On Christmas Day in the Morning

Seven Good Things in Life

Liz tagged me with this a few days ago. Life has been a bit of a hassle this week so I have only just been able to get my thoughts round it.

This challenge reminds me of the book '100 Reasons to be Glad by Isabel Losada'

I have been thinking about ideas for my 100 for some time... 100 is a bit of a challenge, and so is seven!

So just a few of my ideas in no particular order:

1. Friends and family - Very important and special to me. I could just say friends because my family are my friends too ;-)

2. Snow - I love the snow, I love the silence it brings in the night and seeing it fresh with no footprints or marks in the morning. I like to wrap up warm and step out in it!

I miss the snow...

Cold frosty mornings are nearly as good.

3. Maya Gold Chocolate - mmm you just have to taste this ;-)

4. Gardens - They are so peaceful colourful and tranquil. They need some nicely positioned benches though :-)

5. Freedom - What else can I say about that?

6. Internet, mobile phones etc: - So nice to make contact and keep in touch with people ;-)

7. Gothic Cathedrals at night - mmm! Stained glass windows, candles, atmosphere....

I think most have you have done this already, but for anyone who hasn't give it a go ;-)

Now I have had Time to Reflect!

After my far too hectic Christmas/New Year thing I have at last had some space for my thoughts and time to reflect on how I feel about the Sapphire House decision. Check this Previous post for the good news and my thoughts are below.

For me the symbolic start of our campaign was the day we held our 24 hour candlelit vigil outside Sapphire House in November 2005. It was very uplifting to stand with my colleagues including many from other local departments. Even the local MPs came along on the day to offer support and talk to Sapphire House staff. This positive start was needed as there were many setbacks along the way and we had to try different and new angles to make ourselves noticed and get our voice heard.

When the U-Turn decision was finally announced 2 years later it was a relief to know that our campaigning had paid off and that the right decision had been made for everyone. Our experience shows that by standing together and being prepared for a long campaign it is possible to make a difference and I hope that friends and colleagues from other departments who are facing similar threats will gain inspiration from our success.

This is one of my favourite pictures from the day, I can't take the credit for the photograph though, it was taken by someone else ;-)

Christmas Day Corner

Click on photo for a larger view.

Cheers :-)

Today was the day for putting up Christmas trees! Mmm not really in the mood, but it needed to be done ;-) Somehow there was a big mix up and the wrong size tree got put up in the dining room! So sit back and think mmm this makes dining in here so cramped - Aaaah! What to do next?

OK move the decorated tree to the sitting room and start again with the proper tree in the dining room... wrong colours but I am thinking it is a good omen for next year ;-)

So wishing all my friends a wonderful festive season :-) Love to you all xxx

Click on picture for a larger view.