Reasons to be Cheerful

Photograph taken by C Phillips
As I was walking into our little town centre yesterday evening, someone asked me why I was so smiley and did I have a particular reason to be so chirpy. There was no particular reason, I was just feeling happy, but it got me thinking (dangerous I know!).

Here are a few of my reasons to be cheerful (in no particular order) ...

• My son, who is out of hospital, back to work and well and truly on the mend following his horrid pushbike accident.
• My daughter, whom I miss on a daily basis, but because she knows this, she takes the time to ring me each day.
• My husband, who is always by my side, on my side and never complains that my side is too wide.
• My sister, who is my inspiration and mentor and loves me unconditionally.
• My mother, who makes me laugh, shares daily chats with me and understands my need for regular tea and chocolate.
• My friend who doesn't judge me for knowing that S Club Juniors were renamed S Club 8 (but hey, she knew the words to Take That songs!).
• My work, it's a priviledge to work doing something I get so much pleasure from.
• The pub quiz, a bit of fun, nothing serious, lots of silly questions... it appeals to my competitive streak and has also taught me a great deal of humility.
• Dining out with friends, at any and every opportunity.
• Early autumn sunshine, late autumn sunshine... any time of the year sunshine.
• An autumn day without spiders (see last blog entry)
• Discovering Dave brought me a fresh cup of tea while I wasn't looking!

Chat soon, Liz

All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

Fashion faux pas

Oh no! It's that time of year again. You know the one, when the temperature starts to drop and the annual migration begins once again.

Every autumn I promise myself that this will be the year when the hysteria stops and that I will get to grips with my fear and loathing, needless to say last year I didn't manage to overcome my irrational feelings. Because I put my feelings into words so succinctly last year, I hope you will forgive me for repeating myself.

September 2007...
... I lay in bed listening to the rain beating against the window and realised that autumn is well and truly upon us here in Mid Wales. For me this means several things, the biggest issue being that all those huge and horrible spiders will suddenly make an appearance in our home.

Now I do understand that, like me, they would rather be warm and dry inside rather than wet and cold outside, but why can't they go next door? A few years ago, we were absolutely plagued by an army of enormous 8 leggers, I found them in the laundry basket, hiding in the tube of the spare loo roll and to my horror, one even appeared on Dave's shoulder whilst he was having a bath!

Over many things I am quite a normal calm woman and indeed spiders in my garden are not an issue. I love those cobwebs we find in summer that are full of tiny weeny spiders that if you touch the web, these little babies scamper in all directions, but... those big black crunchy beasts that inhabit my space from September onwards turn me into an hysterical and screaming girlie. Many a moment have been spent standing on the sofa (actually hopping from one foot to the other), shouting to Dave to rescue me from the advancing attack being launched across the drawing room carpet!

So this year I would like to think that I will not be so silly about those creatures that are, after all, just trying to survive the winter in the only way that they know how and that I will not have a conveniently placed size 9 shoe with me at all times, that I will not shriek and cry like a thing possessed and I won't become so paranoid that I check the loo roll before every use of the facilities.

Today 2008, this afternoon I gathered some greenery to be used in a floral display and drove to my friend's shop to choose some flowers and have a quick cup of tea with her. I knew the migratory patterns had begun again when I looked in the car rearview mirror to discover that I was wearing a very jaunty and uninvited hat.

Scene - I needed to pull the car over and park, I needed try to stay calm long enough to negotiate the lorry coming in the opposite direction down a not quite wide enough street and I really, really needed to leave the car as quickly as possible and stand on the pavement screaming and waving my arms around.

Thank goodness Dave was with me and he realised by the gentle lullaby-like sounds eminating from my mouth that something was up... up on my hair marching towards my forehead, the something being... no let's not name it, I'll just get upset again. Dave quietly, calmly and gently removed the offending beastie and deposited it outside the car. I love my husband!

Anyway, having written about the incident I think a cup of tea is required,
Chat soon, Liz
All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE TO TERMS

Changes were made on 21st September 2008 to the terms and conditions of use of our website (Section 4) and to the information and instruction provided relating to delivery of orders. These amendments replace any previous term and conditions of use.

If you are a returning customer, please make yourself familiar with our new terms and conditions of sale, particularly relating to returns and signing for your delivery.

These have been made to improve the service that we can offer to our customers.

Best wishes, Liz

All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

Oooh, new shoes!

Okay, well not actually new shoes, but new furniture.
I have had great news from the makers of our Chichester range; they have now extended their range of gorgeous dressers with a wider choice of bases and new designs for the dresser doors too.

This 5 foot dresser now offers doors with rectangular glazed panels in front of the adjustable shelves and there is additional design for the 4 foot dresser base too. It offers two wider doors and two drawers and comes with an open shelved top as shown below or with rectangular glazed panelled doors.
All of the new designs and options will be available at the click of a couple of buttons on our new site, but in the meantime, just telephone to place an order and we will be happy to help.


All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except the images of dressers (Courtesy of Neptune Classics).

Beautiful Blue and White Book

At the crack of dawn this morning our postman rang the doorbell as he had a parcel to deliver. It has been some time since I hopped out of bed with such a spring in my step and the reason being that I knew the postman was bringing a book that I had ordered.

So it was kettle on, curtains open, quilts and blankets (that had been left on the sofa last night) folded and put away, tea made, toast put into toaster, cats fed.... gosh doesn't the morning routine go on and on when you want to do something different?

Finally I got to sit down at the kitchen table and open the parcel that had arrived. Whilst I receive parcels on a regular basis and at work, I open a huge number of parcels every week, this one I knew was a bit special.

Earlier in the year I was contacted by Gail Abbott (who wrote that fantastic book called Shoestring Chic) who asked if we could lend her some bed linen and quilts for use in photographs for a new book she was writing. Happy to help, I sent off the selection of quilts, duvet covers and pillowcases that she had asked for and in due course, she returned them to me. For months I have been quietly waiting for the book to be published and at last on 1st September Gail's new book, Decorating in Blue and White was released.

So this morning, my copy of her book arrived and with a good cup of tea made, I spent half an hour browsing her book and ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the beautiful photographs (taken by Mark Scott), stunning scenery and gorgeous rooms that illustrate her words. Because I am dreadfully impatient and wanted to spot the quilts and bedlinen that I had sent her, I haven't actually started to read her words of wisdom yet... that will be this evening's treat.

Gail's latest book is published by Cico Books and is available 'at all good bookshops'.

I need to get to work, chat soon, Liz

P.S. At midday today, Cecily telephoned me to let me know that this morning she has passed her driving test (at her first attempt), so now I am an extra proud mummy.

All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

Family matters

Sorry that it has been so long since I wrote my blog, family matters have been uppermost in my mind for a little while.

Alec, my son is now on the mend following his rotten pushbike accident almost three weeks ago. The clever people at the hospital have rebuilt his elbow and he is now back at home (and back at work) with a plaster cast on his arm waiting for the bones to mend. I suspect will be some time with extensive physiotherapy before the soft tissue damage heals, but he is happy and otherwise healthy, so what more can I ask?

In fact the last couple of weeks has definitely been family orientated; I have spent time with my mother and sister, helped Cecily move into her new house for the next year at university and Dave and I have been rediscovering how to live together without children in our house (actually that was the easy bit and we discovered that we are much tidier than we thought!).

Having taken Cecily back to university last week, she has come home again for a couple of days to visit us, which gave me the perfect excuse to create a warming winter meal for us this evening. So tonight we have feasted on stew and mashed potatoes and because Cecily loves them, dumplings with mustard seeds.

At work, Dave and I are still busy. Some of our closest friends are now starting to trial and test the new website to help us make sure that there are no little problems (or big ones!) and I am hoping that it will be available for everyone to have a look at within the week. Perhaps this is tempting fate so I will keep my fingers crossed. The front page of the new site will look something like this...


Anyway, as always it is time for me to put the kettle on, make a cuppa and reflect on what I have always known in my heart; family matters.
Chat soon, Liz
All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE TO TERMS

On 3rd September there was a change to Pretty Practicals' terms and conditions which now read,

3. PRICING
3.1 Our prices include VAT at the current applicable UK rate as we are registered for VAT.
3.2 Where we charge separately for packing, carriage and insurance and other relevant charges, the appropriate rates are set out in our specified pricing structure shown elsewhere on this Website.
3.3 Our prices are reviewed periodically and the next review will be on 03/09/2008.
____________________________________

Any prices changes are effective immediately and we anticipate that the next price review will be on 01/01/09. Any orders placed at the previous prices will be charged at the price advertised at the time of order.

All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.