Six girls in the conservatory
Two boys at the breakfast bar
Four men in the sitting room
And a Jack Russell in a basket...


Finally, yesterday, for a few hours I eventually managed to get the whole clan together in one place. There was the usual scramble for food, one of Sir H’s famed culinary feasts and of course, the compulsory Yorkshire puddings were included.

Later, when we were all seated together in the one room waiting for the start of the City v Liverpool game I supped my tea and thought, not for the first time, that this was indeed my idea of heaven.

Not for me choirs of angels, white fluffy clouds and pearly gates. I want a family heaven, voices of all ages competing to be heard one above the other, the laughter generated by shared memories, the presence of those no longer with us in the physical charged everywhere in the air.

Even as it was happening, as I was busy storing it away in one of those precious velvet chests secreted in that most carefully guarded vault deep in my mind I had to acknowledge to myself that these treasures were becoming rarer and rarer with the passage of time. As each child creates their own family unit and branches out the bitter sweet reality is that the years ahead will hold less and less of these gatherings.

I thought of my parents and wondered if one day my sister and I would have an opportunity to sit with them again, to laugh and share memories, to tell them of our own children and their families.

I studied those around me and wondered what they were thinking and knew without doubt that it would be a good twenty years or so before they entertained the same thoughts as were occupying my mind.

What a wonderful thing life is as it weaves for us such a rich tapestry. The New Year affords a priceless opportunity to look at the picture already woven, take hold of the threads we have yet to weave and G*d willing create our little piece of heaven here on earth.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Labels: Heaven, Life, Miladysa, New Year

Posted by Miladysa at 5:41 PM 14 Comments

A few minutes after my last post our broadband connection went down and so I have been unable to visit everyone individually.

Wishing you all a Merry and Holy Christmas!

Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all men!

Have fun!

Labels: Christmas, Miladysa, Peace, Wishes

Posted by Miladysa at 7:41 PM 10 Comments

Inspired by Jack and Anon I decided to take some photographs of one or two of the many birds that live and visit our garden.

How naive I was!

Do you have any idea how many days it took before I managed to get one of the little critters on film?

Every time I clutched my camera and prepared to shoot the blighters ran for cover!

This afternoon - just as I was about to call it a day - I heard a whisper in the leaves...

Over here...

















Can you see me?




Here I am!





















I'm going to leave it up to the experts from now on!

Labels: Blackbird, Miladysa

Posted by Miladysa at 11:11 PM 10 Comments

I’m sorry

For?

What I did

And?

What I failed to do

When?

Always

So?

Forgive me

Why?

Because I feel

What?

Guilt and

Yes?

Remorse

Well?

Do you?

Perhaps

What?

I’m sorry

Why?

I can’t.

Labels: Guilt, Miladysa, Poem, Remorse, Sorry

Posted by Miladysa at 12:14 PM 12 Comments

The Pink Angel, Frosty &
A Very Special Christmas Card


This one flew over here from Melissa at the Forge.


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper – traditional design.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real – always.

3. When do you put up the tree? 12th December.

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Year’s Day and before 12th Night.

5. Do you like egg nog? Yes. I am going to try it with a dash of dark rum this year!

6. Favourite gift as a child? Each year was special.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, two. One as decoration and one to play with!

8. Hardest person to buy for? My youngest son.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My youngest daughter.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Post.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A pink knitted poncho and matching mini skirt - don't ask!

12. Favourite Christmas movie? I do not really associate Christmas with films so I would have to say the Queen’s Christmas Message – this is something we sit down to watch every year before we have our Christmas dinner.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Never before the beginning of December and I hope to be finished before Christmas Eve.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. I have donated ‘unused’ gifts to school fairs, tombolas etc.

15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas? Apart from Christmas Dinner - mince pies and tangerines.

16. Clear lights or coloured on the tree? Clear.

17. Favourite Christmas song? Carols - In the Bleak Mid Winter and The Holy and the Ivy.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Sometimes - depending on my state at the time!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The loss of the true Christmas message through commercialism and political correctness.

23. Favourite ornament theme or colour? I have three favourite ‘ornaments’
Frosty – who has been with us for at least 30 years, the last Christmas card my father ever sent to me [I put it away the Christmas before he died] and the pink angel my youngest daughter made for me this year.

24. Favourite at Christmas dinner? On Christmas day we MUST and will have a traditional Christmas Dinner! Turkey with stuffing, roast potatoes, little sausages wrapped in bacon, Brussels’ sprouts, garden peas, baby carrots, gravy and cranberry sauce etc. Followed by Christmas pud.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? The release of the British hostages in Iraq.

26. Funny Christmas memory? My father performing a strip tease to music at a large family gathering.

Labels: Angel, Christmas, Hostages, Miladysa, Snowman

Posted by Miladysa at 11:58 PM 13 Comments

The one, the one and only time (probably) sport will ever be mentioned on Miladysa!

Well done Ricky, you did us proud!

























Personally I think it would have been a far better fight if Referee Joe Cortez had let both fighters box in the first five rounds and had not deducted the point in the sixth.

Congratulations to Floyd Mayweather the undefeated and well deserved WBC Welterweight World Champion.

Normal service will return as soon as I get some sleep!

Labels: Boxing, Mayweather, Miladysa, Ricky Hatton

Posted by Miladysa at 11:37 AM 13 Comments

Who is Miladysa?

I wrote a little about her here:

Sitting on the hard stone doorstep… legs stretched out before me… flakes of diamonds glimmering in the flag path… leaves whispering in the gentle breeze washing over a large oak tree in the distance… waves of sun rippling down upon and across the crown of my head… tendrils of hair brushing softly against my shoulders… tiny red ants scurrying to and fro… moving my sandals from their path… birds singing merrily… the scent of small white flowers from the borders of the garden…quick shadows… looking up to find you watching me… shrieks of delight… running, my heart pounding against the light cotton of my dress… flying, your strong hands under my arms… bright smiles and blue twinkling eyes…

Sitting on a carpet behind a sofa… no need to hide from the daleks… eating hard thick oatcake biscuits out of thick foil packets… drinking water from a bottle and metal tin with handles… sneaking away to play with the buckle of your belt hoping you do not discover that it is gone too soon… listening to your laughing voices … sounds from a radio; the Archers, Woman’s Hour, Listen With Mother, Fisher, German Bight, Viking, Dogger… all blending into one…

Dancing downstairs to the scents of curry… treasure plates of cold rice pearls… wooden beer barrels on kitchen tables… empty silent glass bottles in wooden crates… familiar voices, the Beatles, Elvis, Cliff and Eddie sleeping away the heavy mornings anticipating night… friends together… departed friends… tears…

Thora Hird, Jimmy Clitheroe and Emergency Ward 10… Bedtime stories with cotton and wool maps… tales of lands far away… bunnies running over sky blue headboards…

Waking up with Mum alone together… crying… weekly Cathedral visits… skipping footsteps on ancient flag floors… veils of incense… choirs of candles… jewelled caresses of light from biblical scenes… stone knights sleeping… brass walls… dusty books on ancient chains… Ladybird books and pennies in an honesty basket… arranging books in my own little library… knowing you are missing us too… feeling you home… wishing a day into a second…


I was created three times; by G*d, my parents and this building:





Thank you perkin2000 for creating the video!

Labels: Creation, Hereford Cathedral, Miladysa

Posted by Miladysa at 1:20 PM 11 Comments