We all want value for money these days and when it comes in the shape of an original purchase, that’s even better. Based on the popular 1970′s ‘Big-eyed children’ portraits by Dallas-simpson, these custom-made retro caricature portraits  are so delightful and at under £45.00 including p&p, they are amazing value.  Just email Amanda pictures of your child and even send fabric from an old outfit and she will send you back a charming portrait.  Call her on  07966 749091 and order for Christmas.

When asked by a friend recently how I would spend my days if time and money were no object, I replied I would write, read and create.  I am blessed to be able to do these things but as your emails suggest, more than once a month would be good!   From now on, you will see frequent updates, rather than catch-up’s, but for now, a catch up is needed, as I want to tell you about the 10k run I did last weekend, in the hope that you too, will take up a challenge, because if I can do it, anyone can.

I recently met Alison of Best Beginning and within moments, this force of nature had signed me up for the London 10k run in aid of her charity.  I did little in the way of training other than a few laps around my local park and a trip to Camden to buy myself a pair of fancy trainers.  The Friday before the run, I went to a drinks party, the Saturday was spent at an all day picnic with girlfriends and when Sunday morning came, I felt awful, but something in me knew it would all be fine.

It was only 8.00am, but already the train to Charing Cross was packed with runners and just the company of these strangers boosed my energy no end.  The mood around the starting line at Hyde Park Corner was electric and it carried me to the finish, in one hour, ten minutes.  Whilst I was suitabily pleased, my children seemed rather dissapointed I had not come first, but rather somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000.  I remained on a natural high as I contemplated how, with self belief, one can achieve their goals with least effort and how when people work together for a common good, miricles happen. It was so easy and enjoyable raising money in this way.  What could you do?

Another long break from writing; another school holiday and time to simply surrender, as anything else would have been futile.   The break was a welcome one and made even better for my sister, niece and nephew paying us a surprise visit from the States and my brother and niece visiting from India.  The holidays were spend playing, eating, sleeping and watching television.  I am not big on tv and watch a couple of hours a week if that, but not only did I watch the final of Britains Got Talent (with the whole extended family and yes, I think Diversity were the worthy winners), but I also got into Lost.

My nephew from the States is a huge fan and bought the boxed sets of all the series to date, for the the siblings to watch and pass along down the line.  All I knew about the show was that the random people lost on an island were way too good looking to be random.  Still, so thrilled was I at how Britians Got Talent had united the generations, I gave it a go and managed to watch six hours in one very lazy day. But then reality set in and I had to stop watching at series two. As well as having other things to do I really need to focus on running, if I don’t then the 10k race I have signed up for next month will take me six hours to complete – too shameful a thought to contemplate.  So I write this having come back from a 4k run; not enough, but I will get there.

I plan to launch a new website in October so have been busy researching, going back and forward in my mind about how the whole thing will work and in the process finding that problems lead to unexpected answers. That is the whole fun of the process and far more rewarding than watching Lost, but every now and then when I want some time to chill with the dear husband, I join him on the sofa, get a quick update and find I am back into the whole weird plan within minutes.

This area of my site is called random thoughts and it is just as well given the time span between updates is, rather random. I would happily update on a weekly basis, were it not for the fact that I simply don’t like doing the technical uploading part of the blog and have neither the will, nor the desire to follow such instructions.

Everything seems to come with war-and-peace style guides these days, including my children’s tiny toys packaged in indistructable, overly large boxes which seem to have much more staying power than the toys themselves. Invariably when the children’s attempts fail, they head towards me with a faint glimmer of hope that I might help. My intentions are always good and I start with a bit of yanking and pulling. Then out come the screwdrivers, scissors and anything else I can find to destroy the unfeasibly strong box. By the time I triumphed, I have absolutely no energy left to read instructions on getting the toy working. I willingly concede and hand all instructions over to my super patient husband who goes into a Zen-like; living in the moment state, whilst I can’t stop thinking of all the things I could and should be doing, one if which is updating my random thoughts. And so, here I am again after a long Easter break ready to begin. So much has happened, but since I have not been in-touch for so long, it is hard to catch up, so I will just mention the main thing and write again very soon.

US BOOK LAUNCH
My Travel Book has just launched in the US – very exciting. It is the same as the UK version except with a different cover and title, which is TOGETHER WE GO. Fingers crossed it will do as well as there as the first book did.

I wanted to introduce you to Cookie Magazine; it is the US version of Junior, only a little more fun.  As parenting magazines go, its about the best.  I recently styled a feature for the magazine, centered around the home of super-talented couple Caroline and Alex Michealis. I hope you like it.

a home that is simple, functional and above all fun.

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I have just discovered the work of Christian Larson and wanted to share this poem with you.

The Optimist Creed

Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and
too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

This is my first blog. I am not sure what it will become; part random thoughts, part useful information and part ideas. So here I begin with a random thought and a recommendation.

Cherish

I don’t want to dwell on the state of the economy.  One can hardly move for media bombarding us with doom and gloom stories, but is it all bad news? Perhaps we will no longer buy things we neither need nor want for the sake of a shopping high that barely lasts the journey home.  It is not about how much we spend but how we feel about the things we surround ourselves with.

The things that endure, that give a feeling of comfort and pleasure tend to have meaning and memories attached to them and for me some of these include my mothers jewellery, a few of my children’s paintings, trusted kitchen utensils battered from the many meals they have created, shabby furniture from the first home I shared with my husband, old books that remind me of certain periods of my life – the one I read when pregnant, the one I read on holiday with friends… and then there is the work of Carolyn Quartermaine. Carolyn’s exquisite textiles prove it is possible to please adult and child without compromising either’s tastes and are fabrics to be cherished through the generations.

www.carolynquartermaine.com