us immensely. We played a card game called “crib” every night. It is an old British card game and Hubby and I won it hands down. My father in law rues the day he taught me the game.
I realise how lucky I am to be able to enjoy a fortnight of relaxation without having to worry about finances (well a bit) or safety. Scilly is vintage 1950s England. It is a small place and untouched by the pressures of the 21st century. There is clearly a laid back feeling about the place.
It was a bit sad that during our time there, the newspaper headlines screamed about the Beslan School massacre. It was depressing. I couldn’t help but think of these unfortunate people!
On the domestic side, Sam was very happy to see us and was a bit clingy at first. He didn’t do too well at the “summer camp” aka kennels this time. For one, he lost his voice due to overuse. All the other dogs around him were barking their heads off (Talk about loutish behaviour!) and I suppose he thought that was cool to do as well. He’s not used to it so he came home absolutely shattered. He also lost a bit of weight and his paws were sore from jumping up and down the concrete floors. He’s used to padding along carpet and grass. Poor Sam. At least he ate heartily when we fed him his favourite dish--chicken. We’ve been serving him pan-fried streaky pork, medium rare steak and roast chicken with biscuits. We have to make sure he’s okay because he’s off to his annual vet visit this month for his booster shots. I also had to give him a bath asap as soon as we got home because he hasn’t been bathed since we went away. Ughs! He smelled like er...like a dog. Hahaha! I suppose we want to make it up to him. I know, I know, it sounds silly but he is part of the family and he knows it too!
Anyway, things are back to normal. Hubby went back to work the following day we came back from holidays. The weather has not been great since then so the garden has to wait. I did some minor chores like light pruning and weeding but I need to do some autumn planting. We bought decorative grasses in the garden centre and they looked smashing in our backyard.
I watched the last night of the “Proms” on TV on Saturday. The Proms is held every summer where various orchestras perform at the Royal Albert Hall during the season. The finale is called the Last Night at the Proms, marking the end of summer. The whole nation takes part. There’s a broadcast link up with park celebrations in different parts of the country. The major one is held in Hyde Park, London and it culminates with a performance of the BBC Symphonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. It is a massive event and it feels like New Year’s Eve. People wave the Union Jack and St Georges Cross (England Flag), etc while singing to Elgar’s Rule Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory. It is inspirational! Maybe someday the Philippines will develop its own sense of culture. It is just nice to see people aware of their own identity. Maybe it takes a millennium for that!

Sunday and cloudy

This is the first Sunday I spent alone for several weeks. I actually like it. It gives me time to finish household chores and psyche myself for the week ahead.
Sam has been sleeping a lot since we brought him home from the kennels. At least he's eating well, although today I had to encourage him to eat his food. He's done that now and is fast asleep again. I guess his stint at the kennels exhausted him. Just looking at him now makes me want to get under my duvet and sleep! The weather does not help either. The temperature has dropped and it's so conducive to deep afternoon slumber. The problem with afternoon naps that is it makes it harder for me to get to sleep at night! Shall I chance it?

Things that make me

Sad. The slaughter of the innocents for one, mindless killing, thoughtlessness, cruelty, poverty...I could go on and on.
During my holidays the news broke out about the terrorist siege in Beslan, Russia. I mean this is no ordinary masked man toting a sub machine gun while grabbing the hair of a male hostage. No, this was more disturbing than that. These were women who took a whole school--children, teachers and parents-- hostage. What got me was the cruelty to the children, unspeakable cruelty. And if that was not enough, they blasted them to smithereens and shot the fleeing children like target practise. It was inhuman. These people lost their souls--if you believe in that.
It was depressing news and I wept when I saw the carnage on TV. I wouldn't think I'd be saying this but where is the world coming to? Isn't it enough that we have to contend with global warming and the prospect of an uncertain future? I sit here in my warm and cosy house safe in the knowledge that tomorrow will be the same. We'll be eating dinner at 7pm, next week I'll be back in my office and every Fridays I'll be filling my tank with petrol. No problem.
And yet I watch the six o'clock news with trepidation. Another hurricane, another terrorist bomb going off, another place flooded.
I should stop worrying and be thankful that I am spared the pain of these unfortunate people. I cannot help but think of them.

Recovery

I cannot believe it but it took me a couple of days to get back to the swing of things...and that's just at home. My team at work called me several times already. One of them had to take some time off and the the other asked permission to come in late on Monday. It's okay though, the term hasn't started yet--thank goodness!
I am not the only one recovering from my holidays. Sam is also recovering from his stint in the "summer camp" aka kennels. He's lost his voice from barking so much. He's not used to it but since the other dogs were barking their heads off he barked as well, hence he's been sort of mute since we picked him up.
I cannot face my garden. There are so many chores I need to do but I do not have the strength to do them yet. I have to prune the roses, weed the grass, plant for some autumn colour, etc. The weather is a bit dodgy as well. I can see ominous clouds on the horizon from where I sit. They are forecasting gale force winds tomorrow. I am really worried about this global climate change. In fact, The Times headline and massive satellite picture of hurricane Ivan gave me the heebie geebies. My National Geographic magazine devoted 72 pages this month on global warming as well! Very scary prospect indeed!
I know I should be talking about my holidays but I am yet trying to piece all our activities together. The Isles of Scilly is beautiful and quite untouched by progress. It is like walking back in the 1950s England, when life was innocent. I have stacks of photos but I am having trouble getting the online software to work!
My best friend texted me early this morning---about 4am!-- and she said that she's having our property in Tali beach fenced. Wonderful! Thoughts of someday having a nice peaceful house in the Philippines keeps me going. I'd very much like to have a tropical garden one day.

Tired but relaxed

I just came back from a fortnight's holidays in the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall. It was a very relaxing time. Hubby and I spent most of it exploring the islands (there were four major islands) or simply lying in the beach.
I am now busy getting the house together and preparing myself for next week when I have to go back to work!