Time out

Been way too busy of late. But it's Friday and I'm off to the farm tomorrow to check on these dudes, have a little girlfriend chat and generally forget about work.

Have a great weekend.

A Grand Day Out

If they still looked like this, I'd go everywhere on one!

And just look at the upholstery. What a work of art. Nostalgia never felt so good.

Working Hard

Glad it's the weekend.

New arrivals

Say hi to Hester & Hillary. Not so 'Large' Blacks. Not yet anyway.

Inspirational

Today, as I sit down to write something of my usual ramblings of pigs, dogs and sunrises, I have learned of the death of Anita Roddick. And I am truly overwhelmed.

I was fortunate enough to meet her a few years ago, a chance meeting through an odd circumstance that resulted in my having coffee with her in her kitchen. What a warm, unassuming, and truly inspirational woman she was. In the years since, I have often thought of writing to her, reminding her of that encounter and suggesting we might find a joint venture, a meeting of minds, some way of sharing a passion, a vision.

But of course, I never did. How would I have looked? A desperate wannabe, hoping that some of her talent, her style, her wisdom would rub off on me. Of course, that would be true. But there was something about her that made me feel valued. She engaged with you totally, she held your gaze and for a few moments, you were the centre of her attention.

I am certain it is these qualities, not academic qualifications or the 'right' accent, that gained her the global recognition she entirely deserved. How many other 'businesswomen' can you think of that have really broken the mold, who really shaped a whole new vision, a retailer that appealed equally to 12 year old girls with only £2 pocket money to spend, aswell as middle-aged men searching out a face-scrub for the very first time. And behind it all, a passion for fair trade that has only now become something the big marketers have latched onto; she was 30 years ahead of the game. As a stay-at-home mum in the 70's, looking for something to do while hubby was away, she created a global phenomenon. If her story doesn't inspire anyone who ever had an idea, it's hard to imagine what would.

She was truly an inspiration and 64 is no age. To her family I send my heartfelt prayers.

Rise & Shine

Quite a few bloggers are commenting on the change of season and it seems, like me, many are big fans of Autumn.



It would be easy to say that we've not really had a Summer this year, and there have been many days when that felt like the case. But the heating hasn't been on since some time back in March, fleeces and scarves have become buried in the farthest corner of the wardrobe and so although there's hopefully still a few weeks left to go, there is now a definite feeling of Autumn approaching.



I L-O-V-E love the early morning and rarely set an alarm to rise with the birdies. For me, the approaching season means I can take full advantage of getting out on foot with the dogs to a vantage point that makes the best of the rising sun. And so here was the view at 6.20am.



I should add that it also helps if one of the said dogs wakes you at 5.30am being sick on the carpet.