Month in Numbers | October

October half-term was 'oarsome' {ahem},

because The Boy Child and I spent it in New York City.

Central Park covers 843 acres of space in the middle of Manhattan.

Even though we visited it twice, we probably saw less than 10% of it.

It takes 60 seconds for the elevators at One, World Trade Center, 

aka Freedom Tower, to travel 1250'. 

5 USD: the amount I was charged by Big Bird before I could take his photo!

He said, "times are hard!"  You can't argue with that.

10s of miles covered as we explored the streets of Manhattan.

***

Month in Numbers is the brainchild of Julie

and you'll always find a warm welcome over at her place. 

 Not to mention entertaining posts about a varied list of topics.

Go on over, stop by and say hello.

You can see my previous Month in Numbers here.

Half-Term Break

It's half-term week and I'm stepping away from the blog ...

in order to make memories to scrapbook and blog about in the future.

{You'll be able to see those memories being made via Instagram} 

I'll be back on Monday, 31 October and hope to see you then.

What Caught My Eye #1

In March of this year, I wrote about discovering that Mum and I shared a habit.

I created a weekly series to showcase what had caught her eye

and shared 31 entries here.  The series ended last week.

A few readers suggested that I might like to now share

my own collection of things that have spoken to me.  

"In matters of style, swim with the current;

In matters of principle, stand like a rock."

~ Thomas Jefferson

I've yet to decide whether to run another weekly series,

or to share on a more ad hoc basis.  

Bedroom Upgrade

The Boy Child's bedroom was last decorated in May 2014

and I had hoped it would last more than 2.5 years.

However, The Boy Child is hard on his surroundings; 

cracks in the wall needed to be addressed, underfloor soundproofing needed to be fitted

and his bed was in dire need of a new mattress.

I decided to start from scratch once the walls and floor had been attended to.

Fresh paint on the walls.

{paint is Pale Powder from Farrow & Ball}

New carpet, curtains and blind.

{two doorstops; one to protect the wall from the door handle

 banging against it and one to hold the door open}

New bedroom furniture.

New ladder shelf.

New narrow shelves.

 {to avoid hammering tons of nails into the walls for photos and the like}

I love the finished room so much, I keep going in there just to admire it.  

And take my shoes off before I go in.

{The blind is still to arrive}  

Snap #34 | Autumn Light

Helena has a new photographic theme for 2016:

Snap, a visually linked group of 2 to 4 images.

***

The light in our local park was so inviting yesterday

that The Boy Child and I made a detour to walk home that way.

You can see more Snap images here.

Exciting and Worrying in Equal Measure

Our niece, The Colombian, has been expecting twins.

A pair of little brothers for Cachirulo.

They were born a week ago.

Unfortunately, they were born at 29 weeks. 

We're calling them Pequeňo Uno and Pequeňo Dos,

Spanish for Little One 1 and Little One 2.

They're going to be in the NICU for a few weeks yet,

so I'd appreciate any positive thoughts or prayers you could send them and their parents. 

Positivity and Kindness

The Boy Child came home from school on Friday with a sweet note from a classmate.

During their PHSE lesson, the children had been directed to randomly select a name from the hat

and then write a short note to that child.  The message had to be kind.

I don't know the child who this note, but I love them!

  

What Caught Her Eye

I've come to end of sharing what caught her eye.

That Smythson notebook is now on a shelf,

and within easy reach for those times when I want to feel her close to me.   

I've shared 31 entries of sayings and quotations,

things that resonated with her.

I hope at least one of them might have resonated with you. 

A Random Purchase of the Best Kind

This bound copy of Handel's Messiah caught my eye recently.

Oxfam sold it to me for all of around £1.99, if I remember correctly.

I've no idea how old it is, certainly pre-decimalisation.

I bought it simply to admire.

 Back during my Middle School years, aged 11-13,

I was in both the school choir and orchestra.

So at some point in my life, I could sing and read music. 

I can still sing, after a fashion, but I've definitely lost the art of reading music.

No matter.

I often use Handel's Messiah as background music when I dust and vacuum

and sing along loudly.

That I sang the line, "and we like sheep ..." as, "the big white chief ..." is hearsay. 

Snap #33 | Dawnosaurs

Helena has a new photographic theme for 2016:

Snap, a visually linked group of 2 to 4 images.

***

Last weekend, we attended our first Autism friendly event

at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington.

In order to make the 8 am start time, we actually got up earlier

than we do for school/work.

It was worth it though.

That huge space and hardly anyone in it.

 On Instagram, I said it was like Night of the Museum, 

apart from it not being night time and the exhibits not coming to life. 

But, you know, apart from that ...

 The Boy Child enjoyed it, although we could have done with

a few more exhibits being open.

Oh, and Dippy is leaving home.  From early 2017, he'll be off on his travels 

and the Blue Whale will be in the Great Hall.

You can see more Snap images here.

A Little Shelfie Action and The Art of Positive Affirmation

The Boy Child has a new ladder shelf in his bedroom.

Unfortunately, it had been been damaged in transit

and we are waiting for a replacement part.  

 In the mean time, I am having fun switching things in and out,

 and adding framed prints or postcards in the hope 

that he will absorb their positive messages.

That little box was made by my sister and opens out flat 

to display a collection of photos of our parents. 

I'm also adding family photos, such as the one of my nephew from 2008,

as well as a few of his favourites. 

All the frames came from Marks and Spencer and are very reasonably priced.

The Russian dolls came from the Royal Hospital Chelsea and remind us all of Grandad P.  

One Photo | Twenty Words

I'm not uncharitable.

I'm simply tired of strangers ringing my doorbell

looking for a cash donation for an obscure cause.

What Caught Her Eye #31

Continuing my new series for Fridays: 

the contents of that Smythson notebook,

one page at a time.

"We make a living by what we

get, but we make a life by

what we give."

~ Winston Churchill

I Wrote a Letter

Earlier this week, I wrote to a Member of Parliament.

~ rough draft ~

I've never done that before, although I did write to the then Prime Minister

when I was a child.  Twice.

Writing this letter was something I've been meaning to do for about a year.

You see, Mum had sent me a clipping from the constituency magazine 

of her local MP referring to the family of 

someone I'd featured in my self-published book.

There and then, I decided to send that MP a copy of my book, 

asking her to forward it on to the family.

But I did nothing about it.

I'm rather appalled it's taken me this long,

but I have now posted off that copy and it's accompanying cover letter.

I'll let you know if I receive a reply. 

Snap #32 | Dog Walking

Helena has a new photographic theme for 2016:

Snap, a visually linked group of 2 to 4 images.

***

The twenty seven acres of Common at the end of our road

play a big part in our daily lives.

It was, until fairly recently, where we walked the pooch.

Sadly, after a long summer of day trippers, a visiting fairground and squatters,

the Common is currently not a pleasant place to be.

Hopefully, it won't be long before the Council ensures 

that it's returned to its usually level of cleanliness.   

***

You can see more Snap images here.

A Basket Case

I don't think I could ever write a Home Decor blog. 

as I'm not someone who is particularly interested in the latest trends,

and let's be honest, things stay the same in our house for years.   

However, when I was introduced to Postcards Home

(via Angloyankophile, which I mentioned here),

I fell in love with their Pom Pom baskets.  

 So much so, that last week I splurged and ordered two. 

 I'm using them for magazine storage.  One is now home to back copies 

of The Simple Things and Scrapbook & Cards Today, and the other one is home

to magazines and programmes we can't bear to part with.   

Yes, they're a little on the pricey side, but as long as I look after them,

they'll be both a stylish addition to my living room and a storage solution

for many years to come.

And in the interest of full disclosure, I also own the plain Market basket, 

which I use to store my collection of travel journals.  

Month in Numbers | September

September was both sunny and sensational!

Here's a look at how it panned out:

32C: the highest temperature reached in our London borough during September.

Countrywide, it was the hottest September since records began.

Year 5: hard to believe that he is now in Year 5 ... wasn't it only

yesterday that he was beginning Nursery?

52: The number of photos I took on my dSLR camera ...

the first time I've ever taken so few images

 on a digital camera over the course of a month.

I don't even know how it happened.

3 days: the number of days he spent away on the Year 5 Residential

... he loved it!

55: the age reached by someone who happens to be married to me.

I may have baked a cake in honour of such an auspicious occasion.

***

Month in Numbers is the brainchild of Julie

and you'll always find a warm welcome over at her place. 

 Not to mention entertaining posts about a varied list of topics.

Go on over, stop by and say hello.

You can see my previous Month in Numbers here.