July, Last Week

 July is just flying by.  Here we are in the last week.  As of yesterday, it is five months to Christmas.  As the week soared along, I kept stopping to think about the blessings of each day.  And now it's Friday and I am writing my Friday Fave Fives to share and encourage you.

This week, the focus seemed to be on interactions with people.

1.  We had our usual coffee hang out with T and S. Always so much fun!

2.  Wednesday morning, I picked up a phone call from Younger Daughter. "Mom, can you do coffee and knitting with me this morning?"  Obvious answer was YES!  So we drove toward the big city and stopped at a new place for me.

Then we drove into the city and stopped by a knit shop to browse.  And since I had an appointment to pick of four books for myself and three others for our Bible study which begins in September, we did that errand.  All together it was a delightful day.

3.  Two of those books were picked up by a lady who owns chickens and has lots of eggs.  So the next day, she stopped by and gave us a dozen.  Wow!  What generosity!

4.  I drove to drop off that other book and chatted with that lady.  She's an experienced weaver!  We are making plans to get together and talk more about weaving.

5.  I'm uber driver for Tall Boy to take him to his piano lessons.  During the drive and for quite a while after, we talked. And talked.  It made my mema heart so happy.

Bonus:  a couple of flowers from my garden.

Friday Fave Fives, Third Week of July

I'm late for Friday Fave Fives. But at least I'm here, and it's still Friday.  It's been a busy week but there have been so many wonderful things happening.  (And this is why I still don't have my Ireland/England photos downloaded to my laptop.)  Let's get right to my Five Faves.

1.  Our week has revolved around one special thing.  My cousin came to visit!  I call her my Sister-Cousin because during our growing up years, we were very close.

2.  Sis-Cuz was in another city in Ohio attending a wedding over the weekend.  On Monday, we drove to meet up with her.  We chose a cute small coffee shop to meet, not knowing that it was a very new spot.  A perfect place to meet -- good coffee and ambience.

3.  All the chats and laughs we had!  Lots of memories from our childhood.  I loved that our daughters seemed to have the same bond with her, too.

4.  On Sunday, July 14th, The Professor and I celebrated our fifty-first wedding anniversary.  I am the most fortunate woman to have such a wonderful husband!

5.  I couldn't have a Fave Five in the summer without mentioning my garden.  Our wildflower garden has exploded with-- flowers!  The bees are delighted.

Home Sweet Home!

 Yes, we are home.  In Ohio.  I was away for three and a half weeks.  And I am so happy to sleep in my own bed again (I guess that could be my first Fave of the week.).  I am still having photo issues, but I will see what I can do to post pictures.  Otherwise, please come back during the week for an Ireland, England, Wales photo dump.

Here are my Friday Fave Fives for this past week. (the link takes you to Susanne's blog where you can join in or read more FFFs)

1.  Safe trips home for all of us.  The stages of the trip for The Professor and me included a ferry boat ride across the Irish Sea and two airplane flights.

2.  On the flights, I was able to sit next to The Professor partly because people were willing to swap places with me.  I deeply appreciate the kind people on those flights.

3.  OK, back to a few highlights of our trip.  We spent five nights in Wales, at Conwy.  Wow!  Our windows looked out over the small town toward Conwy Castle.  Can you imagine living in a place where you could view a castle built almost eight hundred years ago?

4.  We took a train along the Conwy River, and then a cable car to an old copper mine called Great Orme Mines.  Maybe walking down into the mine wasn't my favorite part of the visit, but it was amazing to see where ancient people were mining copper a LONG time ago.  Yes, we love history.

Enter at your own risk!

Archaeologists are working in here.

It's a long way down-- thirty-five meters underground.

The light at the end of the tunnel!

5.  I have to give credit to our favorite coffee shop in Conwy, Cantin Cafe.  We enjoyed coffee and delicious fresh bakery snacks.  And the servers were delightful.

Now, I will see what I can do to add some photos to this post.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Still on The Road

Have you wondered what has happened to Willow? I am still traveling. Yes, this is a long trip. Where has Willow been? Ireland was my first stop. Dublin to Glasgow via several places, then back to Dublin. Then I flew to London to meet up with my family.  After one night in London, we headed south to Hastings and then west to Poole.  Some family returned home. The Professor and I and Older Daughter journeyed to Telford and Ironbridge, and now we are in North Wales!  This is my view from the airbnb window right now as I am writing this post. That castle in the background is Conwy Castle.

Anyway,  I am here to let you know I am fine and I am writing my Friday Fave Fives after two weeks of being MIA.  Sadly, there will be very few photos until I return home. That camera of mine is being persnickety and won't talk to my tablet. (Follow this link to Susanne's blog to join in on the FFFs. (www.susannesspace.blogspot.com)

1. Safe travel is a major point of thankfulness.  I have been on three airplanes, numerous busses, and too many trains to count. I never never take safe travel for granted.

2. Wonderful travel companions in Ireland. For the first time,  I was on a tour. Everything was planned and cared for including most meals and all hotels and activities.  I loved it all and am enthralled with Ireland-- the land, the people, the SHEEP, the music. How thankful I am for all that I experienced in Ireland!

3.   I am thankful for so many kind and friendly people who have helped us find our way when we were lost or who merely paused to converse with us.

4.  Dreams come true for grandchildren.  Z wanted to see Taylor Swift's concert and go to Bath. Check.  Warrior Boy got to visit Tankfest and the National Tank Museum.  Check.  Tall Boy had his return visit to Corfe Castle.  Check.

Corfe Castle

And

Eleanor at one of the windows in a guard tower

5.  The rest of this trip is seeing places on The Professor's bucket list.  Ironbridge Gorge was amazing! We loved this small town (I could live there!), a very important place in the history of the industrial revolution of the world.  Now we are in North Wales, possibly a place from where some of his ancestors may have originated.  We are all so thankful for this amazing opportunity to travel.

I am hoping I will be able to soon post photos and more photos. Maybe it won't happen until I am back on home turf again. Stay tuned.