Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 44

It has been a mixed week but there is still plenty to smile about. We are both a bit bogged down with bad colds, but we had to get to another hospital appointment on Monday which was almost another full day out. But since then we have mostly stayed at home so I have had lots of time to play with my new 'toy' that Chris bought me as a combined birthday and Christmas present. I said I would show it this week so here it is.

Yes it is another laser cutter engraver. I know there wasn't a lot wrong with the one I  had but it did have some limitations. This one takes up a lot less space, it is entirely enclosed with its own air assist and extractor fan, so there are less cables and extras like a pump to clutter up the work space. And most importantly, this one includes a printer module which is a new asset. The laser module in the photo (the little grey box) is held in place by magnets, so it is easy to exchange it for the inkjet module, print an image, then change it back and cut it out. That is a real game-changer. Also the bar coming out across the lid is a camera that enables you to position the cut line exactly over the printed image, and also to work accurately on small pieces of wood etc. It is advertised as being safe to cut paper and card which I was always hesitant to even try on my other machine as there is a risk of it catching fire! This one incorporates a fire alarm which is a bonus though you are told to never leave it unattended when in use.

So this week I have tried printing on paper, with one pass and then with two passes, printed on wood though they advise coating the wood first so that the ink doesn't seep into the grain and as yet I have not got the right medium for this, cutting out wood and paper which both worked beautifully once I got the settings right! I tried some intricate cutting with paper and wood, and also engraved a robin and then cut it out on plywood, and also a flat engraving on a small wood slice that I bought from The Works, just to try the positioning tool on small items. As you can see, I didn't always get it right, but I am certainly more confident to use it now and I am pleased with the results so far. It uses different software, so it is a bit of a learning curve, but I am getting there.

The print on paper which I cut right, (top left photo), and two others I did later, have all been used on Christmas cards.

A few weeks ago I showed you some poppies I had crochet for a Remebrance day project. The ladies organising it are now stitching all the poppies onto the net which will be draped from the top floor office of the Guild Hall in the market square, right down to the front wall. I like to think that 12 of these are the ones I made. Our sewing group promised to contribute a hundred flowers and we did make at least that many. They have sewed on 2,000 so far with many more to go. I think it will look really good.

Last week Angela metioned that they had an unusual number of magpies around them. Well we don't see many magpies but we have loads of jackdaws. They are omnivores eating both insects and berries etc, but after the rain they flock to the park and appear to be hunting for worms. Of course when I approach to take a photo of them, they all fly off, but are soon back again. (Our house is the one on the back right of the photo so you can see what a great view of the park we have, even without venturing outside).

This morning I needed to go across to the pharmacy to collect my prescription, so I arranged to meet my grand-daughter Emma on Red Square for a cup of tea. She had my grandson Reuben with her as it is half-term holiday here. There are four cafés on the square each with their own area of indoor and outdoor seating, and it is a popular spot for meeting up with friends and family. As we sat chatting my daughter-in-law Ella came past with her two little girls Aisling and Niamh, so she joined us for a chat.

While we chatted Reuben and Aisling amused themselves collecting ladybirds which seemed to like the black bollards around the square, then they discoverd sycamore seeds and made helicopters, and finally they had a climb on the statue of the shepherd which my own boys climbed on when it was first put there many years ago. (Aisling is wearing a dress she had just borrowed from the cloths rail at the library).

Although Reuben's mum Emma, and Aisling are actually cousins, the two little ones are growing up together. The generations get a bit muddled in our family. (e.g. There is a twelve year gap between Emma's dad and Ella's husband even though they are brothers). But I love having these impromtu meet up between family members, and it is one of the best things about returning to UK.

And that is enough rambling for one day. Have a good week everyone.

Friday Smiles 2026 #Week 43

Well, following on from last weeks post about Fin's travelling send-off and my birthday high tea treat, we have had a very busy time, and then a few 'basic' days for us to catch our breath and return to our usual routine. Hence I did some very late visiting to you, but hopefully all will be back to normal now. 

As I suggested last week, all five of our boys came together to celebrate our birthdays with us on Thursday. This was actually Chris' 80th birthday. Tom arrived from Denmark at lunchtime, and Jim and Jo came up on the train from London the day before and were staying in a local B&B. They popped over to see us that afternoon as we guessed (rightly) that there wouldn't be much opportunity for real chat once we all got together.

Mike had booked us in at the Indian restaurant for early evening, and Ben and Ant drove over from Leominster to meet us there. The boys helped me order as I have not been to many Indian restaurants am not familiar with all the dishes.

Anyway we had an excellent meal and then all walked up to a nearby bar - which I also hadn't visited for nigh on twenty five years. It was an open mike night and the front bar was full of singers and their friends, but there was a cosy back room that we took over. I had to get my obligitory photo of our six boys. I like to update it each time we all get together.

Then Chris and I were roped in and Ant took more photos for us. It was a great evening.I love that all my boys are such good friends as well as brothers, and that they all do their best to get together to make a special day for us.

On Friday I had a blood test early morning, and then we both had our Covid vaccinations. (We had flu ones at the start of the week). In the evening I went to choir practice and Tom and dad walked into town to meet Mike and one of Tom's school friends in a local bar. (Dad and Mike used to run this bar a good few years ago).When we first moved to Oswestry it had the highest number of bars per capita of population , in the country. Many have now closed, but there are still plenty to choose from! I met them there after choir but we didn't stay late.

Saturday was bright and sunny so again Tom had us walking into town with him and we went to a café at the front of the market where they sell German sausages and chips. He had arranged to see Mike there and his partner Lucy was with him. So we sat there and chatted for a while and then Chris and I went home, but it was nice to be able to sit outside in the sun for an hour or so.

Later that afternoon Tom came home and brought our grand-daughter Emma home. They were both grinning and the reason soon became clear when Mike, (who is Emma's dad), came in with a little birthday cake with several lit candles on it. Saturday was actually my birthday so they came to me first to blow out the candles while they sang Happy Birthday to me. Then they were all lit and we sang again to Chris, and then lit a third time so we sang to Tom who's birthday was on Monday. (Photo from Tom's family chat group post). Tom had bought lots of snacky foods that he doesn't get in Denmark, so we helped him eat them all for our tea. 

Finally Jonathan's wife Ella and little Aisling came to the door on Sunday with flowers and a card for me. So we somehow managed to make our birthdays last for over a week, and had lots of great family time through out it all.

Tom left us Sunday lunchtime to get a train to Manchester, and then a plane back home. So gradually we have settled down and enjoyed a quiet week with lots of reading, crochet time and TV. 

I have a very excititng birthday and Christmas combined present, but I think this post is long enough so I will tell you all about that next week.

Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 42

 I already have a lot to smile about this week so I am writing this on Thursday morning. The rest will be in next week's post.

Why is this a special week? Because it is a week of celebrations. Today is my husband Chris' 80th birthday. My 79th is on Saturday and our son Tom's is next Monday. So today all five of our boys are coming to Oswestry,Including Tom who is flying in from his home in Denmark this morning, and we will be going out for a meal together this evening.

But first we had a party at son Mike's house on Saturday afternoon because his son, our grandson Finlay, is off on his travels. He has worked hard all summer in the mobile shop that goes to many of the main music festivals around the country. It is long hours, lots of tavelling and lots of heavy lifting, but also mad rush hours serving in the shop, and hours of few customers, but it pays well and he does have time to listen to some of the music. Now he is spending his hard earned cash by going with a group of mates to explore parts of S.E.Asia for three months. So we sent him off with a  barbeque for family and friends. 

The young lads did a good job cooking the meat while we at around chatting or phone-scrolling! 

Then of course, they all stood around the fire pit and burned all of last year's Christmas tree as Lucy cut it up for them. And those with a sweet tooth made smores, (for anyone not in the know, smores are marshmallows melted on a stick over the fire, and sandwiched between two digestive biscuits - preferably chocolate ones!).

All afternoon Fin's younger cousins jumped on the Trampoline. Oh to have a fraction of their energy. 

The youngest one, our grandson Reuben, amused himself with washing his cars. These are kept in a box at Grandad's house, and Reuben was so excited to find that they changed colour in hot water, so he ran a car-wash all afternoon.

Of course we took a photo of us, with Mike and his daughter and two of his sons.

We didn't stay too late because we had a Sainsburys delivery at 8.00 - the only time slot we could get.

Yesterday was another great day because our son Jonathan and his wife Ella, took me for a high tea at the Ironworks for my birthday. Chris did not come to this as it is not his sort of thing, but I did take a box of goodies home for his tea. Once we were seated they brought out tea on a three tier stand with a firework shooting flames from one of my cakes. They also gave me a glass of prosecco becuse Ella had put 'birthday' on the order.

There was so much food including a cup of chips each, various sandwiches, huge slices of cake, enormous scones with butter, jam and pots of cream, and delicious brownies. No-way could we have eaten all of it, and they know that and automatically give each family boxes to take some home. It was a lovely treat. My youngest grand-daughter was with us and she sat in a high-chair happily chewing on the crusts of our sandwiches, and was so good. (Her older sister was at school, but they took her home some cake so I expect she was happy with that).

Last time we went to the irnon works I was disappointed because the 'Knife angel' was off on its travels, so I was happy to see that it had returned home and was once again on display. This is the information board alongside it. I hope you can click on it and read it. If not, there ae links at the bottom that you could use.

You can see in the photos how all the body is made from the knife handles and the wings are all shapes and sized of blades. It is an amazing display and tells an important story.

I am loving all the autumn colours starting to show in the park. This is one of my favourite trees. It is stunning right now but at the first sign of frost these leaves will fall.

I bought a little plant that I spotted in the green grocers this week. When we moved to Oswestry the first time, our garden was full of little cyclamen, and they all flowered just as everything else was dying off. But there was only one small plant in this garden, so when I saw this one I thought it was so pretty, and it is now tucked just below our holly hedge in the front garden.

And I am going to stop there as this post is quite long enough for one week.

Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 41

 I am writing a quick post tonight as I have been out most of the day and am now tired. I had an appointment at Shrewsbury hospital this morning but it turned out to be a bit of a marathon, because when we came out we had just missed a bus back to Oswestry and they are only one an hour so we had a long wait. Then it turned out that on its way from Oswestry the bus had broken down so we had to wait for a replacement to be sent. We left home at 10.15 and didn't get back until 4.00pm. However I did have a very thorough and helpful discussion with my dermatologist so I guess it was worth it. 

Last Saturday I went up to the market because it was a special day known as the Apple Festival. The aim is to encourage folk to eat some of the less known varieties of fruit. There were several stalls with baskets of apples, plus a few pears and I saw one lot of quince. 

I chatted to some of the stall holders and tried tasters of several apple varieties. I bought a kilo of the red ones in the central box which are called Jupiter and they are crisp and very tasty.

There were also stalls selling items made with apples such as pies and crumbles plus jams and chutneys. I bought a jar of apple butter though, if I am honest, it is not as nice as the one I used to make when I had a very prolific apple tree in my garden. I also picked up a little booklet of apple recipes.

Then I walked to the end of the street and at the cross roads there was a very colourful group of men and women. The men started playing instruments such as accordions and fiddles and the ladies started a folk dance.

When they finished I was quite surprised when it was all change. The ladies took over the instruments and the men did Morris dancing. It was fun and a good crowd gathered to watch them.

Sunday was Harvest festival at our church. I do miss the harvest services I went to years ago when the church smelled wonderfully of all the produce that had been given. I remember making up little boxes for my boys to take, which were later given to local elderly people. But times have changed and there are more needy folk than ever it seems, of all ages too, So now we are asked to donate tinned goods which can be handed to the food bank to distribute. But there were still beautiful flower arrangements on pedestals around the church. I particularly liked this one because it had sunflowers in it!

The rest of the week has hurried past. I have had a few video calls with our son who is trying to arrange a family day soon. So I am looking forward to that.

I have also made some birthday cards and put inserts into all my Christmas cards. I usually do that when I make them but this year I was just hurrying to catch up with the making so didn't stop to put inserts in. But they are all done now and I think I have almost enough cards ready to write.

And that is about it for this week.

Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 40

I can finally say that I am more or less back to normal, so this week I have  managed a couple of trips into town. In fact last Friday evening I walked the furthest I have been in over a month. Back at the start of the summer I saw an advert about a new choir that was going to start in Oswestry  come the Autumn. It sounded a bit like the one I was a part of in Spain, singing mostly music from the shows and films. It sounded very laid back - no  need to read music, no auditions etc - and the deciding factor for me was that rehearsals would be at the Memorial Hall; just five minutes walk from home. So I signed up for the two free sessions they were offering for anyone who wanted to learn more, and the first of these was last Friday evening. Unfortunately on Thursday I received a message to say that the response had far outdone their expectations so they had moved to a larger premises which are a half hour walk from here. This is not ideal for walking home at 9.00 at night but I decided to go along anyway, so Chris walked with me and came back to walk me home.

The choir tuned out to be great fun and I am definitely going again, and already I have sorted out a lift each way which makes it possible. A young woman called Amy is leading us and she says there were 80 of us at the first meeting. She took this photo of us to go on our Facebook page.

I also went back to church this week as I thought I could get through a service without coughing too much, and as I walked through the park on my way there I saw some big brown clumps on the ground. I wondered whether the strong winds the night before had blown down a squirrel's drey but when i got closer i could see it was fungi. There were three of these, two just emerging from the ground and one at the base of a newly planted young tree. According to google lens they are Meripilus giganteus and there have been several sightings of them this year with people remarking on their huge size.

We have also had some lovely sunny days this week so as I was walking to choir I had to stop to take photos of this glorious sunset.

I mentioned to Chris that I wanted to have some practice at using a touch pad on a lap-top. I have never mastered this, being far more at home on a PC and using a mouse. But he has lent me his Chrome book and I have been using it this week and managing quite well. He has set it up as a Windows remote desktop so it is synced to my computer and I can do everything down here without going up to the top floor - unless I want to use one of my cutters or the printer of course. I do keep trying to use it like a touch screen but  I am getting there.

And  that is it for this week.  It is October now and getting cooler so I am happy to be able to work down here. Hopefuly I will find it easier to visit you all now.

Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 39

Firstly I apologise for my lack of comments last week. Friday we were out early as I had an appointment at the clinic. It was my first venture out of the house for almost a month and the surgery is a good twenty minute walk each way, so by the time I made it home again, I was exhausted. But since then I have gradually improved. The second course of antibiotics did help. I still have a cough but it is easing, and other than that I am just about back to normal. (I will look at two weeks of posts when I visit you this week).

Apart from that, it has been another quiet week. Each morning, when I open the curtains downstairs I see a long strand of spider's web stretching from the hedge across to a shrub in the centre of the bed. It never seemed to change until this week when it suddenly became a full web - such wonderful bits of craft I think. Then right in the middle came a fat garden spider, who was getting blown around in the breeze. I don't care for spider's close up, but as long as he remembers that he belongs in the garden, he is welcome to stay. What struck me most was his bright orange colour, and the amazingly intricate pattern on his body and legs. A marvellous creation really.

I have also been watching the sky. We have had some really lovely intervals of sun and one evening we just about managed a sunset. It was not a dramatic red and yellow one, but folds of soft pink and grey, and quite pretty for the few minutes that it is was visible.

Another day I popped out into the garden when I first got up, and the sky looked like this. I just love it! They are called altocumulus clouds, but I call them cottom wool clouds! When I showed the picture to my friend she said "Oh. cotton wool clouds". So I am not the only one.

On Tuesday we had an unexpected pleasant time as some old friends of ours who we knew for years in Spain, and who now live in Shrewsbury, were in Oswestry for an appointment at the orthopaedic hospital. So when they were through with that, they met us for a coffee and catch-up at a café just across the park. They have a few indoor seats upstairs and a good area of out door seating on the plaza. Chris is in a wheelchair so it was an ideal venue as it was a warm sunny day, and sitting outside was a pleasure. It was good to have a proper chat, as we normally keep in touch with messages, and just as we were leaving we took a quick selfie as Chris (my friend, not my husband!) wanted to send it to some other friends from Spain that she keeps in touch with.

The rest of the week I have been busy making Christmas cards etc as I am still way behind schedule, and I know once October is here, Christmas will rush towards us. So I had better get back to it now.

Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 38

Well here we go for another week and sadly I am still housebound, and currently on a second, longer course of antibiotics, and still coughing enough to drain my energy. But although I don't feel up to going out yet, I am trying to do a few useful things, so I have spent some time working on my laser cutter. I can't show the results as some will be given as gifts at Christmas.

I have also tried a little crocheting and am currently making poppies. Oswestry Town Council want to make a cascade of textile poppies at the guildhall in November and have asked our kniting group to help. We are aiming to make ten each but so far I have only managed three. I have experimented and now decided on a pattern which is simple without being boring to make, so I will get a few more made next week.

It is surprising what a difference a little bit of rain makes. We have had one thunder storm and a few showers, but no torrential rain, yet the park has gone from brown to green, and looked lovely this morning with the rising sun sending tree shadows across the grass. All the trees are still green with no 'Autumn colours' yet.

The garden has perked up too. Two of my planters at the front of the house have died off but the centre one is in full bloom again. 

Out in the back garden, next-door's rose is having a second round of flowering.

This fuchsia shrub is stunning, especially when the sun shines on it. My dad would have loved this. He grew several varieties of fuchsias and as  child I was often in trouble for popping the buds before they were quite ready to open!

And I needn't have worried about my helianthus (see week 35). It is now in full bloom making a lovely show just as so many others are dying.

And with that I will close for this week. Hopefully The meds will make a big difference to me this week, and I will be bouncing back next week.

Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 37

Sorry I haven't done much visiting this week. I am still functioning at around 50%. I will be a lot better when I can shake this cough. My grand-daughter did take me to a routine doctor's appointment last Friday and amongst other things, he gave me a five day course of antibiotics for a chest infection. It helped but hasn't cleared it so I may have to go back. So this is the first time in a fortnight that I have ventures up to my craft room to use my computer, and, of course I have little news to report. But a couple of things have made me smile. 

Early this week I received a parcel from my youngest son, Ben, and one of the things in it is this stone. It looks grey and dull and you are probably wondering what is so great about it. 

But I knew it was a palm stone, (i.e. it fits into your palm), and is a piece of labradorite. It is said to ward off negative energy, and make the mind more alert. Ben knew I like it and here is the reason. Holding it in sunlight, or a good artificial light, and all the flashes of blue and gold shine out from inside it. It took me a while to get it just right for the photo, but isn't it beautiful?!

My second smile came from a little order I made from Amazon. A rainbow coloured umberella, bound to brighten up a dull wet day. I am not very good with an umbrella, especially if I am carrying shopping as well, but this will keep me dry on my short walk to church on a Sunday morning, and make me smile as well.

And lastly I thought I'd add this for those who are interested. My eldest son is a vicar, and I know many people have preconcieved ideas of what a vicar is like. Well Jim is probably untypical, a mixture of traditional faith and more free way of life and fashion choices, which he combines so well. I don't know the details of how it came about, but he is one of several clergy who were interviewed about their life and their beliefs, for a series on youtube. I am proud to say this is my son.

I hope the link works for you. It isn't cooperating for me right now, but I will publish early so that I can test it. I will visit if and when I can this week. I need to get back into my normal routine.

Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 36

 Thanks to those who visited last week and apologies for not getting back to you. I have been in bed with flue for a week, not even able to stand unaided, so I have not been in the mood for the computer. 

So I just thought I would share this picture of my finished Autumn Leaves mandala, that I kept back last week because my post was so long. It has been finished for a while but it has taken ages to get a hoop just the right size. I am very pleased with it now.

Hopefully normal services will resume next week. 

Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 35

It has been a lovely week so here are some of the things that have made me smile. I will start where I left off last week, with the event in the park. It was, in fact, the Oswestry annual Hot air balloon carnival. 

We actually moved into this house a year ago last Wednesday, and the balloon festival had been the weekend before we arrived so we missed it. I have been to it once before, maybe four years ago, while visiting my son who lives near here, but I was looking forward to it this year, and of course, we had a bird's-eye view from our house.

However I like to be a bit more hands on than watching from a window, so I was up at 6.00 Saturday morning, and marching across the grass,  to watch the balloon launch. It was a beautiful morning and there is something rather special about watching huge inflated balloons, silently rising into the sky. Not always silent as there were intermittent blasts from their burners. A surprisingly large crowd had gathered to watch them go up. I saw at least twenty-five balloons launch. It was strange as sometimes you could see three all inflating until their seams became taute, and you thought they were the last ones, but as they rose up, three more were preparing behind them. Five was about the most that could inflate in the space at any one time, but the next ones were always ready to follow them. Here are a few of the many photos I took. I like the central one where the stripey balloon in the centre was lit up by the rising sun behind it. 

Some were quite plain, others carried advertisements but some were more fun like the one winking at us, and the yellow one which surprised me because it was quite plain as I watched it getting ready, and then it turned in the air and had an alien face on the other side.

I was quite shocked to see that one balloon did not have the usual basket under it. Instead it's 'pilot' was simply strapped to an open chair with his gas cylinder strapped behind him. Rather him than me!

The park was well supplied with food and drink stalls, fairground rides and games, and pop-up shops selling novelties which kept the many families who visited, well occupied. 

These two alpacas were a popular attraction and you could walk with them round the park.

We went back over there in the afternoon to meet our son and his family. Young Aisling kept us busy but fortunately she accepted the limit we placed on the number of treats she coul have. Of all the rides she was insistant that she wanted to go on the high swing roundabout, and flatly refused to let Daddy have the seat beside her. I thought it was too high for her as she is only five, but we needn't have worried. She loved every minute of it.

Having gone home to have our tea, we again ventured out at 9.00pm for the highlight of the day known as the Night Glow. For this around five balloons are inflated and every now and then one lights up as their burner blasts up to keep them stable. They are tethered so they can't take off. Meanwhile ten or twelve other burners are removed from their balloons and are set up around the arena, and their controllers sent up blasts of fire in time to loud music that has everyone singing and dancing. It is quite exciting and a great fun spectacular. Again I took too many photos to show them all here, but here are a small selection to give you some idea of what it was like.

It all happened again on Sunday except for the Night Glow which is only on Saturday. We didn't go over again but after dinner I did sit out by the front door with my sewing and watched the people having fun. Every now and then one tethered balloon would inflate in the arena. As it loomed above the trees you realised just how huge some of them are.

I spent Monday and Tuesday afternoons, shortening two pairs of trousers that have languished at the bottom of my closet for ages. I have a feeling we will be wanting trousers again soon. I am not a needle-woman by choice, but I am happy to have got this chore out of the way.

Yesterday was a bit grey and damp but my lovely grand/daughter Emma sent a message to say she wanted to show me something. So at ten o-clock she came round and picked me up and we drove to Gatacre Hill Fort, just on the edge of Oswestry. We parked in a layby and went through a gate, and there we saw this beautiful field.

Isn't that an amazing sight for a field in the midlands. We had to take a quick selfie with them behind us.

We chatted with a man who walks his dog round the perimeter every day, and he said the land-owner had recived a grant to plant the field with seeds for the birds and other wild-life. There was a lot of barley and maize as well as something gone to seed that google lens said was radish seeds. But of course it was the sunflowers we had come to see. 

They were not as tall as cultivated sunflowers but I love the way they all turn their faces to the sun so they were all looking at us! I asked the man if we could pick a few and he said 'Oh yes. I have picked some but when I put them in water they die!' So Emma and I walked around and chose four heads each that still had compressed centres so should have some life left in them. So far so good.

Some were still in tight bud and it will be another few weeks before they are all set to seed but then the birds will have a field day. Already there were some smaller critters enjoying them.

I have always loved sunflowers but find them frustrating to grow as they almost always look over the fence away from the garden, so instead I bought  this from a plant sale I went to at Easter. It is called Helianthus-Lemon Queen. It has taken so long to get to flower but does now have quite a few and there are loads of buds still to come. The flowers are smaller than I think they should be but this is its first year so we will see what next year brings.

I was happy to have another visitor this morning - Emma's brother Mikey popped in for a cup of tea and a catch up. We don't get to see him very often so it made a very happy morning. Now I am waiting to have a chat with my son Ben and then it will be tea-time and the end of another day.

Apologies for the length of this post. I just had a lot to write about this week.