friends – Glad About

Day 18

15th Jan 202615th Jan 2026 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

Writing 2026

Had a lovely day with my friend Mandy.

She lifted me from a negative state of mind to a more positive one, just by being herself and being with me.

We had a lovely walk, coffee and snacks then headed for lunch.

It was quite a busy place. Mandy bought food and I bought drinks.

I’ve been struggling with a lot of things but Mandy helped me to feel confident that I can get through to the other side, or at least keep going, even if the other side is a bit of a way off.

We’ve known each for a long time, Mandy and me, from when we first worked together,, about 40 years ago. I wanted her to be my friend then and am so glad she is now.

Lydia and I had an early walk, so that I could catch the train to meet Mandy. I think she’s had a good day too, and now it’s time for her tea.

Day 9

6th Jan 20266th Jan 2026 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

Writing 2026

On this, the morning of my 70th birthday, I woke with words in my head from the Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Rinpoche:

“The things that I normally see in dreams do not exist.

This proves that the things I normally see while awake do not exist.

Since both of these are equally mistaken appearance.”*

I received these as a great gift of faith and one that I am so thankful for.

I’ve had other wonderful gifts, cards, messages and experiences during the day.

My walk with Lydia was not uneventful leading me to try an alternative to the Halti collar I’ve been hoping she’ll get used to over the last few weeks. Her determination to find a way of removing the collar – and success in being able to do so – is worrying because I’m concerned she’ll injure herself in the process. So I’ve ordered a K9 Bridle which uses a slightly different approach, in line with a figure of eight.

After visiting friends this afternoon, I’ve had a rest and am now ready to go out in about 15 minutes, picking up another friend who is taking me out for dinner.

The boiler is mended so I’ve had a shower, put on some make-up and washed my hair, not necessarily in that order!

All in all, a pretty good day and a birthday to remember.

*The New Eight Steps to Happiness – The Buddhist Way of Loving Kindness, published by Tharpa Publications

Day 2

30th Dec 202530th Dec 2025 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

Writing 2026

I decided this year to make a white chocolate Christmas cake instead of a traditional fruit one, that I’ve made in previous years.

I’m glad that I did as it turned out very well, with a fruit compote filling and icing that included cream and ground almonds – delicious😋. I had some for my breakfast this morning, as I did on Christmas Day.

Lydia enjoyed her usual breakfast ball after our walk and I did a bit of tidying up in the lounge before heading out to visit a friend who now lives in a care home.

I had a bit of a chat with my friend and a couple of the other residents who were in the lounge with her, staying for about an hour before heading for home.

Our lounge is now looking a lot clearer, with Trev having done a tip run the other day and I had a good run round with the vacuum cleaner.

As I write, Lydia is crunching her way through a raw lamb rib – quite a chunky one – and I can relax as Trev’s cooking the tea tonight.

Although I’m still a bit tired, I feel that I’ve had quite a constructive day, which has included some meditation and also some chanting of prayers. The prayers do, I think, help a lot, and I find them very beautiful.

Day 28

14th Dec 202514th Dec 2025 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

Writing again

I woke up to a different – and rather wonderful – view this morning, after staying overnight with friends.

Their dog – Faith – slept most of the night on my bed. Lydia hasn’t yet ever slept on my bed and if that’s her choice that’s fine, but I would like to think that she knows she can if she wants to.

Back home, I made some vegan and some meat sausage rolls for the Qigong fuddle we’re having tomorrow evening.

I found the vegan recipes online:

Vegan Sausage Rolls

https://ucalorie.com/vegan-sausage-rolls/

https://plantbasedfolk.com/vegan-sausage-rolls/#recipe

They’ve turned out well, and are tasty.

I’m beginning to feel reasonably well organised for Christmas, partly because I’m not cooking a Christmas dinner this year so there’s less for me to organise, and partly because I’ve now bought all the presents I wanted to buy, have posted all the cards I need to post and written most of the others. It’s good to feel that I can just enjoy what I’m doing every day which tomorrow will start with picking Lydia up from the boarding kennels. It’s just not the same here without her.

As I have now completed my latest cycle of writing for 28 days, I’ll be republishing earlier posts for the next couple of weeks, and then I’ll be back on the other side of Christmas.

Best wishes to All for the festive season.

A Woman, a Dog & a Blog: Writing into Life https://amzn.eu/d/fZQtr0K

Rules, Rhymes, Recovery, Recipe, Random: Glad About Life https://amzn.eu/d/6XnH3He

Day 27

13th Dec 202513th Dec 2025 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

Writing again

It was a bit frosty and misty this morning when I took Lydia out.

We were earliesh because I was taking her into kennels and then going straight to a poetry group meeting.

After the meeting a few of us went for a festive drink, and I have another sociable event lined up for this evening, going to visit friends.

Lydia will enjoy her weekend break with friends and I’ll enjoy mine.

I’ve also been to a Christmas Tree Festival in our local church, and bought what I think will now be the last of my Christmas presents for this year while I was there.

The house isn’t the same without Lydia but I’ll be picking her up on Monday morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed – and that’s just me!

Day 21

8th Dec 20258th Dec 2025 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

Writing again

For the first time since May I didn’t write and publish a blog post yesterday, so I’m doing it today instead.

I completely forgot after having had a lovely afternoon with friends, making Christmas wreaths.

My friend Maxine had organised it, and we all contributed different kinds of foliage from different places. I’d bought some bunches of festive foliage at the Buddhist Centre when I was there on Friday, and there were baubles, ribbons and lights that Maxine provided for us, along with some delicious snacks and drinks.

Trev gave Lydia her tea while I was out so I didn’t have to leave early, and was pleased with my creation which is now hanging up on our front door.

I’ve got some more get-togethers with friends coming up over the next couple of weeks, and made a really good start with this one.

Day 14

30th Nov 202530th Nov 2025 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

Writing again

Just back from a late lunch – a friend of a friend’s birthday.

Back home I’ve given Lydia her tea and she is now crunching on a raw lamb rib – a chunky one.

We had an earliesh walk this morning. It was our woodland walk only we didn’t go into the wood in the end as she was pulling too much – we walked up and down the outside instead, and despite changing directions numerous times as the training has taught me to do, and reinforcing the “heel” command, it made no difference. She had picked up a scent and wanted to follow it.

Even so, we were out for about 45 minutes in the end and when I came home I ordered an anti-pull collar for her. We’ll see how that goes.

I may give the woodland walk a miss tomorrow and try it again once the new collar has arrived.

Day 13

29th Nov 20252nd Dec 2025 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

Writing again

Had a really good catch up with a friend today.

Lydia and I had a bit of a wet walk in the morning, although she was reluctant to let me give her a ‘rub a dub dub’ with a dry towel when we got home.

My friend treated me to a green smoothie- full of nutrients and very flavoursome – and then I had a decaffeinated coffee.

It was busy in the retail park where we met – hard to believe it’s not yet December as Christmas shopping seemed to be in full flow.

I did a bit of shopping after I’d said goodbye to my friend, using a gift card I’d been given to buy a really nice bottle of wine.9

I’m drinking the wine now and it is good. Trying to keep a craving for chocolate at bay – and winning. I did have some cheese puffs earlier so the craving for something sweet will have to wait.

Lydia is chewing on her horn. She showed a lot of restraint when I was eating the cheese puffs earlier, so I’ll take a page out of her book. She’s a good role model, that’s for sure.

Early Christmas presents

16th Nov 202516th Nov 2025 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

First published 4th December 2022

I’ve had two unexpected and early Christmas presents this year. One came in a box and the other was unwrapped; both are brilliant.

After a session at the ceramics studio which enables me to make and fire my own work – http://www.thepotterman.co.uk – I was putting my coat on to go home, and found a small cardboard box in my pocket. When I opened it up there was a handmade and personalised Christmas tree ornament, made by a fellow potter, Jenny. What a wonderful surprise; I felt I’d already had Christmas with that gift alone.

Then came another one…

After taking my partner’s daughter and three children home after a party at our house, I started taking one of the child seats out of the car. The four-year-old – who’d declared on the journey that he was tired – unbidden walked round towards me and took hold of one side of the car seat to help me carry it into the house. He didn’t say anything, he just spontaneously did it to help me. I was so moved by this; what a sweetheart – literally, a very sweet heart.

Two Christmas presents to treasure forever.

Let it snow!

Potfest 2022

15th Nov 202515th Nov 2025 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'Leave a comment

First published 29 August 2022

Next weekend I’m taking part in an event called Potfest in Melton Mowbray, an event for makers of pots and other things out of clay.

This completes a cycle for me that started many years ago.

There is no way I would have completed that cycle without all the help, inspiration and support I’ve had from family and friends.

And the wheel is going to keep on turning!