Lights on the weeping cherry tree

We planted an ornamental weeping cherry tree several years ago and whilst it loses its leaves in winter, it excels the rest of the year particularly in spring when it is covered in pink/white blossom. It is beautiful and much admired by neighbours and visitors. For the last few years we have crowned our tree with Xmas lights over the Xmas period which lights up our small plot in our vast world. Perhaps this is philosophical. God weeping at the state of our world and thereby sending Jesus as the light. Cherry trees mean "the ripening of friendship." Perhaps this is symbolic since Jesus was a friend to everyone. Peace and joy be with you.

Unpublished letters and broken hearts

What happens to all those letters which are not published in magazines and newspapers because the editor decides they are unsuitable or they haven't the space or they are just inundated with too much material. Are they sent to the rubbish tip? How sad? And what of the writers? How do they overcome their disappointment or broken hearts? A loss however you look at it.

Light classical music

Oh, the joys of listening to light classical music. On Friday, 2lst October, I watched a programme on BBC4 called "Light Fantastic." The orchestra played pieces by Eric Coates, a favourite composer of mine - "London Calling," "The Three Elizabethans," and "The Knightsbridge March." I was enraptured. Other pieces included "London Cameo" by Hayden Wood and "Jumping Bean" by Robert Farnon (I may not have the spellings correct of these composers but you can put me right!) For well over an hour, I listened to the enthralling music and watched the energetic and skilful musicians play their instruments devotedly. More please!

New book to be published next year

I'm happy to say "Jamie Tales", a sequel to "Jamie" will be published next year. My book follows Jamie's life which is based on my daughter's real life lovely collie dog, Jamie. It is written in poetry and each page will be skilfully illustrated. See my website www.marianbythell.com for all my books.

Happy gardening

Thankfully the rains have come and we can take a rest from hosing down the garden. Thankfully, Rosaria, we haven't lost much. However, after a few days away from home, not only has the grass grown but the weeds too - the thistles are two foot high! And even though our water barrel needs topping up with water, it is good to see the yellow irises in flower and a blue tit light on the flower for a few seconds. What to tackle first? Ah, perhaps I should see if the strawberries are ready to eat!

Church awaits

Do you ever hear the church bells ringing and long to go! I have had moments when I have resisted Church - for various reasons - but then go back and wish I hadn't missed any of the services. On a lovely Spring day like today, I love walking there looking at the gardens on the way, joining my friends and taking part (as a member of the congregation) in one of the services. God be with you wherever you are.

Turning the corner

When saying goodbye to relatives, when you drive off and they are not visible anymore, do you feel a sense of loss? I do. What is worse is the fact that when you have turned the corner and there home is no longer in your eyesight, your relatives become a memory. It takes only seconds for this to happen. You see them and then you don't and it may not be for several months. How sad! Treasure those memories.

Circles of friendship

Create a circle of friendship by being with friends who share your interests but don't be afraid of reaching out as we all learn from each other. A teacher once told me, the old are gold, the new silver. Don't let friendships tarnish. They are like jewels and must be treasured. Create a circle of friendship jewels and be content. They, like your life, are precious.

Poem "Silvery Trails"

As this is the season for slugs and snails, I want to share with you one of my poems from my book "God, love and laughter". SILVERY TRAILS Is it a slug or is it a snail That leaves this beautiful silvery trail? I wish it would just up and go For I'm frightened of squashing it With my big toe! There's the pattern by the kitchen door If I don't find it soon, There'll be an uproar! For slugs and snails are best outside To leave their trails where they can shine.

Beauty is skin deep

You will know the phrase "beauty is skin deep." Show the beauty of your own personality by being kind, loving, tolerant, considerate, compassionate, forgiving, joyful, understanding. Try listening in stead of talking. Beauty comes from within. Let it shine.

www.parkpublications.co.uk

I've just had an article published in the Spring 2011 edition of "Countryside Tales" - www.parkpublications.co.uk This is a lovely magazine and if you write articles, poetry or short stories look them up. If you want to see my artcle, either buy the magazine or I will send you a copy of my article by Email.

Everything has a past

This may seem deep but have you ever thought that everything has a past - obviously humans and animals have as no matter how old they are, they have had years on this earth before they reached that particular age. Even a piece of paper on the ground has a past. Was it thrown there or did it blow there in the wind? Where did it come from? We live in the present and look to the future, but everything we see has a past.

Ways to save money and be creative

One obvious way to save money and be creative is to take up gardening. I'm reading a lovely book called "Allotments" which I bought at a National Trust shop. If I had the time I would do just that - take up an allotment. According to the book, you need to spend four hours a week in it to keep on top. We spend time away visiting relatives so it is not possible to spend a regular amount of time on an allotment. However, I love pottering in the garden and this year in Lent decided to go for growth! I already have a potato and strawberry patch but yesterday dug out another strip from our lawn and planted more potatoes, leaving a spare piece to plant peas which I have sown in individual pots and taken into the greenhouse to germinate away from mice. For a little amount of money, you can buy packets of seeds to grow vegetables and flowers and usually there are far too many seeds to use. When the tomato season comes round, you will have a glut of them but the flavour of cherry tomatoes beats any bought at the supermarket. Get creative and save money!

Village life

I've just read an article on village life - it seems that community life has changed over the years. Whereas people met at Church or the village pump (so the article said) now people meet in groups in the community hall. Having just heard a nearby village holds a "Zumba" class in their community centre and they cater for 90 people each time, perhaps we should just join them! I must say though I prefer the old life where you met people on the streets walking to the shops or at church or at the tennis club. Are we all just living more private lives than ever before - that is what the article suggests. In some ways good, in some ways bad. What do you think?

Creating a circle of love

Today we aim to create a circle of love by planting five rose bushes in a circle - the rose of course means "I love you." In the centre we will place a statue of a boy and a girl in love - representing myself and my husband. Create your own circle of love.

BE STILL

BE STILL

Be still and know that God is here
In your presence now.
Sending rays of quietness,
His love and peace and gentleness
Are signs that He is watching
You for you are special in His
Heart and will be now for evermore.


My own poem from my poetry book "God, Love and Laughter"

Take time to be still - life can become too frantic at times.

Tossing Pancakes

TOSSING PANCAKES

I tossed a pancake up in the air
But it landed on my brother's hair.
He cried but smiled when I gave him the pan
"YOU have a try - do as many as you can!"


If you like this poem, you will like those in my two poetry books "God, Love and Laughter" and "Poems of Love, Life and Laughter".

March 2nd 2011

Today is my 64th birthday. I feel like singing "When I'm 64" but age doesn't bother me. I am young at heart and full of good spirits. Today I will celebrate with a meal in town with that special person in my life - my husband - and remember the day I was born when the snow was as high as the windowsills and there was rationing! How times and the climate has changed.

Looking forwards

In my mind, there is always something to look forward to. I have started another book and even though this could take some time, I look forward to its publication. Of course, I live in the present but I daydream of better times - I don't think they should tamper with changing the clocks in Britain and look forward to it being how it was before wartime. Let nature take its course. I may write to my MP about that! Of course I reflect on the past. This can be good but when dreadful events have happened, I try not to dwell on them as this makes me too broody. In Britain, plenty to look forward to as my delphiniums have sprouted. These were kept under cover, as the instructions told me to i.e. in the dark, but left in a cold greenhouse. They have taken longer than they were supposed to to germinate but now they are through, I look forward to planting them out. Life is good.

Grandchildren reunion

How lovely when our grandchildren get together. We have three and they are aged, 4, 4 and 6. Two boys and a girl. The cousins get on well together and have loads of fun. But this only happens once or twice a year due to distances. Special times though!

To love and be loved

I heard these words on a television programme last night "Larkrise to Candleford" and they were spoken by a man to a woman. "To love and be loved" is the main philosophy in life. When I feel both, I am happy. For a long time now, I have been in this fortunate position. What is your philosophy?

Giving yourself time

No matter how much you love your family and friends, it is very important to have time to yourself. I try and manage an hour a day in the morning where I can read the paper, write notes or just gaze out of the kitchen window into the garden and watch the funny antics of birds and mammals that come in to feed. I usually feel refreshed after and ready for the main part of the day. Try it and see for yourself - maybe a touch of yoga in your own hour or a meditation or prayer. Just be by yourself for a while.

A wedding poem for Prince William and Kate

A joining of hearts
A joining of minds
A love that endures
A love that binds
The two together for evermore
At the marriage of William
and Kate, his adored.
God be with the happy pair
Give them peace, joy, hope
In the life they share.
We pray for them both this wedding day
And wish them good luck, hip hip, hooray!

Marian Bythell - copyright. Get writing!

decorating is satisfying

Decorating is satisfying when you have a room which needs renovating from top to bottom. The satisfaction is choosing the colour scheme (even though you get it wrong at times) and accessories like curtains, carpets and bed covers. We have finished one bedroom and nearly completed another. Cheaper too when you do it all by yourself!

Chinese new year - year of the rabbit

This is going to be a good year when all will benefit - selfless acts for the good of others. See what you can achieve in the Chinese Year of the Rabbit.

Progress of new book

Plenty of ideas for new book but normal household work gets in the way! However, progress is good and I'm writing something each day. Must contact my publisher to let him know.

A new day, a new dawn and birds

A new day, a new dawn and the birds are singing about 7.00 am Whilst there is talk about killing magpies and crows in certain parts of England due to them destroying songbirds, this is not happening in our county. We have a birdtable in our garden which I regularly fill with bird seed, peanuts, bread and fat from bacon etc. It was lovely to see large birds like magpies take their turn with robins and chaffinches as they let each other feed from the table. This was last Spring and I thought - share and share alike - plenty for everybody. The cycle is starting again.

Share and share alike

It is good to share our feelings and thoughts with each other. Today is the start of a new day. New days mean that you can leave the past behind for a moment and plan for the present and the future. Sharing is caring and caring is a prerequisite of love. With love anything is possible.

Royalties and libraries

Each time a book is borrowed, a small amount is paid to the writer. To receive this money, Google - Public Lending Rights, fill in the form and send it off.

A new project

I can't say too much at the moment but I am working on a new book. This will take me an enormous of amount of time as it will be all facts and very different from the ones I've written before. Therefore, I may not have much time for blogging!

Decorating and creativity

Decorating a room whether from scratch or one already decorated, is wonderfully therapeutic. I like to decorate thoroughly which means including the ceiling, walls, skirting boards etc. It's so creative as you can choose from a great variety of wallpaper and paints but of course if you keep the floor coverings like carpets or boarding, this has to be borne in mind since colours clash. As we are decorating a spare bedroom, I can get into the swing of things but then trouble comes as bedding and curtains need to match. I have seen days when we have had to repaint walls which we've just done to get the colours right. Also to bear in mind whether south or north facing rooms etc. - don't want dark rooms. Well, on with the job!

Creation

With certain skills you can create something from a small amount. Take a poem, you don't need many words to create this and of course all your own work. Let's see, I will take a few random words - Monday, work, song,

Ok, it's a Monday
But make it a fun day
We know we must work
And mustn't shirk
But if we sing a song
It won't take long.

It's easy because all you have to do is sing along with the radio to tunes you know - or put on a CD and then make up a rhyme using easy words with one syllable e.g. day - which rhymes with hay etc. Have a go.

Tending the garden

January 22nd and very cold here with fog in the morning. However, in last few days we have sowed some tomato seeds in a small pot and brought it inside for warmth. I have sowed delphinium which will be beautiful in the summer and at moment in a seed tray in our cold greenhouse along with sweet pea seeds I planted. I've also laid some seed potatoes in a tray ready to sprout. Around the garden, work needed doing in last day in the way of pruning straggly roses and raking up wet soggy Autumn leaves. It is heartening to see snowdrops ready to open with plenty of celandines showing heart shaped leaves before they burst into bloom. Lots of Spring bulbs showing. It is good to see birds taking the wild bird seed and nuts I've put out - chaffinches, robins, blackbirds, magpies and squirrels of course pop in and out. How lucky I am to be able to watch nature in action.

An extract from "Easter in Eden" - my book

An extract from "Easter in Eden" - a lovely holiday we spent at St Margaret's at Cliffe, near Dover, England. One day we visited Dover Castle and had look at the Secret War Tunnels. This is what I said in my book "From there it was time to go in the Secret War Tunnels. A young woman showed a group of us round. We were warned that if we suffered from blood pressure or heart troubles we should not go in, but we were okay. In places it was dark and scary. There were exhibits of the hospital casements and tunnels where the injured were operated on - medical equipment, operating tables, red bloody bandages and swabs (red dye). Also we saw tables where they ate, with plates of food on (which smelt of food), and tables with packs of cards, etc., for amusement. .......

Now I must add that my mother-in-law worked as a cypher officer in the second world war and worked in the underground tunnels (not Dover) and moved about a lot because it was secret work. Read my book and learn about places like this and others such as beautiful Canterbury Cathedral.

Little things lead to big things

In response to the last blog, little things lead to big things. When I was at school, I loved writing essays and always liked to write a title first and work round that. At senior school, I showed my English Teacher a book of a long story I had written - really a short novel. She was interested and said keep writing. At l3 I wanted to be a roving reporter. I never became one but writing had already taken a hold and when the children were very tiny, I sent a clothing tag to a woman's magazine which had a funny misinterpretation to it - the fault of the manufacturer. My letter was published and now I regularly write letters to magazines and get them published now and again. Recently, I had a letter and photo published in Yours magazine and I received two shopping vouchers. So as they say, one thing leads to another. Keep persevering. Finally, going back to the essay when I started with a good title - Charles Dickens did just that!

my website

Have a look at my website www.marianbythell.com which features all my books together with some lovely extracts.

Comic verse

A verse from one of my poetry books:-

JONATHAN JOE

There was a man called Jonathan Joe,
Who ate the nail from his big toe.
When asked if he ate the one from his thumb,
Replied, "Of course, when it's dipped in rum!"

More Valentine card suggestions

Visualize two eskimos and one says to another - share my igloo - be my valentine
" a wizard and a witch and the wizard says - let's make magic together
" two red indians and one says to the other - share my wigwam - be my valentine
" a boy playing on a drum and a girl singing at a microphone - the boy says to the girl "let's make music together" - and "Be my valentine"

Use my suggestions to write and draw your own Valentine cards.

a poem from my book "Poems of Love, Life and Laughter"

A PUPPY CALLED SAM

I've heard of a puppy called Sam
Who ate a whole jar of jam.
He licked the pot clean
His face turned dark green
And thought - "I prefer a nice ham!"

Buy my book (I write under my own name - Marian Bythell) "Poems of Love, Life and Laughter" - via Amazon.

Some Valentine messages

Card manufacturers - visualize my ideas and use them on forthcoming Valentine cards:-

The caption on the front is "Be my Valentine"

The series will be called "Be Mine"

Examples:-
l. a man is walking over hot coals and he says "I would walk over hot coals if you would - BE MINE"
2. a man is sitting on a bed of nails and says "I would lie on a bed of nails if you would BE MINE"
3. a man is getting into a rocket and says "I would fly to the moon if you would BE MINE"
4. a man is walking a tightrope over a waterfall and he says "I would walk on a tightrope over the Niagra falls if you would - BE MINE"
5. a muscular man says "I would move heaven and earth if you would BE MINE"

My new website

Hi, I've written 7 books and these together with extracts are on my new website www.marianbythell.com I think the site is brilliant and from the statistics website, I find I'm progressing very well. Look me up and let me know what you think.

If you like poetry, there are three poetry books on my site.