Pottery & Poetry & Life
February 2026
Lovely break for two nights with friends.
Had a walk today after a late start. The weather was unexpectedly dry and mild.
Enjoying company and conversation now in a Lodge which is very comfortable and cozy, complete with log burner. Haven’t felt inclined to go in the hot tub. The fairy lights are lovely.
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.
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
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 – deliciousš. 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.
Writing again
I woke up to a different ā and rather wonderful – view this morning, after staying overnight with friends.
Their dog ā Faith ā slept most of the night on my bed. Lydia hasnāt yet ever slept on my bed and if thatās her choice thatās 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 weāre having tomorrow evening.
I found the vegan recipes online:
https://ucalorie.com/vegan-sausage-rolls/
https://plantbasedfolk.com/vegan-sausage-rolls/#recipe
Theyāve turned out well, and are tasty.
Iām beginning to feel reasonably well organised for Christmas, partly because Iām not cooking a Christmas dinner this year so thereās less for me to organise, and partly because Iāve now bought all the presents I wanted to buy, have posted all the cards I need to post and written most of the others. Itās good to feel that I can just enjoy what Iām doing every day which tomorrow will start with picking Lydia up from the boarding kennels. Itās just not the same here without her.
As I have now completed my latest cycle of writing for 28 days, Iāll be republishing earlier posts for the next couple of weeks, and then Iāll 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
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 Iāll enjoy mine.
Iāve 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 isnāt the same without Lydia but Iāll be picking her up on Monday morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed – and thatās just me!
Writing again
For the first time since May I didnāt write and publish a blog post yesterday, so Iām 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. Iād 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 didnāt have to leave early, and was pleased with my creation which is now hanging up on our front door.
Iāve got some more get-togethers with friends coming up over the next couple of weeks, and made a really good start with this one.
Writing again
Just back from a late lunch ā a friend of a friendās birthday.
Back home Iāve given Lydia her tea and she is now crunching on a raw lamb rib ā a chunky one.
We had an earliesh walk this morning. It was our woodland walk only we didnāt go into the wood in the end as she was pulling too much ā 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 āheelā 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. Weāll see how that goes.
I may give the woodland walk a miss tomorrow and try it again once the new collar has arrived.
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 ārub a dub dubā with a dry towel when we got home.
My friend treated me to a green smoothie- full of nutrients and very flavoursome ā and then I had a decaffeinated coffee.
It was busy in the retail park where we met ā hard to believe itās not yet December as Christmas shopping seemed to be in full flow.
I did a bit of shopping after Iād said goodbye to my friend, using a gift card Iād been given to buy a really nice bottle of wine.9
Iām drinking the wine now and it is good. Trying to keep a craving for chocolate at bay ā 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 Iāll take a page out of her book. Sheās a good role model, thatās for sure.
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!
Glad About 
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