Being Thankful...

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Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

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My photos: Cuba, Sri lanka, Ghana, Mauritius, St Tropez

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Be thankful when you don't know something

For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.

During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations

Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge

Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary

Because it means you've made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are

also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE

can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles

and they can become your blessings.

~ Author Unknown ~

Yours Truly...

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Photo: VintageVogue
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° When I was 12, I was in a car accident that, by all laws of physics,

should have killed me.

I still don’t know how I survived.

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° I seem unable to work unless I am surrounded by clutter.

If I file things away neatly, I immediately

lose them.

If I stack them up in big teetering piles, I somehow know

where everything is.

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° My heart still breaks much more easily than it should.
It doesn’t take much.
I keep waiting for it to toughen up a little bit,

but it never does!
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° If there is one thing I can't tolerate, it's gossip.

I have no interest whatsoever in the private details of

other people's lives, famous or not...

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° I think of my blog as a hobby; a place for me to play

and share things that I like.

Its completely different from what I do

"in real life"...

Past Perfect...

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I simply had to share these adorable vintage
American car ads...

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All above by Jon Williamson

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.Wish I was off in one of them for a weekend by the sea!

Meanwhile...

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“Somewhere over the rainbow,
skies are blue,
and the dreams that you dare to dream
really do come true”
Lyman Frank Baum

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What I'm loving in the images below from the TOAST

online catalogue:

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~ the merest hint of blue on the fluffy white bath towels

~ the flooring made of tiny pebblestones

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~ the pale blue near-seethrough curtains

~ the plain and simple bed linen, white bedside lamps and

stripped wooden floorboards

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~ the Xtra large old rustic mirror and, last ,but not least,

all those beautiful straw hats!
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~ the rustic setting of all these images in what looks
rather like an old fisherman's cottage in the Greek islands

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All images: Toast

Fin de Semaine Dernière...

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Au chalet, en montagne, en toute simplicité...
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Mes photos

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"The best life to lead is your own.

Forget about what everyone else is doing and

concentrate solely on you."

unknown

Spring Fever...

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"It's spring fever.
That is what the name of it is.
And when you've got it, you want -

oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want,
but it just fairly makes your heart ache,
you want it so!"
Mark Twain

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photo: abbytrysagain

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Hope you all had a super weekend!

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Hey, You...

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can you help?

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* The One and Only!

Yesterday, as we lingered over lunch,
a friend of a friend, who's thinking of starting a blog, asked me:
"What advice would you give to someone new to blogging?"
Qui? Moi?
Give advice on blogging?!!
I mean, honestly, who, in their right mind, would ask moi
for advice on blogging?!

Despite my best intentions, I can honestly say
I quite often think of one thing and then something completely
different imposes itself and somehow ends up on my blog
- now, from what I've read about blogs and blogging
on other people's blogs,
this is not the way most bloggers blog...
Posts are pre-planned, thought out, perhaps even written ahead.
I, on the other hand, am still muddling
my way along somehow, pretending I know what I'm doing!
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It was my nearest and dearest who jokingly suggested
I give her a list of "don't do what I do" tips!
Nevertheless, I must say, this whole conversation
got me thinking and
I wondered if any of you out there (all three of you!!!)
have better advice...
Which blogging platform do you,
or would you, use?
Blogger?
TypePad?
WordPress?
Any others I haven't heard of?
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* I've had this photo in my collection for a very long time - I've no idea where
I initially sourced it; if anyone does know, please inform me -thanks!

J"ADORE...

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"Dancing with the feet is one thing,

but dancing with the heart is another"

Author Unknown

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This was sent to me by a friend without a source; if you know whose work this is,

I'd love to know so I can credit them here...
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Time Waits For No Man...

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"I try to take one day at a time,

but sometimes several days attack me at once"

Jennifer Yane

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My all-time favourite watch

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Prends le temps d'aimer...
C'est le secret de l'éternelle jeunesse !

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Prends le temps de lire...
C'est la source du savoir !

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Prends le temps d'écouter...
C'est la force de l'intelligence !

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Prends le temps de penser...
C'est la clé de la réussite !

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Prends le temps de jouer....
C'est la fraîcheur de l'enfance !

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Prends le temps de rêver...
C'est un souffle de bonheur !

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Prends le temps de rire...
C'est la musique de l'âme !

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Prends le temps de pleurer...
C'est l'émotion d'un grand coeur !

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Prends le temps de vivre...
Car le temps passe vite
Et ne revient jamais

Love to Love...

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Barbara Tfank's autumn 2009 collection...

.I was so impressed with the beautiful dresses and the incredibly

beautiful models...

not to mention, the luxurious fabrics...

. See the rest of the collection by clicking

here
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photos from style.com
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Barbara Tfank is a costume and fashion designer.
Her simple and elegant clothes are classic and very reminiscent of
"Breakfast at Tiffany's"

So Far, So True...

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THINGS I KNOW FOR SURE...

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- Laughing is good therapy

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- No matter what, at the end of the day

you can't recapture lost time

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- Reading the instructions makes all the difference

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- What you do to others reflects on you

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- My occupation does not define me

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- When you make big mistakes,
you make smaller ones next time

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- No-one can see dust in candlelight

- The older I get the more I appreciate my youth

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- It takes two to be a couple

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- It is physically impossible to tickle yourself

- There is no recompense for the loss

of one's self-respect

- I love the sounds of happiness

- Do not set your goals by what other people

deem important,

only you know what is best for you

- My position in the community does not define me

- I like my bed better than any other

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- Thoughts without action are only daydreams

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- To attract friends you must be friendly

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- No-one is ever going to take me camping

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- Never compare yourself with others

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- It is because we are different

that each of us is special

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- To attract love you must be loving

- They don't make movies like they used to

.I'd love to know what's on your list...

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Less is More...

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"...we can describe *voluntary simplicity

as a manner of living
that is outwardly more simple

and inwardly more rich,

a way of being in which our most authentic

and alive self
is brought into direct and conscious contact

with living..."

Duane Elgin

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Here are just a few of my simple pleasures :

(I have many, many more..!)

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° a simple fresh salad with fresh seasonal fruit

- my favourite summer meal...

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Lucy's Kitchen Notebook

° my fresh, warm, morning baguette - a simple but delicious
breakfast...
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Home and Gardens

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° my simple garden chairs

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° my simple but favourite summer table decoration - an antique linen

sheet; flowers from garden and mis-matched

tableware and vintage silver...

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flickr

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° walking barefoot on the sand - one of my many favourite

summer pastimes...
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Decorative Country Living
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° summer shopping with my French market basket - no logos, no plastic,
just stylish and practical..!
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Simplicity is a quality that is frequently tinged with
negative connotations.
Hence - She's a bit simple - He's a simpleton
- It's so simple anyone could do it.
Simpleness may suggest plainness, a lack of style and sophistication.
I want to speak up for simplicity.
To me it's something that we should often both seek and treasure.
With simplicity you know what you are getting
- it is clear and honest and true,
unadorned and pure...
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What are some of your simple pleasures..?

Shopping in Style...

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I love, love, love quirky independent stores...

Caravan

in east London is one such store

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Browsing in places like this is not at all like the usual shopping experience;

shopping here feels like an adventure and
I always find something to please

family and friends...
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I love the whole concept created by Emily Chalmers,
who started out as an interiors stylist.
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Do checkout their site,

it's a real treat..!
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All photos from the Caravan site

Personal Style...

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It wasn't until I'd been collecting favourite home interior

photos for quite a while that I started to see

some common elements...

Of course, that's why professional decorators advise clients to start

clipping photos of favourite home interiors before they even think

about decorating their own home.

It's true that when you spend time finding what you like,

you end up being able to separate your own taste

from the trends you see around you...

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Here are just a few of the many elements that have emerged

over the years in my personal collection...

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quirky, unfitted kitchens; solid stone sinks, antique cookers and

linen curtains instead of cupboard doors...

Vogue June 2004

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extra large mirrors,

bare wooden floorboards and stunning leather pouffs...

Photos: Living Etc.

..antique leather Club armchair, mis-matched bric-a-brac,

book-lined walls...

Photo from stylist Atlanta Barret's site, Beach Studios, in the UK.

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