Top Ten Thursdays - Talents

Top ten Thursday and this week it's all about things we're good at. Okay, I'm going to be totally honest and say that I was very close to not doing this weeks top ten as I'm not very good at thinking what I'm good at, but far be it for me to avoid a challenge. So after much brain racking and regularly thinking I'm not good at anything, this is the list I've come up with.

1. Navigator: this is one that my beloved tells me regularly as I don't drive so I'm always the one with the map. He doesn't want a satnav because he says that I'm his satnav - the only problem is that sometimes when we're travelling my batteries go flat and I shut down on him (go to sleep).

2. Baker: I love baking but don't do it often enough. One of my favourite things to bake is cupcakes and the ones below were made for my mum's 80th birthday - the bright pink icing is because I love pink. We had a bake off competition at my work in London and after many heats, and semifinals, I came second, which was fantastic.

3. Listener: 30 years of nursing has taught me that one of the most valuable things you can give someone is time and to actively listen to them. By that I mean that when you are listening to them you give them your full attention and make them feel that you have nothing else in the world you'd rather do than hear what they have to say. 

4. Furbie Slave: I am a slave to two cats and a puppy dog!! They're our little family and we are always doing things to make their lives easier as they lighten up our lives in so many little ways.

This is an example of how good I am at being a slave to their needs. Muffin Monster has really bad renal failure and two months ago we were told by the vets that we were going to have to prepare for her to die soon. Because of that we moved her upstairs and allowed her into our bedroom at night to spend quality time with her - well, we now think she was faking and had convinced the vet to tell us bad news so that she could be even more pampered at home. The picture below shows how I usually go to sleep and often wake up like this as well (please excuse the scary early morning face and hair - remember Ken has to wake up to this).

5. Hugger: I think hugs a fabulous things and have been told that I give very good hugs - I think it has something to do with my extra padding making it a nice experience. I love this picture of me and my youngest nephew Jarod, even though it looks like I'm trying to stop him from getting away (he's a little bit bigger than this picture now).

6. Persuader: I'm really good at getting my beloved to put silly hats on his head and then letting me take a picture of him. He has to be the most patient husband in the whole world and he goes out of his way to make me smile which is one of the things I love most about him.

7. Selfie taker: I try and take a picture of the two of us together whenever we're out and about, despite my beloved trying to avoid it. The reason is that I like to have pictures showing our life together - we don't do that silly pouty thing that you see girls doing when they take a selfie. The picture below is one of the rejected selfies, but I still like it as it shows my gorgeous man's smiley eyes.

8. Releasing my inner child: I can be a little bit silly and some people might call it immature, but we call it releasing our inner child. A really good example of this is the album I made for one of my friends from photos I took in Australia of our office mascot Halloween Cat. I posed him in lots of different places for his holiday album - I've included a selection below.

Enjoying Coffee & Chocolates

Beachcombing

Considering a tattoo

9. Creative: I love doing different crafts and also love writing, whether that be poetry, free writing, or art journalling. Whether I'm good at that is a bit subjective but it is something that I enjoy and get a sense of wellbeing out of.

10. Wife: This is the talent that I will work the hardest to be good at for the rest of my life and thankfully my beloved says I'm very good at being the perfect wife for him (I did have him in a choke hold at the time). For someone who said they never wanted to get married (me), it is the part of my life that never stresses me and my beloved husband is always on every gratitude list I write.

That's it, my talents for what they're worth. What do you think you're good at? Why don't you pop over to Tamara's blog, Confessions of a part-time working mom, and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with in their top tens - click HERE to visit.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and have a wonderful week.

Pamela & Ken

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Top Ten Thursdays - Famous People

It's time for Top Ten Thursdays, which is hosted by Tamara over at Confessions of a part-time working mom, and this week the topic is famous people which is a huge category. To cut it down I decided to think about it as the top ten famous people that I would invite to a dinner party with me and my beloved, and I should add that they can be either dead or alive. I love hearing who other people would invite to dinner and can be a really good way of getting to know someone.

I did my best to cut it down to just ten but found it too difficult so I'm going to cheat slightly with two lists - one is my dinner party for people who have already died, and the other for famous people who are still alive.

Starting with the dead list.

1. Joan of Arc (1412-1431): I have always been fascinated by this amazing girl - as a teenager she led an army against the English, defeated them and enabled the then Prince Charles to be crowned King, and then was captured, tried as a witch, and burned at the stake at the age of 19. Incredible but tragic. It is only fitting that in 1920 she was canonized by Pope Benedict XV.

2. John F Kennedy (1917-1963): A reputation as a womaniser but actually quite an incredible man who overcame being badly injured in the war to go on and be a man who fought for equal rights and world peace. On a trip to the USA in the early 90's I got to visit JFK's grave in Arlington cemetery.

3. Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993): Classic elegance, great actress, and UNICEF ambassador for children - who wouldn't want her at their dinner party. It might be slightly awkward between her and JFK as apparently they dated briefly but I'm sure they'll get over it. I thought I'd include my favourite clip from Breakfast at Tiffany's where the poor cat must have been drugged for it to allow itself to get so wet and then be squashed between Audrey and George (dishy) Peppard.

4. Jim Morrison (1943-1971): The quintessential bad boy, Morrison lived the life of sex, drugs, rock and roll. I love so many of the Doors songs with my favourite being Riders on the Storm which was the last song that Morrison recorded before taking time off to go to Paris with his long time love Pamela Courson, where he died a few weeks later. He's buried in Pere Lachaise cemetery and yes I have visited his grave.

5. Maya Angelou (1928-2014): An amazing woman who overcame adversity and did so much with her life and whose poetry and quotes I absolutely love. She was awarded over 50 honorary degrees and President Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom which is the highest honor a civilian can receive in America.

6. Michael Hutchence (1960-1997): Lead singer of INXS and so sexy (don't worry, my beloved knows I think that).

7. Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928): A really inspiring woman who was a leading figure in the suffragette movement for equal rights for women including the right to vote. Emily did see this achieved before her death. One of my favourite quotes from Emily Pankhurst is:

 “Well, they little know what women are. Women are very slow to rouse, but once they are aroused, once they are determined, nothing on earth and nothing in heaven will make women give way; it is impossible. ”

8. Errol Flynn (1909-1959): Incredibly handsome movie star who was born in Tasmania (where I'm from) and was a bit of a lad both on screen and off. Flynn claimed he slept with 10,000 women and when he died at the age of 50 the coroner said that he had the body of a man at least 30 years older.

9. Anne Sullivan (1866-1936): Who?? Anne Sullivan is the amazingly incredible woman who taught the blind, deaf, and dumb Helen Keller how to communicate with the world. When I was young I read the book Helen Keller's Teacher and I was so moved by what Anne Sullivan achieved with her life despite her own eyesight and health problems that I still think of her on a regular occasion.

10. Freddie Mercury (1946-1991): The flamboyant lead singer of Queen who died way too young. Slightly quirky looking but in a mesmerizing way and with an incredible voice. The clip I've included is the last video that Freddie filmed before his death and I remember the first time I watched it as it made me cry - it's incredibly poignant.

There you have it, my top ten of deceased people I'd invite to dinner. Have you noticed that all my women are very strong and have really made an impact on the world in ways that have inspired me. The men, well they would definitely liven up any dinner party with their outgoing personalities, great music, and a little bit of womanising from JFK and Errol.

Onto my dinner party list of famous people that are still alive.

1. Hugh Jackman: Gorgeous and Australian - what more could you want. I was so pleased when he was cast as the lead in Les Miserables as he was perfect for the role.

2. Ruby Wax: American comedian who campaigns for better mental health. I love her comedy and I love her even more for how she has coped with her own depression and now wants to improve things for others.

3. Michael J Fox: I loved him as Alex P Keaton on Family Ties as he saw me through my teens and I wanted him for a best friend. He's a great actor but I love him even more for the way he has handled living with Parkinson's. His book, Lucky Man, is the best autobiography I have ever read and I would recommend it to everyone.

4. Melissa Etheridge: Amazing woman and fantastic singer and so glad I got to see her perform live last year. She has been through breast cancer and famously performed at the Grammy's with no hair, singing Janis Joplin's Piece of My Heart. Melissa's response to the Orlando shooting in the Pulse nightclub was to write an amazing song - please listen as it's beautiful and the words are so true.

5. Robert Downey Jr: Another bad boy who went off the rails big time but has come back even better. He starred in one of my favourite films of all time, Heart and Souls (1993) - watch it if you haven't seen it, and I loved him so much in Ally McBeal. I've never seen any of the Iron Man films because they're not my thing but he's perfect as Sherlock Holmes.

6. Ellen Degeneres: Another strong, incredible woman who does so much good with the money she earns from her fame. She campaigns against bullying, global warming, and is speaks out about inequality in a way that ordinary people can understand.

7. Simon Le Bon: Lead singer of Duran Duran and his face used to be all over my walls when I was a teenager, so he would have to be at my dinner party. Simon is one of those rare creatures in the world of popular music who has stayed married to the same woman, celebrating 30 years of marriage to Yasmin last December.

8. Jane Goodall: A woman who has spent her life caring for and campaigning for animals. Jane has worked with chimpanzees for most of her life but also speaks out for all animals and encourages everyone to do what they can as "everyone can make a difference".

9. Dalai Lama: The 14th Dalai Lama, born Lhamo Dhondup, was recognised as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama at the age of two! He's now in his 80's but still such a figure for peace and unification in the world and I think the world needs more of that and the Dalai Lama loves chocolate which makes him even more human. Here is one of his quotes that would be good for us all to remember:

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. 

If you want to be happy, practice compassion." 

10. Michelle Obama: Some people might think this a really odd choice for an Australian living in Scotland but I think Michelle Obama is an amazing woman in the way she supports her husband, the obvious love they share, and for the initiatives she has backed whilst in the position of first lady. Also, she has the ability to reach the everyday person in how she acts - in other words she's not a snob. If you've never seen her on the Ellen Degeneres show then you should google her as she's amazing, especially the episode where she does press ups.

What do you think? Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? It's a fun thing to think about, so give it a try. Now, pop over to Tamara's blog, Confessions of a part-time working mom, to see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for the top ten of famous people.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and make sure you practice compassion this week.

Pamela & Ken
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Cute Northumberland Villages

There are so many lovely little villages to visit in Northumberland that it's difficult to choose where to start. One of the first we went to this week was Low-Newton-by-the-Sea which according to the info in our cottage "is one of the most picturesque villages on the Northumberland coast". You can't drive into the village, instead there is a large pay and display car park up the hill from the village.

When we parked we spotted this fabulous campervan and when I took a picture of it two lads near me said they'd taken pictures of it as well - probably a very photographed vehicle.

The village consists of an open ended square with a pub, The Ship Inn, being at the top of it. I love this photo looking over the green as every group of people sitting on the grass has got a dog or dogs with them. We've found that it's a very dog friendly area, so if you've got a furry member of the family then this is a great place for a holiday.

Bramble made a new friend, Loki, who lives in the village - his parents were telling us what a great place it is for him as the beach is a few steps away and in the summer he meets lots of other puppy dogs.

Loki did get a little familiar with our little girl - thankfully he's had his manly bits removed.

The Ship Inn is the larger building on the right - we sat for a while at a table outside it to have a drink - several people came over to meet Bramble Jelly as they all think she's very cute.

Cute little corrugated iron church that is near the carpark.

Love this sign that is on one of the side roads - we didn't see any frogs but I'm hoping people look out for them when driving up this road.

Bramble was having a great day making new friends - this beautiful pony was very friendly.

Leaving Low-Newton we headed towards Embleton and on the way discovered the fabulous Eleanor's Byre which is a gift shop and cafe, so of course we stopped.

It's a beautiful space that has been built into a very old farm building.

 Whilst we were there the most amazing thing happened. Anyone who has read my Top Ten post on RULES will know that my beloved doesn't believe that vegetables should be in cakes, but all it took was one pretty young female waitress to convince him to give chocolate and beetroot cake a go. The faces below say it all really - his verdict, what's the point as he couldn't taste it so why bother. When I told him it was meant to make the cake more moist, he said it hadn't worked - well at least he tried it.

There are some beautiful things in the shop and yes I did buy a couple of things - a new notebook for my poetry and a small blue bowl for my dresser. We loved these light shades which are made out of old bottles.

There were lots of dogs sitting outside with us but this one was chancing his luck of trying to get into the shop.

In the field next to the shop there lives a donkey and a very big pig - a strange friendship if ever I say one. They were both very friendly and came over to have a chat to us and let us scratch their noses.

Lovely old shepherds hut in the carpark.

Our next stop was Craster which is named after the Craster family that has owned the local estate since the late 1200's. The town sign has a sculpture of a lobster pot with various crustaceans attached to it.

We found a lovely pub garden to sit in for a while - what could be better, great company, great view, and a lovely white wine spritzer.

In the distance over Ken's shoulder you may be able to make out Dunstanburgh Castle which we visited last time we were in Northumberland. Please ignore the fact that Ken is trying to eat Bramble's chew toy.

My two gorgeous ones enjoying the sunshine.

Craster is famous for the production of kippers, which they do in the traditional way of oak smoking. On the building below you can see the stains of the smoking process and you could definitely smell it.

The harbour at Craster was built in memory of one of the Craster family - the memorial plaque is below.

Arty shot of lobster pots.

A lone fisherman sitting at the end of the harbour.

Slightly odd statue that I think is missing a few bits - we think it's a fisherman wrestling a sea creature.

I have done a whole post on DOORS before and can never resist taking pictures of nice ones. Here are two very different but equally gorgeous doors that we went past in the village. The first one is a funky colour and has a lovely horse door knocker whereas the second one is quite plain in itself but they've made it look very pretty by what's around it.

The end of a very long day for our little one and she was out like a light next to her daddy on the couch. It's such a rare occurrence as Bramble is so full of energy that we really enjoy it when it happens.

That's it for today so until next time, be good, stay safe, and I hope you're having a great day wherever you are in the world.

Pamela & Ken
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Goodbye to Macclesfield and a very special friend

Last week we travelled to Macclesfield in Cheshire to say goodbye to a very dear friend, Elaine McBride. Elaine and I met in 1992 when we were sat next to each other on a plane that was headed for Saudi Arabia. I was a very naive 23 years old, leaving Tasmania to work in the middle east, and Elaine was seven years older than me and had worked there before. Needless to say, she took me under her wing and I don't know what I would have done without her. A couple of years later saw us sharing a flat in Sydney for a year and I have so many wonderful memories from our time together.

Elaine was so full of life and taught me so much about myself and the world, and the person I am today is partly due to having her in my life, even if it was just briefly. She introduced me and Ken to each other, so she even had a hand in our relationship. Elaine's funeral was beautiful with her two gorgeous nieces doing readings and Paul doing a eulogy that made people both laugh and cry - El would have been very proud. Sammy and Bombo, her two boys (dogs) were there with Bombo only being a little grumpy. During the service we listened to a lovely piece of Reiki music which was very fitting for Elaine, and at the end we all left to the song 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'.

Here are a couple of photos that I have pinched from Paul's blog as I really love how they just capture Elaine's joy in living.

Photo from blog: http://nbthemanlyferry.blogspot.co.uk/  

Photo from blog: http://nbthemanlyferry.blogspot.co.uk/  

It felt very weird leaving Macclesfield as I know we don't have any reason to go back there now. Paul is headed back to Spain and the only reason we've ever been to this town has been to see Elaine - the first time I ever went was in 1992 and one of the highlights that my friend told me I must see was the 108 steps, so we walked up and down them the evening after Elaine's funeral as a sort of farewell ritual of our own.

The next day we headed for Northumberland travelling through gorgeous scenery including Yorkshire and we found a lovely place to stop for sustenance and that was the Pot House Hamlet, which has a farm shop, nursery, pet store, and the Potting Shed cafe. There has been something on this site since at least the 1600's and the cafe is fabulous so make sure you stop in if you're in the area.

Gorgeous cake and huge servings in a really lovely environment - the servings were so big that I had to break the first rule of cake club and leave cake.

There are some very friendly animals to have a chat with and there is food to give them as well, but be warned, you will get mugged if you have the food in your hand.

At one point Ken had three goats trying to fit their mouths in the pot (above), and I had goats coming at me from all angles.

This goat was very funny and I wish now that I'd videod him as he sounded very funny - not bleating, but more like a posh politician blustering away at us.

The little goats were everywhere, no fences able to keep them in a field.

We loved these two alpacas, especially the black and white one as his fringe is too cute.

We eventually made it to Seahouses on the Northumbrian coast where we were staying the night - we went for a late night walk around the town with Bramble and I really liked this church window representing the fishing industry.

That's it for today so until next time, be good, stay safe, and make sure you hug the ones you love this week.

Pamela & Ken
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P.S: On October 16th Ken and I are doing the ovarian cancer walk in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh to raise money to help fight this illness. If anyone feels the urge to give some money to this very important cause, just click on donate here and it will take you to our page on the Target Ovarian Cancer website.    Donate Here