Wednesday, 23 April 2014

Bright Week Joy




Khristos Voskrese!
Voistinu Voskrese!

Sunday, 20 April 2014

Some Lovely Paschal Paintings....






Voistinu Voskrese!

Paschal Joy

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen indeed!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!




I must have said, sung and typed this at least a hundred times, and still it bubbles up from my lips and my fingers, and absorbs almost every waking moment; I find myself singing the Paschal troparion and my heart is filled with joy.
I wish you all a joyful and truly blessed Pascha, the Feast of Feasts and the source of our joy.

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen indeed!


Friday, 18 April 2014

Decorating The Cross




As is our family custom, we decorate the Cross using only
 what flowers and plants we have in our garden; 
some Holy Weeks there may only be very few. 
This year, we have an abundance:
 the big leaves are from our bay tree,
strands of pink fuschias, camellias, 
sprigs of mint, sprigs of red valerian, 
bluebells and the small blue flower I have not yet identified.....

The Cross is now enthroned in our icon corner.

Good Friday


We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee:
For by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.......



Wednesday, 16 April 2014

The Parcel Has Arrived!


Chain, cord, wire and elastic, gift labels.....



Headpins, gemstones, lucite beads...




Hello Kitty beads, spacer beads, shell beads, flowers galore....




Glass pearls, wooden  beads, silver charms and glass beads....




Lots of lovely beads, charms, coloured tiny metal bells, lucite flowers....




And this cute storage box/kit to make necklaces, 
complete with cute owl pendant....




And a bird's eye view of it all spread out over the floor. 
Yes, I did pack it all safely back in the box :-)

Currently Watching

... Ben Hur on DVD. One of my beloved films of childhood, I bought a very reasonably priced DVD a few years ago and decided today that it would be the perfect accompaniment to tacking a veritable mountain of ironing which I had been studiously ignoring for the last few days.

Our very clement weather has been perfect for doing laundry; I love washing and hanging the clothes out to dry, but the ironing is slightly less fun, I must say, and tends to need a good DVD  to take my mind off it! I had forgotten just how good Ben Hur is, and am thoroughly enjoying re-acquainting myself with it. I have just reached the opening part of the famous Chariot Race.



I also found a copy of Charlton Heston's autobiography in my local charity shop for 80 pence, and very much look forward to reaching the part where he talks about filming Ben Hur.

Parcels

DD3 and I are anxiously awaiting the delivery of a fairly large parcel - 5kg of beads and jewellery making supplies!  Her favourite bead-seller is closing down her business due to health issues, so we placed an order for a large lucky box of mystery supplies at a knock-down price. It was shipped on Monday with an expected delivery date of today, so we are hoping it will indeed arrive today.

A knock on the door about an hour ago produced a positively Pavlovian response, but it was a parcel for Dear Husband instead. He was pleased, we were less so :-) Photos will follow when the parcel arrives!


Sunday, 13 April 2014

Palm Sunday



Wishing everyone a happy Palm Sunday and a truly blessed Holy Week!

Saturday, 12 April 2014

An Evening Walk



Looking across the bay....it was very peaceful.




And the sweep of the beach.




On the beach there are some small springs of fresh water 
bubbling up from a tidal well almost half a mile away.
The well is quite remarkable - the flow of water from
 the underground springs is affected by subterranean
 passages containing fissures which act like valves. 
These passages connect with the beach, where
 the fresh water bubbles out freely at low tide.
 As the tide comes back in, it increases 
the pressure in the fissures and the well fills
 back up again.





That piece of tree certainly wasn't there yesterday!




Big Foot. No, it wasn't one of us!




And deep sandy footprints filling up with water.

Flowers



Buds on the camellia bush  in our back garden




And lots of lovely blooms too.




Camellias have the glossiest green leaves I have ever seen!




Our rhubarb plant is showing signs of life once more, 
a sure sign that Spring is here.




Prince Vasyl smelling the daffodils on his daily walk....




And enjoying the evening sunshine :-)