Tea and happiness

Following a trip to the UK where I became converted to drinking tea (preferably loose-leaf tea which tastes the greatest), my best friend bought me a special tea pot for my birthday. It has a built-in tea strainer so I can use my loose-leaf tea and it makes at least three mugs of tea. Perfect!

Teatime is anytime.

because

Open Dyslexic

This covers two of my interests...

A friend directed me to this site which has an open source font for people with dyslexia to use to make it easier for them to read web pages.

Designed by Abelardo Gonzalez, it was created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. "Letters have heavy weighted bottoms to add a kind of "gravity" to each letter, helping to keep your brain from rotating them around in ways that can make them look like other letters. Consistently weighted bottoms can also help reinforce the line of text. The unique shapes of each letter can help prevent flipping and swapping."

People with dyslexia (including my friend) say it means that they don't need to keep rereading a page.

You can download the font package here and there's also an app!

Friendship

Yesterday I came across this post that I had squirrelled away and had some fun working out how to make a friendship bracelet. Once you get started it's actually a lot easier than I expected.
Here's the start of my second colour scheme (sorry about the clashing background - it's an old chair).

Bamboo toothpicks and take-aways

A strange ironic delight fills me each time I read the caution on what was actually a set of chopsticks. I think what has happened is the packaging was originally intended for toothpicks but has been used accidentally to wrap chopsticks.  It's rather like the "open packet and eat nuts" instruction on a packet of nuts but what bothers me most is that the toothpick may be more likely to hurt your mouth than your finger!

 

"Toothpick may hurt your finger"

And to Mooki Noodles, I'd like to say:

W.I.P. - Work In Progress

This one is practically a "guess what it is" not so much because it's a bad photo (I console myself) but because it's a photo of a door painted black. It's my new kitchen blackboard.

I have so many many "projects" begun and ideas streaming through my head that I'm now wantonly starting new projects before completing old ones. I still have the bedroom door panels to paint but that requires copious stirring of the paint and a fair amount of surface preparation (so dull). So instead I'm doing an easier and more enjoyable quickie in the shape of creating a blackboard on my cleaning cupboard. Today is the day for coat number two. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't get completely covered in paint this time around because I have a lunch date to keep with my husband.

In other news, I've just found out that my oldest friend (from nursery school days) is finally on Facebook. Hooray for the internet for keeping me up to date with the people in my world. 

A true friend is the one who knows everything about you and still loves you

All linked-up today (makes me think of "joined-up" writing)

I'm just happy being me.

Soon the April I ♡ Market will be upon us (hooray). I am really looking forward to it since I was unable to get to the March market. I'm sad that lisa&joe won't be there but look forward to seeing them back at the market as soon as they are able.

Today's special mention goes to Nadia of Cupcake Couture who has done a BRILLIANT post about blogging and the blogging community that we are a part of.

Some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel

My friend has been to see a specialist and it appears that what she has is treatable with medication.

Water flooding over dam wall. Image from here

I feel such a huge flood of relief (see left) washing over me when I think that she will be alright. I've been worrying about her diagnosis for how it will affect her life, but now I can say that I've been worried for myself because to lose such a good friend who is understanding and non-judgmental would be heart-breaking for me. My life would have a great empty hole without her in it.

Still holding on and holding out, but in the meantime...

While my heart remains stuck in my throat waiting for the results of my friend's blood tests, I'm thinking of some lines from Macbeth which often pop into my head: "To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day" William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, scene 5. These lines manage to describe exactly how I feel when waiting for the results of something important. It's as though time is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out. 

Meanwhile (in other news) I visited I ❤ Market on Saturday, and must say that it was super-cool. I got some great gifts for family and friends and got this "Blogging Tea & Cupcakes" badge (left) for myself from Cupcake Couture who also presented me with one of her ribbon rosettes in exchange for the buttons for her Button Hunt. The crocheted headband bought from Freshly Found (right) will be a gift for my niece when we eventually get our trip to the UK planned. I chose the butterfly because my husband photographs insects (macro photography) and so the gift represents both him and me.

Funny how life turns around and smacks you in the face

From left to right: Red Blood Cell, Platelet, White Blood Cell
Image taken from Wikipedia

My best friend has just been telephoned and told that she has a high platelet count. It's Saturday morning and she has to wait until Monday to go for more specialized tests. She is like a sister to me, we have known each other for more than ten years, sharing the many ups and downs of each others lives. Today we were planning to go shopping together and instead she has been given this frightening news. Life is strange. I'm constantly stunned when it seems that bad things happen to good people. I have no way of easing her fears and I can do very little to help her but hope for the best and encourage her to not think the worst. And I know even when I say this to her that this is hollow advice because I know that I would think the worst if I were in the same position.

If Mondays are known for the blues, what colour are Fridays?

Having heard of synesthesia (check out the Wikipedia definition here), I guess some people do assign a colour to Fridays. I imagine it should be silver - all sparkly with anticipation of the weekend ahead and the opportunities to do what we enjoy and with a hint of the possibility of a party.

That's so long as you don't work in retail, where weekends have become just another two days to sell sell sell. I'm in two minds about this. I have friends in retail and sympathize that weekends for them don't exist. My longtime friend would like shopping on a Sunday to be banned! However, I love being able to shop on the weekends. If I shop during the week I am on my own but if I shop on the weekends I usually have company.

Here's to this weekend. Hope you all have a blast.

Christmas and presents

The Christmas presents for the family and friends in South Africa are all done so no more braving the shops for me! Yippee!

Now the slightly more difficult task of choosing presents on the internet for my family overseas must begin.

Good design

These Simply Lavender products were given to me by a friend and just LOOK at the barcode of the bottle on the left. I totally adore that kind of quirkiness in design - so subtle and so imaginative - perfect. They are made by a Durban-based company called the Good Stuff Co and they can be bought at Pick n Pay stores. You can tweet them at: www.twitter.com/goodstuffco or go to www.goodstuffandco.com

Yay, hooray!

Hooray hooray hooray! I've received my ring made by Karin Rae! 

I saw a ring like this on http://askashe.wordpress.com and fell in love. I looked on Dear Rae's site (http://www.dearrae.co.za) and couldn't find the same ring so I wrote and begged. I've waited three weeks because a new ring had to be made specially for me but it is every bit worth the wait. It was so beautifully packaged and fitted perfectly.

Every year since I turned 30 I've been buying a birthday present for myself (justifying an expense that would be unjustified any other way). This year the ring above was my present to myself and I couldn't have chosen anything better. 

I've always thought that birthdays are such a personal time so I always spend more time deciding on a birthday present for friends and family than I do on a Christmas present. And what better way to add joy to your birthday than to also include a present from yourself! After all, we often hear that we should "be your own best friend" and this is one of the truest little clichés because if we don't take care of ourselves, how will be in a position to take care of others.