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Search results for: January

Aperitifs, birthdays and champagne

27 Sunday Jan 2019

Posted by RosieJoseph in Food in France, Friends, Simple things, The continuing adventure

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

aperitifs, birthdays, champagne, considerations, French Friends, Good friends, language differences

It’s been a strange couple of weeks, my sister turned sixty (60!!!) on the 18th of January and it made me realise as I turned 56 last Friday the 25th just how time is of the essence. But more of that in future blogs.

One of the best things about living here is that we are blessed with wonderful French neighbours; out of all the arseholes we have met over the years on this adventure none of them are French!

Our neighbours knew that things had been difficult for Rich and I, and my darling friend Martine knew it was my birthday, so a couple of Sundays ago they rang our bell and invited us for aperitifs at their house on the 18th (my sisters birthday). It was so lovely of them, and it made me feel better because I couldn’t get to see my sister on this landmark birthday (that is all part of the adventure, but I am sad I missed it).

On the evening of the 18th our neighbours and friends Marc and Nadia picked us up, and when we got to Martine and Michel’s home the assortment of aperitifs was amazing: mussels, stuffed cherry tomatoes, olives, little hot dog balls, spinach in pastry, so many things!) Out came the champagne and I found myself, in my basic French, conversing with my French friends about politics, and language.

We laughed about the hot dog balls being called knackers! Explained the dual meaning of that word in the English language which made them laugh, and this led to a conversation about the word for testicles in French! They have a fantastic sense of humour and really are lovely people.

Fast forward to my birthday, I had given myself a gift of a day of doing nothing: no logs, no new FB sites, no ironing, washing, writing, no promotion of my book and blogs on social media, nada! In the early evening I did venture out to the postbox and Marc called me. We were invited to their house for champagne, and when we arrived there was a big bunch of flowers waiting for me. The time flew by, as it always does with them and it really made my day. Hubby cooked me a Mexican so hot I couldn’t eat it, and it was the day I wanted, with some added extras along the way.

But I am at a crossroads……

Is it my age?

Moisy

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Keep Going ….

17 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by RosieJoseph in My home, Reflections, Simple things, The continuing adventure

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

count your blessings, Hope, Inspiration, keep going, Love life, love what you have, makingthisbetter, new beginnings, Simple things, Small things, strength, The white rose, White roses

 

 

I have been neglectful of this blog recently because my other blog https;//makingthisbetter.com has taken off again and I am now on target to achieve over twenty thousand views by the end of this week!

In addition the blog has helped me tighten my book and I am editing like a fury into the evening every evening.It will be published this year; even if I self publish.

But both of my blogs are important to me.  I think that the other blog has taken off, and taken over,  because sadly January is a month when most people find that their problems are compounded: perhaps it is because it is the new year and they can see no change in sight; perhaps it is because Christmas,and all the hype that goes with it, often makes people feel as if they should be happy; that they should put their problems to one side for a week or so (delude themselves that everything is happy) but inevitably reality kicks back in to bite them on the arse again in January, or even Christmas evening! Or perhaps it is because people feel that at this time of year they should consider change, should reflect, that they find that they have no option but to do just that; and they are afraid of what they may see. Hence the visits to a blog that may help them.

But this blog too can help them, it is real, it is reflective, and I noticed how some are also finding their way here from makingthisbetter, and I am glad, and they are welcome.

So on to why I thought that I would share with you this rose on this blog, my first blog, the blog that got me to where I am today with regard to my writing: This rose currently sits on my windowsill in my living room, and it overlooks the front of my garden and the wonderful view. I  bought this rose on the second but last weekend in November last year! I kid you not! Seven weeks ago!

We had no money, every penny counts (still does), but as I was leaving the supermarket a lady was there who represented a society for people with arthritis. They were asking for you to either buy a brioche (a form of sweet bread) from them, or a rose bud, and the money would be used to help people with arthritis who could not work and were on a low income. I could not afford it, but something made me buy this rose for two euro. I looked at Rich and said ‘I have arthritis, and I know we have nothing but surely we should all try and help other people.’ (Correction there we do have loads: each other to start, a house over our head, water, hot shower all of our blessings: you may want to read my ten consecutive posts around counting our blessings here is the first one Counting my blessings: Day one ) and I bought the rose.

And here is the rose: still alive, bloomed and still looking out over the view seven weeks after I bought it! I think that it is saying that it just loves it’s life looking out over the French countryside and it will stay as long as it can, it will keep going.

I did not realise the symbolism of a white rose, of which there are many, but two of them are hope, and new beginnings.

Every time I look at this rose I smile, because I know that it is a message being sent to me to tell me not to give up. For me it symbolises a number of things:

Hope – because it is still alive today, and it proves that anything is possible.

To enjoy the moment, enjoy life, whatever it holds; if you look at life there must be something positive in it. Only recently Rich and I have talked about the human brain being pre-disposed to see the negative and how every day when I wake, before I get up I say thank you:For Rich, for Tom, for my family, for my beautiful dogs, my cats, the roof over my head, running water, having a hot shower – back to the counting my blessings posts……!

But more than anything at what is a difficult time (there is always good and bad) this rose tells me to keep going.

And trust me, I will!

There will be more posts this week folks. I promise.

Moisy

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Dawn….

11 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by RosieJoseph in Reflections, Simple things, The continuing adventure, The seasons

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

a new day, Changes, Dawn, French Sunrises, Hope, Inspiration, LIfe, Reflections, Simple things, Small things, something new, sunrise

 

Sunrise form my garden January 2019

I have recently started to follow a new blog and it inspired me because every year the lady who writes it picks a word to live that year by. I have included a link to her blog below, it is inspiring.

After all of my pictures recently, and things I have learnt over the last year I have decided to pick ‘Dawn’. Because every dawn, every sunrise offers new opportunities, offers you the chance to leave things in the past and move into the new.

And living here every dawn, as I stand with my beloved cup of tea, makes me smile.

What will be your word for the year? And why?

Moisy

 

https://ainsobriety.com

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Motivation during the French winter

08 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by RosieJoseph in My home, Reflections, Simple things, The adventures of living life in the French countryside, The continuing adventure, The seasons

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

being grateful, believe, Blessings, Change, Contentment, Dogs, French sunsets, Inspiration, keeping busy, LIfe, life shows the way, making change, moving forward, new decor, Reflections, Simple things, Small things, Sunrises, sunsets, The seasons, Welsh Terriers, Welshies

I have written many times about winter in rural France. I have said how people dread it, how it can be very grey (although that is one of my favourite colours!), and how work can be scarce to the point of non existence; add that to what can be one of the most expensive times of the year with fuel to find, and it can be hard.

A new year – a time of reflection

So this year we are approaching winter with a different approach, in fact this year we are approaching a lot of things differently, but more of that to come over the year!

Firstly we have wood, in our garden, our own wood. So we spend at least one afternoon a week chopping the wood (don’t get me started on the log splitter!). I enjoy it, I enjoy working with my husband, with the puppies running around us, and I find it rewarding.

Secondly we have decided to focus on what we can do, instead of what we can’t do. I believe if you keep going what you need will come, so since the new year we have done the following:

We went for our New Year day walk around the medieval city of forgeres

I said we are going to enjoy the winter in my previous posts, and I hope by doing this I will inspire others to just embrace each and every day.

Rich has decided to use his time, and has painted our toilet, and hung the radiator on the wall. We have decided that this is the year that we will take control and this is one way to do it. To decorate the house, with the paint we already have, and to do it well and how we want it. This house will be unrecognisable.

He has also re-arranged our living room, so that we take more advantage of the log burner with a ‘snug area by the tv and fire. I love it, it has gone from this……

To this..(dog leg not included!)

He has opened up the seating area at the other side of the room, and we have decided not to have a table. We never use it! So it’s going up for sale and we now have a huge amount of space. From this….

To this

We have a long list of jobs that we want to achieve this winter, pulling all the logs from the overgrown dead grass around them, decorate the hall, paint our living room and kitchen ceiling white (the leaking roof has been fixed, properly this time without any odious little people in sight!) and decorate both rooms. I am sure in-between all this work will come Rich’s way.

And last, but never least I will continue to cherish the scenes around me, because they keep me here. So here are some winter sunrises and sunsets from 2019.

Sunrise Ambrières-les-Vallées January 2019

Let’s be positive, and honest with ourselves this year.

Moisy

Sunset Ambrières-les-Vallées January 8th 2019

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There is nothing like being in the crisp, cold air…

18 Sunday Nov 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in My home, The adventures of living life in the French countryside, The continuing adventure, The good life, The seasons

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

autumn, Change, cold air, Contentment, crisp air, Dogs, Happiness, Hope, LIfe, log splitters, Logs, Love, making the best of what you have, Tao, Welsh Terriers, Welshies

You’ll all be glad to know that the Incredible Hulk is now back in his cage.

Yesterday after blogging and writing I spent the afternoon in the garden with hubby and the puppies.

The sun was shining on this late autumn day, and it was cold, with a nippy wind, and I loved it. I let the cold air blow through my brain, and remind me, as the Tao so often does, that what is needed is what you’ve got.

We spent the afternoon using our wonderful new tool that has been a life saver for Rich, the log splitter:

Nearly three years ago we chopped down fourteen pine trees that divided our garden and cut out the light. They were big babies and trying to cut through them with just a chainsaw was nigh on impossible.

But with the log splitter life was made easy because Rich could cut the logs to the right size and the log splitter did the rest. Making light work of it – almost

They’ve been protection for the chickens, an extra to make sure Wiglet could not get under the wire. They have been used to hold the fencing down around the garden, and they have been used as perches for the chooks. But the time has come to use them, before they rot.

There is nothing more rewarding than using what is available to you, letting nothing go to waste. Add to these the logs we have from the sycamore we pollarded in January, with more to cut; and the oak logs, with more to cut, that will not be ready until the winter after next, and we are set up for the next three winters.

So the log store is full with a mixture of pine and hardwood (you can burn pine providing you mix it with other woods) I’ve burnt calories, the puppies are happy and our garden is getting tidy, in small steps.

I don’t have a lot in material things, but what I do have money cannot buy. I am blessed.

Moisy

Have a good week folks

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What a way to spend a birthday!

16 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in Friends, The continuing adventure, The good life

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Dogs, Good friends, good life, Happiness, lamb chops, pancakes, simple times, Swimming pools, Welsh Terriers, Welshies, Wimbledon Final, Wine, World cup

We live a simple life we don’t have, or covet, lots of possessions, we know that is not the way to happiness, and we are happy.

We started Rich’s birthday weekend with a visit to a huge vide grenier in the stunning town of Lassay les Chateaux near to us.

What a place to visit, with French gems everywhere and saucisse and frites as well! But it was sooooo hot the dogs started to struggle and the baby Dylan had to be carried back to the car because the ground was burning her feet. Thankfully this year, as part of the summer frivolity and for his birthday, Rich has been given a swimming pool. It has been a Godsend, with our two lilo’s that fit in it that Karen and I spent all day yesterday floating on, and temperatures of over thirty degrees every day both us and the dogs have loved it.

Whilst this is a possession it is one for us all, but,other than that, we have not been out for lunch, I didn’t buy Rich a card, or a gift, but Karen did buy him a cake! We had prosecco, red wine, and Rich had some ciders someone had brought him over from England; I cooked him pancakes with maple syrup, and we all had lamb chops for tea (somewhat the worse for wear after drinking wine all day in the garden!)

It was baby Dylan’s first birthday as well so the Welshie’s joined in the party, running around with their paper hats on various parts of their bodies, anywhere but their heads! Only Harley kept it on for any length of time, but that’s the joy of a Welshie!

What more could you ask? Good food, good company, good wine, and dogs! Add to that the final of the World Cup and Wimbledon and the view and serenity of our garden and my husband’s prayers were answered.

By the time we all ate we were worn out, so Rich’s birthday cake has been saved for today, but the puppies had theirs, ice cream, cream and madeira cake, they’re not spoilt at all!!

l

Today we will get some errands done, and go for a walk, possibly to the barrage (see post from January or look out for a new one soon.)

Life is good, keeping it simple is the way to go.

Moisy

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You see, change is the only constant there is…..

23 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in Reflections, The continuing adventure

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Broken hearts, Change, Death, Embracing change, George Benson, Humming birds, Tao, Tao Te Ching, Understanding change

‘Everything must change,
Nothing stays the same.
Everyone must change
Nothing stays the same.’
Taken from ‘Everything must change’.Written by Bernard Ighner – Sung by many but for me George Benson’s version lights my soul……
As Persephone tries hard to return from the underworld, and Spring struggles to bloom, I have been inspired to write this post for many reasons, not least the people that I have met and interacted with over the past few weeks;  and I hope that this post will enable others to think, and perhaps help some of them.
Firstly, as I predicted in January, things are going to change for us this year – that I suppose is a given as the words in the song say, but I know (knew) that things were going to get easier; not better because I am lucky with the life that I have, I know that, and I am grateful every day. But things have started to get easier, Rich has been offered some work that will take him into the next month or so, and perhaps longer as there are other projects in the pipeline; to know that we will have a regular income is a blessed thing.
More than anything to see my husband go to work every day and come home fulfilled and chatting about the day and how he has enjoyed his work and the people he is working with is a joy. Rich loves ‘banter’ and working with men in an environment where that can take place is important to him. He has experienced that before but it is few and far between and gardening can be a lonely job if you are a people person.
As I have mentioned in previous posts,  I have now sent my book off to a publisher, and having not heard I rang them this week, to be told that it is still being considered; this I firmly see as a positive because they have had it four weeks and they have not flung it back at me yet!!
I have also finished reading my book on the Tao, yep I have read all of the verses – it has only taken me nearly two years! But I have got so much out of it, and I understand so much more about myself and others, and the world.
Despite reading it, I know that this is now a way of life for me and that I should continue to go back to this good book as often as I can to remind myself and, because I have read it all, I also know that I will understand some of the earlier passages even more now. So I have taken to opening the book randomly and reading the passage that I have opened it on; and the first passage was the sixteenth verse, about living with constancy; and how the only constancy is, in fact. change.
‘Become totally empty
let your heart be at peace
amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings
observe how endings become beginnings….’
Dr Wayne W. Dyer (Change your thoughts change your life – living the wisdom of the Tao.)
Over the weekend we visited a lovely couple in what are sad, or perhaps another word is poignant, set of circumstances. They find themselves in a position where they have to move to smaller accommodation due to ill health; as I watched them, the love they had for each other was palpable, despite where they find themselves today. I realised how much their lives had changed in the time that they lived over here, which was, in fact, hardly any time at all, and it reminded me how fleeting our lives are.
Yes, I did have tears in my eyes because it was a reminder to me that we should cherish every day and every moment because one day what you took for granted will be gone. As it says in the song I have quoted …
‘The young become the old,
Mysteries do unfold.
‘Cause that’s the way of time
Nothing and no one goes unchanged.’
Also this year another dear friend has had to deal with the loss of his mum, a lady who made him the person he is today with her strength; she gave him the same courage and determination that she had, and I know that this year will be the most difficult for him and his family; and the following years will only become easier because you know you have been through all of the anniversaries and celebrations without that person once already so you know you can do it again.
And now Spring is here, bringing with her tumultuous change, yes some good as the the earth around us burst into life; but also we realise the things that have not survived, like my poor little geraniums who held on all winter only to be blasted by ‘The Beast from East.’ Or some of the trees blown down by the winter’s gale.
My dear friend who this time last year had been on a holiday of a lifetime with a person she loved, and who, this year, finds herself back in touch with me, and in love with my darling husband (as a brother, because he can always make her laugh!)  and realising that perhaps that person who she thought she loved  was not the person she thought they were all along – change in it’s many forms as they say in the song….
Winter turns to spring.
Wounded heart will heal. (yes it will) 
Never much too soon
Everything must change
Then there is a Face Book site I follow – the Welsh Terrier Fan Club – where we all share the antics of our mad puppies, and our love of this beautiful, wilful, and naughty breed of dog; and then, suddenly, someone’s dog gets ill unexpectedly, as Harley did last year, and we all pray with them, we all pray that their dogs will survive; because we are, in truth, terrified of when that time comes for us. Sadly even this week a little one year old died suddenly from Kidney failure. But as I said to it’s distraught family, they know these little dogs, they get it, and they come here to teach us lessons – that life is too short just enjoy each day, whatever the weather.
As part of my research for my book I have read, and in fact am still reading, many blogs by people whose hearts have been broken by infidelity, and how they struggle with the fact that they are, in fact, grieving. Often they want back what they had when in fact what they thought they had has gone, it cannot be bought back to life; and often they do not seem to realise that all that they have is today, and what can be built for the future, either with their partner or on their own. But they spend each day going back into the past, going over things that cannot be changed – you can change the future you cannot change the past – reliving things over and over, driving themselves mad in what may be the last days or their, or the ones they love, lives. Trust me, I know.
This is change, it happens whatever things we put into place to protect ourselves, and if we can embrace this fact, it will not bite us on the arse as badly when it comes, because we know that it was inevitable.
There are not many things
In life you can be sure of.
Except
Rain comes from the clouds,
And sun lights up the sky,
And humming birds do fly.
So because of all this  I felt inspired to write this post in the hope that some could consider the fact that change cannot be stopped,  and that hiding from it will just make it harder in the end.  The couple I mentioned inspired me to say to people consider that things could change again by tomorrow and then you would regret what you missed today; so remember those you loved, or forget those you loved, and take them with you on your next journey as a wonderful memory, or leave them behind but take with you the lesson you learned.
We all struggle with the loss of people, or animals that we love. Some of us refuse to accept change will happen in our lives when in fact it is a constant, from losing jobs, moving home, leaving people and places that we love, people that we love leaving us, and nature giving us that reminder that – do you know what – someone else is doing the driving!! –  And someone or something that we love becomes ill, or leaves us on this earth alone; and our lives are immeasurably different, in a way we did not want.
I believe, now, that if we can accept that this is inevitable, then the pain we feel will still be immense, but not insurmountable because we will understand that this is the way of the world, and we are just part of it’s story.
As they say in the sixteenth verse of the Tao Te Ching ‘rather than viewing change as a disruptive, unwanted occurrence, you can choose to view the variances in your world as valuable influences in the cycle’ ….
There’s an immutable cycle of ‘no life, life, no life’ that we are all part of. All things come and they go….
This coming and going might seem to be a temporary condition, but it’s actually the ultimate  constant because it never ceases.’
Change your thoughts change your life – Dr Wayne W Dyer
Ultimately what it is saying is if you understand and accept that things will change, irrespective of how hard you hold onto them, then when it happens you will be able to accept it and understand that no matter how hard it may seem at the time, the ending of this one thing is the beginning of another; and life will go on, differently, but you can still find happiness out of something new – if you let yourself.
Just as the couple I described, who are embracing their new way of life, or my dear friend who now has us in her life, for her sins,  and a Welshie puppy!!!
Or my dear friend who knows that his situation cannot be changed, but that it will be easier in the future, with the help of those who love him and support him around him.
Or the poor people who lose their beloved animals, imagine off they go through the gate to rainbow bridge,  leaving room for a new gate to open and another animal to be loved by them.
‘This too shall pass – it always has and it always will.’
Or the people whose circumstances change, and they either find happiness with the ‘new’ life they have with that person, or with a new life without them. All endings are beginnings….
So sorry about the deep message on this Friday afternoon – but something to consider this weekend when things don’t go as planned; and take a tip from me play ‘Everything must change’ – the George Benson version. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry…..
The young become the old,
Mysteries do unfold.
‘Cause that’s the way of time
Nothing and no one goes unchanged.
There are not many things
In life you can be sure of.
Except
Rain comes from the clouds,
And sun lights up the sky,
And humming birds do fly
Have a good weekend
Moisy
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Older and wiser (I hope!)

31 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in Reflections, The continuing adventure

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

confrontation, Facebook, Incredible Hulk, Inspirations, Journey, Mini bus, Negativity, positivity, Reflections, Tao, understanding, writing

Mayenne

The Mayenne River at twilight

So it is official I have now completed my 55th year on this earth; and because I know I am such a different person  I thought that I would take some time to look back on the last year and share with you the things that have caused me to change, and make my life so much better in so many ways.

The first decision I made was way back in January, it was to stop looking at the group social media pages for this immediate surrounding area! I found them so negative, nasty, viscous and controlling and I just decided that I didn’t need that shit in my life anymore.

Now I was going to say more but have decided that this topic probably needs a post all on it’s own so look out for that one; all I will say is that my life was infinitely better after I stopped engaging or looking at them.

I really started to understand the Tao, and now follow my life pretty much in that way – although I do have to constantly remind myself every day to not get caught up in unnecessary crap. Due to this I have been accused  of becoming a religious nut! Of having ‘found God’ when really, for me, the Tao is a philosophy not a religion: a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour. That is what it has done for me it has helped me to follow principles for my behaviour and also where others are concerned it has enabled me to make choices about whether I want their behaviour in my life, or whether I am going to let it affect my life.

In fact folks if you read the Tao I would ask everyone what is God? For me it is just a label that can be used to define something, nothing more, nothing less.

Now, I don’t do negative in all aspects of my life – and when I find myself in the company of negative people I feel like I am  in the company Dementors (to borrow from the wonderful J.K Rowling)  sucking the life out of me.

negativity quote

You must have been there, with someone who just moans and moans and everything that comes out of their mouth is negative; and eventually it is like having  your soul sucked out of you, you come away feeling so down and questioning everything you do and everything in life. This lesson really came to the fore for me in the summer when my darling husband really let a negative person get to him, he was in their company for some time and eventually he really did feel like hanging himself from a tree!! (I kid you not read my post a birthday wobble.)

negativity walk away

So after this I started to notice the negative people who were around us, people who only wanted to criticise, and when you actually listened to them not a good thing came out of their mouth – or sometimes it would when they realised that they had overstepped the mark. Too late for me I’m afraid. I step away now.

Negitity quote laugh at it

I mean lets us not forget, as I blogged earlier in the year,  I was actually told I was too positive!!! WTF!!!

So I distanced myself from the negative people and boy am I happier and in a better place now – good things are coming my way.

 

Tao quote on confrontation

 

As some of you may know (from my post a little bit more about me) I don’t do confrontation either. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t give people crap and I don’t put up with crap from them; the difference now is that I don’t get angry, I stay cool, calm and collected but I still say ‘no’ if I need to.

It has been interesting for me this year where this is concerned, because I have encountered people who knew what had happened to me, knew that I have the Incredible Hulk inside me, and it was as if they wanted to press my buttons to bring it out. They seemed to assume that because I did not lose my temper I was weak and a pushover.

tao and confrontation

Those who know me well, and probably some of you that read this blog, will giggle at that thought because it is so untrue. In addition they would not want the Incredible Hulk inside me to come out because then they would be hurt, and I would be tired for weeks, feel awful and may possibly have been arrested!

Luckily I am now able to step away, or calmly ask questions for clarification -which they don’t want to give because they would have to acknowledge they were arseholes – and that tends to sort the situation out.

negative people being insecure

 

I have learnt over the year not to ask others for explanations and not to offer  explanations to others. I don’t expect explanations and when people expect them of me I now ask them why? Ego perhaps!!

The reason for this is because when people expect and explanation from you is this because they seem to think that you should care what they think?

There are some people that I know and love and  I do care what they think. But those people never seem to ask me for explanations. By giving explanations you are allowing others to live your life for you, and that is, quite simply, not my thing honey! If you are not on my mini-bus of life then I offer no explanations.  (For those new to my blog you may want to read the post – so who is on your mini-bus of life.)

So I don’t care what most people think and that has worked out brilliantly for me as a writer because if I did I would write absolutely nothing!! As one of my beloved readers from this blog told me ‘It’s all copy!!’

That brings me to one of the other big things I learnt and that is to  write what I want. My book – people will be shocked I have shared!! My blog who wants to read about where I went in France all the time! It seems to have worked my followers are now near 300 and rising every day with well over fifty hits a day. Thank you and welcome keep the ball rolling.

I have learnt who the important people are in my life, and what is important to me where people are concerned. I have also learnt to look at myself and how I react to others, and to let the past go and deal with the relationship now. Everyone is different and I just go with the flow – unless you are insecure or negative, sorry but they are a no no for me I find that insecure people tend to bring others down and I don’t need that. I wish them well, hope that they find their way and if they do and they want to reconnect always happy to.

 

And one of the most important things: My mini bus has driven along the road and picked back up some good friends that I had lost contact with along the way in life- We have all learnt things during the time we have been absent from each others lives and we have come to realise that there are some people who you cannot let go of , because when they come back into your life they are on the same page as you – they just took a different route to get there; and I have found we are all infinitely wiser for the journeys we have had.

Not least in that is my son, who has found his way in life and is flying high because by taking this adventure we pushed him off the cliff and trusted that he would be caught; just like we have. You have to believe, trust me.

Belief image

So here is to the next year of my life, I feel already that it is going to be a good one – ever positive me!!!

If you like my blog please share folks I am loving the new people joining from all over the world.

Quote ona adventures and good energy

Moisy

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Visit my Etsy shop: petiteFrenchfancies

 

 

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A winter’s walk in France….

15 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in Reflections, The continuing adventure, The seasons

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Blessed, Catkins, Cottages, Fireside, Foggy days, French Stone houses, Hope, L'hiver, Shades of grey, The Hooley, The Mayenne, The Varenne, Welsh Terrier, Welshies, Winter, Winter in France, Winters walk

Sitting posing for once

As I have encouraged others over the past few days to get out there and enjoy each season  last weekend we decided to do the same, and take the Welshie’s for a walk around our town and get some photographs to share with you all.

As it turned out we picked the best day because it was extremely cold but dry. Yesterday Ambrieres, and especially us high on the hill, was shrouded in thick freezing fog all day which can add to the bleakness when you live in such a remote country setting;

pexels-photo.jpg

and today we have a hooley blowing! So I am busy writing and Rich is busy sorting out little inside jobs, and as I look out of the window and contemplate winding the blinds down early I notice that even the chickens have took themselves to bed!!

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This winter here has been very very wet, not as cold as previous winters but, as I may have said before, so wet we have mold everywhere!! The river Mayenne has burst its banks in the town of Mayenne and the river that runs through Ambrieres ‘The Varenne’ has also overflowed onto the grassy banks.

River Jan 2018

 

The pretty little weir is now a raging torrent

Wier Jan 2018

And if you look closely you can see the remnants of a tree trunk that has been stuck on it since the ferocious winds just before Christmas.

As always here, nature looks so beautiful whilst reminding us that she can also be so deadly and that, although man generally does not think it, we are really nothing at all!!

I love the river. When we first found Ambrieres, on a rainy day one August whilst we were on holiday, I fell in love with its beauty despite the rain; from the weir and river

River Jan 2018
Ambrieres river Jan 2018

to the pretty little stone cottages that cascade down the hill towards the weir with their lovely tiered gardens ………

Cliff houses Jan 2018

You never know I may live in one of these in the future when I get old and downsize!!! What a view, you would never tire of it!

 

River overflowing January 2018

So on Saturday we found a little road that led down to some stone houses and cottages right by the rivers edge, a small hamlet where the houses had  had pretty walled gardens with the river running up to their edge ..

 

House ambrieres Winter 2018
river Ambrieres Winter 2018

But for me, it is the colours in France, with the old stone buildings and slate roofs; so many different shades of grey; and our stunning Marie building (The mayor’s) cut into the slate rock imposing looking over the beautiful Varenne is no exception..

Marie's Jan 2018

As we made our way back to our car and the darkness was drawing in we saw a sign of hope for things to come, the pretty little catkins blowing in the cold wind never giving up

Jan 2018

It was good to come home after that and snuggle in front of the fire for the evening, small things are the most important of all.

pexels-photo-96864.jpeg

I am blessed.

Moisy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hope……

11 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in Reflections, The continuing adventure, The seasons

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bleakness, difficult times, etsy, Hard times, Hope, Hope for spring, Inspiration, petiteFrenchfancies, Poems, Robin redbreast, spring, Tao, Thomas Hardy, Welsh Terriers, Welshies, Winter

‘Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large.’

Wikipedia 

 

 

lovely photo tom with mum and dad
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Dylly Dyls

I have chosen this word as my blog today because I have been inspired by many things to write about hope.

Not least of my inspirations is the time of year. I know that a lot of people feel down during the months of January and February. The land seems bleak, every day is grey (although I have to say that is one of my favourite colours so there is a positive there for me.) the winter has been going on for some time, Christmas is over, often people have spent too much and everyone just tends to feel flat. So hence this post – a post to raise spirits.

I have written in the past about this time of year, how we all seem to hibernate and shy away from going outside and looking at some of the beauty that surrounds us. Even poets who have written about winter seem to highlight the doom and gloom as Thomas Hardy said ….

‘I leant upon a coppice gate,
When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter’s dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires…..’

This excerpt is from his poem ‘The Darkling Thrush’ and although notorious for being a bit of a miserable bugger even he had to acknowledge the thrush when it started to sing and admit

‘That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew,
And I was unaware…..’

The Thrush sung of hope, because he knew that Spring would come, that life should be embraced whatever the weather.

We should go out and look at the things around us, the trees that are just waiting for Spring, with their buds at the ready, like my willow tree that I have included in one of the collage of photos at the beginning of this post. They have hope.

And not least the Tao asks you to look at the trees as ‘They stand, and they wait, the power of their growth apparently dormant. But inside, a burgeoning is building imperceptibly …. neither bad fortune nor good fortune will alter what they are. We should be the same way.’ (Deng Ming-Dao from 365 Tao: Daily Meditiations.)

And finally the wonderful Philip Larkin who wrote the following poem called ‘First Sight’

Lambs that learn to walk in snow

When their bleating clouds the air

Meet a vast unwelcome, know

Nothing but a sunless glare.

Newly stumbling to and fro

All they find, outside the fold,

Is a wretched width of cold.

 

As they wait beside the ewe,

Her fleeces wetly caked, there lies

Hidden round them, waiting too,

Earth’s immeasureable surprise.

They could not grasp it if they knew,

What so soon will wake and grow

Utterly unlike the snow.’

Another inspiration is Harley, my beautiful Welshie. When we were faced with the possibility of losing him in November, faced with that terrible decision to leave him in the hands of the wonderful vet who saved his life we had to have hope. We had to never give up; and here he is with us today, running like the wind again in the garden his ears behind him and his legs stretched out in full pelt. He makes me smile every time I see him I just stop and watch.

Times are hard on this adventure in the winter (not for some I know but for most)  the other day Rich and I were talking in the barn and I told him not to worry about things because you can only deal with what you have today, what is the point of worrying about tomorrow when you don’t actually know what it holds? As if to affirm to me that I was right as I walked away and into our garden a robin redbreast landed on my hydrangea right outside the front door; and it turned and looked at me. I just smiled and said ‘I know, I am right, it will all be okay if we only deal with the here and now and not the future,’ I knew it was someone who loved me coming to give me support … and hope.

Image result for robin pictures

I have since made three sales on Etsy!

Another inspiration is one of my dear friends, who is going through what will be one of the most difficult times of his life; as he works his way through the illness and inevitable goodbye that he will have to make to someone he loves so much. But despite all the difficulties he messaged the mad little group that we have on Messenger to say how he treasures our madness and silly antics at this time, because it gives him strength to carry on. Some would say how can there be hope in this situation but there is. We hope that he stays strong and his family stay strong, and I have no doubt that they all hope that when the time comes the person who leaves will go to a better place, with no pain, young again, in their prime; and that they hope that, sometimes, a robin redbreast will pay them a visit just to let them know that they are still there with them – always.

I have been inspired over the past few weeks by blogs I have been reading as part of the research for my book before I do it’s edit and send it off. My book is a book of heartbreak and hope; and the hope that shines out of some of these blogs is immense. The people (yes all of them) are going through so much pain, but they would not be carrying on if they did not  have hope. Just as Rich and I did. I have messaged some and commented on their blogs and they have all responded to say that ‘we’ give them hope that they will get through it.

So on to what hope has to do with my adventure:

When we moved here our son was very unhappy, I understand he was afraid that we were not going to be there for him anymore. It was, after all, a big life changing event for him, even though he did not live with us. But in the collage of pictures is one of us in our kitchen from this Christmas after he visited for the first time, there we all are with our mould (it has become part of the family now!) and he is happy now that we live here; he has made his way in the world and come so far on his own over the past few years – and this is exactly what I hoped for. I also hoped that he would see our house as home and the best gift at Christmas was when he said “It is good to be home.”

I never gave up hope for that!

And finally a big shout out to all of the other brave people (or lunatics however you look at it) that are renovating old drafty houses over here and in other places in the world. Who are not rich, who have to be innovative in what they do, and who have to change the way they live because of their finances. None of you ever give up hope, and I respect you for that.

So over to you all, at this time of year are you going to be miserable and wait for spring? (Just a little reminder that you don’t actually know if you will be here then! But I hope you will!) Or are you going to go outside and look at the beauty of the world around you? See the hope on every corner, in everything you do?

I found this wonderful poem about hope by an unknown poet – this is an edited version but it can be found at http://www.wow4u.com/poemofhope/ where there are many others to inspire.

….’There might be adventures you never imagined

just waiting around the next bend

and wishes and dreams about to come true

in ways you yet can’t comprehend…..

 

So keep putting one foot in front of the other,
And taking your life day by day…
There’s a brighter tomorrow that’s just down the road –
Don’t look back! You’re not going that way!’

 

As always folks please share, and please comment I love to hear what you think – I really hope you will. Here is to a hopeful 2018

Oh and why the picture of the Welshie puppy Dylan dylly dyl dyls? Puppies are always full of hope and wonder; and she has filled my friends life with joy and hope!

 

Moisy

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Visit my Etsy shop petitefrenchfancies for more inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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