The Get Behind Us Campaign

This past week was a very good one I must say. A number of small incidences occurred that made me want to cry not because I was sad but because I was touched and happy. Those little moments that sneak up on us are always priceless.

Lately, it seems like I have been posting just the Pearly Delights posts, I want to go back to where I post about other stuff too. I have a number of things in mind that I would like to write up, so hopefully one of such posts will be up soon.

I have realized from my last post that I mixed up pictures, the viking picture was supposed to be in this post and hence I have corrected that mistake and put the correct picture for the 21st of March.

Unbelievable but I completely forgot to celebrate my blog anniversary in February. Just goes to show the amount of things going through my mind are just too many. Happy belated 1st anniversary my baby Dance with me...

TUESDAY 22 MARCH - MONDAY 28 MARCH

The town I live in has a very interesting history. I have a love for history and actually History was my favorite subject at school such that I took it till my A Levels. The history includes a viking called Olaf who caused a lot of terror in the area such that he had to be offered a sum of 16 000 pounds  before he stopped the reign of terror. In return he agreed to be  confirmed as a Christian and promised never to return to England as an enemy. Olaf later became the King of Norway and helped spread Christianity in his land.

I forgot to take my picture of the day. I had my camera but then got carried away and only remembered later when it was too late. Our church motto is Love God, Love Each Other, Love Those in the World. So in our cell groups (which we call life groups) we plan our activities along those lines. Last week was a Love Those in the World theme and so we went to help a couple who wanted help with removing old wall paper in the house they will move into next month. Having forgotten to take a picture of the action, I improvised, here is the heap of the work clothes I wore instead :(

I love old church buildings.This was a beautiful one. There was a lovely rectory at the back, small park next to it and pieces of history to read about the church too. I was fascinated by the old graveyard on the left.

What do you think of this picture? I found myself giggling helplessly when I laid eyes on it whilst I was waiting for my friend to come down from her office so that we could have lunch together.The receptionist must have wondered what was up with me.

What a meal! This is part of the aftermaths of a 4 course meal served over 4 hours at a Chinese restaurant where a group of friends and I were celebrating a friend's birthday. The food was yummy but...I was not impressed by the slowness. I mean 4 hours to serve a meal ? It  is too long even if it is a 4 course one.

Remember the little moments I mentioned earlier, this beautiful scarf was the result of one of them. A friend went away on holiday sometime ago and on Sunday they came up to me and said they had a present for me. Aaaaaaaawwwww.

A girl has to be on the look out for these things. One can never tell where they will find their perfect wedding dress. And so the hunt continues.

A Glimpse of the Past

I am totally loving doing Pearly Delights. I have realized that I am documenting pieces of my life, both big and small, and I am also sharing about myself with my blog friends. Thank you for all your support, your reading and making comments makes it all worth while. Now for my 2nd catch up post. Enjoy!!!

Tuesday 15 March - Monday 21 March

Look at that! If that is not a carriage and some horses. You should have seen me making a grab for my camera to get a picture before the carriage moved on. What would it have been like to have lived in an age where horses and carriages where the main means of transport and not cars?

I think this would be a good motto to adopt. I know, I know it is not always easy to keep calm and carry on all the time but it doesn't have to be done in one day right? It is a process I think.

I lived and went to school in a small mining town for two years. I had many adventures there. When I saw this industrial site, I felt as if I had been transported back in time and I was standing near one of the mining quarries in that small town. Oh, may be one day I will visit again.

I am sure by now most of you know how much of an avid reader I am. Give me a room full of books and I will stay out of  your way. I think it would be safe to say that libraries are one of my favorite places to be.

With this dear friend of mine we try to meet at least once a month to talk about everything and nothing. I always look forward to catching up with her.

I have a special sister whom God recently blessed me with. We have a special bond and we decided friendship did not really describe our relationship but sisterhood is more like it. She is learning to play the guitar and she invited me over so that I could hear her play. Uuuuhm maybe one day I could convince her to teach me, I have this desire to play a musical instrument.

My new reading delight- The Agatha Raisin Series. The main character Agatha Raisin is one of a kind, seriously, she is hilarious.

Blue Eggs and Painted Tunnels

I am two posts behind with my Pearly Delights but I am going to make up for it this week. I meant to post updates last week but I could not seem to find the time. The good news though, is that I still managed to take a picture for each day. Here goes the 1st post.

Tuesday March 8 - Monday  March 14

It is amazing how much can be observed and seen if one makes an effort to be more aware of surroundings. I have lived in the city I live in for a year now and it was just the other day that I saw this written on one of the side walks in the Town Center. How could I have walked by it over a hundred times and never noticed?

I enjoy taking nice long walks admiring nature. This was one particularly lovely day and the weather was just perfect.

Art in the tunnel. It was refreshing to walk through this tunnel and see brightly colored art. A good sight for sore eyes.  Even makes one feel a lot better especially on a cold and rainy day.

This is one of the best films I have seen in awhile. It was romantic, funny and the acting was brilliant especially the character of Mr Darcy. Well done Mr Firth! Now I am inspired to read the book.

Thank God for caring friends who call up and suggest coming over to stay at their house while they are away because they think a change of environment will do me good. Not only that but that meant more room and peace for me - even if it was for a couple a days, it still did me good.

My friend brought over some blue eggs - fascinating. Unfortunately my camera failed to capture their true blueness, this is the best shot I got. I however could not help wondering if they had been colored or if they were originally blue.

I thought this was a beautiful painting. I am not sure what the painter had in mind when he painted it. I thought probably it was an impression of a possible scene after Jesus rose from the dead. Could it be? Would have loved to meet the painter and asked numerous questions.

Shona of Love Lane

This is week 3 of my Pearly Delights posts and if I must say it is going quite well with me managing to capture something I delight in or would have delighted in each day. Initially I was not sure I would be able keep up but my enthusiasm is still there and my camera has become like a second skin, always at hand to capture a delight. Some days are easier than others to find something to delight in but I am very glad to have the Pearly Delights 'project' to help me appreciate at least one thing I am blessed with each day out of the thousands of blessings I have. I'm going to keep counting those blessings - God is Good.

TUESDAY 1 MARCH - MONDAY 7 MARCH

Having a 24 hour supermarket 5 minutes from where I live is definitely a delight. On many nights I have made my way there to indulge some instant craving that would have snuck up on me. Yeah, this was one such night.

 Something New! My friends and I had a Shooting and Games night. It was my first time to try shooting. The noise from the shooting was not as loud as I thought it would be. It was good fun. I would do it again.

It was another bitterly cold day and I was making my way to the bus stop when the name of this lane caught my attention. For a moment I forgot the cold and felt like dancing. Who wouldn't with a name like Swing Swang Lane?

I smell Spring one of my favorite seasons. Here is evidence of how close we are to beholding more of the beauty of the season.

Another catchy road name? Only this one is romantic. I would not mind living in this road. Imagine a letter addressed : Shona James, 4 Love Lane. I would then be Shona of Love Lane lol!!!

Introducing the Huggie. My friends tell me it looks soft and flurry and makes one want to hug me. I wore it today and even baby E, my friend's son seemed to love it. He kept burying his face in it and playing with it. I can confidently say this one is a keeper.

In this post I talked about how I need to improve on my cooking skills, well I am trying to do something about it. This a chicken casserole that I attempted. Not really the best looking casserole in the world but is it not said that practice makes perfect and I thought it tasted quite good when it was fully cooked. 

"Who's that tripping over my bridge?"

Firstly before I go into my Pearly Delights post for today I would like to say Happy Birthday to my mum who turned something something today. She is an amazing woman and I am blessed to have her as a mother. May God bless her with many many more years to come. Love you mum!!!!

MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY - MONDAY 28 FEBRUARY

I love me some Ready brek oats in the morning. They are quick and easy to make too.

Time for a hair do. Talk about the thorough shampooing, treatment, oiling and not to mention the actual braiding. But the end result is always worth it. By the way I am a braids babe. I will have braids in my hair anytime.

Thank God for friends who invite me over for tea when they have baked delicacies like these.

When I say I love these shoes (trainers) I mean I really love them. I have had them for years and years and  can never get myself to do away with them. Many a shoe have come and gone but these have remained.

I enjoy joyous events. The Joy 2011 Concert was one such joyous event.

Saturday morning was beautiful and sunny. Although the weather turned out nasty later, the beautiful morning had already set the pace for my day.

This is a warehouse but this is no ordinary warehouse.

This is a picture of a bridge I walk over almost on a daily basis. I used to trip trap over it ever in a hurry until one day I noticed the writing on one of the sides "Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll. I saw the bridge in a new light from then on. Ever heard of the tale of the Troll and the 3 Billy Goats Gruff. It is one of  the stories I read as a child and enjoyed dramatizing. It was a pleasant surprise which brought back old memories.

More Than Moss Growing on a Pavement

This my first post under Pearly Delights. So far so good. Enjoy!

MONDAY 14 FEBRUARY - SUNDAY 20 FEBRUARY

Mooch.....this is one of my favorite  shops in the town where I live. It sells all sorts of great stuff from jewelery, unique and fabulous clothes, home decorations including wall hangings with beautiful  and sweet messages like 'Look towards the sun and the shadows will fall behind', 'Make tea and not war', 'Joy is in the little things' and for the romantics 'Kiss me quick' :)

I received a box of Tablerone chocolates and I thought the words written on the box were so sweet. The saving bit was hard to do though.

I am blessed with nieces and nephews from friends and family who have children. This is one of my nieces whom I think is gorgeous.

I was going to see someone when I got lost, thanks to the bus driver who assured me he knew where I was going and dropped me off at the wrong place. After calling the person  I was going to see and they said they were coming to pick me up I noticed some moss growing on the pavement where I was standing. I had a revelation - there is always hope. Moss still manages to grow on pavements although it is not the most conducive of places.  Likewise in life, sometimes great and beautiful  things can be birthed in situations were it seems like nothing good will come out of them.We always have hope in life, it never dies.

I love my Bible. It is my treasure. One of my favorite places in the Bible is Psalm 91. I think it is one of the most wonderful psalms. When I read it I personalize it and it is one of my daily reads.

  

View from my place. I am thankful for the house I live in because it is less than 5 minutes from town and I walk everywhere I go. I know that sometimes I complain about the people who live across the road because they hold loud and noisy late night parties (at least nowadays they seem to have calmed down), but  I am still grateful. Sometimes I watch from my room cars passing by and people crossing the zebra crossing and I have a view of our garden too.

Uummmm tea/coffee, one of my delights at church every Sunday. I remember the first time I went to my church thinking 'Gosh, these people are so much into eating and socializing' because there are snacks and drinks 30 minutes before church, a coffee/tea break after praise and worship and more drinks and snacks after the service. Now I understand why it is like that and I actually love it.This a good incentive for people to mix and mingle and get to know one another and not be strangers in our Father's house.

Introducing Pearly Delights

I had a meeting with my self the other day and I must say, that meeting was long overdue. I listened to my self having a conversation with a friend last week and I was shocked at the amount of negativity I was oozing out. 'That's it' I said to myself, 'Something has got to be done about this'.

This negativity thing is something which has been going on for some time now. Generally, I am a positive person and try to see something good in everything but lately it seems I have been slipping away and becoming something I thought I was not and do not want to be - a pessimist.

When I had this meeting with myself I made a list of my blessings and the things I think are are not blessings. Surprise! Surprise for me, the blessings list totally out weighed the list of those other things. What to do? What to do? Was the next thing  I had to discuss with myself. I got inspiration from one of the songs I am currently absolutely loving - City on its Knees by Tobymac. Here are the lines from the song that inspired me.

If you gotta start somewhere why not here
If you gotta start sometime why not now
If we gotta start somewhere I say here
If we gotta start sometime I say now

I decided that I needed to motivate myself and to appreciate the big things and the small things that I am blessed with in my life. If I am to be honest, on a daily basis even on what could be called a bad day, I always have something to appreciate. Hence, I have decided to introduce what I will call Pearly Delights to my blog. These will be posts where I will be sharing mostly in picture form something I delighted in or something that I appreciate in my life. The idea is that I will have something for everyday and hopefully post weekly. I have to start somewhere and this sounds like a good idea. There are a lot of positives to this idea too. For instance, I get the opportunity to update my blog more often, I can get to use my camera more and learn about how to use some of the features it has that I rarely use because I have never ventured to learn  and I can get to record special pieces of my life. I know for sure one day I will re- read, smile and re-appreciate all the good things I am blessed with.

I do realize that this will require a lot of effort on my part but I am going to try and give it my best. I am looking forward to doing this and I know it will be worth it.