The Friday Post for 25th August 2017

Happy last Friday of August, this year! There are exactly 122 days until Christmas. There. I said it. I’ve put up with it being said over the last couple of weeks and I’ve finally said it myself. It’s scary when I think about it. So …. I’m not going to.

Instead, let’s find out together about what happened on this day in history, shall we?

Ready? OK, let’s go…

1768 – James Cook begins his first voyage.

1830 – Stephenson’s locomotive ‘Northumbrian’ took a trial run to prepare for the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Great Britain. . Actress Fanny Kemble rode on the footplate, the first woman to do so.

1835 – The New York Sun perpetrates the Great Moon Hoax. “The Great Moon Hoax” was a series of six articles that were published in the New York Sun beginning on August 25, 1835 about the supposed discovery of life on the Moon. The discoveries were attributed falsely to Sir John Herschel, perhaps the best-known astronomer of his time. You can read more about this here: Wikipedia; Great Moon Hoax. (it will open in another window for you.).

1910 – Yellow Cab is founded. The original Yellow Cab Company based in Chicago, Illinois is one of the largest taxicab companies. Independent companies using that name (some with common heritage, some without) operate in many cities in a number of countries. Many firms operate with drivers as independent contractors. In some cities, they are operated as cooperatives owned by their drivers.

Related companies include The Hertz Corporation, Yellow Roadway and the Chicago Motor Coach Company, which was acquired by the Chicago Transit Authority.

1916 – The United States National Park Service is created. The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. It was created on August 25, 1916, by Congress through the National Park Service Organic Act in order to protect areas designated as national parks.

It is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior, which is a Cabinet Office of the executive branch, overseen by a Secretary nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Most of the direct management of the NPS is delegated by the Secretary to the National Park Service Director, who must now also be confirmed by the Senate. The NPS oversees 391 units, of which 58 are designated national parks.

1917 – The Order of the British Empire (OBE), and the Companion of Honour (CH), were awarded for the first time

1919 – The world’s first international daily air service began between London and Paris.

1940 – The RAF made the first air raid on Berlin.

1942 – The Duke of Kent, youngest brother of King George VI, was killed in a plane crash during a war mission to Iceland. He was the first member of the Royal family to be killed on active service.

1944 – Paris was liberated as the Germans surrendered. General Charles de Gaulle entered the capital of France after French and US troops forced a German surrender. BBC News Report plus video footage of the news

1967 – The leader of the American Nazi party, George Lincoln Rockwell, was shot and killed by a sniper at a shopping centre in Arlington, Virginia. George Rockwell was known as the “American Hitler”. Minutes after the shooting a man was arrested and charged with his murder. BBC News Report on the day

1986 – Britain staged its first street motor race – along roads around the centre of Birmingham – Englands second city (London being it’s first).

Born on this Day

1930 – Sean Connery, Scottish actor

1938 – Frederick Forsyth, English author

1946 – Charles Ghigna (Father Goose), American poet and Children’s Author

1949 – Gene Simmons, Israeli-born musician (Kiss)

1954 – Elvis Costello, English musician

1958 – Tim Burton, American film director of (amongst many other things) two Batman films, Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Nightmare Before Christmas

1961 – Billy Ray Cyrus, American singer and actor

1970 – Claudia Schiffer, German model

And here’s a new addition to The Friday Post …

Thought for the Day

I had a conversation recently, with a much-loved friend who is a ‘non-believer’. An Atheist. Our conversation went from belief to non belief and back again, as we talked and chatted over our personal view points, until we came to death and what happens when you die.

Now my own experience of death is very limited. I haven’t yet left this earth – I’ve only sat with others as they’ve done it (although I did technically ‘die’ on the operating table once – but that’s a story for another time). But, it’s interesting that, when they ‘go’, people who ‘die’ leave their bodies behind.

You see, to me, this suggests that existence cannot be a purely physical phenomenon. What makes the difference between a human being and a human shell?

Breath. Plain and simple.

And what drives that breath?

Well, some people call it heart, and some call it soul. Some call it energy and some call it spirit. But whatever it is – it has no weight, no mass, no size, and no visibility. Therefore it has no time.

So in that case . . . how can it ever die?

Like I’ve always believed: …. you can’t die for the life of you.

There’s something to think about over the weekend, eh? 🙂

Well that about wraps up this weeks offerings of educationalmalisation . . . EXCEPT …. every good school has play time. Time out in the world, breathing in and out and having a little fun. So … in order to accommodate this bit of play time, I’m sharing with you a game that I’ve played on and off for years.

Now I don’t know if I play it for the beautiful sounds of the bubbles popping – aww, so gentle and SO musical – or if I just try to beat the game. (Because I do like a challenge). However here it is, and I encourage you to have a few plays with it until you get the feel of it and begin to enjoy it. BOOMSHINE is the game’s name. (the link is the name). When the page loads (in another window), simply click on ‘Play’ and the bubbles will load within that little screen. They float about in various different colours and all you have to do is click somewhere on the screen where you’ll score the most bubbles bursting. Each time you get over the required amount the screen back colour will change to a pale silver colour. The opening page each time, will tell you how many bubbles you need to get – or how many you scored. And … while the bubbles begin bursting, there is a little counter down in the left hand corner. Do enjoy.

Have a truly lovely Friday and a wonderful weekend.

Sending squidges from my house to yours.

Racing towards a Birthday

Guess who had a play in their craft room? [grins] I’m still not feeling 100% and the mojo is still M.I.A. and hiding somewhere in the craft room, but I’m still on the case and, with the help of our dog (an animal who can smell a biscuit crumb from 30 yards) I’m hoping to find that missing mojo very soon.

In the meantime I put together a Birthday card made with components from Hunkydory.

It’s a 3D card which folds completely flat, so no need for a big box. When opened up (into an X shape) the middle sections are hung from invisible thread (from my sewing threads box) and the two dimpled gold rings, and the central disc picturing the racing car, spin around – in a slight breeze (from opening a door nearby), or if you blow very gently on them.

below are three photos which show each ‘quarter’ of the card so that you can see it from all sides.

So – finally, one card done! That’s a big move forward in the right direction. I’m off again to the craft room this afternoon, so fingers crossed … there might be something else to share on another day soon. [GRINS a very hopeful grin!]

Happy Wednesday the 18th of January! Did you know that … on this day in History:-

1644 – Perplexed Pilgrims in Boston reported America’s 1st UFO sighting
1788 – The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrives at Botany Bay to set up a penal colony
1896 – 1st demonstration of an X-ray machine in US.
1919 – Bentley Motors Limited is founded
1944 – The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosts a jazz concert for the first time. The performers were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.
1964 – Beatles 1st appear on Billboard Chart (I Want to Hold Your Hand-#35)
1967 – ‘Boston Strangler’ sentenced to life
1973 – John Cleese’s final episode on “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” on BBC TV
1980 – Pink Floyd’s “Wall” hits #1
1981 – Wendy O Williams arrested in Milwaukee for on-stage obscenity
1991 – Longest tennis match at the Australian Open, Boris Becker beats Italy’s Omar Camporese in 5 hours & 11 mins

That’s just a little handful of things which happened on this day in history. Wikipedia have a huuuge list, and if you’d like to read more about todays date simply click on the name.

Hope your week is off to a good start and that the weather is treating you kindly, wherever you are on the planet. But … if the weather is fowl and you have bills to pay you’d rather not be paying … just think … you’re in a better place than you could be. So please look at what you’re blessed with, and have a truly lovely, blessed, rest of your day.

Sending squidges from me in my corner to you in yours.

Something I wish to share with you

I don’t normally make two blog posts in one day, but this is important, so I am.

I know that when you want to share a blog post which someone else has made on their own blog, you can do a little gizmo thing to share their post with your own followers. So yes, I do know I can do that. However, in this circumstance, I don’t want to do that, and the reason for this might become clear when you read this ‘story’.

A dear blogging friend, Michelle, has been going through a really heart aching time of recent. In the last 6 months Michelle has had her youngest Son, just three years old, go through surgery; Her young daughter (aged just 7) had to go through heart surgery; and since August 1st her eldest son has been very, very poorly indeed and is in hospital.

Yesterday Michelle posted this:

When Tears Become A Way Of Life

the-view-from-the-window

Sometimes, tears become normal because life can be hard. So very, very hard.

The photo above is the view from my son’s hospital room. His illness first started on August 1st and he is still desperately sick. He now has post surgical meningitis and his pain is immense. Tears are never far from my eyes as I watch, helpless to ease his suffering. But do you know what he does?

He sings praise.

His spinal column and brain are filled with bacteria and pain, but he sings praise.

His hope has never grown dim and yesterday, when he could barely speak and was going in and out of delirium, he said to me

“Mom, I love you. Never lose faith.”

Can you imagine? In the midst of his suffering, he was encouraging me. Tears still come, but I wipe them away and carry on for him because if he can be that strong, so can I.

To all of my wonderful readers, customers and team, I have been pretty missing in action due to all of this. Thank you for sticking by me. I have so many Stampin’ Up! things I need to share with you, but they have to wait because my boy needs me. Thank you for your support, your business and your understanding, and thanks for stopping by today.

Many of you have shared your own stories of personal health struggles or watching loved ones suffer, and some of you have even recently lost those closest to you. My heart is with each of you who have shared. If you are in the middle of a season of tears, my message to you is the same as my son’s:

Friend, I love you.

Never lose faith.

Michelle

Michelle is the most incredible person. She’s a very soft and gentle girl, – and if you’d have been at school with her, you know you’d have protected from any bully, and made sure she knew she was fantastic, whatever someone else might say, and quite possibly thumped anyone who hurt her. (no matter how much a scaredy cat you actually are. – or is that just me I’m talking about here? lol). But she’s built of sturdier stuff than I, for I think I would have caved in under the weight of what she’s had to bear. She amazes me with her positivity and ability to keep going long after others would have been on the floor.

So, why am I here sharing blog post with you? Well, I have a favour to ask. Would you please go to Michelle’s blog page and post a message for her?

If you pray, would you tell her that you’re praying for her son?

If you don’t pray – that’s fine … tell her that you’re thinking positive thoughts and pushing your hopes and wishes out into the world. That way those good wishes and hopes and thoughts can join up with all the other people who are doing the same thing, and make one great big positive, thought, prayer, love and … oh lots of other things. And together, all those things make something so powerful and so good and, who knows …. maybe out of this could come something wonderful which we’re all hoping for.

The reason I didn’t want to do that gizmo ‘share’ of her post is because to do so seems wrong. The blog post, on this occasion, should stand alone, out of a deep respect for her and her family and the situation they are in right now. I didn’t want Michelle being notified that someone had shared her post on their own blog. There’s something wrong in doing that. Somehow it felt like a tacky thing to do.

But … If however you yourself have followers that you would like to encourage to visit Michelle’s blog and post something truly uplifting and which will give her an even greater hope that something good is happening, then that would be brilliant – and yes, you can do the quote of this blog post. I don’t mind.

You can visit Michelle’s blog post HERE.

When the page loads (in another window) scroll all the way down to leave a comment for her.

I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for posting words of encouragement on her blog; showing her your support; telling her that you’re praying; or telling her that you’re thinking of her son and the family, and pushing good thoughts out into the ether, wishing and hoping that her sons health improves soon, and that he’s back home, fully recovered as soon as possible.

Thank you to all the wonderful people of blog land. Praying or Wishing or Hoping may seem like only be a little thing for you to do … but all those little things add up and eventually they become something BIG. And sometimes, all those little things bundled up together contain miracles that can amaze you. Those things really can make incredible things happen. They can change the world. Or a boy’s life.

As Arthur Conan Doyle said: “the little things are infinitely the most important.“

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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I spy with my little eye: a Chat Noir upon a Mer de Bleu!

Did you ‘get’ it? Did you? eh? If you didn’t then it’s probably because you don’t remember the school lessons in basic French. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, … I don’t remember that much about those lessons either. Although I do remember: ‘La plume de ma tante est dans le jardin’. What a useless bit of French was that? How on earth was I going to use that in every day talking? My aunt would never have left her pen in the garden, because if she had, one of her three children would have squirreled it away and produced it in a quiet moment when she wasn’t looking, and the hall walls were ready for a hand drawn masterpiece on them.

I’m really honoured, very flattered, and, I admit, a little bit embarrassed, about receiving 3 awards in 3 weeks. And I’m so sorry if I’m boring everyone to pieces with little snippets of ‘me’ all over the place, but I promise that this is the final of the three awards, – so after this you’ll be so full of ‘Cobs’ you won’t want to hear from me for weeks-on-end until you’ve finally filtered all the ‘Cobs’ through your system, past your kidneys and … well you know how your internal system works, so we’ll leave it right there shall we? [nod & a wink].

A blogger who I just adore, The Chicken Grandma nominated me for the Black Cat Blue Sea award. I apparently one of the people who, she said (and I quote) “made me think, they have made me laugh out loud, they have inspired me but most of all they have made me wish I could meet them in person” … Now I have to say that she might have been suffering a moment of ‘delusion’ when it came to nominating me, but she can’t take it away now ’cause I have it in writing! [nods firmly as if to seal the deal]. Thank you Chicken for honouring me in this way. Bless your beautiful heart.

Anyhoo .. the rules are as follows:

Ok .. that seems simple enough, even for a person of little brain and bad headache like me. We’ll begin with the questions that The Chicken Grandma asked me to answer:

1. How do you find your inspiration for a blog post?

Well, the obvious answer is my crafting. Whatever I make will inspire the blog post. However … I don’t just blog about crafts, so, in truth, it’s my life which gives me the inspiration. Things happen, good and not so good, and when they happen I tend to try to look for the either the silver lining, or the humour in the situation, and from that comes the inspiration. I love fun. Not to the exclusion of anything else you understand. But I love the fun which lightens the days. Fun which is harmless to anyone else. You’ll never find me having fun at someone elses expense for example. If there is to be someone who is the brunt of my fun then it’s me. But I’m in my element when I can share the fun with someone else. I have a little handful of bloggers (yes YOU know who YOU are) who have that same little streak of naughtiness running through them. A kind of gentle rascal naughtiness. Something like two girls giggling in the corner of the playground, and no one really knows what they’re giggling about, but everyone DOES know that it’s totally harmless, not offensive or rude and just simply two minds going on a carnival ride together.

2. What do you enjoy most about where you call home?

Oh, well that ones easy! ... Mr Cobs, my dog, my cats, my rabbit, and my chickens are all there. Oh … and my craft room is in the garden. umm… Did I mention my craft room? Or as my friend calls it: The ‘executive art annexe’. (Posh friend with just a hint of crazy and an extremely large dash of fun. lol).

3. What is your favourite thing to do?

Oh heck … I have lots of things I love to do .. but I have to tie it down to one … lemme think for a moment ….. hmm.. It seems to be the simple pleasures that I enjoy the most – so I’ll choose ….. Visiting the sea. The sea is just a few minutes away from our home, and I love to visit just to sit and look and watch it. To feel it’s power and yet it’s gentleness. The sound of the sea is a music like no other.

Sitting with the sea cleanses my mind and my soul and seems to slow down my pulse and heart rate. It allows me to stop thinking and instead, let another power take control.

Right – that’s the questions answered, …. now I need to name 7 blogs I want to pass this award onto, and set them three questions of my own … here goes…

Gail at Truly Jewellery and Crafts

Sarah at The Handmade Card Blog

Linda Simpson Crafty Piece of Heaven

And my 3 questions for these people to answer are as follows:

If you won a prize for a crafty item or craft related ‘goody’ … what would you really want that prize to be … and why?
If you were asked to demonstrate how you made a particular thing … for one of the main Craft channels on TV … would you say yes? and .. what item would you demonstrate that you’ve already made? (Give us all a link to that too, so that we can share the enjoyment).
You’re going to be stranded on an island all by yourself, for one week. What 5 (only FIVE) crafty items would you take with you? Or ... would you take none and just enjoy the total peace and quiet?

And that, as they say, is all there is to it. BUT … if any of the people I’ve named for nomination of this award choose not to accept the award then that’s absolutely fine and groovy. No one is under any obligation to accept the award or to answer the questions.

Thank you again to my fabulous Chicken Grandma for nominating me for this award. I’m honoured, and so blessed to know her. Please go and check out her blog (see the link towards the head of this post), and get to know her. She’s an absolute delight and makes me smile so very much. Her blog posts are such an enjoyment to read. Go check her out.

Well today is Monday… So let’s get this week off to a great start, shall we? Could you, do you think, do just one act of random kindness today? Could you perhaps buy a little bunch of flowers and give them to a neighbour, just to make them smile? Perhaps give a sweet card to someone to bring cheer into their life? How about making a cake for someone? Or even buying a pack of biscuits? One of my most favourite things to do where I used to live was something I called ‘Get your neighbour fat day’ … while out shopping I’d buy a couple of cakes from the bakery department and have them packed singularly so that I could take one to one of my lady neighbours, and the other cake to another. I’d sometimes stand on their doorstep singing: “A very happy UnBirthday to you . . . “ (from Alice in Wonderland). Which made them hoot.

Go on, give it a go. Do a random act of kindness for someone. You don’t have to spend any money if you can’t… you could pray for the next person who passes you in the street. Or you could simply share a smile. Sometimes it takes the smallest act of kindness to change a persons day, or even their whole life.

You really are the greatest bunch of folks, y’know, and if I could give you one thing in life it would be to see yourself through my eyes. Only then would you know how incredibly special you are to me.