Sibol Owl Blanket/ Giveaway From Germany!

Does anyone remember that I make a crochet square with an owl?  It looked like this...

 

I made this and mailed it to England, to Sue, who runs SIBOL (Sunshine International Blankets of Love).    Sue has now put these owl crochet squares together and made the most beautiful owl blanket!  And you may see this blanket here!  

 

They are beautifully made squares, are they not? And I love how Sue has arranged and put them together with that lovely border around the blanket.  Thanks, Sue, for allowing my little square to be in the same blanket with all these beautiful owl squares!

 

Sue takes these crocheted blankets, wraps them beautifully with ribbon and delivers them to nursing homes in England.  These squares come to her from all over the world (even from Conyers, Georgia!) and that is why she calls her blog, Sunshine International Blankets of Love, or SIBOL.  If you look at her site, you can also see the one that was made for charity for MENCAP and if you look closely at that one, you might spot the one that looks like Stone Mountain, or it looks a bit like Stone Mountain, after all, I am the one who made it!

 

Wait, didn't I say something about a giveaway?  Yes! Now, you should really be excited about this giveway because it is not my giveaway but it is a FANTASTIC giveaway from Meike from Germany! (You would not be reading this blog if it had been for Meike since she is the one who started me on this blog journey so I am very thankful to her!)  Meike's Mum is a wonderful knitter and makes the most beautiful and comfortable socks that you can imagine.  I won a pair of these socks in a recent giveaway and I love them! LOVE them, I tell you, I would not lie to you!  So, make sure you visit Meike and tell her that Georgia Girl With An English Heart sent you! Go now and leave a comment on Meike's blog, which she calls From My Mental Library which you will find right here!  

 

Something hand-knitted from Germany! What do you think about that? Hoping that someone who reads this from my blog might be the one who wins the giveaway! Warm wishes to you all.

 

 Meike's Mum also has an Etsy shop where she sells her hand knitted items. You may find her at the following link:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gigunelsasocks?ref=em

The Storm Of October 2012

"Floods, fire and millions without power." 

Those were the words at the top of the newscast for October 30, 2012.   Along with the rest of the country, I was glued to my TV set last night watching the coverage of the storm coming ashore and the aftermath of it.  I am thinking and praying for all those affected by this powerful storm.  

 

Did anyone else see the US Coast Guard rescue of the crew from the replica ship of the HMS Bounty off the coast of North Carolina?  (It was a tall sailing ship built for the movie, "Mutiny On The Bounty", the one with Marlon Brando from 1962 and also used in the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" movie.)  The ship was taken out to sea in the hopes of saving it, but the winds were too much and a distress signal was sent.  There was one sent earlier but was then cancelled, and there are some who wonder had they not cancelled it, they all might have been saved.  It's hard to say, hindsight is always twenty-twenty.  I just wish that they all could have been rescued. The captain of the ship is still missing, and one of the crew, a woman by the name of Claudene Christian, died.  She is a descendant of Fletcher Christian, the man who actually led the mutiny on the Bounty.   You may read about Fletcher Christian here. 

 

This is the video of the rescue and I hope that you are able to see it!  (The voice saying "altitude, altitude"  would just get on my nerves so badly!) The waves were sometimes 15 feet high and with the heavy winds, this must have been such a difficult rescue effort.  At one point, the basket bringing up one of the rescued men swings wildly in the wind and it is such an effort for the man on the helicopter to hang on to the rope!  At the very end, when the survivors are on land, one of the men can hardly walk and people start running up with blankets and to help him walk...that is what it is all about, seeing what is needed and getting it done.  I am proud of the Coast Guard and all those who are helping in the rescue and recovery after this terrible storm.

 

And I would like to say, I think we should stop naming hurricanes...I know that it is considered traditional now, but how would you like to have the name "Sandy" or "Katrina"?  It just does not seem right to me... I think one day hurricanes will not be named anymore and you can say that you heard it here first!  And I just saw on the news that there was a hurricane in New York City in 1938 which killed 800 people.  Obviously, with all that is available to us now, there were plenty of warnings and lots of time for those to move to higher ground and to evacuate as needed.  Had these warnings not been given and heeded, this storm could have been even worse. 

 

The following prayer is from the 1789 Book of Common Prayer:

 

  O MOST glorious and gracious Lord God, who dwellest in heaven, but beholdest all things below; Look down, we beseech thee, and hear us, calling out of the depth of misery, and out of the jaws of this death, which is now ready to swallow us up: Save, Lord, or else we perish. The living, the living shall praise thee. O send thy word of command to rebuke the raging winds and the roaring sea; that we, being delivered from this distress, may live to serve thee, and to glorify thy Name all the days of our life. Hear, Lord, and save us, for the infinite merits of our blessed Saviour, thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

William Wordsworth/Dorothy Wordsworth

 From William Wordsworth:

...All at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee

To this entry from Dorothy's journal:

When we were in the woods beyond Gowbarrow park we saw a few daffodils close to the water side. We fancied that the lake had floated the seeds ashore and that the little colony had so sprung up. But as we went along there were more and yet more and at last under the boughs of the trees, we saw that there was a long belt of them along the shore, about the breadth of a country turnpike road. I never saw daffodils so beautiful they grew among the mossy stones about and about them, some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness and the rest tossed and reeled and danced and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them over the lake, they looked so gay ever glancing ever changing. This wind blew directly over the lake to them. There was here and there a little knot and a few stragglers a few yards higher up but they were so few as not to disturb the simplicity and unity and life of that one busy highway.
 

I like the poem and I also like what his sister wrote describing the exact same view. (The simplicity, the beauty...the life!)   I am still looking for the comparison of their writings about the view of Westminster Bridge in London.  Perhaps I was thinking of this, and just imagined how Dorothy Wordsworth would describe that poem in her own way.  Sometimes, my imagination plants ideas and facts into my mind that are not based on reality.  If anyone does find what I am speaking about, then I would really love it if you would let me know!  Thanks, GB, for starting a lively discussion and appreciation of the poetry of Williams Wordsworth.  And thanks to Chris for having that poem in one of the comments.  (See my last post if you have not read it yet!)

The only bridge I have seen lately is the covered bridge at Stone Mountain Lake and it might not be famous, but I think William Wordsworth, and his sister, Dorothy, would both like it.  I know I do.  Years ago, I memorized the last stanza of the Daffodils poem, simply because I loved it so...

For oft, when on my couch I lie,
in vacant or in pensive mood,
they flash upon that inward eye,
which is the bliss of solitude.
And then, my heart with pleasure fills,
and dances with the daffodils.

Too Much

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. --Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

William Wordsworth

This poem came to me today as I was thinking of how busy I have been this week and seeing everyone rush about on a busy Friday.  Our walks at Stone Mountain and Arabia Mountain are good for us physically but they are also good for our spiritual health.   Perhaps by noticing all that Nature provides, it does keep us in tune, much as the English poet, William Wordsworth, expressed it.

 
Of course, "Too Much" is also one of the big hits from 1957 (a very good year) from Elvis Presley!  The song uses "too much" in a very different way.  I love this song, the way Elvis sings it and the great guitar by Scotty Moore!  Now, do you see that this post has a poem from a famous English poet and then a song from a famous American from the Deep South?  Well,  I am Georgia Girl With An English Heart!
I am sorry that I have not had much time to post this week or to visit all the blogs that I like to visit and to leave comments.  Oh, and I just read that in the Superman Comic Books, Clark Kent is giving up his reporter job and starting a blog.    Superman's blog...what would he call it?  Please tell me, you guys are always so funny and clever, you are just TOO MUCH!  (And I mean that in a good way.)  Must go to bed now, I am cream crackered or plumb tuckered out...they mean the same thing.

Colors At Stone Mountain

 

Beautiful colors at Stone Mountain but not leaf changing color, not just yet, but soon, very soon. Just recently, we were walking down the path to the carving at the front of Stone Mountain and I looked down and saw red berries beneath my feet.  I looked up and I saw this:

 

 

Those red berries against that blue sky! It was breathtaking! I wonder how many people walked underneath this beauty and never saw it.   If you notice petals or berries at your feet, please remember to LOOK UP, you just don't know what you might miss.  This is a pyracantha.  I have one with orange berries but I must say that I would love to have this red one.

 

Another beautiful bush that I think a lot of people might miss at Stone Mountain has the wonderful name of Beautyberry.  Wonder what it might look like?  Wonder no more, here it is!  Can you see the ladybugs?  I didn't until I saw this on my computer!  This bush is at the top of Stone Mountain and is right in front of the building for the sky-lifts and people just walked right past this without a glance, but you know this Georgia Girl didn't!  By the way, I took the close-up photos of both of these plants!

 

There are always visitors from all over the world on top of Stone Mountain.  I found that someone had written this in black marker and while I don't approve of people defacing the mountain, I did wonder what this said...could anyone translate for me? I hope that it is a nice thought and nothing that would offend anyone!

The leaves were just turning on these trees near the Grist Mill at the lake which is just beside the Cherokee Trail.   

 

We did make it to the top of Stone Mountain! That's Richard looking out over the mountain, and that's me in my pink shirt, again!

Hope y'all are enjoying all the colors of this season, wherever you are in the world!

One Big Party!

Politics and religion, very hard for me to write about and to discuss intelligently.  But a funny TV commercial?   You can bet that is something that I will share with you every time!   Hope you enjoy!

Even the green M&M is holding back a giggle!

Whistle Down The Wind

Just watched the new TV show, "Elementary" which is the American version of the modern day tale of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.  Thank goodness, they had the good sense to get Jonny Lee Miller, a real Brit to play Sherlock!

 Jonny Lee Miller's maternal grandfather was Bernard Lee,  who played "M" in so many of the Bond films.  Do you know what you might also know him from, especially if you are from England or if you know English films? Bernard Lee played the father of Hayley Mills in the movie, "Whistle Down The Wind."

 

What? You've never heard of that movie? Being from America, I hadn't either but I once worked with Maria, a girl from Rugby, England and when we were talking about good movies, she said her favorite was "Whistle Down The Wind" and it was from the early 60's.  The movie is based on the novel by Mary Hayley Bell.  (She is the mother of Hayley Mills and the wife of Sir John Mills, both names you should recognize). The story is about a man being found in a barn in the Sussex countryside by the Hayley Mills character, Kathy. When she asks him who he is, he says, "Jesus Christ", and she believes him to be so. She tells the other children and they all decide to keep it a secret and to take care of Jesus without telling any of the adults. If you ever get a chance to see this movie, please don't miss it. I found a clip from Youtube and it shows "our Charlie" (Kathy and Nan's brother) trying to keep the adults from discovering the man they believe to be Jesus that they have found in the barn. (Although the novel was set in Sussex, the movie was filmed in Lancashire and  some of the local children were used as extras.  The photo that I have here for you IS from Sussex, it is a barn that was just beside the wood that we we went to in 2010 on the lovely Bluebell Walk that we enjoyed).  The innocence of the children combined with their strong faith is something that is very moving to me.

 

"Whistle Down The Wind" was also a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and my family and I were able to see it in London in 2006. While we were in London, we went to Foyle's, a famous bookshop on Charing Cross Road, and I looked for the book "Whistle Down The Wind" by Mary Hayley Bell.  Imagine my surprise when this book was not available!  It is an out-of print book and quite rare.

  

Please let me know if you love this movie as much as I do and also if you are familiar with the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Who knows, you might even own the book!

Did You See This?

  Did anyone else see this on the news?  A man in Moultrie, Georgia decided to shave his head in support of his wife going through cancer and found a black spot on his head which turned out to be stage 3 melanoma.  You may read about it at this link- http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/ga-man-shaves-head-support-wife-finds-own-124130509--abc-news-health.html  The support from the community has been overwhelming and makes me feel so hopeful and grateful.

This is the kind of story that just amazes me and one that I like to share with others.   Let me know what you think of it.   Flowers on Arabia Mountain-  this photo taken just before sunset tonight, made me think of this couple in Moultrie.  We lived there when I was a teenager and I wonder if it is possible if they went to the same high school that I went to?  Band Of Gold! (I think that is what they called the band there, if memory serves me correctly!)

Arabia Mountain After The Rain

 

You know you are crazy about Arabia Mountain when it rains and all you can think of is this: I must get to Arabia and see all the clear pools of water!  Luckily, my husband is just as crazy as I am.

On October 3rd, we met our son there and we all enjoyed the pools on top of the mountain and the cascading water forming into waterfalls on the eastern side of the mountain.  The Yellow Daisies were still lovely and we even saw a Monarch butterfly!  The beautiful sunset was an added bonus.   Hope you enjoy it too...

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's almost dark now and we still have to get home and cook our dinner and it will be very late when we eat, but it is worth it, don't you think?

 

 

 

 

Richard took every one of these photos* and this last one is the one that I have as my header photo for this month.  I think it is a beauty! Oh, and thanks to all of you who left happy birthday wishes on my last post for my father-in-law.  He was most pleased about that post and to read your well-wishes. Thank you! And danke schoen!

*Correction! I took the heart shaped leaf photo and the one with the rocks in the very clear water, the one that my son believes to be in the shape of Georgia! Thanks, son!

Happy Birthday to Peter (PEEDER)

Cheers On Your Birthday, Peter!




 
Happy Birthday to Peter, or Peeder, as we say in America!  My father-in-law in England is celebrating a birthday on Sunday, Oct. 14th  and I hope all who read this will leave a happy birthday wish for him. He is the best!  (I really do try to say Pe-TER, but honestly, I do sound like Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins, but at least I am trying!)

In 2010, we were able to get there just in time to be able to go on a bluebell walk, it was so beautiful!  I am afraid that the photo above is very much what the poor man has to endure with me around!  I think that I must talk his ear off (and Joan too!) and ask about one million questions.  Thanks, Peter, for always being so patient with me.

And I know that strawberries are not in season but in June, they are out of this world in England! Trust me on this one. and they don't say "STRAW-berries", you must say, "straw-BUR-ies", that's what it sounds like to me anyway!  Hope you have something equally as delightful as this, Peter!

Peter made this owl many years ago.  Can you tell that is wire upon nails?  I thought it was wonderful and I had to get a picture of him with it.  Glad that I did now so I can share this with you!

                                              Isn't this perfect?  I think so!

 

 This is Joan & Peter posing with Betty, their wonderful friend and neighbor.  They had just made us smoked salmon sandwiches which they served us with champagne for our wedding anniversary.  I hope you will have an equally wonderful birthday celebration, Peter!

                                             Some roses for you, Peter!   xxx

  Peter, you know that I ask you the name of this blue flowering bush EVERY TIME that I am in England, so I have this on here to honor that memory for you.  One which I am sure that you treasure so very, very much.  It must be wonderful to answer the same question over and over and over.... It is a ceanothus!   I've got it!  (Thank God for the internet!)
 There are some beautiful gardens in England but the one I love the most is the one that gets the tender loving care from Peter, Gardener Extraordinaire!

Okay, here is something for you, Peter! A little bird told me that you like Katherine Jenkins so here she is singing a great song that Dusty Springfield made famous and I hope you will like it!

 

Okay, my friends from all over the world, please leave some best wishes for a great birthday for my wonderful father-in-law.   And I am thanking all of you in advance for doing so.

Happy Birthday, Peter! 

Dick Van Dyke

I have always loved Dick Van Dyke.   Any American who has spent any time in England might possibly have been called that name since so many have made fun of his bad cockney accent in "Mary Poppins"!   I say who cares! He's Dick Van Dyke, for Pete's sake!   I love him and I thought he was wonderful in that movie.  "Step In Time" was one my son's favorites and we heard it again and again with all the chimney sweeps dancing and singing.  And what about "Bye, Bye Birdie"?  What a great movie for an eight year old to see!  I loved it! 
On TV, we had The Dick Van Dyke Show during the 60's and I enjoyed it just as much as I did The Andy Griffith Show.  The writing was so clever and funny and I loved all the song and dance numbers that they would do.   I really wanted to find the clip where Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) had to go to his son's school and explain what he did for a living, which was working as a comedy writer for a TV show.  He explains comedy to a group of children in such a way that it should be used for comedy writers today!  The clip that I found here for you is when he and Laura (his wife) are mad at their neighbors for something, and they are expressing it in this game of charades.

This photo from England always makes me think of Bert (Dick Van Dyke) in "Mary Poppins"!  Step in time!

Danny Boy-Song And Story

"Danny Boy" is a song to an Irish tune called "Londonderry Air" and the lyrics are by a man named Frederick Weatherly. I listened to this a few nights ago on John's blog from England that I like to visit and it made me look this song up since it occurred to me that other than being associated with the Irish, I knew nothing about it.  And if you would like to hear the song that I heard, it is here.   Please go and listen to it, I think you will like it as much as I do.

Do you remember the children's choirs singing during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics this summer in London?  The choir from Ireland sang the song "Danny Boy". Now, as much as "Danny Boy"  is associated with the Irish, I was surprised to learn that the man who wrote the words to this song was from England.  Frederick Weatherly was a songwriter and he wrote thousands of songs but he only did this in his spare time, as he was a very busy lawyer!  His autobiography is entitled "Piano And The Gown" (I would assume the "gown" refers to what he would wear as a lawyer.)  There is some very detailed information about this song and also about Frederick Weatherly and if you would like to read more, you can find it here.  Besides having a lot of background about this song, I loved reading excerpts from Frederick Weatherly's autobiography and I have some quotes for you...

It is no idle boast when I say that my songs have been sung by millions all over the English-speaking world; it is not myself that I am praising but my friends the musicians and the singers who have carried my words to the heart of the people. I do not claim to be a "poet"; I don't pretend that my songs are "literary," but they are "songs of the people" and that is enough for me.

 

"Why is it that songs appeal? Is there not a story in each? A melody which remains—deep down in our hearts? We may listen to the noblest sermons. We may study the deepest philosophy. We may be elevated by the loftiest speeches. We may read the brightest pages of history. And yet none appeal to us with quite the same appeal as song and story. Is it not perhaps that all the rest appeal to the intellect and need mental powers which only the few possess? But song and story appeal to the heart. From the heart they come and to the heart they go. They express the joys and sorrows of the poet himself; and just because he is a poet they express the joys and sorrows of the world.

When I listened to John just quietly playing his guitar and singing along to this song, it made me wonder at the power of a song.  "The songs of the people ... to the heart of the people". What song can you think of that makes you stop what you are doing, one that causes such a strong emotion in you that tears might come to your eyes?

Arabia Mountain-Under A Butterfly's Wing

  (This is not a Monarch, it is an American Painted Lady.  And do you see the bee just beside it?)

Richard and I went to Arabia Mountain on Saturday.  Before, we have walked on the mountain in the late afternoon and at dusk and have seen one single Monarch butterfly.  On Saturday, we saw dozens  and dozens of them, some would stop on the Yellow Daisies but most of them were flying directly over our heads flying very fast indeed on the long journey to Mexico.

Back to Arabia Mountain on Sunday, but this time with my son.  It was a truly beautiful day, there was a cool breeze blowing over the mountain and it was comfortable and pleasant to be outside.   We saw just a few monarchs on Sunday when Richard and I had seen so many just the day before!

 

 

 

 

Wow, you never know what creatures you will run into at Arabia Mountain!   (I have always loved puppets, even shadow puppets!)

 

 

The Yellow Daisies are still so beautiful and they smell heavenly!  The bees love them.  I want the honey that comes from these beautiful flowers, don't you?  I hope you enjoyed the walk again over Arabia Mountain with me.  My son and I gave this wonderful walk over Arabia two thumbs up!