New Year - New Life

Well we've reached the end of another year; I hope it was a good one for you. Have you made any resolutions? I haven't made any resolutions as such, but this new year will see many changes in my life so my resolution is simply to embrace life and all its challenges.

After 17 years of marriage, hubby and I have decided to part; so when we eventually sell this house we'll be going our separate ways. My daily life will be very different, but I'm looking forward to a new area to explore, new people to meet, a new house to decorate, a craft room to be creative in, a new garden to plant and enjoy, and a little dog to keep me company on long, healthy walks and nights by the fire. But whatever 2011 brings, I shall endeavour to look on the bright side - and on that note, as I'm sick of the snow and dreary winter weather, please enjoy this bright and cheery montage of flowers from my garden this past year.

New people? New places? New experiences? Whatever you wish for in 2011, I hope it's a happy and healthy one for you and your family.

Sharon x

Time is Whizzing By

Where has this year gone? I can't believe we're two-thirds of the way through October already - the clocks go back on Sunday - and it's only 64 days until Christmas!!

I've had a busy few weeks: spending my evenings knitting and crocheting items for the autumn/winter craft fairs; a lovely long weekend break with hubbie; enjoying a new evening class; getting into a new exercise regime - as well as the usual 9-5 job, family and social life. More on these in later posts!

The biggest thing this month though was house related. After five months on the market, we accepted an offer on our house. It was lower than we would have liked, but the housing market is so stagnant at the minute that it was good enough.

We started looking again for a house to buy, as the one we found a few months ago has just sold after two years on the market! We found an AMAZING property - a lovely old stone terraced cottage which had just been renovated and we both fell in love with it. The garden wasn't as big as I hoped, but I thought I could do some great things with it anyway, and the house itself was just so gorgeous... like something out of an interiors magazine.

Our buyers pulled out after a few weeks (they loved the house - their uncle, who was putting a small amount of money into the purchase, didn't). So we're back to square one, and the amazing stone cottage will probably sell really quickly and we'll lose it. Oh well, everyone keeps telling me that 'it wasn't meant to be'. I'm not sure I like this thing called destiny.

The photos in this post are from a day out at the coast with my beautiful Mam a few weeks ago. We started out at some yarn shops in South Shields, took the ferry across the Tyne, wandered round the lovely gift shops in Tynemouth and then spent a couple of hours watching the container ships and passenger yachts sailing up the river and out to sea - and remembering my lovely Dad who sadly passed away six years ago to the day (9th September). Can't believe it's been six years, Dad. We all love and miss you so much.

Where does the time go?